Anything goes in the name of adult shows, can we show some restraint?

It’s a step in the right direction. Emotional Atyachar which airs on UTV Bindass was shunted to a late night slot last week from its earlier 7 pm slot. The show revolves around bringing raw emotion to TV with your partner's actions caught on hidden cameras all under the guise of a loyalty test. EA helps participants to spy on their partners to test their loyalty. Somewhat similar to the international show, Cheaters, the EA team spies on the ‘victim’, while his/her partner who asked for it in the first place squirms and sobs watching the goings on. Since the thrust is on love and fidelity it makes for adult viewing. After Sach ka Saamna this is the second show that has been shifted to the late night slot at the insistence of the Ministry. This crackdown on broadcasters will go down well with a large section of people. The I&B Ministry has been debating on implementing ‘watershed hours’ for adult content and an adult lock system for TV since quite some time. Watershed hours are between 11pm and 4 am. It’s more needed now than ever before. There are many such shows that should not be viewed by kids and need to be relocated. There is too much sex and violence which is now part of the mainstream. Many early programmes include a diet of violence, abuse and foul language. Splitsvilla too has ruffled many a feather. Parents are enraged to see their young kids watch a show where there are 20 skimpily clad girls and 2 guys abusing, yelling and trying their best to woo each other. As per the format the guys dump the girls one by one. In the end one couple remains who will get to host a show on MTV. This sure is a new concept on the Indian television screens. But I fail to see the point behind a show like this where they show everything from belly dancing to bathroom tub caressing, to lots of skin show and mind you all this happens at 7 pm. How this one has escaped the eye of the Ministry is a mystery to me. Moving on to yet another such show that raises my hackles -- Dadagiri on UTV’s Bindaas. Season one and two aired in an early evening slot. And without a doubt the show was certainly not meant for an underage audience. Why I am highlighting this show is because the auditions for the next season is already underway. I am hoping this time it gets another time slot, more suitable for its adult viewers. With many more such shows being planned I hope the channels and the Ministry come up with better positioning of such shows. Until then all the young ‘uns can continue to grow up really fast. Read more...