Should such shows be allowed for mass consumption?

I think that all of us here do understand that SaiRat in real life will be a very toxic relationship.

Fiction or any form of art does permit pushing a few moral boundaries. Sometimes art also takes the form of realism - and shows the mirror to society as it is - warts & all, no gloss. In that sense the original author definitely wanted to show reality - the psychology of a person who has no family, the deeply entrenched patriarchy in a lot of Indian households, domestic abuse which is part of many Indian marriages. I don't know the feel of the original Bengali show, but Ghum definitely promotes abusive relationship as eternal love. It doesn't help either that while the male protagonist in the original show was a dour, humorless man, here in ghum he is handsome, charming and attentive.

But are such shows suitable for a place like India? A country where there is inadequate education and very little empowerment? A few years back, there was a survey on domestic violence carried out in Delhi - involving women from all walks of life. 33% of the respondents believed that it was alright for a husband to physically chastise a wife if she did not obey him or faltered in her household duties. If this is the condition in a metro, imagine the backward areas of the country. It is a known fact that our society is deeply, horribly patriarchal - it feels so lucky that we are free, equal, financially independent and empowered. How appropriate is it to tell the audience "This is how men in this country are. Most women make do with what they have". How bleak and uninspiring is the message - however true that may be in reality? I'm fine if this was an indie film - but as a show for mass consumption? Is the audience ready for such content - mature enough to distinguish right from wrong?

There was a show on child bride a few years back. While is it true that many parents in backward regions get their under-age children married off due to a mix of cultural practices, societal pressure and even financial strain, how appropriate would it have been to normalise such practices? The show that I'm talking about decided instead, to show the ill-effects of child marriage. And in great detail. And it raised awareness amongst thousands of families since it was a popular show aired during prime time.

My point is ...in a country with so many social evils, with a majority of the population ignorant and disempowered, isn't it necessary to show progressive content - shows that can raise awareness even at the cost of being preachy? Rather than present a grim reality that does nothing to change the status quo?

I'm okay with this being an indie film - but not something that is for mass consumption.

P.S All views, whether in agreement or disagreemwnt with my post are welcome. Let us keep the discussion healthy.

Thank you for pointing this out.. Couldn't agree more...

I have been harping on how this show is promoting domestic abuse in the name of love.. It's just not about in India where women are less empowered but this is a wrong message for many teen girls out there who falls for materialistic charm..

Lately I was reading through some articles of princess of wales...This beautiful woman bore the consequences of marrying at a tender age to a much older man.. It's very easy to charm girls of such age and sadly they never can get out of the affect of a toxic relationship....

No matter how independent and empowered girls are now a days still they are compelled to stay with a toxic man..Especially teens who are very easy to manipulate with your charm..

Channel and PH truly need to calm down.. They should at least revisit the content before airing it..

Originally posted by: nethraa_99

I think that all of us here do understand that SaiRat in real life will be a very toxic relationship.

Fiction or any form of art does permit pushing a few moral boundaries. Sometimes art also takes the form of realism - and shows the mirror to society as it is - warts & all, no gloss. In that sense the original author definitely wanted to show reality - the psychology of a person who has no family, the deeply entrenched patriarchy in a lot of Indian households, domestic abuse which is part of many Indian marriages. I don't know the feel of the original Bengali show, but Ghum definitely promotes abusive relationship as eternal love. It doesn't help either that while the male protagonist in the original show was a dour, humorless man, here in ghum he is handsome, charming and attentive.

But are such shows suitable for a place like India? A country where there is inadequate education and very little empowerment? A few years back, there was a survey on domestic violence carried out in Delhi - involving women from all walks of life. 33% of the respondents believed that it was alright for a husband to physically chastise a wife if she did not obey him or faltered in her household duties. If this is the condition in a metro, imagine the backward areas of the country. It is a known fact that our society is deeply, horribly patriarchal - it feels so lucky that we are free, equal, financially independent and empowered. How appropriate is it to tell the audience "This is how men in this country are. Most women make do with what they have". How bleak and uninspiring is the message - however true that may be in reality? I'm fine if this was an indie film - but as a show for mass consumption? Is the audience ready for such content - mature enough to distinguish right from wrong?

