Like every desi household, my home was plagued by the scum of Indian Television. Reality TV, monotonous crass comedy, and nonsensical dramas about naagins and houseflies. And the same jukebox of old Hindi movie songs. Every. Single. Night.
I had grown up watching shows like Shanti, Swabhiman, The Bold and The Beautiful with my grandfather. I still remember the family sitting down to watch Tara, Dekh Bhai Dekh and Banegi Apni Baat. Back then, our idea of reality television was Antakshari with Annu Kapoor and Sa Re Ga Ma with Sonu Nigam.
But the fact was, Indian Television today was crap. And what was worse, my family was drowning in it.
This lack of quality television just wouldn’t do. I needed to take action, at the risk of getting reprimanded for my efforts. Mainly because…
I already knew where to find my salvation—American Television FTW!
It was not about being snobbish. American Television has been churning out one stellar show after another in every genre. And while our desi audience still Had to warm up to it, the Indian youth was already lovestruck.
I got my little brother on board too. He owed me big time for introducing him to English entertainment: movies, tv shows, YouTube videos, the works. And we were all set to bring about this revolution in our parents’ lives too.
Surprisingly, Dad was the easiest to turn.
His love for old Hollywood classics like Broken Arrow, Gangs of New York and Jackie Chan movies made the task all the more easier. Then when phoren-return Anil Kapoor decided to to make a desi adaptation of 24, it was just the breakthrough we needed.
It started with Dad burning through all seasons of the videsi 24Â and Designated Survivor. My brother and I were ecstatic. This could work!
And then we pulled out the big guns: Little bro introduced Dad to Narcos and the drug-laced world of Pablo Escobar. Next thing you know, his binge rate per season was destroying even my records! He always wanted to know what next to watch. He was addicted!
Our father, who would often walk into our room at 2 am, scolding us for staying up all night glued to our laptop screens, was doing exactly that!
Nothing made me prouder than when I listened to him brag to his friends about how amazing these shows were and how they should start watching them too. When travelling abroad, he made sure he had an active WiFi connection available to watch his beloved shows.
Mommy dearest was a slightly tougher nut to crack.
Back in her heydays, my mother was a big-time reader of Mills and Boons and Sidney Sheldon and loved horror movies. She’d even join me in watching some of my favourite shows like Castle and White Collar. But between household duties and an active social life, she gave it all up. Instead, she’d occasionally catch a random old Hindi movie on TV when she could. But I was going to change that.
But this operation was tricky. I knew she wouldn’t agree to commit to a full-on season marathon. And so, I pulled out another ace.
Web series were shorter and easier to follow. Most importantly, they were at least progressive compared to mainstream television and that was good enough.
After an initial reluctance and truckloads of cribbing, Mother India was hooked to her phone and its entertainment apps.
The final frontier was Grandpa.
He loved his Oolta Chashma a little too much to give it up. But after much coaxing and reminding him about our ‘The Bold & The Beautiful’ days, he seemed to have a change of heart.
He was still watching his usual saas-bahu sagas and retro music channels. But once in a while, we’d catch him sneaking in an episode of Two and a Half Men or House MD.
If you’re expecting a path-breaking transformation, let me tell you, there wasn’t one. My parents didn’t turn liberal overnight. I still had to watch Game of Thrones behind closed doors with headphones on. There was no family marathon of TV shows on the weekend.
But the general atmosphere of my house did change slightly. We had one more thing common with our parents. They understood our references, kept up with the latest show seasons and even discussed theories. Which, to me, felt quite amazing! And who knows, maybe major change isn’t far behind after all?
All I can do is hope. And maybe, take a leaf out of Tom Cruise’s book and say “Mission Accomplished!”
Cover Image Source: Netflix