Forbidden love on primetime: Indian TV no longer shies from incest, homosexuality

Lip-locks, intimate consummation scenes and skin show are passé. Incest, homosexuality, transgender love - subjects hitherto considered taboo have taken centre stage on TV. Amitabh Bachchan's debut fiction show Yudh has Mona Vasu's character displaying a bi-curious streak while Rishina Khandari's Kavita is an out-and-out lesbian attracted to Mona. Laut Aao Trisha has Bobby (Abhilash Kumar) and Vivaan (Karan Jotwani) in love with their first cousin Trisha (Nalini Negi)! An episode of MTV Webbed had two guys played by Umang Khanna and Hasan Zaidi finding comfort and solace in each other's arms - Brokeback Mountain, anyone? Yeh Aashiqui Hai had Tulsi (Sadia Siddiqui) falling in love with her son's best friend Nakul (Abhishek Tiwari) and Ek Boond Ishq's Nandini (Hunar Hali) had no qualms having a romantic liaison with the eunuch Rudrapratap Singh (Vishwajeet Pradhan). Last year, the reality show Connected Hum Tum featured a lesbian couple struggling to gain acceptance and speculation is rife that the upcoming season of Bigg Boss will have a gay couple lodged in the house! Undoubtedly, the small-screen is getting bolder than ever before.

Coming of age
Ajit Thakur, General Manager Life Ok, attributes the change to the paradigm shift in the viewership. "A lot more younger viewers are coming to TV. Earlier we used to keep quiet on certain issues, but viewers today are willing to confront them. They are ready for mature stories, which could be bold and edgy." Youth channels like MTV and Bindass have been featuring shows that deal with controversial relationships since the last one year. Vijay Subramanium, VP Content and Media Netwroks, Disney India says the shows reflect the dynamic life of the youth and the realities they live in. "The youth today is experimenting with different phases of relationships. They could be in a casual, complicated or a multiple relationship, which we are showcasing," avers Sumeli Chatterji, Head, Marketing, Media & Insights, MTV. For Damini Shetty, the brain behind Maryaada, that depicted a gay relationship, it's a sign of TV getting close to reality. "Viewers are accepting that there are dark areas in society, and we cannot shy away from that."
Interestingly, Maryaada was aired at 11.30 pm owing to its bold content four years ago, but today shows of its ilk are aired at primetime between 8.30 – 10 pm. Vishwajeet who also part of Maryaada in which he essayed a dark character (he rapes his daughters-in-law) recalls, "When the first promos of Maryaada were out, the channel felt it was too bold. After that not only were the promos watered down, even the show did not turn out be as bold as it was supposed to be."

Bolder the better
Sadia who thrives on playing unconventional roles whether it's Banegi Apni Baat that dealt with pre-marital sex and drugs, or Rangrasiya that had her abandoning her child and husband for another man, picks up roles that make her nervous or force her to think. 'There are several layers to a man-woman relationship whether it's marriage or live-in but serials so far have just concentrated on the romantic aspect. A woman leaving her child and husband for another man or falling in love with a guy half her age may be shocking, but that's the reality. These things have been happening, but were kept hidden, it's only now that TV is projecting them," she says firmly. For Vishwajeet playing a transgender was challenging. "We are always laughing or making fun of the third genre but the serial approached the character in a humane way. Kalavati, my character is a woman trapped in a man's body. Her parents want her to be a boy but she believes she is a girl, yet for the sake of the society she lives as Rudrapratap Singh," says Vishwajeet. As for his love track with Nandini, he puts it down to the two having naughty devilish minds with the same ambition, to get what they want at any cost! "It was an attraction of similar minds," he smiles.

Reel to real
Rishina is facing a unique problem. Her lesbian track has convinced people that she is one in real life too! Girls on social networks have been asking her number and her real relationship with Mona. "One girl came to me in a mall and said, 'The way you look at Mona gives me goose bumps.' I think lesbian relationships are over hyped in our country. Earlier too there were just as many females who were attracted to the same sex, but they were less inclined to admit it due to social perceptions and stigmas," quips Rishina.

Viewer feedback
Actress Bhairavi Raichura who has turned producer with Laut Aao Trisha was apprehensive about the viewers' reaction to the serial. "Though films have been depicting such stories, TV has been avoiding it. We were offering something new and were unsure about people's reactions. This despite the fact that shows like Savdhaan India have featured such stories based on real incidents!" Ajit avers that edgy bold new stories have increasingly found favour in the last one year, but cautions that such shows come with a huge risk. "If they are done for the sake of being edgy without social relevance, they won't be accepted. Secondly, these shows have a shorter life span because they are dealing with an issue. They have to be finite, which is a risk for the channel," he explains. As Kshama Rao an avid TV viewer and writer puts it, "TV going bold is fine but subjects like gay relationships and incest have to be handled in a mature way and not with the intention of shocking viewers or for sensationalism. But, given the regressive shows on air, whatever little courage the makers or channels are showing is good news!"