SubscribeA Small Leap for Television…
There is a glimmer of hope amidst the dramatic daily soaps and mind numbing reality programming in Indian television. Yes, reality programming, including the ridiculous copies of American favorites (examples) and singing competitions have taken the majority of prime-time programming and ratings, similar to the trends in the US. Daily soaps are still prime time and will continue to be so in the years to come. But Sony Entertainment Television, one of the standard and most popular channels in the country, is trying something new.
The channel, which is home to Indian Idol and the Indian version of Dancing with the Stars, has gotten rid of most of its daily soaps. It has also launched two new shows, Mahi Way and Rishta.com. The shows are one hour long and only air- wait for it- once a week! It’s a complete departure from the daily soaps (which are similar to telenovelas).
These two shows are funny, witty, and can be slightly uncomfortable for me to watch with my parents- a rare occurrence when watching Indian television. It’s different from previous risky programming, such as serials made by Ajai Sinha. Sinha’s ventures were always scandalous, ripe with sexual innuendos and extra-marital affairs. SET’s newest ventures have characters that drink wine, go clubbing, date, and wear western clothing. Pretty standard stuff for Delhi and Mumbai adults, but also a reality that is avoided in soap operas and serials that have dominated television.
Mahi Way is a show about a lovable and bubbly Agony Aunt columnist who happens to be overweight. Her best friend is gay and she is also friends with a gay couple who live together (progress!). She is career oriented, drinks wine, dates, yet still has family values, lives with her family, and is under a lot of pressure to get married.
This is complete departure from Balaji Entertainment, which replaced some great television in the 90’s with stories that were always the same at the core. The central characters (always women) were from middle class backgrounds and marry into a rich family. The antagonists were always women who wore a lot of make up and jewelry and were not religious. The men were usually flawed and rarely central characters. Of course there were variances and some shows that tried to break the mold, but were usually cancelled or ended up following the same mold. During the last 15 years, these soaps dominated. In fact, it was said they even helped women gain confidence in their own households. Then reality programming broke in and stole some of their thunder.
The two new shows don’t fit these molds, and it’s incredibly refreshing. Rishta.com is about two friends who start a matrimonial business together. One of my favorite episodes was about a guy who was dragged to the company by his parents who were desperate to get their son married. Turns out, he’s gay. But what’s so great about his charecter was that he wasn’t stereotypically gay, meaning he wasn’t extra feminine or wearing really tight shiney clothes, as is usually how gay men are portrayed in most Indian pop culture.
Both shows have an unlikely source– Yash Raj Films. It was about time the production company that once dominated formulaic film making is in the business of making innovative television. It is annoying that they shamelessly promote their music and films, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.
The shows are really funny and entertaining, but still have a women target demographic. They’re the equivalent of Gilmore Girls or Ugly Betty, but in the midst of daily soaps and reality television, the change is very welcome.
CORRECTION: Yash Raj Films have launched five new shows on SET. The other three are Lift Kara de (Talk/reality show with director Karan Johar), Seven (similiar to Heroes) and Powder, a dramatic series that I will review in a future post.
Bollywood’s peeking out from its closet
Finally. Finally finally finally. Indian courts yesterday ruled that gay sex is no longer illegal in India, stating that “The inclusiveness that Indian society traditionally displayed, literally in every aspect of life, is manifest in recognizing a role in society for everyone.”
Thankfully, in this new age of Bollywood where fimmakers are actually veering away from formulaic masalas, some films did have gay characters and addressed some issues pertaining to the gay community, some better than others. Here’s a look at some of those films that made an impact:
- Honeymoon Travels, Ptd. Ltd (2007)– A light film with some heavy themes. One of them was of an gay non-resident Indian who married an Indian girl he met online. Another newlywed couple start to face problems when the husband discovers that he may be gay. The reason why the film was important is because it doesn’t portray the two gay characters as cross dressers (which is Bollywood’s default definition of homosexuality). The men are perfectly normal, and are gay. It’s not overly dramatic, it’s actually very relatable. Hats off to the director!
- Fashion (2008)– The film was another from Madhur Bhandarkar, who is famous for his films with strong female leads. The film was mainstream, thanks to the strong backing of Ronnie Screwvala (the producer), and the lead actor Priyanka Chopra, but still touched on themes that were seldom addressed in films before. One of them was homosexuality. Some men were openly gay, while another openly gay established fashion designer asked a female friend to marry him because of pressure from his mother. She does, knowing full well that he is gay. The film did a great job handling the subject because it wasn’t demeaning and it was a realistic portrayal of gay men needing to marry to appease their family.
- My Brother… Nikhil (2005)– This film came out years before any of these others. I would credit it with opening the gates for homosexuality in Bollywood. The film wasn’t like the others– it was serious, and it was a tear-jerker. Also, the main character, unlike the other films, was actually gay. The protagonist, played wonderfully by Sanjay Suri, was diagnosed with HIV. The film doesn’t show any love scenes between the two men, but it does show a type of intimacy that was never before shown between two men in Bollywood. The movie was produced by one of the most powerful production companies in India, Yash Raj Films, but the promos never touched on the gay relationship, just on the AIDS theme.
- Dostana (2008)–I saved this movie for last because it is getting all the hype when it comes to homosexuality in Bollywood. (The New York Times even referred to it in its article about the court case today.) The reason why this film is a big deal is because it is produced by Karan Johar, and stars three A-list actors. Personally, I found some of the story ridiculous (like Priyanka Chopra’s wardrobe, or why Bobby Deol was even in that film). The two leading men (Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham) pretend to be gay so they can live in an apartment with a girl who has an overprotective aunt. It was a masala flick that was a bit different, but still did have all the songs and ridiculous wardrobe choices and overacting. Although the actors pretend to be gay, homosexuality isn’t looked down upon, and a doting mother even accepts her son and his son-in-law. I wouldn’t say that the film was revolutionary for gay rights, but it seemed to make it OK to be gay, which was definitely needed. I just wished that the characters would have actually been gay.
I have left out Straight because the film failed and didn’t really seem to make sense, but it’s worth a mention because the leading character (Viinay Pathak) thinks he might be gay. It wasn’t that revolutionary, or even that good. I didn’t include Fire because it wasn’t really a Bollywood film and was made way before the period of Bollywood I’m referring to, although it was fantastic. Movies like Girlfriend wasn’t included either because it was all skin and no depth.
Obviously, Bollywood has a long way to go. I’m hoping that Bollywood moves on from only showing cross dressers or gay characters included in the script just for comic relief. Hopefully this progressive movement by the Delhi Court ushers in an even more progressive movement from Bollywood.
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