Why Are Vamps More Realistic Than Leading Women In Daily Soaps?

Daily soaps are a part of almost every Indian household. All eyes are on screen during prime time. People wait for the break to do necessary things - like eating, serving or setting up the bed. If daily soaps are an intrinsic part of the households, it cannot be denied that the episodes, representation of characters and issues impact people’s mindsets. But the question is does the impact give out a good result? Do daily soaps provide a good representation of Indian families and their issues? Or do they go with the flow of depicting that prevails in our society?

But have you ever wondered at the difference in the representation of negative characters often called the vamp and lead female actors, in show after show? Undeniably, these two characters leverage the TRP of shows and make them interesting for the viewers. The intent of daily soap might be to help people relate with or learn from the life lessons of the story. The negative character is no doubt villainous and has shades of grey, thus she often becomes the more relatable character than the sati savitri protagonist.

I recently came across a show in which a vamp was the one who used to be the love interest of the lead male actor. However, after the entry of the lead woman, the male character started ignoring her. He didn’t even break up with her but fell in love with the leading lady. The vamp clearly expressed how it was unfair for the hero to take her for granted. Now isn't that how you would feel?

Vamp Woman

Did she deserve to be villainised? Was it her fault that the entire family who earlier loved her was now against her? Didn’t she deserve to be treated fairly by the family and especially by the lead male actor? Wasn’t she the one who suffered?

Another example is a show in which the woman loved the lead man for years and waited to get married to him. But another woman who was in lead came in between them. The vamp woman tried every way possible to get rid of the woman and have the love of her life. But every attempt of her failed because of the lead woman’s faith in God.

Is it not disturbing that the characters who are closer to reality are posed as villains in several of these shows? Are they wrong in trying to reclaim their rights and achieve what they deserve? Doesn’t this showcase our society’s mindset that a woman who fights for her rights deserves hate?

Moreover, we also need to question the unrealistic representation of the lead women in daily soaps. Why are they represented as the ideal woman who has shades of grey? Why to be good they have to sacrifice what is dear to them? Why don't they fight for their rights? If they are the role models for women in our society, have you met anybody like them in real life?

Isn't it time to stop setting up unrealistic role models for women? Stop villainising women who are adamant about reclaiming their " target="_blank" rel="noopener">rights. The unrealistic representation of lead characters and the villainisation of strong female characters are examples of how these shows uphold patriarchal values. While the shows should allow us an escape from the drudgery of daily life they should not normalise sexist and stereotypical ideas. They should inculcate ideas that the world is a happy place where men and women are equal.