Abstract
Telly-Guillotined is an accessible discussion of the cultural, economic, social and political contexts within which, as the title of the book states, television has changed India. Amrita Shah is a respected journalist and writer and the book is an update of her previous work Hype, Hypocrisy & Television in Urban India (1997) and explores whether the recent suggestions of the decline in credibility of Indian news media is as unexpected as it seems. Shah argues this is not the case and traces key moments of change in not only broadcast news media but in television programming as whole. Beginning with her own anticipation and excitement of watching television for the first time in the 1970s, the author draws on her own memories and experiences of not only being a viewer of television but also a journalist.
The chapters highlight the impact of television at various levels of society. For example, the first chapter ‘Coming Soon’ gives great insight into the presence of television sets in neighbourhoods and suburbs of Mumbai. ‘The Middle Class Strikes Back’ not only draws attention the rise of consumerism and commercialisation on television but also explains the impact television had on the theatre landscape, particularly in Mumbai. Other chapters (‘The Big Leap’, ‘The New Guerrillas’) explain how the use of television and video changed politics of India. Each chapter offers an account of how the change being discussed has been experienced by the author herself, through the retelling of memories and stories she has worked on as a journalist. This is combined with a description of the historical context, supported by figures and statistics. The chapters also include accounts of local knowledge, from urban myths to cultural understandings; for example, Shah explains how the town of Ulhasnagar was known for its ability to counterfeit almost anything.
I found the way in which the author talked about television audiences in a generic manner troublesome. India’s population is made up of people from different religions, different castes, from rural or urban communities, as well as other identity formations, so to describe an audience response to some television in a broad manner is problematic. For a long time there was only one television channel (Doordarshan) in India, but we cannot assume that every demographic of the audience thought the same. In the chapter ‘The Rath Yatra’, Shah does provide examples of audience members writing into Doordarshan and newspapers in praise of the religious serialisations of The Ramayan (1987) and Mahabharat (1989). But it is again a generalisation to assume that all followers of Islam and Sikhism enjoyed the serials. Some differentiation across the audience is given during the discussion around the introduction of multi-channel television. Shah explains that it was mostly the wealthy, urban families who were the early adopters of satellite and cable television.
Unfortunately, there is no bibliography or reference list at the end of the book or after each chapter, even though there are references to a variety of sources throughout the book. At a time when many lecturers and teachers are looking for work by people of colour or global perspectives, this is a missed opportunity to make readers aware of sources beyond the North American and European. Nevertheless, Telly-Guillotined is an easy read that gives academics, students and members of the public who are interested in television a great insight into the impact of the medium, not only at a macro as well as micro-level. Despite the lack of references this is a good entry level book into the subject. For more in-depth discussion and analysis, I would still recommend the older work: Arvind Rajagopal’s Politics After Television: Hindu Nationalism and the Reshaping of the Public in India (2001) and Shanti Kumar’s Gandhi Meets Primetime: Globalization and Nationalism in Indian Television (2006).
The second book in this review also provides a detailed analysis, this time of a specific genre – soap operas. Prime Time Soap Operas on Indian Television is the second edition of Shoma Munshi’s breakdown and analysis of soap operas on Indian cable and satellite television channels. Munshi states, from the beginning, ‘that the original book is not being rewritten in any way because that deals with a specific period of time in India’s media history’ (p. xii) but an additional introduction has been included in the new edition. This second introduction provides a context for the changes that have occurred in Indian broadcasting over the last 10 years. The first edition, originally published in 2010, focused on five soap operas that were broadcast between 2000 and 2010. These soap operas included the popular programmes of the time, namely the ‘K’ soaps (three programmes whose titles all began with ‘K’) that were produced by Ekta Kapoor at Balaji Telefilms. The ‘K’ soaps, along with Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar (Seven Circles of the Sacred Marriage Fire: Saloni’s Journey, 2005–2009) and Sapna Babul Ka: Bidaai (A Daughter’s Departure from Her Natal Home after Marriage: A Father’s Dream, 2007–2010) marked a change in the production style and narrative themes by presented Indian soap operas. Through the book, Munshi establishes the role played by soap operas in catapulting cable and satellite channels into the broadcast sphere in India. Thus, Munshi provides the reader with chapters that examine the production practices of Balaji Telefilms, including interviews with producers, writers and directors. Other chapters focus on the texts themselves, offering a combination of explanation and analysis of key elements such as the costumes and make-up as well as broadcast features like the recap and precap. Munshi also dedicates two chapters to the representation and the voice of both men and women in the soap operas. Alongside explaining how the genre acted as a significant help to establish new channels, the book also explains the key differences between the soap operas made in India and those made in the USA or UK. Both books add to the growing number of publications from women of colour and bring global discussions to television studies.