life in a Media(TV) Circus and Aam Aadmi (Common) Man

Bollywood does sometime churn out something worth a look even with all the masala nonsense it churns out every other week. I happened to catch a new movie by Ram Gopal Varma called "Raan"... it talks about Media (more specifically the Television) and its affect on the common man. Its a gripping tale of two sets of people and their diverse thinking directions; one set of people think that the media is there to further their own personal gains and can do anything to further their causes; and there are others who believes that its the responsibility of the Media to report without a bias anything that happens and not be involved in personal gains.

The movie made me think of it in a new light, so i thought why not pen down what i thought... freedom of the media is a sign of true democracy, its a prevalent medium to communicate with the youth and the entire world. Media definitely has a responsibility on its shoulders, which is to guide the people. People have blind faith in the media and they are convinced that what they hear or what the media has declared is correct. But have we ever deliberated over the fact that media can also be selfish? This was the crux of the movie and it makes you think of what is going on and what can be done to rectify the situation or in the least be aware of it. However the saddest part is that this "awareness" is limited to the intelligentsia and doesn't trickle down to the common man on the street, be it in the cities or rural areas. For this common man, what ever is said on the Idiot Box is the final verdict. This has made the manipulation of views and beliefs a much more easier task. We are living in the 21st century and yet we have channels which propagate witch craft and sorcerers. Some channels just plain play on public voyeuristic tendencies by exposing people in compromising situations using spy cameras. All this in the name of TRP's and ratings for the channel...where is the concept of journalistic integrity, i guess all thrown out of the window... Not to forget the barrage of unending tear jerkers called soap operas...the dailies as they are called...they not only defy any kind of human logic, in fact they border on psychopathic virtual world where anyone and everyone is out to get the other and all are young forever. Saying all this i must admit i too am a Cable TV Addict...much like any addiction, this one needs to be controlled and not get controlled by it...

Television is one of the most important inventions of the modern age which reaches millions of common people and as such holds the utmost responsibility of making sure that where ever it reaches it plays a positive role in the development. However with all this, the onus of good media also lies with us, the people who actually use it and views in day in and day out. Are we ready to say we cant tolerate idiocity in the media. This is a clear case of who will bell the cat...i guess till that time one should be contended to watch...series like Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi...for abt 10 years, or more recent one airing on TV, Raaz pichle janam ka...so happy watching...