PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN ON SMALL SCREEN

From Sampath’s Desk:

 

PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN ON SMALL SCREEN

 

While the great and prideful Indian women power is rightly presented and generally well portrayed on the small screen, it is unfortunate that some TV serials show them in poor light as if they are an ever-wailing lot confined to air-tight cocoons of home-kitchens, and gossip-making chatter-boxes. Why is this ‘unreality-show’? Today’s women have already touched the sky. But in the name of entertainment, why should they kick us back to the days of conservatism clinging on to the abhorrent and despicable practices of the bygone era regarding women - using the smokescreen of traditions and customs - which we have always wanted to do away with and bid adieu to them once and for all? Today, there is not a single field in which our women are lagging behind. They acquit themselves well even in the so-called traditional and age-old male domains and bastions. They are marching ahead shoulder-to-shoulder with men in all walks of life holding half the sky!

 

Be that as it may, while we were blaming the tinsel world for showing mindless violence, torture of innocents, murders, rapes, revenge-taking adventures, hero-worship, and even glorifying the villainous  characters and acts, these things have now slowly come to occupy some TV serials as well.

 

Some TV serials are bad in taste; they depict women in bad light and betray their cause! This they do to sensationalize women related issues with commercial motives. It is a pity that such serials are mostly patronized by women themselves. All especially women should boycott such serials.

 

In some Indian TV serials, one set of women characters are shown to be indulging in mischievous acts against another set of women who suffer them. Some women characters are depicted as mere show-pieces/puppets, subordinates to men, witches, and what not, conveniently showing them as ‘weaklings’ or ‘weaker sex’? Women are constantly shown in tears supplicating to and prostrating before male characters for mercy, pardon, etc. - absurdity and stupidity personified! Women are shown as if they can live in the society only at the mercy of and subservient to males. The patriarchal mindset should go. Again, male sadism over females is woefully highlighted. Still worse, the mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are shown as at constant loggerheads.

 

What all social banes and scourges our great thinkers, reformers and feminists wanted to eradicate in order to promote ‘Equality of women with men’ and ‘Women Empowerment’ in the family and society are shown as being perpetrated on women making the victim female characters weep, cry, scream, etc. over and over again due to the insolent behaviour and physical and mental tortures meted out by men characters and even by some women characters including the in-laws. Women are shown as an ill-fated and ill-destined lot to live at the mercy of their masters. Themes of enslavement, cruelty against women, female foeticide, physical and mental torture to children specifically girls, abandoning of girl children, etc. are given prominence. These are disgusting, disquieting and appalling, to say the least. In the modern world where we make a loud talk of civilized life, equality of men and women, seeking to end gender discrimination and championing the cause of women empowerment, these are retrograde ill-portrayals. Enough is enough. The yoke has to be broken at any cost and by all means. Women can no longer be kept fettered. They have of course already spread their wings even scaling the skies. We have to certainly bid adieu to the obdurate and obstinate conservatism and old schools-of-thought. Yes, certainly! 

 

Censoring of TV serials for these aspects is called for. At least one-half of the Censor Boards to be formed for this purpose should have women members!

 

 

R.SAMPATH