Watching Zindagi: Pakistani social lives on Indian TV

Abstract

In this paper, we study some of the politics involved in representing neighbouring country Pakistan with reference to the launching of a new television channel in India, Zindagi/Life. Zindagi was launched on 23 June 2014 and owned by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. which airs syndicated television shows from Pakistan. Zindagi became the first ever general entertainment channel (GEC) in India to air syndicated content from Pakistan. Our paper aims to explore how in the popular teleserials of Zindagi the representation of the ‘other’ (here Pakistan and its people) has become part of the viewing practices for Indian audiences. The present context of the Indian political and media scenario (after BJP came to power in the last Lok Sabha election in 2014) with national GECs’ increasing involvement in telecasting Hindu mythological and historical serials makes the airing of Zindagi more interesting (In the last Lok Sabha elections (2014), Bharatiya Janata Party (which formed the government with maximum majority) campaigned extensively through state-run and private-owned satellite television networks. Following this, it is imperative to note how in the recent years National General Entertainment channels actively engaged in telecasting Hindu mythological and historical serials like Devo Ka Dev Mahadev (Life OK, December 2011–2014), Mahabharat (Star Plus, September 2013–August 2014), Siya Ke Ram (Star Plus, 2015–2016), Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman (SONY, 2015), Bharat Ke Veer Putra Maharana Pratap (SONY, May 2013–December 2015), Chandragupta Maurya (Imagine/Dangal TV, March 2011–April 2012/December 2014), Dharti Ke Veer Yodha Prithvi Raj Chauhan (Star Plus, 2006–2009), Veer Shivaji (Colors, September 2011–May 2012) and Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat (Colors, 2015–2016).). Amidst such a context of politics and television programming that fiercely focused around a monolithic construct of Hindu culture, identity and history, Zindagi enters the Indian satellite market by telecasting Pakistani social lives and raising questions on representing the ‘other’ for the Indian viewers. The channel has been well received by the Indian print and electronic media (For instance, one can see articles like ‘5 reasons that make Zee’s new channel “Zindagi” a must-watch’ (dnaindia, 20 June 2014) ‘Bye-bye unending television dramas, welcome Zindagi’ (Times of India, 1 July 2014), ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai: cross-border love on screen’ (Hindustan Times, 7 June 2014), etc.). Reports of rising TRPs of teleserials like Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai (on Zindagi) were published in the popular press, which along with social networking sites generated stardom discourses around actors like Fawad Khan. 60With reference to the politics of representing a neighbouring country and Muslim identity on Indian television, our paper explores questions including couple space and conjugality in the teleserial narratives of Zindagi. Our article discusses two teleserials, Zindagi Gulzar Hain and Humsafar, focusing on how the portrayal of Muslim men and women on Zindagi marks a departure from the stereotypical representation of Muslim characters in Indian cinema and television.