A month or two ago, I read an article in The Hindu criticising, what else, TV serials, with special mention of the Star Plus offering Pratigya. Though I've read hundreds of such articles, I finally decided to delve a little deeper into this much maligned world of megaserials, with special notice taken of above mentioned Pratigya. I have to do a whole new post on this specific serial, but here's what I learned in general.
And wow! What a revelation.
I've been watching back-issues or earlier episodes (whatever!) on youtube and reading up on the forums. The forums provide an interesting insight into the world of serial watchers. Serial watching is serious business.
Written updates: The members of forums take the effort to watch the episodes and provide detailed written updates of each episode. Often these read like the screenplay of the episode itself. “Hamare hott Krishna is wearing a jazzy pink shirt and walks angrily towards Angadwa with Chandu and Tunnu.” (Yes, it can get as detailed as that!) There are even live updaters. :)
Comments: The written update is also accompanied by comments, the level of detail in these vary. Very often the involvement is so great that characters are referred to by their characteristics rather than their names. “That kali dayan Number 1 comes in accompanied by the two joru ki ghulams.” (Friends and ex-colleagues! Please note the marked improvement in my Hindi skills, please! I actually understood what that means.)
Custom orders: Apart from the updates, a number of threads are started and these include petitions to the production house creatives (CVs) requesting the return of some favourite actor, or the changing of a particular storyline or even in some cases possible love scenes that viewers want to see.
Couple nickames: I have no idea when the trend of giving a common name to a couple began (as in Brangalina and Saifina), but Boy! this flourishes in TV land – Michi (Milind-Prachi), Kriya (Krishna-Pratigya), Siddima (Siddharth-Riddima), KaJen (Karan Singh Grover-Jennifer Winget).... the list goes on. Somehow I have never liked these couple nicknames as they seem to wipe out individual identity. Earlier, it used to be "the Kashyaps" or "the Subramanis". So this was one of the harder things to overlook.
Tracking: Tracks are the branches that stem from the main serial. These may be a new crisis in the household, or a new affair, or a new character introduction or a focus on one set of characters for a while. The serial follows the said track until that crisis is resolved or the affair reaches it's (often) illogical conclusion. All this new jargon stemming from the megaserial industry is fascinating.
Educated viewership: At least from the forums, it looks like a lot of young English-speaking young women (and men actually) watch these serials both in India and abroad. Many of the written updates are done by teenagers or college students. Some are written by NRIs or Pakistani women. With the banning of youtube in Pakistan the latter now face a new problem and can only follow the serials through the written updates. I found this an interesting sociological phenomenon. What do the women do now that they cannot see whether Kriya really got a divorce or Ishaani actually discovered love?
Active condoning of violence by viewers: Domestic violence plagues SerialLand. The victimised partner's (usually a female lead) loyalty and fidelity is constantly called into question. She is physically and psychologically tortured. And none of the educated woman, apparently liberated woman on the forums seem to mind.
Interestingly, while all the women claim that they don't support abuse and sexual assault, many of them support on-screen domestic violence perpetrated on negative characters. “I'm so glad he hit her. She deserved it,” is an often seen comment on many of the forums. Slapping and pushing around, throwing things and threatening violence is not even considered abuse, even when these are perpetrated on the positive characters.
Even though many of the commentators type the mandatory “Not that I support domestic violence, but...” it is too often followed by the justification of the abuser that the protest seems like lip service. Violence is NEVER justified. NEVER!!
Skewed sense of romance: Romantic relationships in megaserials is almost always the stuff that generations of M&Bs and Harlequin Romances have been made of. Incompatible couple, often at loggerheads and how they end up together. People casually enter into marriages or marriage-like relationships of convenience. Many of the couples in these megaserials are temporary, with women falling in love with one person and often marrying elsewhere. Remarriages and new jodis are common and this often creates the drama element and also provides a context for all the violence that follows.
Stereotyping sex: Interestingly, many of the marriages are not consummated for several months and suhaag raats often feature declarations of revenge and sexual deprivation until the avenging man or woman finally understands the true love of his partner. Sometimes the partner is a negative character and marriage is never consummated. TV friends marry out of a sense of misplaced loyalty to save the friend of the opposite sex and the relationships remain platonic. The coy woman-angry male sexual stereotyping is shocking. Even among loving couples, sex is rare and always accompanied by reluctance on the woman's side. (Probably because the partner is bad in bed?)
