Ekta Kapoor, a TV and film producer, who is undoubtedly India’s ruling “soap queen.” India Today Group / Getty Images
Ekta Kapoor, a TV and film producer, who is undoubtedly India’s ruling “soap queen.” India Today Group / Getty Images

Indian TV: where men and monsters rule



It could only happen on Indian television. A new Hindi-language soap opera glorifying child marriage has been pulled off the air after a strong backlash from outraged viewers, but its producer continues to vociferously defend the series. Launched in July on Sony TV, Pehredaar Piya Ki (Husband's Guardian) followed the lives of an 18-year-old woman (Tejasswi Prakash) and a nine-year-old boy (Afaan Khan) who are married. While the show has attracted criticism since the pilot, it was only after recent episodes made not-so-subtle references to a relationship of a sexual nature between the two characters that a petition to ban the soap was issued.

Forced to act, India's Ministry of IT and Broadcasting brought in an independent broadcasting authority to review the show. But instead of rejecting it for inappropriate content, the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) suggested pushing the series from its weekday 8.30pm slot to 10pm. Sumeet Mittal, the show's producer, blames "social media users" for his series' "untimely end". In an interview with Mumbai's Indian Express daily newspaper soon after Sony TV announced that it was axing Pehredaar Piya Ki, Mittal became defensive, and revealed that he decided to pull the show not because of the objections to the content, but because it wouldn't enjoy a prime-time slot anymore.

"We were really hoping that our show would remain unaffected by all the petitions and go strong," said Mittal, who has not offered any apology or explanation for his show's contentious plot. "After the BCCC issued a notice to move it to the post 10pm slot, we were heartbroken. This show was meant for a specific audience and it was best suited at the 8.30pm slot. We recently had a meeting with the channel where we put across our grievances and issues. We mutually concluded that it was best to pull the curtains down than air it at a wrong slot."

While it may not show on national television anymore – the last episode was broadcast on August 28 – Pehredaar Piya Ki is now available on Sony's web platform Sony Liv

Mittal has vowed that the show will return with a new season. The saga is emblematic of an ingrained problem within television in the country: in the race between production houses to secure high ratings, anything and everything, however controversial, is grist to their mill. Because TV is still the most accessible medium of entertainment, shows' subject matter can have conse­quences. Catering to what is mostly a conservative, religious and superstitious audience, soap operas are still peddling conservative plots that revolve around shape-shifting women for example, such as the supernatural series Naagin (Snake). Shows that plot tales from Hindu mythology (­Mahakali Ant Hi Aarambh Hai) and the fractious relationships that exist within large joint families (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai) are also extremely popular.

It's not surprising that in a survey by BARC TRP India last month, which measures audience viewing figures, of the top 10 shows on Indian TV, Mahakali and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Ekta Kapoor, a TV and film producer, who is undoubtedly India's ruling "soap queen", was recently in the news for her role as the distributor of the progressive – and highly controversial – women-centric feature film Lipstick Under My Burkha, has been for decades producing what critics call regressive television. Her company, Balaji Telefilms, churns out long-­running and convoluted family dramas involving dozens of characters and plot twists that include dead people coming back to life and normalised examples of misogyny, including physical and sexual assault.

At the same time, Kapoor is also behind progressive new online series such as Dev DD and Boygirl, all available on ALTBalaji (altbalaji.com), a new app that she launched in May.  

When it comes to series broadcast on national television, then, "one size fits all" seems to be the diktat followed by her production company, Balaji Telefilms. But, ALTBalaji is meant for a different demographic: the streaming platform targets millennials. Like other popular apps such as TVF Play (TVFPlay.com), it offers alternative, on-demand and inexpensive fare that appeals to the younger generation's more progressive values and views; in stark contrast to the melodramatic soap operas their parents and grandparents tune into faithfully every weeknight.

Kapoor continues to defend the traditional bent of her TV production company, while remaining true to her modern beliefs. For example, she successfully brought the film Lipstick Under My Burkha to cinemas, after the Central Board for Film Certification rejected it, even invoking her friendship with the new IT and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani. A close friend and one-time television actress, Irani starred in Kapoor's hit television series Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (Because even a mother-in-law was once a daughter-in-law), which employed every negative trope associated with this most conventional of genres.

Even in the face of accusations of hypocrisy, Kapoor is defiantly unapologetic. She has often said that Indian audiences are not ready for progressive ­dramas in their living rooms 

"Somewhere, these stories connect [with the population]," she said in a recent interview. "Otherwise we wouldn't keep telling them."

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Read more:

Will changes to India's film board result in a relaxation of censorship?

Bollywood bombing badly: why this year's blockbusters failed  

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RESULT

Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City:
Jesus (9')

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives. 

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast. 

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker. 

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

 

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Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm

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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)

Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%20turbo%204-cylinder%20%2F%202.0%20turbo%204-cylinder%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20148bhp%20%2F%20328bhp%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20250Nm%20%2F%20420Nm%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20TBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

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AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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