Zee Zindagi channel gets notice for 'pro-Pak' TV serial Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam
10:24 AM
Himanshi Dhawan (THE TIMES OF INDIA; May 10, 2015)
A Hindi serial titled 'Waqt
Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam' on Zee's Zindagi channel has attracted the
attention of the I&B ministry and broadcast redressal authority,
Broadcast Content Complaints Council (BCCC), following complaints from
viewers who claimed the content was inflammatory in nature and promoted
Pakistan's narrative of the Partition.
The BCCC, headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, has issued a notice to Zindagi and summoned its executives for a hearing on May 22. A Zee official said they had not received the notice so far. According to sources, the I&B ministry has not taken any action so far but has forwarded the complaints it received to the BCCC. Keeping in view the “sensitivity'' of the matter, the BCCC has asked the channel to respond to the complaints. The channel could be asked to modify the content or desist from re-telecast.
The soap is a love story in the backdrop of Partition based on author Razia Butt's book 'Bano'. The serial stars Pakistani actors Fawad Khan (already famous in India after co-starring with Sonam Kapoor in a Bollywood film) and Sanam Baloch as Bano.
The main criticism from viewers has been that the serial shows Partition only from Pakistan's point of view and paints Indians as villains. While some viewers have also complained that Sikhs and Hindus have been portrayed as perpetrators of atrocities on Muslims in the serial, some others with whom TOI spoke didn't seem offended by what was shown in it. The soap narrates the story of a Muslim girl who is abducted by a Sikh. The Sikh man repeatedly rapes the girl, forces her to convert and bear a child out of wedlock.
One complaint claimed that a few episodes highlighted Indian Muslim League and M A Jinnah as heroes fighting the Congress against discrimination of Muslims in the country.
The soap finished its 23 episode run in April. Describing it as a “beautiful, timeless'' love story, a Zindagi channel executive said the response to the serial was encouraging. “The show was telecast as 'Dastan' in Pakistan and we have made necessary changes to telecast it in India.We have followed all broadcast guidelines,'' he said. Sources said the serial had been edited heavily keeping Indian sentiments in mind but the theme itself was provocative.
The BCCC, headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, has issued a notice to Zindagi and summoned its executives for a hearing on May 22. A Zee official said they had not received the notice so far. According to sources, the I&B ministry has not taken any action so far but has forwarded the complaints it received to the BCCC. Keeping in view the “sensitivity'' of the matter, the BCCC has asked the channel to respond to the complaints. The channel could be asked to modify the content or desist from re-telecast.
The soap is a love story in the backdrop of Partition based on author Razia Butt's book 'Bano'. The serial stars Pakistani actors Fawad Khan (already famous in India after co-starring with Sonam Kapoor in a Bollywood film) and Sanam Baloch as Bano.
The main criticism from viewers has been that the serial shows Partition only from Pakistan's point of view and paints Indians as villains. While some viewers have also complained that Sikhs and Hindus have been portrayed as perpetrators of atrocities on Muslims in the serial, some others with whom TOI spoke didn't seem offended by what was shown in it. The soap narrates the story of a Muslim girl who is abducted by a Sikh. The Sikh man repeatedly rapes the girl, forces her to convert and bear a child out of wedlock.
One complaint claimed that a few episodes highlighted Indian Muslim League and M A Jinnah as heroes fighting the Congress against discrimination of Muslims in the country.
The soap finished its 23 episode run in April. Describing it as a “beautiful, timeless'' love story, a Zindagi channel executive said the response to the serial was encouraging. “The show was telecast as 'Dastan' in Pakistan and we have made necessary changes to telecast it in India.We have followed all broadcast guidelines,'' he said. Sources said the serial had been edited heavily keeping Indian sentiments in mind but the theme itself was provocative.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Post a Comment