People have always been fascinated by politics which occupies the centre-stage of a civilised society. In the Indian context, women politicians draw more attention considering they have played a significant role in the polity.
The serial Zindagi Ek Bhanwar (ZEB) aired on Doordarshan’s National channel centres on Sharda Devi (played by Zarina Wahab), a housewife whose life takes a drastic turn when she is nominated by her politician husband (Tej Sapru) to fight his Assembly seat after he is fielded by the party to contest for a Parliament seat. This brings her in confrontation with her son, an aspiring politician.
On choosing politics as the serial’s subject, producer Shoaib Choudhary, who conceptualised the basic storyline, comments, “Politics touches the life of each and every citizen whether one realises it or not. We need to understand that politics does not necessarily have to be dirty. In fact, if rightly used, it is the best and the most powerful tool to take a country forward.”
It is the environment prevailing in the country that has inspired the serial, he points out, and although it is fiction, there may always be some real-life parallels. He sums it up thus: “While it is fictional it is grounded and not totally out of the blue.”
Noting that though women have made their mark in all spheres, their ratio in politics is “unfortunately rather low,” Shoaib says, “I am sure the audience will be able to appreciate the emotions and conflicts of head and heart which the main protagonist as a woman in politics goes through.”
The serial brings to the surface machinations and subterfuges in the form of games and gimmicks played by political parties. On whether the already aware audience might it an overdose, the producer replies, “It is not heavy-duty politics. It is also a family drama and we feel it will not go too heavy on the audience. At the end of it we have to understand that the audience is also the government maker. Voters are getting more and more conscious and aware of their rights, duties and responsibilities.”
The episodes of ZEB aired so far have attracted viewers’ attention and interest. The producer ascribes this to the serial being a polical and family drama with a female protagonist, which brings forth the complexities of the two worlds. “We often think life is easy for those who have power and money, but is it really so?” asks Shoaib.
On whether the show intends to convey a message, he says, “It is always the viewers’ prerogative whether they want to take away some message or not. We have tried to put together a good concept and hope the audience is able to appreciate it.”
He terms Doordarshan’s new packaging “a superb creative effort” and is “in line with the new modern trends of television industry.”
(Telecast from Monday to Friday, 9 p.m. on Doordarshan)
