Indented Identities: The Quandary of the Indian Woman

Abstract

Indian television has a come a long way since its humble beginnings. But while advancements are being made on the technical front, most soaps on Indian television lack realism and thrive by weaving new patterns on a tattered storyboard saturated in the tenebrous tar of patriarchy and superannuated social conventions. Television possesses the potency to mould public discourse on account of its pervasive- and invasive- nature. A vast majority of the public consumes entertainment proffered in the form of soap operas- which seem endearingly preoccupied with everyday concerns. Although the portrayal of women in Indian soaps has changed over the years, gender roles and behavioural patterns are influenced by a complex reworking of disempowering archetypes and stereotypes instilled in the public imagination by anintransigent, elite fraternity viciously dedicated to embracing overt aspects of modernity. In view of the largelydeprecatory portrayal of female characters, it is high time to interrogate the role of the soap opera in shaping the identity of women.Keywords: Television, women, identity, soap opera, audience