Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)
For novela lovers, tonight is very important as TeleFutura will begin its broadcast of India (2009) at 10 PM.
If you didn’t already know, India is a Brazilian novela created by Gloria Pérez (Caminho das Índias) for Rede Globo. Set in exotic locations—India and Brazil—India tells the story of two people that fall in love with each other but come from different backgrounds. The main premise of the novela is that the protagonists, Maya and Bahuan, will have to struggle to be together as their difference in castes (social classes in Hinduism) keeps them apart. This is because Maya is prohibited from having a romantic relationship with Bahuan, a man who comes from the “untouchable” cast in Indian society.
I am looking forward to watching this novela as it promises to not only take us to a foreign land but also teach us about a foreign culture. As we watch the protagonists fight for their love, we will inevitably be exposed to India’s caste system. This is particularly exciting since broadcasting India in Spanish has the potential of raising awareness about Indian culture amongst Hispanic viewers. Considering that many Hispanic viewers might have never met someone from India before, this is truly promising. Similarly, India is also promising in that it can increase our understanding of Indian society while opening the doors to future interactions between members of both cultures.
Nonetheless, it is also important to recognize that India may bring about the unfavorable effect of stereotyping. As is common in television production everywhere, India will surely rely on some basic stereotypes to create a coherent story. To some extent it is understandable that it is not a documentary—we shouldn’t expect it to teach us everything about Indian culture with 100% authenticity. It is precisely because of this that India also has its downsides. Portrayals of Indian life can problematic if some viewers believe them wholeheartedly. Although I doubt that a majority of the audience will just assume that this fictional rendition is 100% true to the real thing, I hope Hispanic audiences recognize that they will be exposed to some exaggerations and distortions of Indian culture. As an audience we must keep in mind that the main purpose of the story is to entertain, not necessarily to educate. The only thing that we can hope for is that the proper amount of research was conducted and that whatever they choose to delve in—castes, clothing, customs, etc—be presented in the most authentic way possible.
Lastly, as viewers who might not have traveled through India or know someone from India, we may benefit from doing a little research of our own--India can be a good starting point for research that can lead to a better and more nuanced understanding of Indian culture. It also doesn’t hurt to learn how the television-fabricated world compares to the real thing.
In any case, I have high hopes that India will be a great entertainment experience.
If you didn’t already know, India is a Brazilian novela created by Gloria Pérez (Caminho das Índias) for Rede Globo. Set in exotic locations—India and Brazil—India tells the story of two people that fall in love with each other but come from different backgrounds. The main premise of the novela is that the protagonists, Maya and Bahuan, will have to struggle to be together as their difference in castes (social classes in Hinduism) keeps them apart. This is because Maya is prohibited from having a romantic relationship with Bahuan, a man who comes from the “untouchable” cast in Indian society.
I am looking forward to watching this novela as it promises to not only take us to a foreign land but also teach us about a foreign culture. As we watch the protagonists fight for their love, we will inevitably be exposed to India’s caste system. This is particularly exciting since broadcasting India in Spanish has the potential of raising awareness about Indian culture amongst Hispanic viewers. Considering that many Hispanic viewers might have never met someone from India before, this is truly promising. Similarly, India is also promising in that it can increase our understanding of Indian society while opening the doors to future interactions between members of both cultures.
Nonetheless, it is also important to recognize that India may bring about the unfavorable effect of stereotyping. As is common in television production everywhere, India will surely rely on some basic stereotypes to create a coherent story. To some extent it is understandable that it is not a documentary—we shouldn’t expect it to teach us everything about Indian culture with 100% authenticity. It is precisely because of this that India also has its downsides. Portrayals of Indian life can problematic if some viewers believe them wholeheartedly. Although I doubt that a majority of the audience will just assume that this fictional rendition is 100% true to the real thing, I hope Hispanic audiences recognize that they will be exposed to some exaggerations and distortions of Indian culture. As an audience we must keep in mind that the main purpose of the story is to entertain, not necessarily to educate. The only thing that we can hope for is that the proper amount of research was conducted and that whatever they choose to delve in—castes, clothing, customs, etc—be presented in the most authentic way possible.
Lastly, as viewers who might not have traveled through India or know someone from India, we may benefit from doing a little research of our own--India can be a good starting point for research that can lead to a better and more nuanced understanding of Indian culture. It also doesn’t hurt to learn how the television-fabricated world compares to the real thing.
In any case, I have high hopes that India will be a great entertainment experience.
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