by B. R. GOWANI
Shriti Jha, who played the central character of Jhanvi, and later Sia, in TV serial Dil Se Di Dua: Saubhagyavati Bhava. PHOTO/India-Forums
Sriti Jha
In my previous article, The Many Faces of Sriti Jha, Saubhagyavati Bhava and its central character Jhanavi/Sia (played by Sriti Jha), I mentioned that the producers of this serial were cashing in on Viraj’s (one of the two male characters) roguery. I had suggested the tables be turned on Viraj who should now be placed on the receiving end of roguery. This would have shown that a female character does not have to always be a victim and could indeed fight back to teach her oppressor a lesson. This change would also have helped prolong the show.
But the producers kept playing the same theme and introduced no substantial changes to the story. Sriti Jha notified them of her desire to leave the show. They persuaded her to stay. However, the other male protagonist left the show. Eventually, with no new changes made to the show, Sriti Jha also left the show in the middle of November 2012.
The show ended on January 18, 2013 because the TRP (rating) had gone down. The producers introduced as much silliness to the show as they could to continue it, but failed to raise the rating.
The makers of Saubhagyavati Bhava didn’t give a damn to the wishes of the central character of their show. (She is now working in a TV serial Balika Vadhu — Kachchi Umar Ke Pakke Rishte or Child Bride — Strong Relationships of Tender Age as Ganga.)
Saubhagyavati Bhava
Saubhagyavati Bhava began in December 2011 on a promising note and had a potential for many twists and turns but the obsession with too much violence against Jhanvi/Sia’s character led it to its doom.
It was one of the four programs for which the TV watchdog, Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), received several complains regarding graphic portrayals of violence against women.
Ajit Thakur, General Manager of Life OK, (the channel which ran the serial), said the following about the serial:
“… Saubhagyvati.. happened to the channel just to pass on a social message against domestic violence and I feel the show has done it.”
After watching the program, the only conclusion one can draw is that there was a message to society’s male population as to how and what kind of violence you can commit in a domestic situation. It was a how-to on extreme domestic violence show.
Here is a partial list of the abuse and torture the character of Jhanvi/Sia went through:
She was beaten.
She was burned.
She always lived in fear because Viraj, in his own words, he was a “perfectionist”.
She couldn’t see her own family members alone.
She always had to make sure things were clean, neat, and in their proper place, because he was suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder.
She, a vegetarian, was forced to eat chicken.
She suffered when cockroaches were let loose on her by him.
She lost her child in a miscarriage when she fell down on the ground after he pushed her.
Her grandmother lost her ability to talk and walk because of him.
Her father was humiliated on false corruption charges because of him.
Her college friend was tortured by him.
She was made to believe that her parents, sisters, and paternal grandmother were killed. Then she is informed that they were actually injected with sleeping medicine. Later, the house is set on fire and she is made to believe that her family members burned to death. (Watch the following video on You Tube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTqHtqplkVc
She was kept in a confused state most of the time, e.g., in the subsequent episode, he “resurrected” her family.
Her would-be husband’s friend was almost murdered by him. The friend ended up in a coma.
Her childhood friend was kidnapped by him.
Her sisters-in-law and mother-in-law were tortured by him.
She was given electric shocks by him in order to erase from her mind, the name of her loving second husband, Raghav.
She took it upon herself to get justice for her husband’s murder. She didn’t accomplish that. Viraj poisoned her and asked her to drink the antidote he offered–on a condition that she should declare her love for him. She refused to drink. Viraj forced some antidote in her mouth, but neither the antidote nor the doctors could save her.
But that was not the end.
The rogue Viraj stole her corpse from the hospital and kept it with him till the end. When he came to know that her heart was missing he went after the girl-recipient, her boyfriend and her mother, because he wanted to get that heart and put it back in Jhanvi/Sia’s body.
After suffering so much pain, torture, humiliation, and loss, the only solace Jhanvi/Sia’s character was provided by the makers was her declaration that Viraj is not going to get her, but she’ll meet her husband in heaven.
(Isn’t this a Taliban philosophy where the youngsters are deceived into believing that after finishing the task of suicide bombing, they’ll be on their way to heaven?)
But what happened to the abuser?
He was arrested but he escaped. Then he himself surrendered to the police. Even in his surrendering to the law, the creators of the show don’t miss an opportunity to present him as a macho man.
This show ended airing on January 18th of this year. And, one month ago, a 23 year-old female (“Damini” or “Amanat” or …), was raped in the Indian capital on December 16, 2012. I expected some kind of drastic changes in the story line to reflect that tragedy. It didn’t happen.
May be Ajit Thakur was paying more attention to viewers’ feeling. In the December 25, 2012 New York Time’s article, On Indian TV, ‘I Do’ Means to Honor and Obey the Mother-in-Law , he says about 50% of the viewers contacted for their opinion on the program wanted her to stay with her husband. Many older women said: “Well, at least he really loves her.”
What about the feeling of other 50% who didn’t want her to stay with her husband?
A note
Since that tragedy, however, many TV serials have started talking about women’s rights, education, and other issues. That may be the silver lining; but no show should be allowed to exploit domestic violence to this graphic degree, especially in a culture struggling with its gruesome effects on a daily basis.
B. R. GOWANI can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com