At the risk of sounding a certified feminist and waving the gender flag quite so often I need to know just one more thing - what's happening to all the female leads in the most widely watched shows today?
What's happening to women on TV?
Ankita Lokhande ( Archana in Pavitra Rishta): This lead of the number one Zee show is so regressive in thought that she can put the Tulsis and Parvatis to shame. Oh yes, how can I forget she was born in the same stable?
And if we didn't have enough of her the channel thrusts one more leading girl on us – Laali. Ratan Rajput who plays the role of a village girl ends up being a mistress in the show who is supposed to be impregnated to bear an offspring for the Thakur's son. Eeks!
And then we have the dolled up Tapasya (Rashmi Desai) in Uttaran who looks like a X'mas tree and behaves and thinks like the Hindi film vamp of yesteryear. All she does through the show is plot and plan against her childhood friend and wear saris that could blind you.
And whilst we are on Colors how can I forget Nakusha (Mahi Vij of Laagi Tujhse Lagan)? A good looking young girl agrees to look like an ugly duckling and toss by a normal life just because her mother thinks her beauty will invite unwarranted attention. I want to know which normal kid of today would agree to such an absurd demand!
As for the female lead in the long-running Bandini on Imagine she agrees to marry this rich Thakur old enough to be her father and then go about her business of being insulted and humiliated all the time.
I could go on and on with the current lot of mindless, brainless women on top shows because there is still an Akshara (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlaata Hai), Sadhana and Ragini (Bidaai) and the laundry list can continue.
My raison de etre for throwing light on this is to make script writers, producers and all those genius creative minds to show some respect to women. Why is it so difficult to show a normal, thinking, educated, intelligent, sensitive and sensible girl on television? Why must our leading ladies continue to portray regressive, sad characters which do nothing but foster regressive mind-sets? Well, who exactly are we catering to?
Arjun
15