There was a show on child bride a few years back. While is it true that many parents in backward regions get their under-age children married off due to a mix of cultural practices, societal pressure and even financial strain, how appropriate would it have been to normalise such practices? The show that I'm talking about decided instead, to show the ill-effects of child marriage. And in great detail. And it raised awareness amongst thousands of families since it was a popular show aired during prime time.

My point is ...in a country with so many social evils, with a majority of the population ignorant and disempowered, isn't it necessary to show progressive content - shows that can raise awareness even at the cost of being preachy? Rather than present a grim reality that does nothing to change the status quo?

I'm okay with this being an indie film - but not something that is for mass consumption.

P.S All views, whether in agreement or disagreemwnt with my post are welcome. Let us keep the discussion healthy.

So true .

It would have been great if it was shown that just coz you have no one you dont need to cling on to people who abuse you all the time .

It would have better had Sai moved on and with her abba's memories worked hard & became a reputed doctor .But we are going to have Sai logging for him. This time to he didnt have to apologize for anything . Like why !!

Originally posted by: Shaome

Thank you for pointing this out.. Couldn't agree more...

I have been harping on how this show is promoting domestic abuse in the name of girl.. It's just not about in India where women are less empowered but this is a wrong message for many teen girls out there who falls for materialistic charm..

Lately I was reading through some articles of princess wales...This beautiful woman bore the consequences of marrying at a tender age to a much older man.. It's very easy to charm girls of such age and sadly they never can get out of the affect of a toxic relationship....

No matter how independent and empowered girls are now a days still they are compelled to stay with a toxic man..Especially teens who are very easy to manipulate with your charm..

Channel and PH truly need to calm down.. They should at least revisit the content before airing it..

Yes yes....it's not appropriate even in western countries. Despite being educated and comparitively better off than their Indian counterparts, western women are also not really empowered.

Channel is not ignoring the content - it is actively promoting it. Vankar had revealed in an interview that the scripts are sent to the channel and shooting begins only after the script is approved by the channel. How much is PH accountable - may be they are complicit in this for the sake of trp or they are directed by the channel to bring in 'drama' elements ...

Originally posted by: Dvanshi123

So true .

It would have been great if it was shown that just coz you have no one you dont need to cling on to people who abuse you all the time .

It would have better had Sai moved on and with her abba's memories worked hard & became a reputed doctor .But we are going to have Sai logging for him. This time to he didnt have to apologize for anything . Like why !!

Forget about Sai moving on .......domestic abuse is not even treated as a grave issue. No depiction of how it affects the victim. It's like raat gayi, baat gayi.

Originally posted by: nethraa_99

I think that all of us here do understand that SaiRat in real life will be a very toxic relationship.

Fiction or any form of art does permit pushing a few moral boundaries. Sometimes art also takes the form of realism - and shows the mirror to society as it is - warts & all, no gloss. In that sense the original author definitely wanted to show reality - the psychology of a person who has no family, the deeply entrenched patriarchy in a lot of Indian households, domestic abuse which is part of many Indian marriages. I don't know the feel of the original Bengali show, but Ghum definitely promotes abusive relationship as eternal love. It doesn't help either that while the male protagonist in the original show was a dour, humorless man, here in ghum he is handsome, charming and attentive.

But are such shows suitable for a place like India? A country where there is inadequate education and very little empowerment? A few years back, there was a survey on domestic violence carried out in Delhi - involving women from all walks of life. 33% of the respondents believed that it was alright for a husband to physically chastise a wife if she did not obey him or faltered in her household duties. If this is the condition in a metro, imagine the backward areas of the country. It is a known fact that our society is deeply, horribly patriarchal - it feels so lucky that we are free, equal, financially independent and empowered. How appropriate is it to tell the audience "This is how men in this country are. Most women make do with what they have". How bleak and uninspiring is the message - however true that may be in reality? I'm fine if this was an indie film - but as a show for mass consumption? Is the audience ready for such content - mature enough to distinguish right from wrong?

