Portrayal of women in Tamil Serials

Bharathi Babu · Jan 16, 2006

Tamil serials give women bad image: study M. Dinesh Varma

<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#d0f0ff border=0>"Many programmes project them as evil, plotting and abusive characters"

CHENNAI: Is the woman on prime-time TV a violence-prone caricature and a bad influence on millions of women?

A study of the portrayal of women characters in many popular Tamil TV serials claims that women are negative stereotypes in most programmes and warned that this trend could unleash sociological havoc in the long term.

Responding to a questionnaire-survey by Indian Science Monitor (ISM), a non-profit organisation, most young women interviewees felt that TV serials only reflected a distended version of social reality. Older persons termed such over-the-top portrayal as outright unethical and dangerous to the social fabric.

The study was done to gauge women's perception of they being consistently typecast as evil, plotting and abusive characters, who go to any extent (even hiring goons) to settle personal scores.

In all, 200 respondents said they habitually watched TV serials more than two hours everyday; 70 per cent of them in the 30-55 age group vehemently opposed such negative characterisation of women while 5 per cent called for some form of curbs.

TKV Rajan, Director, ISM, says the dangers are all the more given the huge popularity the serials enjoy, with some of running for a year or more. Compared to the bad portrayal of women in a two-and-a-half hour flick, programmes on TV were more harmful. "Generations grow up reading about the Kaikeyi character in the epic, but the results of this typecasting on television can be dangerous," he said.

Shalini, psychiatrist and a consultant for the study, says such evil characters could become role models for the less-educated or rural audience. Also, the `evil woman' was conceived by male writers. "What we are seeing is a grotesque synthesis of two very different approaches to violence and reprisal."

Such programmes could generate trouble even in the short term, said Dr. Shalini. "There is ample evidence from Western studies about televised violence inspiring actual violence

This is an article from Hindu paper and hats off to the editor for publlishing this article. I hope everyone will agree to this article.
Thanks
Bharathi

meenakrishnan · Jan 22, 2007

need for change in serials

Dear Bharathi,
I agree with this view . When most of the women watch serials and discuss about it,I had always felt out of the crowd. I have felt bored and impatient to see them.Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share my views with all the ladies here.
Serials are almost same in all the languages.Before telecasting a serial,the concerned authorities should see that destructive dialogues, villainous plots, obnoxious language used anti social messages (like kidnapping etc) are cut. Some stories are so abhorrent and loathsome, one easily gets the idea that everything is acceptable in the society if one acts smart. relations will be spoilt due to misunderstandings. Serials should have a positive theme, useful message and non-destructive dialogues. . There are so many ideal families and characters in our day-to-day life. If these are highlighted, the new generation will have an idea of using kind polite words, how constructive criticisms can help others in a family, what each can do as a contribution to the family/society’s welfare etc.

vidyasarada · Jan 24, 2007

Hi Bharathi and Meena

Its high time people started protesting against the kind of garbage being dished out in the name of serials. I am no great fan of Soap operas and dont follow any. But when I am in a group, I end up watching what everyone watches. In that way I have seen quite a few popular serial with high TRP ratings. And I can tell you its appalling how women are portrayed. They are either spineless, weepy, semi-idiots or full-blown witches of the first order. These latter, for no reason, keep plotting to ruin other women's lives, thus re-inforcing one major MCP theory that Women are their own worst enemies and that if you put 2 women together, the end result is a cat-fight.

Besides such wrong portrayals, which may induce impressionable boys to form wrong ideas about women in general, serials drag inordinately, with each character saying the same thing in five different ways. The other character keeps supplying stupid responses like " what are you saying? ". "Is that true? ", "No that cant be !", "you are lying","I dont believe it!" ( phew ! See, how tiring it is, already !) The viewer is taken to be a total block head who cant't understand anything by himself unless spoonfed . And the saddest part is that people are ready to leave their brains on the hanger and willingly subject themselves to such onslaught of trash, evening after evening , in the name of relaxation.

They are talking of " Dumbing Down "of the west, due to heavy reliance on artificial intelligence . "Dumbing Down "in our country may happen due to Serial-Addiction.

VS

Manjureddy · Jan 24, 2007

Dear girls !
I guess there's no use crying ourselves hoarse about the evil that serials spread. Till there are people who get retraction symptoms if the TV is not on at 7pm. and till the tyranny of TRP ratings continue haunting the producers, we cannot hope for sanity on the screen. Sukanya will sleepwalk and Deviyani will dither, come hell or highwater.

