Eid has become the next big thing after Holi and Diwali on TV

Muslims have had a great influence and presence in Bollywood be it as writers, lyricists, singers, directors and actors. Even today the Khan trio is ruling Bollywood. On TV too, some of the best writers have come from this under represented community. The late Rahi Masoom Raza had written the first TV version of the Hindu epic Mahabharat!

Yet, films or serials with Muslim backdrop have hitherto been few and far between. But it looks like all that's set to change with Bobby Jasoos, Daawat-e-Ishq and Haider that released recently and within a short span. Even TV's landscape is changing with shows like Qubool Hai (Zee), Beintehaa (Colors), Humsafars (Sony) and Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne (Sony Pal). Star Plus had experimented with Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein but that did not strike a chord. Some serials like Uttaran and Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha had their lead characters turning Muslims mid-way through the serial either due to a memory loss or death! In short, Muslim characters and serials have suddenly taken centre stage on TV.

A whole new culture
Thanks to the influx of Muslim socials, viewers are now exposed to a new set of customs, traditions and lingo. For instance, Beintehaa is currently dealing with the custom of Halala Nikah where the couple cannot remarry til the ex-wife marries another man! Consquently, Zain (Harshad Arora) who wants to remarry Aaliya (Preetika Rao) has to see his ex tying the knot with another man, obtaining a talaaq from him before she says qubool hai to him again! Says Farhan Salruddin, the producer, "Halala Nikah is way of showing that divorce is considered very bad in Islam. It is a kind of punishment for couples who divorce." In fact, it was because he wanted to show this concept that Farhan made a serial with a Muslim backdrop. "Otherwise the story is generic," he says. However, thanks to the popularity of his lead actors, Halala Nikah is not being easily accepted even by them!
Apart from Halala Nikah, Eid has become big on TV that hitherto celebrated Holi, Diwali, Teez etc. In fact, a special integration between Humsafars and Itti Si Khushi is happening on Sony on the occasion of Eid. In the past we have seen an Eid special with the stars of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara dancing with TV actors on Colors. Zee recently celebrated Eid by having an integration between Daawat-E-Ishq stars and Qubool Hai.
Says Prashant Bhatt, Programming Head, Colors, "Muslims are an integral part of society. Shows based in a Muslim setting bring freshness and a whole new range of customs and traditions like roza, sehri, ustaari, etc. Beintehaa is about a contemporary Muslim family and is realistic. Uttaran's Mithi in Pakistan showed her in a warm and humble family. It shows the sensibilities are the same even across the border." Shailaja Kejriwal, Chief Creative, Zindagi, avers that people like variety but channels wait for somebody to take the plunge. "For 10-12 years there has been a lot of polarisation and Hinduisation. Serials that go into the intricacies of the Hindu festivals have dominated. But we didn't know anything beyond Eid about Muslims. Now, thanks to Gul Khan who brought back Muslim socials with Qubool Hai, we are getting to know that culture too. In fact, we should have a representative show based on Christians too, considering we are a multi-cultural society."

Actors are loving it!
For Preetika, Beintehaa was an eyeopener in more ways that one. "I did not know the Muslim culture before doing the serial. I got to know a lot of traditions and functions which are fun. The concept of Halala Nikah was alien not only to me but even to several Muslims," says the actress who had to learn Urdu prononciation and work on her diction. "Apart from that Aaliya is exactly like me, a girl of principles. I did not have put in a lot of effort to play her because except for the religion we are the same!" Simone Singh who played the title role in Heena that ran for five years has a special affection for the character. "Heena was a traditional character in an urban contemporary setting. I had to get the nuances right but that wasn't difficult. I would love to do another show in a Muslim backdrop, but that depends on the story and my character. What is more important is that it shouldn't be a caricature but a fair and balanced one," she says

Why categorise?
Gul Khan producer of Qubool Hai and Humsafars, refuses to categorise her shows based on community or religion. "Why do we have to do it? Muslims are a part of India, that is probably the reason there have been no shows specifically based on them. Shows are a reflection of the background people come from. My background is Muslim, so my shows reflect that," she says matter-of-fact. Though Ruslaan Mumtaz agrees that as a viewer he does not demarcate shows based on culture, he would love to do a serial based in a Muslim setting. "We need to be able to tap more into this backdrop. I am a little disconnected from my religion and do not follow the rules. It will be nice to play a Muslim character who adheres to his religion. In fact, I would also love to do a show based in a Christian household. It will be interesting to learn their lingo," says Ruslaan.

Not doing justice
Hasan Zaidi who is playing a Muslim character in Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne feels that the Muslim socials only do lip-service to the culture. "Apart from Salaam-walen-ko and bhaijaan there's nothing much 'Muslim' in the serials. Also, from Kashimir to South, there are cultural differences even among Muslims. But yes, there are slightly more restrictions on women than other communities and we have the purdah system. In Tum Saath... we are trying to focus on the problem of women not being able to pursue their career or go abroad because of deep-rooted traditions," says Hasan for whom playing the character comes easy thanks to his background. "My father is an Urdu poet and mother is a Hindi teacher. I don't have to put in much of an effort as I am from Lucknow, where the serial is based," says the actor.

Way ahead
As far as the viewers are concerned, more than the setting, it's the story that matters. "No doubt, your curiosity is aroused when a Muslim social is announced because you will get to see something new. But if the story and the characters do not hold, it doesn't matter if they say salaam-walequm or namaskar," says Kshama Rao, a TV writer.