Asianage Article : Rise in Muslim Culture Shows *HarshIka Mentioned*

Popular Hindi soaps are no longer set in the typical Gujarati or Punjabi home but are instead portraying Muslim households and characters in a contemporary way

Hindi television soaps have for long been set in large households, usually in Gujarati, Rajasthani or Punjabi families. While they have characters from different communities, the quirky Parsi or the Tamilian with poor Hindi-speaking skills or a Muslim neighbour diversity has largely been brought to the screen through these roles.

But if a recent trend is anything to go by, the flavour of soaps today is the quintessential Muslim household. Pushing the limits of stereotypes by not just having the odd Kareem Chacha living in a mohalla, these shows present various Muslim homes that are contemporary, urban and realistic.

Qubool Hai that started in 2012 on Zee TV proved to be a surprise hit, followed by Beintehaa on Colors. The soap-obsessed audiences lapped up both shows and their curiosity to explore these cultures kept them hooked. Among the latest Muslim dramas on TV are Humsafars on Sony and Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne on Sony Pal. With the channel Zindagi featuring hit Pakistani dramas being launched, watchers of regular soaps are now spoilt for choice.

Even shows that do not have a predominantly Muslim background are integrating tracks. Recently Meethi (Tina Dutta), lead in Uttaran, landed up in Pakistan where she lived with a Muslim family. That track did very well for the show.

Namit Sharma, programming head, Zee TV, explains, "Television has not fully explored the show with a Muslim backdrop. Qubool Hai was an attempt to remove certain misconceptions people might have about Muslim culture. It was presented in a modern milieu. Any story if well narrated coupled with convincing performances, will be appreciated by the viewers and to Qubool Hai's credit, it has retained its core essence till now."

He adds, "This show struck a chord with the audience with its fine narrative, intriguing plot and well-defined characters. Our protagonist Zoya was shown as a progressive, uninhibited, modern new-age Muslim girl, who straddles between modernity and traditionalism. This show opened a new window to understand the culture and societal pressures in a very refreshing and inspiring manner. People could relate to it. The show recently completed a successful run of 500 episodes, which further reinstates that our effort to break all stereotypes about the community has been appreciated."

Surbhi Jyoti who played the lead Zoya (now playing her daughter Sanam), feels the authentic portrayal of the Muslim family without the hamming up of stereotypes had a big role in the audiences connecting with the show. She says, "What appealed to the audience were the authenticity and the charm Qubool Hai reflected through its narrative, which was a far cry from the archaic and old school thinking about Muslim culture. The feedback I have received from viewers is that they have liked the manner in which Zoya embraces the codes of her culture yet refuses to be tied down by societal norms. I learnt so much about Muslim culture while working on the show and I am extremely proud to have been associated with this show that has a liberal outlook."

Barkha Bisht, who plays a Muslim woman in Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne on Sony Pal, feels showing the same old Gujarati or Punjabi households can be monotonous and after a point a lot of shows can tend to merge with one another in their appearance and treatment. So when something new comes along, a soap watcher would naturally be interested. "The audience needs a change every now and then. Once the background and the cultural basis used in every show becomes monotonous and repetitive, the audience welcomes or rather craves for a change. After a long era of showing Gujarati and Punjabi cultural backgrounds in TV serials, the change of showing different cultural bases was welcomed by the audiences."

Preetika Rao, who plays the lead in popular show Beintehaa, believes that the fact that the show had a Muslim background worked in its favour and remains an overriding feeling even today. "Since we didn't have many shows with a Muslim background on TV when our show started, I used to watch Pakistani shows to pick up the nuances and grammar of such households. I feel Indian television is deprived of Muslim drama. It's ruled and dominated by Hindi, Gujarati and Rajasthani shows. When I heard this, story I told Farhanji (Salaruddin) that the best part about this story is that it has a Muslim background."

That many of these shows are set in urban households with characters having more urbane jobs and don't speak chaste Urdu as one has been conditioned to expect, has made them easy to relate to. Preetika's co-star Harshad Arora adds, "My character is very modern, and there is not much use of Urdu. It is a mix of English, Hindi and Urdu. I did some research and watched Pakistani shows to get a hand of vocalization and diction."