There was a show on child bride a few years back. While is it true that many parents in backward regions get their under-age children married off due to a mix of cultural practices, societal pressure and even financial strain, how appropriate would it have been to normalise such practices? The show that I'm talking about decided instead, to show the ill-effects of child marriage. And in great detail. And it raised awareness amongst thousands of families since it was a popular show aired during prime time.

My point is ...in a country with so many social evils, with a majority of the population ignorant and disempowered, isn't it necessary to show progressive content - shows that can raise awareness even at the cost of being preachy? Rather than present a grim reality that does nothing to change the status quo?

I'm okay with this being an indie film - but not something that is for mass consumption.

P.S All views, whether in agreement or disagreemwnt with my post are welcome. Let us keep the discussion healthy.

Hmm, I am not sure what to think about it exactly... I mean we can take it as fiction that okay, there are 2 characters and it's their journey... You enjoy the story telling and leave it to that...

However, it is also true that somewhere, media is the mirror of the society... Shows like Anupama shows a doormat wife, trying to be strong after 25 years of marriage... She beared the burden of her unfaithfulness for 9 years... After being in toxic relationship for so many years got divorced, knew the difference between live and habit, found an 'Anuj'. However, is it easy for others to do that, to find their path.... Mostly 'no'. Do people find an Anuj and their perfect fairy tail at the end of it all... No, they don't.

Sure, you won't see the eternal love thing in the real pairs in the society... In this aspect they are really going overboard by romanticising abuse. An orphan will try to hold on to the 'family' to avoid the insecurity of being alone, an IPS officer husband to show other people that she cannot be taken for granted... However, in the process, is she taken for granted at her 'home'... Yes...

Is love 'conditional'... Yes... Unconditional love exists only in between parents and child... That's why Kamal Sir's and Sai's bond is the most celebrated bond of the show...

Regarding shows airing at this time... Many have this concept of 'hate/ forced marriage', gradually converting into love... The soulmate's kind... Is it giving wrong message... Surely it does but this kind of trope is going on since years... The most successful one in ITV.

These days I have seen even those third angles being justified, who are after married men/ women, with long monologues and their own passionate background music, maybe to gain audience sympathy. Do they work, do the audience like them... No, however, are those shows hit... Yes... Some soulful realistic shows turned to be like this in recent times because they were not getting ratings.

In ITV, the FL is ever so sacrificing, the ideal lady who does everything to keep the ML and the family happy and together, has sympathy brownie points of aunties. However, ML's standards are as low as giving her minimal basic respect, support, for a ship to sail through.That's how it has been through the years.

Originally posted by: nikita05

Hmm, I am not sure what to think about it exactly... I mean we can take it as fiction that okay, there are 2 characters and it's their journey... You enjoy the story telling and leave it to that...

However, it is also true that somewhere, media is the mirror of the society... Shows like Anupama shows a doormat wife, trying to be strong after 25 years of marriage... She beared the burden of her unfaithfulness for 9 years... After being in toxic relationship for so many years got divorced, knew the difference between live and habit, found an 'Anuj'. However, is it easy for others to do that, to find their path.... Mostly 'no'. Do people find an Anuj and their perfect fairy tail at the end of it all... No, they don't.

Sure, you won't see the eternal love thing in the real pairs in the society... In this aspect they are really going overboard by romanticising abuse. An orphan will try to hold on to the 'family' to avoid the insecurity of being alone, an IPS officer husband to show other people that she cannot be taken for granted... However, in the process, is she taken for granted at her 'home'... Yes...

Is love 'conditional'... Yes... Unconditional love exists only in between parents and child... That's why Kamal Sir's and Sai's bond is the most celebrated bond of the show...

