Mumbai: Media mogul Ekta Kapoor said
television has been showing both progressive and regressive
content but the small screen cannot afford to project women in
a bad light all the time.
The 42-year-old producer, known for her saas-bahu soap
operas, said she has tried to present stories that show men
and women as equals.
"TV have had lot of progressive and some regressive
shows, but there are some issues that resonate with some part
of India... It won't work if it is all regressive, women won't
like to see watching themselves (being put) down," Ekta said.
She was speaking at the 'We The Women' event, alongside
Union Minister Smriti Irani here. The session was moderated by
Karan Johar.
The producer said scripts of her shows could be
"melodramatic" but not regressive.
"Scripts could be melodramatic, filmy, (with) high-octane
drama but they are not regressive. We have a show called
'Shakti' about the third gender. This is a long-running show
about a woman who could not understand what sexuality she
belongs to, no films have discussed the third gender."
Ekta added she has never had a show where a woman has
called her husband 'parmeshwar' (God), or a woman touching her
husband's feet and even if the character has tried to do that,
the husband has stopped her saying this is wrong.
Irani, who has been part of one of the longest-running
popular shows, "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", by the
producer, said the toughest part about being an actor is to do
shows that are far from reality.
"I have been an actor. When we explore scripts, the
toughest task is to do things that is unbelievable. It is
easier to do things that are closer to real life, the
challenge is to get into that melodramatic situation. Like
saas-bahu shows are tougher, as (people) don't live life like
that. It is the true test for an actor, as to do something
that you do not believe in but make it believable for others,"
she said.
"People often used to tell me what 'sanskar' (etiquette)
are kids getting from your shows, I used to say, it is not the
job of TV to give 'sanskar' to kids, it is a parent's job,"
Irani added.
PTI
