An episode of the popular Tamil TV debate show, Neeya Naana , on the topic ‘Who is beautiful: Kerala Girls or Tamil Girls’, which was scheduled to air on a private channel on Sunday afternoon, was not telecast.
The episode, which had been promoted on social media by the channel, had faced some flak after the promos aired, with many, including activists, saying it encouraged the objectification of women.
Makkal Mandram, a Kancheepuram-based organisation, even approached the police asking for the telecast of the show to be stopped.
“We saw the promos of the show where the debate is about comparing the beauty of women from two States. We thought this was unnecessary, and a blatant objectification of women and asked for the telecast to be stopped,” said S. Mahesh, a member of the organisation.
While many people objected to the promos and polls put out on social media with regard to the topic, the channel took them down on Saturday night, and on Sunday, the episode was not aired at the regular time slot.
Receptive to concerns
B. Jayashree, head of the Media Resource Centre at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, said that when approached, the team behind the show had been receptive to the concerns raised.
“It is good to have some sort of a dialogue like this when concerns are raised. The makers were surprised at the intensity of the reactions against the promos and were receptive to what was being articulated. There are a lot of concerns which need to be raised against several television shows with regard to how women are portrayed and very often, it is about social perception,” she said. There is a need for dialogue on these issues, which needs a change in the social mindset as very often, it has to do with deep-rooted perceptions, she added.
The channel is yet to come out with an official statement about the telecast of the episode being cancelled.
