TV's new avatar: Bold and Beautiful

TV's new avatar: Bold and Beautiful

Indian television is finally beginning to deal with issues that were hitherto considered a taboo.

Sultry women dressed to kill. Bold scenes, and above all a bold concept. They're are our very own Bold and the Beautiful.

With issues like impotency and artificial insemination being dealt with aplomb, not to mention those sizzling suhag-raat scenes, the television industry seems to have finally graduated out of the shadows of its bada bhai — the 70 mm screen.

So is has the audience become more mature, or are directors given to experimentation, finally? "These are universal subjects. Such subjects need to be picked up especially in a superstitious society like ours where they are still considered to be a taboo. People like to talk about such things in their houses, but and are ashamed to discuss them in public.

Problems can be solved only when you talk about them, and television can be a medium to tackle problems that need discussion," says Anupama Mandloi, programming head, of a private channel, that's airing serials which deal with the concepts of impotency and artificial insemination.

So are directors trying to create a new genre of viewers who are more open-minded? "Absolutely," says actor Suchitra Pillai, who worked in Hubahu, a serial that dealt with everything from women's lib to feminine emotions.

"Television might not necessarily be a world of fantasies with superwomen and ideal men. Viewers who like newer ideas are the ones who move with time. By taking up subjects that are unparalleled yet practical, directors end up creating a different kind of viewership," says Suchitra.

But is the small screen able to do justice to these concepts? Replies director Ravi Chopra, "I think it does complete justice. People would lose interest if the same old themes were repeated.

Secondly, whatever is shown in these serials, is basically inspired from real life. We have moved with the times, so we shouldn't run away from reality. If a director is trying to work on an unexplored idea, it should be appreciated."

But far from appreciating these things, there are people who are creating a hullabaloo about them. Take for instance certain intimate scenes that were shown in a new serial being aired on another private channel.

"Its all gibberish," says actor Rohit Roy who has shot the allegedly contentious scenes with actor Sangeeta Ghosh. "The scenes represent the relationship between a husband and wife and have been shot aesthetically.

India will never progress if people keep creating mountains out of mole hills," adds Rohit. As for them having a bad influence on children, "It is for the parents to ensure that their children don't watch what they reckon is inappropriate," asserts Pillai.

So the television and its actors seem to have moved on and begun to accept contemporary realities. But have you?