Beti no 1

By Rinky Kumar

Saas-bahu clashes, dance reality, talent hunt and comedy shows are passé. Though they are still boring us on prime time television, they no longer enjoy such high TRPs. Trials and tribulations of young girls are the flavour of the season. They have ousted saas-bahus who failed to shock and entertain us with their scheming ways, oodles of cakey make-up and weird camera angles.
Innocent young girls are now the newest stars on the block. We take a look at five beti serials that are ruling the roost:

1. Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo

It takes a realistic look at a poverty-stricken family residing in Bihar. Laali, the protagonist is the eldest daughter in the family of musahars (rat killers) who is married off at a young age. She's a mother figure for her siblings.

Honestly, we were quite depressed even when we saw the show's promos. We wonder who is the target audience and the show caters to which generation? Agreed, such instances might be happening in reality. But in this age, after a long, hard day, do you really want to know what a rat killer's daughter has to go through?

2. Sabki Laadli Bebo
This show is a stark contrast to Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo. It tells the story of a middle-aged couple who is yearning for a daughter after having three sons. They are finally blessed with a baby girl. They laugh, cry and are simply ecstatic after having a young princess.

Sabki Laadli Bebo makes us want to cry, literally. Just imagine, in this new-age world, when working couples want to have just one child, we actually watch an old man having four kids! No wonder, India's population is increasing by the day!

3. Mere Ghar Aayi Nanhi Pari

This show again takes an over-exaggerated look at a baby girl as the newest member of an extended family. So her parents and grandparents are simply on top of the world when they see her or become crazy when she is perched on top of the stairs and is about to have a nasty fall.

What can we say? The serial's regressive take transports back to the 1950s and 1960s in a hamlet where sweets were distributed after a girl is born. Why can't producers give us a show about simple, normal working girls like us who definitely lead a more meaningful life than these regressive oldies! Phew!

4. Balika Vadhu

This is the story of Anandi who is married to a guy of her age before attaining puberty. The matriarch of the family is an iron-fisted regressive lady who wants things her way. Avika Gor as Anandi seen in cute ghagra cholis is simply adorable. Though the serial tackles primarily the issue of child marriage, it also aims to highlight subjects like education for the girl child, and widowhood at a tender age or so the producers would like us to believe. We think they are only TRP-grabbing gimmicks.

The parallel track of Anandi's sister-in-law Gehna seems to add more masala to the plot than throw light on pertinent issues. Gehna constantly challenges and questions the rules set by her dictatorial mother-in-law played by Surekha Sikri and adds a new twist to the saas-bahu saga.

5. Uttaran

This soap revolves around the life of seven-year-old, Ichcha, the daughter of a domestic help who works in an affluent family. She gets friendly with eight-year-old Tapasya, the only daughter of that rich family. The two become bosom buddies. What could have been a treat, to watch the contrasting worlds of these two girls and Ichcha's constant struggle to enjoy the small things of life, actually seems contrite and forced.

Here's to the girl child nonetheless.