Posted:
** Edited to add: This thread was originally posted in the DMG forum but was later moved to the Debate Mansion, so for anyone that's confused, the content of this thread refers to the recent intervention by politicians to edit a particular scene out of an episode of the show because it allegedly violated what the Indian culture stood for. **
I know there have been lots of posts about this subject but I figured I might as well add my two cents. Before I proceed, I'd just like to clarify that I am not a fan of ANY of the couples on this show. I lost the motivation to watch DMG several years ago.
Coming back to the topic ...
Since when is it the moral responsibility of soap operas to 'educate' people by sticking to the societal norms? As long as the storyline doesn't offensively discriminate against a particular race, religion, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, everything else should be taken in good spirit. That is the whole point of fiction after all. If the viewers have issues with the way a track(s) is being handled, at most they would contact the creative team or the production house. Why bring the politicians into this?
Besides, extra-marital affairs aren't new to the world of television soaps. Half the shows out there portray either the husband or the wife cheating on their spouses. Yet, I don't see any political involvements there. Heck, forget infidelity. Name me one soap opera (whether Indian or otherwise) that has strictly woven all of its storylines around the ethics and morals of the society in question. I can't think of anything that fits into that category besides the shows that are meant for kids since those shows are supposed to educate. Almost every other show has murderers, rapists, adulterers, alcoholics, goons, prostitutes, etc as some of the regular and/or recurring characters. That doesn't mean those shows are trying to glorify those qualities; nor are they encouraging their viewers to follow in their favourite fictional characters' footsteps.
To those that might argue that the pre-teens and teenagers who watch this show might get the wrong idea by watching this affair since their minds are still impressionable - I'd like to point out that this is not the first time DMG has shown something inappropriate. I have literally lost count of the number of sensuous and steamy song sequences that this serial has shot for many of its couples before. Was that not a violation of the Indian culture and values? Why did nobody protest back then? What about the fact that the show has continuously been portraying doctors in a bad light for the past three years? What about the sheer mockery that DMG has made of such a noble profession? I see that as more of a violation of ethics than an extra-marital affair between two characters.
Either way, a show is a show at the end of the day. I'm pretty sure nobody thought 'Oh wow, Riddhima almost cheated on her husband. I'm going to follow her lead someday since cheating is so cool now!'
I'm sure Shive Sena have got more substantial things to do with their time. Is it really worth getting them into this? I'd rather we fight for issues that affect real people living in the real world, instead of a sinking fictional show that less than a quarter of the Indian population watches.
I repeat - I'm not a fan of anybody on DMG and my post was strictly about the concept of how far one should go for the sake of a show. It wasn't about the A/R/S triangle or which character did the right thing and which one didn't. I didn't mean to preach either. I was just stating my point of view. I hope nobody was offended.
I know there have been lots of posts about this subject but I figured I might as well add my two cents. Before I proceed, I'd just like to clarify that I am not a fan of ANY of the couples on this show. I lost the motivation to watch DMG several years ago.
Coming back to the topic ...
Since when is it the moral responsibility of soap operas to 'educate' people by sticking to the societal norms? As long as the storyline doesn't offensively discriminate against a particular race, religion, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, everything else should be taken in good spirit. That is the whole point of fiction after all. If the viewers have issues with the way a track(s) is being handled, at most they would contact the creative team or the production house. Why bring the politicians into this?
Besides, extra-marital affairs aren't new to the world of television soaps. Half the shows out there portray either the husband or the wife cheating on their spouses. Yet, I don't see any political involvements there. Heck, forget infidelity. Name me one soap opera (whether Indian or otherwise) that has strictly woven all of its storylines around the ethics and morals of the society in question. I can't think of anything that fits into that category besides the shows that are meant for kids since those shows are supposed to educate. Almost every other show has murderers, rapists, adulterers, alcoholics, goons, prostitutes, etc as some of the regular and/or recurring characters. That doesn't mean those shows are trying to glorify those qualities; nor are they encouraging their viewers to follow in their favourite fictional characters' footsteps.
To those that might argue that the pre-teens and teenagers who watch this show might get the wrong idea by watching this affair since their minds are still impressionable - I'd like to point out that this is not the first time DMG has shown something inappropriate. I have literally lost count of the number of sensuous and steamy song sequences that this serial has shot for many of its couples before. Was that not a violation of the Indian culture and values? Why did nobody protest back then? What about the fact that the show has continuously been portraying doctors in a bad light for the past three years? What about the sheer mockery that DMG has made of such a noble profession? I see that as more of a violation of ethics than an extra-marital affair between two characters.
Either way, a show is a show at the end of the day. I'm pretty sure nobody thought 'Oh wow, Riddhima almost cheated on her husband. I'm going to follow her lead someday since cheating is so cool now!'
I'm sure Shive Sena have got more substantial things to do with their time. Is it really worth getting them into this? I'd rather we fight for issues that affect real people living in the real world, instead of a sinking fictional show that less than a quarter of the Indian population watches.
I repeat - I'm not a fan of anybody on DMG and my post was strictly about the concept of how far one should go for the sake of a show. It wasn't about the A/R/S triangle or which character did the right thing and which one didn't. I didn't mean to preach either. I was just stating my point of view. I hope nobody was offended.
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