I have been watching TV Serials called ‘SOAPS’ for many years now, sometime willingly and at other times unwillingly. These serials are perhaps the best source of entertainment for the senior citizens.

At a rough estimate the viewers would be 80% women and 20% men. Keeping this in view perhaps most of these serials are women oriented. Gone are the days when men used to be villains, it is now the era of women villains without whom no serial can run. It may be Pallavi in Kahani-----------------, Mandira or Mira in Kyunke--------------, Komolika in Kasauti-------------------, Jigysa in Kasam Se-----------, Tanisha in Mamta and so on. These female villains are so powerful financially (without an apparent source of income) and can engage any number of bad characters to kidnap, go for extortion, commit murders etc. In some cases these women villains commit murders themselves (Throwing a child from the terrace…..Mamta, bribe the doctors to get any type of medical reports that suits them. They seem to have made a mockery of the medical profession by depicting only the corrupt doctors who can do anything for money. In India perhaps we have the best plastic surgeons who can not only change the face of a woman but also her body structure, her speech, in fact every thing about her (Parvati in Kahani----------)!

 

The way some characters are pronounced dead, their Chautha and Kirya performed, cremated and then declared a case of wrong identity, is so comic to behold and usually so predictable. A very common cliché is that whenever a person is about to reveal the truth, that person goes into coma only to come out of it at the right time. Even if a person wants to explain, that person is shut up with the oft repeated words “ I already know all about it, I don’t want to listen to anything” and that person is abused or slapped. In the next episodes it is known that after all that person was innocent so a subsequent episode goes into apologizing turn by turn by all the characters (Prem in Kahani-------).

 

Another very common feature of these SOAPS is the exploitation of the religious sentiments of the viewers. Introducing a havan, or a puja on any suitable occasion is a must. It could be Kali Ma, Mata Vaishnu Devi or Ganeshji depending upon the season and family background. Whenever the main female character finds her husband seriously ill, she goes with bleeding bare feet to a temple and threatens the God or Goddess that she will never again come to pray if her husband is not cured. She comes back and behold – her husband who was in coma has gained consciousness or who was declared dead by the doctors is now moving! Strangely only women are shown with their bleeding bare feet and not the men folk. Is it because the men folds don’t love their wives or the Gods decline to listen to them (Kahani---------, Saat Phere---------------, Kyunke------------ and many others).

 

Why can’t these producers come up with some original stories? Producers like Ekta Kapoor are no fools – they very well know the weakness of women viewers, their characters will keep weeping and play on the sentiments of women day after day. Once in an interview Prerna of Kasauti---------------- was asked “why do you weep so much in your serial?” Her reply was “ If weeping can get me a new house, a new car and holidays abroad, what is wrong in weeping”. It you think weeping is the prerogative of women-you are wrong. You will be surprised to know how many men weep in these serials.

 

Lastly let me comment on the dumb female characters in the serials, Bani in Kasam Se is one example. Suhana of Bhabi is another example. They stand as statues and listen to all the wrong accusations without giving any reply making martyrs of themselves. The only emotion they are allowed to express is the glycerin tears falling profusely on their cheeks, which they wipe with their hands occasionally and just mumbling.

Average Program Rating:	TV MA -- mature audiences only
Commercial Interruption:	Medium-length commercial breaks twice per program