When saas bahu dramas made their debut on television all those years ago, media-watchers cried themselves hoarse about the regressive nature of these shows. Over the years, the portrayal of women on the little screen has undergone a sea change but continues to draw flak for being offensive. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) recently sent a notice to UTV Bindass for its show Meri Toh Lag Gayi … Naukri, on allegations that its content is brash and aggressive. This is not the first time the channel has received such a notice; its earlier run-ins with the ministry were over shows like Love Lock Up, Emotional Atyachar and Dadagiri.

While Emotional Atyachar has women agents who are shown getting down and dirty with prospective cheats, Love Lock Up ran into trouble most notably for an episode involving Aryan Vaid and his wife engaging in fisticuffs. Dadagiri, like reality shows MTV Roadies and Bigg Boss, was pulled up for offensive language and behaviour.

So, have women on the small screen veered away from one form of negative portrayal, only to be slotted into another? Prachi Shah, who has been in shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, says that all TV channels tend to follow a certain trend. "The problem is that once a format becomes popular, it will be repeated across channels. At one point, it was saas bahu soaps; then it was shows based out of Rajasthan. Now it's the turn of reality shows. In all honesty though, we actors have no control over the content. It's the producer and the channels that decide," she says.

Shaurya Chauhan, who played the goddess in Dadagiri, agrees that actors have little control over content. "I am a professional and I do what I get paid to do," she says. "A lot of people may find the content and the language offensive but I never used any abusive language myself. I also made it clear from the start that I was not just some hot chick who was going to wear skimpy clothes. My job was to push people to their limits," she asserts.

While it is true that there is a me-too trend, Sony Entertainment Television prides itself on originality. "We have internal guidelines in place, which ensure that our female protagonists are different from the ones you see on other channels," says Ajay Bhalwankar, programming head for Sony. "Be it Kkusum, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Ladies Special or Krishnaben Khakrawala, we've always tried to portray progressive women characters. I don't think there has been a recent shift in trends in this regard."

Prachi, however, points out that the trend may not necessarily be a good one. "With the family dramas, the audience at least saw a growth in characters. Balika Vadhu, for instance, had a strong social message. But with reality shows, there is nothing," she says. "There are good talent hunt shows and something like a Fear Factor or Khatron Ke Khiladi also hones your sense of adventure. But what are we learning from them?" she asks.