TV news is always enthusiastic about a ‘war'—India-Pakistan, Putin-Zelenskyy, Kannada-Tamil
Take last Monday: you could watch drones rise into the sky—as only drones can—and swoop down on defenseless Russian aircraft with precision. Slam! Bang! Explosion after explosion lit up the TV screen, flames billowed into smoke, and in the distance, we heard the scary sound of sirens.
War is the No. 1 entertainer on television news in India. It has washed TV soaps down the tube. Who wants to watch a mother-in-law slap her daughter-in law when we can watch India slap down Pakistan—or Zelenskyy deliver a stinging blow to Putin?
This was 'Pearl Harbour 2.0'—the 'Maha Yudh,' 'Full and Final' (Republic Bharat) running on Indian television news channels. It was 'Putin v/s Trump', declared TV9 Bharatvarsh. Why watch a girl named Saru in plaited pigtail confront Ankita in tight skirts (Saru, Zee TV) when you can watch US President Donald Trump, the 'Lord of Lunacy'—as TV9 Bharatvarsh called him—outstare Russian President Vladimir Putin?
If it's not actual war, TV news conflicts are more entertaining than the family court-martials on TV soaps. On Wednesday there was a 'Kannada-Tamil War' in the TV newsrooms 'starring' Kamal Hassan as the 'villain' (Times Now). Cut to a visual of the film star, long, stringy strands of hair framing his villainous face, looking exactly like he led a 'Thug Life'—the title of his latest film.
The Mani Ratnam film is now caught in the battle of Bengaluru, as Karnataka threatens to boycott Thug Life after Kamal Hassan appeared to offend Kannadiga pride by stating that 'Kannada was born out of Tamil.'
Wouldn't you rather watch this case of exploding linguistic identities than Akshara swooning here and there during her pregnancy while trying to withstand the nauseating behaviour of her would-be saas, who is trying to prevent her son from marrying Akshara in the TV soap Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (Star Plus)?
This family drama has aired since 2012 and has so many internal conflicts, great epics pale in comparison. Still, it can't compare with the drones of war on television news.
Also read: Blood, Bengal, and Breaking News—Local TV channels are desensitising us, badly
War excites TV news
The comparison between war among nations and war within a joint family isn't a false equivalence: both thrive on constant conflict and keep us round-eyed with astonishment at the unfolding events.
What's clear is that TV news coverage of modern warfare is more eye-catching: boots on the ground have been replaced by flying machines. This allows TV channels to play video war games. Digital technology and now AI help newsrooms come up with high-quality maps, detailed graphics, and advanced animation to bring action to life. Just look at this one by AiTelly.
Hindi news channels have also taken to war enthusiastically. TV9 Bharatvarsh is also known as 'Yudh TV' for waging ceaseless battle on air, 24×7. The conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and Balochistan regularly show up on the news.
How can any mere mortal TV soap actor—who is there to weep, shout, stand, and stare without messing up the make-up—compete with this? The primary purpose of the characters they play is to look soulfully into the eyes of a beloved or narrow their eyes into venomous slits while they spit out poisonous threats like, 'You will not steal Adit from me' (Mangal Lakshmi, Colors).
Alternatively, the one happy family has to reinforce the ideals of the patriarchal Hindu value system: In Udne ki Asha (Star Plus), the mother-in-law comes up with a brilliant idea: 'All the wives will cook for their husbands!' Well.
TV soaps have not reinvented themselves with the times, perhaps because they're targeting audiences in smaller cities and rural areas. They're still about the Hindu parivaar – loving, fighting, feuding—while urban viewers have moved on to watch OTT shows like the recently released The Royals (Netflix).
Even when they attempt change, they fall back on old stereotypes. In Jagruti, Ek Nai Subah (Zee), the lead female character is a policewoman from an imaginary backward community called 'Chitta'. She is up against the mafia king – Thakurji. Thakurji profits from drugs, animal skins, and other illegal trades. He lives a lavish lifestyle, sprawled out on a couch with a glass of Scotch whisky dangling from his fingers as he threatens the police chief. And when he's angry, he shatters the glass with his bare hand.
Also, everything moves in slow motion; the camera still does a 360-degree twirl to capture the expressionless faces of the family members. And then there's the music…
Also read: Sensational, speculative, insensitive—that's how TV news is covering Kolkata doctor's rape
Murder and mayhem
There's plenty of music on news channels too—and special effects galore. For shouting matches, we have TV news anchors and their guests—BJP and Congress play the lead roles of warring families. We've even watched people assault each other in the newsroom.
And if you are loyal viewers of Crime Patrol or the other popular crime shows C.I.D (Sony) and Savdhaan India (Star Bharat), you'll find enough murder on news channels to slake your blood thirst.
Wednesday morning, India Today had news of a 'Ghastly crime in Shillong' where honeymooners were 'hacked to death'. It also had mobile video footage of a 'murder in a bakery'. Let's remember the Shraddha Walkar case that was telecast for weeks across news channels.
Lastly, everyone has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for coming up with the name Operation Sindoor. Did you know there's a TV serial called 'Sindoor ki Keemat' that aired on Dangal between 2021 and 2023?
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)
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