UNCURTAILING THE RAAZ PICHELE JANM KA....

Recently a new reality show has knocked the door of television. Raaz pichle janm ka being telecast on NDTV Imagine claims to take the person in his/her past life and search out the reasons that disturbing him/her. Hosted by Ravikishan, a famous actor of Bhojpuri film industry, the show has welcomed some well known guests in it like Shekhar Suman and Liliput. Coming directly to the question of credibility of such a show and what are they serving to the audience? There is an expert in the show who takes the person in his/her past life. Interestingly, the doctor talks less like a psycho therapist and more like someone ready to deliver a speech. She says ‘mere ek kehte hi tum us samay me pohach jaoge jabki ye ghatna hai…teen…do aur ek' …and wow!! It really happened the person is back in that particular phase of his life. The way she takes the subject in Trans seems quite dramatic. In its first episode itself , a lady was a subject who had a phobia of sitting in an airplane. After she was taken in her past life, she told that she was some Mr D. Singh of Bhatinda, who was a sailor. She told about her flight number, day, time and also the number of passengers in that flight. Not only this, when asked, she also told that a famous personality was also traveling in the same flight and he was none other than Mr. Bhabha. The way the doctor projects her questions and the spontaneity with which the subject answers these questions is quite interesting and really unbelievable. It seems as if a child is answering the questions that he learnt by heart. Not only this, the show also manages to show the visuals meeting the story. It is nothing but like a short film. Mr. Shekhar Suman met his son in this process who passed away long back and more interestingly Mr. Liliput went to his past life and the life before that as well to get the answers of his questions.
When the show is such a reality why the organizers not trying to get the answers to questions that can solve so many problems of national development? The fact is such shows are nothing but another opera to change the taste of the viewer who is tired of watching routine shows. No reality but a show full of drama, emotions, dialogues, illusions etc. In this phase of scientific temperament, this channel claims that this is a reality show. Isn't it an offence of misguiding the public? May I know where is the reality in this show?

SERIALS CLAIMING OF BEING GENDER ISSUE BASED

These days some channels are claiming to telecast soaps on television that are based on gender issues or they have a high social conscience. What I find in these serials is that such claims are worthless as in these serials only a woman is held responsible for women’s exploitation. That is a woman is projected as a victim of severe exploitation but the exploiter is also none other than a woman. Such serials show us nothing but the same stereotypical ideology favoring patriarchy. Be it the ammaji of na aana is des laado, nani maa of uttaran, dadi saa of balika vadhu and the list goes on. The interesting fact here is that male characters are projected with better sensibility and positive character. Either they were perfect from the beginning or if they were not, they have changed themselves with time. They don’t have a say as such and are ruled by either their wife or their mother. Women are always seen ready with makeup, and heavy jewelry, involved with household duties and busy gossiping or making conspiracies. Is this the truth? Isn’t it another way to support the existing patriarchy? Or is this the way of raising social issues? I feel this is nothing but another way to sustain a good TRP as none of the channels can take the risk of projecting the real world and system with dominant patriarchal and fundamentalist values. This is nothing but taking the step forward with the typical saas bahu drama tradition of Ekta Kapoor in a different package.