Indianama: Male narratives in Hindi serials

Indianama: Male narratives in Hindi serials

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anupam-shyam---sajjan-singh

anupam-shyam---sajjan-singh

In my last article I talked about the emerging female narratives in Hindi serials. In this issue, I shift the focus to the male narratives.

1. There is a great deal of emotional stress in their lives but there is no precedence about how they should deal with it. As a result each man making his own path to navigate through this emotional maze. The father figure archetype getting a bit diffused.

It is interesting to note that the male protagonist from the popular serial Bade Acche Lagte Hai is called Ram. If we take a page out of the epic Ramayana we find that Ram was the person who leaves his own kingdom just to keep his father’s words.

Ram was all about following the rules and we find that even in this serial our hero is a person who will go to any lengths to listen to the wishes of his step mom without questioning the veracity of her decisions. He struggles to find the right balance between affection for his mom and sister and his wife Priya and is often fraught with stress and anguish at the slightest hint of in balance in his affection towards all 3 women in his life.

It is worth noting that the character of Ram in this serial is fundamentally conceptualized as a very emotional person although his expressions of love and affection are very stoic in keeping with his status and role in life. It appears to mirror the duality that is increasingly beginning to characterize the urban male’s personain India. On one hand is the pressure to climb to the top of the professional ladder faster than ever before and on the other is an evolving definition of male hood transitioning from provider to quasi nurturer.

parichayIn Indian mythology Ram is considered as one of the avatars of Vishnu and the modern day representation of this persona too tries to embody this sense of ‘Godliness’ in his actions though his human frailties also come through.

Even when we look at a more traditional characterization such as Basant in Balika Vadhu we find him trying to reach out to his very young wife and understand her point of views. The process itself is so alien to him that it leads to a lot of inner conflict and confusion The discussions between the two that are triggered by the very hurt and abuse that he causes her itself becomes a point of reflection for him and we are witness to his inner dialogues that vacillate between being a male in a traditional sense where his wish is his spouses command and being a more caring and nurturing husband who takes into consideration everyone’s wishes before taking any decision.

What also emerges through the characterization is the fact that the men are very clear about whom they do not want to emulate but positive role models are nebulous. As a result there is a conscious effort to do the right thing as much as possible and in the process become the Right one (husband, brother, son, boss) to be embodied.

shashankBasant’s younger brothera Bhairon is the epitome of the new age progressive man. He not only stands against the regressive thinking of his mother but also cuts off all relation with his only son when he abandons his wife Anandi. All this obviously creates a lot of emotional turmoil but he remains true to his mission of getting justice for his daughter in law. He becomes a father figure to Anandi and encourages her to find her own voice and station in life.

Jagya his only son is shown as being torn between his 2nd wife Gauri and his ties with his former family who has disowned him. Not only has the family disowned the son but also initiated the divorce proceedings.

A common theme that appears to emerge across all these narratives is the focus on consequences of actions. A great amount of footage is spent on showing the inner dialogues almost hinting at the plight of the men torn between what they have done and what they should have done. 2. The father figure archetype is shown more in its autocratic avatar rather than its benevolent variant. Thus there is an inherent value judgment in this characterization that appears to mold the viewers’ preferences against them.

But for every trace of the new age man we see we also see many molded in the older paradigms. So you find Shankar Dayalthe grand old patriarch in Navya scheming against his grandson’s wife to ensure that his word stays as the last word on anything in the household.In Pratigya Sajjan Singh’s second marriage is a short lived one and his crude ways are constantly challenged by his daughter in law and his son Krishna .

basera-cast-2In Dil Se Di Dua Swabhagyavati Bhava, Viraj is a psychopath husband who resorts to domestic violence and extreme measures to keep his wife in his control. It is heartening to note to note that in response to an interactive contest most viewers felt that that Janvi should not stay with Viraj but instead fight back and teach him a lesson

3. There are many firsts in the emerging male narratives-

a. A clarion call to love over social restrictions: In Kuch To Log Kahenge we find that Dr. Ashutosh is almost 2 decades older than Nidhi. While he goes through an initial period of turmoil and guilt about being in a relationship with a girl young enough to be his daughter, he finally accepts the same as being pre-ordained. Not only that we find that Nidhi’s father Colonel Verma too gives his blessing to the union signifying a clarion call to love over social restrictions. This is clearly a new roadmap and one that only has a future but very little past to refer back to.

b. Acceptance of girl’s past: In Parichay both Kunal and Siddhi have a past that is known to each other and in spite of the same the focus is on moving on rather than getting caught in the debris of the past. In another narrative in Parichay itself we find Lavina’s husband accepting her in spite of knowing that at the time of marriage she is in love with another man. In Shubh Vivah the focus is on remarriage and acceptance of the wife’s kid from earlier marriage. While the remarriage angle may not be revolutionary the child led narratives appear to put greater focus on the fact that this is truly an acceptance of the woman’s past. Even in Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha we find Suhita who is a dutiful daughter-in-law and a single mother of two kids who goes out of her way for her family and Mohan who is a self-centered bachelor who does not believe in the values that Suhita stands for over time getting close to each other.  

pawan-shankarc. Infidelity as an overt primary narrative: In Kya Hua Tera Waada Mona’s husband is having an affair with his boss who is also his ex-girlfriend. In Parichay Gaurav is two timing Seema with his hot new girlfriend. In Balika Vadhu Jagya gets involved in a second relationship once he comes to Mumbai and finally marries his girlfriend Gauri and leaves Anandi his child bride.

The emerging male narrative appears to be in a flux. While there are cues that there is a new age man out there his own coming of age is fraught with emotional tension. He is right now a niche rather than a mass phenomenon but his appeal with the ladies is instant and deep rooted. The diffusion of the male patriarch appears to coincide with the rise of women power on TV. So we find many feisty female characters such as Dadisa in Balika Vadhu, Ammaji in Na Aana Is Desh mein Laado, Imarti Devi in Kairi Rishta Khatta Meetha, Mataji in Sasural Simar Ka, Naani Ma in Saas Bina Sasuraal almost taking on the space of conscience keeper of the family and making great inroads into being the literal head of the family . Whether this is a harbinger of things to come, only time will tell.

About the AuthorShreyanka Basu is a market research professional, internet addict and passionate teacher)

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NGI November 2013