Balika Vadhu, a popular television show telecast on Colors, has run into much controversy with JD(U) president Sharad Yadav demanding a ban on the show?in an intervention made in Parliament?for its ?unconstitutional? depiction of child marriage. Should it be banned? Probably not.
The show revolves around the life of child bride, Anandi, and is based in interior Rajasthan. I must admit that I was horrified when the promos first appeared on television and I reacted with a mix of indignation and disgust. However, morbid curiosity got the better of me, and so, like most of the country, I sat down to see exactly what the show was all about. The show was a wake up call. Whether we like it or not, child marriage remains a reality in large parts of India.
The show, however, does not glorify it. Instead, it is a glaring reminder that most parts of rural India are still buried in old rituals and beliefs, and pressures of familial hierarchy, where even the educated and open minded son can only go so far in challenging the authority of his ritually blinded mother or ?dadisa? as the character portrayed by Surekha Sekhri is popularly known.
Incidentally, each episode ends with a byline and voice over where the audience is reminded of the injustices of such
practices.
Being from the television industry, I understand the mechanisms that work towards marketing a show?-there can be overkill. At the same time however, I can say with absolute confidence that there are a lot of responsible minds out there that are extremely careful of the kind of content they send out. Of course, a greater degree of quality and content control is required in our industry. But there must be self-correction and self-regulation rather than blanket bans imposed by the government.
More importantly, not talking about an issue or banning a show won?t make a problem go away. As a nation we need to shed this whole attitude of shying away from anything that is taboo or even remotely controversial. We must instead confront it head on, within the boundaries of democracy and the constitution.
The author is a television actor