It’s easy to make fun of soap operas in India (not that the Bold and the Beautiful is known for its intelligent content). What’s not to laugh at? The horribly gaudy palatial homes, women wearing all that jewellery and make-up to bed (ladies, do NOT try this at home – unless you want to mess your skin up), the terrible crash zooms and pans (certainly no other genre anywhere has dedicated so much screen time to the emotion of surprise), and the intricate plots (obviously, each will take a decade or so to unravel).

But we’re not trying to scrutinise the merits or demerits of soaps on TV. This is about their representation of society and how much of it finds representation in pop culture.

Colors, a popular entertainment channel in India, recently launched a much-publicised show called “Shastri Sisters”.  The plot was announced – it was to do with the lives of four sisters from Kanpur and their subsequent move to Delhi. As the show unfolded, there were no surprises. The galis of Kanpur (complete with paan-eating chachas and seedha-pallu chachis), the traditional (but middle-income) home, the curvy wooden almirahs and four-poster beds, and the uniformly golden-hearted sisters (mostly, the shades allowed are gharelu, rebellious, studious and outgoing).

All along, there is a “rootedness”, a “culture” that we are being made aware of as an audience. Where lies its bedrock? The protagonists seem neither especially brave nor brilliant. On what grounds are we to “identify” with them? Could it be that it has more to do with their name, “Shastri”, than one would care to admit? We decided to examine via surnames the caste/class bias of what is arguably one of the biggest bastions of popular culture in our country. Here is a list of some very popular shows across top entertainment channels.

Zee Tv

Kumkum Bhagya

Plot

The show is about the lives of two sisters, Pragya and Bulbul, who’re poles apart. Pragya is the hardworking and pragmatic good girl, Bulbul is the frivolous romantic. Enter Abhi The Rockstar with a cult following of his own and Suresh, the college professor who works closely with Pragya. The show currently seems like an endless saga of Pragya trying to win over the obnoxious Abhi (for reasons best known to her), while outsmarting his bitchy sister and vampish love interest.

Characters in lead roles

Sarla Arora (Kshatriya)

Pragya Arora (Kshatriya)

Bulbul Arora (Kshatriya)

Abhishek Mehra (Kshatriya)

Suresh (No Surname)

Jodha Akbar (historical drama)

Plot

Jodha Akbar is a historical drama about the political marriage of convenience between Mughal Emperor Akbar and Rajput Princess Jodha Bai. The show focuses on how their first-convenient-later-love marriage changed the fate of India. Given the way they’ve “re-told” this already-contentious piece of history, the “this has little relevance to historical facts” disclaimer should be run as a ticker through the show.

Characters in lead roles

Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (Mughal)

Jodha Bai (Rajput)

Star Plus

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai

Plot

This is a story of shy, demure Akshara who comes from a marwari joint-family and is married into another such family. The show is a Sooraj Barjatya-ish representation of the everyday – endless festivities and mundane family politics form the backdrop to the most unchallenging and stagnant existence any heroine has ever had.

Characters in lead roles

Akshara Singhania (Vaishya)

Naitik Singhania (Vaishya)

Vishambhar Maheshwari (Vaishya)

Star Plus

Diya Aur Baati Hum

Plot

The plot showcases Sandhya’s struggles – she dreams of becoming an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. Married off to Suraj (he owns a famous sweet shop), Sandhya is unable to finish her graduation. The story is about how she becomes an IPS officer, supported by her husband who proves to be a pillar of strength. In episode 798 (yes, that’s right), Sandhya comes down all dressed in cop gear, but for some reason stays home (still in gear) and teaches her husband how to operate a (hold your breath) laptop. Perhaps the IPS has this sabbatical-like provision for officers with very dull spouses.

Characters in lead roles

Suraj Arun Rathi (Jat)

Sandhya Suraj Rathi (Jat)

Colors

Sasural Simar Ka

Plot

It tells the story of two sisters, Simar and Roli, who end up in the same home by marrying two brothers, Prem and Siddhant. Time and a terrible plot takes the sisters through many challenges like trying to learn dancing, and a fake death that has something to do with organ trafficking.

Characters in lead roles

Roli Bharadwaj (Brahamin)

Simar/Sunaina Vikrant Mehta (Vaishya)

Shastri Sisters

Plot

The story revolves around four sisters and their journey from Kanpur to Delhi. A randomly-picked episode showcases various trials and tribulations – the eldest crying over her love interest, Rajiv ji (as she calls him), and another dealing with her eve-teasers effectively – with feminine terror and avoidance of the issue. Of course, dare we ask why on earth they are four girl siblings in this day and age? (Some form of birth control must have trickled down even to Kanpur.) Waiting for Master Shastri?

Characters in lead roles

Alka Shastri (Brahmin)

Anushka Shastri (Brahmin)

Devyani Shastri  (Brahmin)

Peeya Shastri (Brahmin)

Life Ok

Gustakh Dil

This is a love triangle between Laajo, Nikhil and Ishana. The story revolves around Laajo, a village belle and Nikhil, a shehri “cool dude” who is madly in love with his childhood sweetheart Ishana. Several town mouse vs country mouse situations later, Nikhil and Laajo seem set for a happily ever after.

Characters in lead roles

Lajjo (no surname)

Nikhil Bhardwaj (Brahmin)

Ishana (no surname)

Barkha Bhardwaj(Brahmin)

Devon Ke Dev Mahadev (religious drama)

Plot

This is a drama series based on the legends of the Hindu god Shiva, also known as Mahadev. Featuring terrible CGI, scary wigs, bovine gods and lots of lightning.

Characters in lead roles

Shiva (a Hindu God)

Other Hindu Gods

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The Indian television industry stood at 5.65 billion US dollars in 2009. It is projected to hit something like 11.45 billion US dollars by 2014. Roughly 40 per cent of our population still doesn’t have access to television, but the remaining account for approximately a staggering 150 million TV sets. A popular serial can garner anything between 5 to 8 million people as viewership. Something like 90 per cent of the youth prefers watching soap-like shows along with their parents. So what is this large, impressionable group watching? The trials and tribulations of upper-caste India, it would seem. The upper castes (at best about 30 per cent of our population), have certainly hegemonised more than their fair share of popular culture. Surprised? One should hope not.

Speaking to Newslaundry, Sonal Gahatra, one of the writers of Shastri Sisters, said: “We don’t think of caste and community – we try to portray a certain regional culture – in this case north-Indian, small-town culture. It could have been Sharma (Brahmins), Saxena (Vaishyas), anything else.” Perhaps not anything else then. Not Koli or Meena or Mallha.

One is left wondering how insular and deadened this “For the privileged, Of the privileged” type of programming leaves us. Where is the representation for roughly three-fourth of our population in this super popular genre of entertainment? When asked, Saugata Mukherjee, Vice-President (Content Engine), Life Ok said: “No comment,” and Pratibha Prakash – Assistant Vice-President, Zee TV said, “she wasn’t authorised to comment on something like this.”

Maybe there’s a reason all soaps appears identical – because they address the concerns of a by-and-large homogenous group of people. Perhaps those who are essentially at peace with the social order tell pacifist and stagnant stories. Perhaps we’ll have to at least attempt to tell stories that reflect the myriad caste/class shades of India. Till then, soap operas will stay just that – the favoured air space for soap advertisers.

(With inputs from Mahima Singh, Kartik Nijhawan and Deeksha Saksena)