A Chat with Ms Rupa Mehta a homemaker and lover of Indian heritage and culture on Gender stereotyping in Indian TV shows
Also, I warmly welcome Ms. Rupamatha to this discussion and I'm so happy that she has agreed to discuss on this topic which is very relevant to the relevant. So, Miss Rupa Matha, let us start with our interview. Do you think gender stereotyping exists in Indian television series? And why so?
Rupa Mehta
@Rupande1963-CH · 0:08
Yes, I do believe that there is lot of gender stereotyping in today's ITV series
Rupa Mehta
@Rupande1963-CH · 0:14
Hello, everyone. Thank you, Miraji, for inviting me for this chat. Yes, I do agree. And I do feel that gender stereotyping is propagated on Indian television series
Thank you, ma'am, for confirming my thoughts on this. That gender stereotyping exists in Indian television, and we all know that it's a bad thing, especially in this 21st century, to show what has been practiced at least ages before, even in 19th, 18th century, the toxic masculinity and submissive femininity is not a great idea that should go to the next generation
Rupa Mehta
@Rupande1963-CH · 3:42
Those were the serials. They showed women's progress, a progressive women. But once the TV channels started, the private channels stereotyping of the women became more and more prominent. Especially in the late ninety s and early 20s series of SAS Bahu where they all were always decked up in silksaris and full makeup ornaments and all that
I think these were the shows which I watched when I was in school. And then I would say my generation actually moved away from TV a lot for many reasons. Like we were more into planning our careers than job. And when we came back actually I would say when I came back to TV maybe after a decade in my late twenty s, I was shocked to find what I was as a child was much progressive than what I was watching as a woman
Rupa Mehta
@Rupande1963-CH · 3:02
But even then it drains physically, mentally and psychologically, which is very bad. And it reflects on the society and your family life resulting in nervous breakdown and breakdown of the marriage itself
And can he take care of her family when children come? Those are the parameters, not the swag and alcohol bottle with cigarette and irresponsible behavior. Most of the responsible fathers didn't give away their daughters to to form the sons of other family. Neither we were encouraged to find such guys brats. So I feel like somehow that kind of toxic masculinity is happening and the girls are suffering for it also. What are your thoughts on it?
Rupa Mehta
@Rupande1963-CH · 3:02
And they advise the girl to marry and live happily with the person just because he is feeling sorry. Or as you said about toxic masculinity it results in killing of the girl. The latest example is of the girl from Mumbai Tani who was killed by her lover. And the pieces were chopped into pieces and the body was chopped into pieces and thrown all over. The girl thought that she could reform the boy. Do you think it can be done? No
Rupa Mehta
@Rupande1963-CH · 2:52
How can someone marry the person who has made the life h***? But this is what I have read in the paper and seen in the news. When an educated person like a judge says this the family also forces and the man gets away with whatever bad he has done. And this trend, this masculine entity this thought is very bad for the society
And she is just fighting to stay alive for herself and for her biological child as well as a child who is dependent on her. So the ITV has poisoned the younger generation to that extent that you cannot see the truth. And coming to the as the last question of today's interview, like, we have talked about the stereotypes, gender stereotype, how toxic masculinity and submissive femininity gets propagated in it and if anything goes against it, even the younger generation in social media is not acceptable to that
Rupa Mehta
@Rupande1963-CH · 2:48
Yes Mira. As you said today's generation is the social media generation. They hardly take time to read the newspaper. Also. Can we expect them to read the scriptures or our ancient books? No chance. They only believe what is shown on the TV. For them Krishna is not a Puruna Pursh. He is only a Raslilla or AAA fellow or a lover. I just like to tell today's generation that don't take everything shown on the it as the real thing
For example like 2013 Mahabharat I have also enjoyed it or even the 2018 show Radha Krishna I have also enjoyed it but there are a lot of creative freedoms are being taken in such shows which are far far away from the original scriptures. If you know the original scriptures you can take good from those show but if you don't know the original scriptures you will take what is shown in those shows as the truth which is not the right way to understand our epics
And if you want to get married as family, life is given importance in our culture astrama you have to get. If you are, then choose a man and how to choose a man. Read, read. Read. As Swami Vivikanandha said. Read about Sita. Read about Rukmini. Read about Damayandi. Read about Savitri. Read about Parvati. Understand how Rukmini chose Krishna or understand how Sita chose Ram and how Parvati chose Mahadhis. Read. Read about these great women. Read, listen. Understand