India TV shows continue to be regressive in today’s world. These shows back in the 90s were way ahead of their time, portraying stories that were meaningful, leading to the expectations of people increasing in terms of the quality of the content they will create in the future, however, from that point onwards everything regarding Indian TV shows changed for the worse.
India TV shows despite being very problematic continue to run for years and are somehow able to maintain their viewership. Some of the examples of problematic TV shows which were in fact very famous at their time are, Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah which portrayed patriarchal values and stereotypical beliefs in the name of humor. Another example is Naagin, which got released in 2015 and was a mockery of science. Moreover, this drama romanticized toxic relationships. Susral Simar ka is another example, clips of which have made its way to social media several times due to how absurd the content of the show is. From the main lead actress changing her avatars, to her suddenly gaining superpowers, the show continues to get regressive with time.
There are several other examples which prove that Indian TV shows continue to be a disappointment. The same storylines are repeated with no consideration of the fact the world has progressed a lot in the past years. Moreover, there are simply no take-aways from these dramas, as all of them continue to show patriarchal values. Female characters fail to represent the reality of the women in today’s world. They are still portrayed using the binary of good and a bad woman, where a good woman is defined as someone who obliges to the orders of the men in her life.
It is important that the makers realize that they need to move away from the content that they have been creating for years and create room for stories that matter as television is the most powerful mass media in India and continues to influence the worldview of people.
I believe that Indian TV shows have been persistently regressive in nature for years. However, their popularity has significantly declined over time. Many of them are now repurposed as meme content, while the new indie culture has emerged prominently. In this domain, the stories presented are often progressive and bring unique perspectives. i feel like that while these dramas may still harbor problematic narratives, their viewership has declined, and they no longer hold the same level of significance.