Regarding shows airing at this time... Many have this concept of 'hate/ forced marriage', gradually converting into love... The soulmate's kind... Is it giving wrong message... Surely it does but this kind of trope is going on since years... The most successful one in ITV.

These days I have seen even those third angles being justified, who are after married men/ women, with long monologues and their own passionate background music, maybe to gain audience sympathy. Do they work, do the audience like them... No, however, are those shows hit... Yes... Some soulful realistic shows turned to be like this in recent times because they were not getting ratings.

In ITV, the FL is ever so sacrificing, the ideal lady who does everything to keep the ML and the family happy and together, has sympathy brownie points of aunties. However, ML's standards are as low as giving her minimal basic respect, support, for a ship to sail through.That's how it has been through the years.

See I'm not questioning the story, atleast not the original Bengali version. The author has written a story that is scarily realistic - and even relatable if we put ourselves in the character's shoes. Which is why I am okay with it being a book or an indie film.

We take it as fiction and don't apply those standards in our life. But what about majority of people - especially the considerable number of gullible people. They may interpret the story in a completely wrong sense.

90% of content shown in ITV is toxic. But atleast they can do is atleast be careful with how very serious issues which are rampant like child sexual abuse, domestic violence, dowry etc is depicted. Better spread awareness than send the message 'aise hi hota hai'.

Originally posted by: nethraa_99

See I'm not questioning the story, atleast not the original Bengali version. The author has written a story that is scarily realistic - and even relatable if we put ourselves in the character's shoes. Which is why I am okay with it being a book or an indie film.

We take it as fiction and don't apply those standards in our life. But what about majority of people - especially the considerable number of gullible people. They may interpret the story in a completely wrong sense.

90% of content shown in ITV is toxic. But atleast they can do is atleast be careful with how very serious issues which are rampant like child sexual abuse, domestic violence, dowry etc is depicted. Better spread awareness than send the message 'aise hi hota hai'.

I agree with whatever you stated... Bottom line is DRAMA works and ITV takes it to boundary less extents with no proper redemption or seeking help for victims.

For eg, a show that airs on Starplus at 10:30 pm, one of the highest rating trp shows of the channel at that time slot, running for 2-3 years, has normalised Child abuse to such a great extent... You can see the third angle literally emotionally and mentally abusing his own child to get back the FL, gets his own daughter kidnapped just to halt the marriage of the FL with ML, he plans to kill the kid of lead pair who has already been abused in all possible ways, just to get his custody and property, with no care for his PTSD issues... These things are difficult to watch but the lead pair has good chemistry, the show works. Fans fawn over them, no one complains about the most uncomfortable things shown.

Spreading of the message 'aisa hi hota hai' is wrong, makers need to tone it down but the aspects of abuse, mental health etc. are taken too lightly. They will introduce them but won't give proper closure. They just keep focusing on quantity rather than quality of content, that's where the problem arises. They have TRP, so their stretching scheme goes on to increase the number of episodes.

I suppose(hope) that the guy who does all these heinous things to his own child is the antagonist in the show?

I am trying to gauge from the other side. You see the disclaimer that appears in the beginning. This is a work of fiction. This is the same argument that would be presented if they are called out. Well, the responsibility ends there. Everyone signed petition when Sai was locked, nothing happened. Why? This kind of domestic abuse doesn't warrant a show to be shut down. The makers however did make a character talk about it.

Secondly, if you take Ghum as a show, drama has worked. The audience made Sairat a hit. So right now why would they show Sai's solo journey to please a section of audience? From a business point of view, why would a PH get a new guy for Sai when they can cash in on Sairat till it totally fizzles out. And even if they get, what is the guarantee that he will be perfect guy. The guy might be worse making Sai choose Virat again. Between The devil and the deep sea. The show is at number 2 right now and at a consistent number range which means more than whether the audience is liking or not, it means audience ks coming back to watch it.

Debatable topic.