Scarily easygoing attitudes towards sexual assault: Which explains Another thing is the latitude given to good-looking angry male leads. They threaten rape often and constantly humiliate their partners. You cannot begin to imagine how commonly, lightly and gloatingly rape and sexual battery are discussed. Forthcoming rape or attempted rape scenes are predicted with (to my mind) pretend horror. And attempted rape scenes don't gratify as much as the real thing. This perhaps explains the overdose of rapes attributed to the Indian soaps. Many didn't even take place but viewers tell each other and newbies that they did.
Any sexual abuse scene immediately generates multiple threads, some of them have a superficial disapproval clause “I lost all my respect for him, but God didn't he look sooooo HOTT!!!” “I disapprove of what he did, but see how long he has waited, yaar! After all, woh ek mard hai. Kitne din tak wait karega!” Some even hope that a good rape will break the ice and love scenes will follow.
Disturbing? Or is all this just a video translation of the rich, angry playboy-virginal poor girl plots of the countless romances girls everywhere read? At any rate, it was not so much the serials themselves as the attitude of the people watching them that disturbed me. While they profess to like liberated women, they seem to prefer women finding romance - particularly from brooding, angry male characters.
Even though proud, sarcastic, wealthy Darcy-types have been loved by generations of women, a relationship with this type of man not a lot of fun. The only men I know who are brooding and angry all the time are chauvinistic and insecure. Ergo, abusive. And I am sad to see that with all their education and opportunities, young women in my country are still liking cavemen types.
6 comments:
Hmmm.... A detailed analysis.
I gave up watching mega-serials long ago but the one thing that repeated like a never-ending sinusoidal wave (and in that frequency) was the death of a character and his/her reappearance a while later.
I stumbled on your blog recently - love the way you speak your mind and call a spade a spade :) I read many of your older posts too, and loved all of them.
God! This just validates why I can't seem to stomach our TV serials.. And the shocking part is that people seem to enjoy it. Even more worrying is that people see nothing wrong in little children watching all this junk! Can you imagine the message that must be going out to all those little children? Men can get away with rape, violence, domestic violence, whatever.. while 'good women' just tolerate all this??? It's sad that people actually seem to enjoy all this :(
I watched some serials last summer when I stayed with my mom and I was as disgusted as you are. I agree the serials do sound like desi Mills and Boons romance. I had no idea there were rape scenes too... I wonder if someone might create positive but equally entertaining and addictive serials that show women in happier and less passive roles.
I wonder how many women realise how unpleasant real life with men like in these serials would be...
@ Shilpa: I agree. The tracks are similar, no matter what the sets look like. With only 7 original plots in the world, what's a megaserial maker to do?
@Madhu Gopalan: Thanks! Saw your blog too. What amazing photographs!
@ Smitha: I think that these images serve to create, propagate or reinforce stereotypes in young minds and old.
@IHM: I think that real women are not half as attractive as these stereotypes. For some reason, people are entertained by these 'types.' I think where is does most damage is in desensitization of negative practices.
Hi Careless,
I happened to chance upon your blog while I was over at IHM. I think the words 'feminist', 'Indian' and 'woman' are oxymorons. I have met very few women who have succeeded in not internalizing, our society's sexism and warped gender role expectations. I am always intrigued when I see female colleagues compete with each other at passing themselves off as ideal wives, daughters-in-law and mothers.
I often wonder about why women feel compelled to pass themselves off as the ideal Bharatiya Nari. Why is there so much social pressure on us to be "good Indian women"?
Men don't seem to feel any cultural pressure to be "good Indian men" (besides being good little mama's boys, of course)!
I think these serials are, at a sub-conscious level, a source of affirmation and validation for most female viewers.
I think society forces Indian women to psychologically reconcile themselves with their gender role and status. Based on personal experience, this can often be extremely traumatic.
As a woman, how can you accept and comply with society's expectations and still have healthy self-esteem and regard? My guess is that such serials help women accept and tolerate the injustices and restrictions that is their lot in life and thus provide psychological nourishment and validation.
I am extremely fascinated by how women often support and perpetuate cultural beliefs, values and practices that are so antithetical to their well-being. I have never been able to fully understand why and how women do this. So much so that I often question if I am a woman at all!!! :))) I would love to read your thoughts on this!
Best,
Preeti
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