As for the few of us who manage to think , the best we can do is , leave the room.

Manjula

vidhyalakshmid · Jan 25, 2007

Hi,
I totally agree with Bharati and Meenakrishnan. Watching Tamil serials is
simply waste of time. I don`t have the satellite SUN tv connection, so I was out of the circle who discuss about the time killing serials. When grown ups are watching those stuff, small kids are also watching them curiously.
It affects their personality and outlook towards the society.
One time It happened to watch a serial when I was in relative`s house.
I can`t remember the title, but it was intolerable. The hero is hitting and abusing his pregnant wife. We the INDIANS always talk ill of western culture.
After watching the Tamil serials, I was worried that where we are going and how will be the next generation?

Kamla · Jan 25, 2007

No point!

Is it not frustrating to watch these dumb soap operas? I had subscribed to Sun TV last year when my mom visited us. Had the (dis)pleasure of watching Kolangal and Anandam amongst various others. I slowly got worried that I might throw a cup or something at the TV screen after seeing the Kolangal woman crying her eyes off day after day and all the plottings and sub-plottings of the army of evil characters in each and every serial. But it was okay as long as my mom was here, who eagerly timed her various activities according to her favorite serials. Atleast, she felt at home here! I promptly discontinued subscription after she left. By the way, the Hindi channels are no better either. They dish out garbage in the name of serials. Apart from some song based programmes, there is nothing much to watch on the Indian channels. American soaps are regrettable and regressive, but as there is a wide choice, one does not have to watch it.
I can understand the worry of a parent if the children are exposed to such mindless serials day after day. Parental control and monitoring is very important. But who is to control and monitor the parent?

L, Kamla

lmani · Jun 6, 2007

vidhyalakshmid said: ↑

Hi,
I totally agree with Bharati and Meenakrishnan. Watching Tamil serials is
simply waste of time. I don`t have the satellite SUN tv connection, so I was out of the circle who discuss about the time killing serials. When grown ups are watching those stuff, small kids are also watching them curiously.
It affects their personality and outlook towards the society.
One time It happened to watch a serial when I was in relative`s house.
I can`t remember the title, but it was intolerable. The hero is hitting and abusing his pregnant wife. We the INDIANS always talk ill of western culture.
After watching the Tamil serials, I was worried that where we are going and how will be the next generation?
Click to expand...

I am happy we all feel the same way do you see guys hooked to it.
Maybe we should write to Sun TV.:goodidea:

sujakalyan · Jun 23, 2007

dear friends,

from morning 10.30 am to evening 11pm a lot of serials are aired
in sun tv
all serails carry differnt name
but everthing is old wine in new bottle
family drama, with lot of unexpected twists and turns
every serial will have a lady in the lead role and she'll have a villain who'll not think abt who he/she is, his fmly, his ambition but only taking revenge or bringing down this lead lady to ditch
fed up:bangcomp:

it will be nice if stories of famous novelists, daily comedy serials(super 10 is best), some soft non-violent stories like "penn" of suhasini are aired, even k.balachander's serials kaiyalavu manasu, kadhal pagadai, premi were good

Shobanag · Jul 12, 2007

We subscribed to SunTV for the benefit of my FIL who lives with us - but never got around to watching the TV serials. My parents are visiting now and they watch a bunch of those and I have been a bit more tuned to it now -I have to say that I am totally repulsed by the way women & men are portrayed. "Kasturi" - what a joke! A woman who accepts her husband even though he married another woman and tells her that he has no interest in living with her - she continues to pine for him! And the father of the second wife -even after he comes to know that his daughter is the second wife wants the first wife out of the picture so that his daughter can be "married" to this jerk. Excuse me - what are these serials trying to tell us and to the younger generation that may be watching - I get so disgusted that I have to get up and walk away!! Aren't there any happy serials - everyone of them is crying or scheming. Waste of time - no more TV serials for me. Well - that is my two cents worth on this topic - thanks for letting me vent!!

Kamla · Jul 12, 2007

The last time we discontinued with SunTV was when my mom left to India. At that time, I was more than miffed with it and couldn't believe how many buckets of tears flowed down Devyani's eyes in Kolangal and the futile state of Anandam's Sukanya...I wonder if they are still going on and on and on...Now I will reinstall it for my mom who will soon be with us...But...I already dread this Kasturi...It is indeed a punishment to watch such brainless serials:icon_frown:

Well, I will try to escape to the computer or brush up on some reading...)

L, Kamla