The "K" Factor

What is entertainment? If someone was to ask me this, I would say, entertainment is that which relaxes the body, makes you laugh, makes you forget about your whole day with its tensions and challenges, something in which you can immerse yourself but not to a degree where you have to use your brains, that’s entertainment for me. So how can I possibly get my daily dose of entertainment from the Indian Television Industry?

I know I am a minority in this matter, almost every Indian that I know is addicted to some or the other TV show and love to get into lively discussion about the contents of the program. Will she marry him or run away? Will he kick her out of the house or fall in love with her? And the best question of all, also the most common; when will the inevitable consummation scene take place? I mean c’mon people, if a lady actually went through half of what the television heroines are made to go through then they would either kill themselves or kill everyone around them. But common sense is not appreciated by the Indian television buffs as experienced by me in school and in college where my logical explanations were squashed by my friends.

But my problem with the shows is not mainly of common sense, but more about how the characters are a paradox of themselves. The lead heroine is shown to be a strong, confident woman who goes out to work to be independent and support her family (which is usually poor) and meets her future husband (immensely rich) as a boss and then turns into a submissive house wife cowering under her husband or some in law usually in the name of family honour and respect. My point is that if the character is as strong as shown in the first episode then why does she take all the crap thrown at her? An independent woman would retaliate and stand up to her new family, not simper and wonder how to bring the broken family together.

I have never been able to watch a single scene of an Indian show without commenting so obviously I am not the perfect person to have beside you as you clutch your heart and moan about the injustice done to Seeta, Geeta or any such character. In fact I have gone to India, stayed for a month, not switched on the telly and come back happily oblivious to the drama surrounding a fictitious character. I call it a proud achievement; my friends on the other hand, call it a sad thing.

But on the rare occasion, in the throes of extreme boredom, I have sat down with my elder sister, Tanvee, switched the telly to a random channel and commented and laughed on the show going on. Trust me, it’s the best comedy show you will ever experience, well unless you are a fan of the show, then you will just want to kill me and my sister.

So what are you? A fan or a cynic?