Keralites becoming sadists or what ……….

Having come across a few TV programmes in the leading Malayalam channels, what I strongly feel is that Keralites are enjoying sadistic pleasures and find happiness out of it. To ascertain the facts, here are the catalog of such programmes; Asianet has a new programme titled ‘Bharthakkanmarude Sradhakku’ (For the attention of husbands), Mazhavil Manorama had a reality programme titled ‘Veruthe Alla Bharya’ (Wife is not worthless), Amrita TV has ‘Kathayallithu Jeevitham’ (life is not mere a story) and Kairali TV has ‘Amma Ammayiamma’ (Mother-Mother-in-law) and all these programmes pointing to one single subject matter that is the sadist frame of mind of Keralites.

One significant theory in media research is referred to as 'uses and gratifications.' Uses and gratifications theory (UGT) is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. Viewers watch (use) a particular medium which gratifies their needs or in other words they watch a particular programme as per their state of mind (mental disposition).     

In the wake of initiating innovative programmes and to shoot up the Television Rating Point (TRP) of the TV channels, TV channels are venturing into any kind of  psychological aspects which would in turn help the viewers to find happiness in sadistic pleasures. We are pleased in the sorrows and difficulties of others. Sadism is the derivation of pleasure as a result of inflicting pain, cruelty, degradation, or humiliation, or, watching such behaviors inflicted on others. As far as visual media is concerned, tears have profound impact to get the attention of the audience.  

What is the point in making wives confessing the pre-marital affairs to her husband and making both of them crying in ‘Bharthakkanmarude Sradhakku?’ What purpose this whole programme-concept is serving. To get publicity and celebrity image, the contestants, couples, are being probed and their past life is being explored. Subliminally, the message that is being conveyed to all husbands through this programme might be all wives have had pre-marital affairs and to this matter the attention of the husband is invited.

The reality programme titled ‘Veruthe Alla Bharya’ (Wife is not worthless) fall in line with ‘Bharthakkanmarude Srathakku,’ where husbands are being big time screwed up giving them the tasks that women do on daily basis and trying to prove that wife is not worthless, where the sadistic pleasures of the wives are being realized. The feminists would be all the more happy to retaliate for the amount for hardships that they had to endure from men.

Kairali TV has ‘‘Amma Ammayiamma’ (Mother – Mother-in-law), where the mother and sister-in-law are given a dais where they can tarnish, yell at, bitch about, abuse on each other that too in front of big audience and based on their ‘performance’ they are being marked. In the real life the mother and sister-in-law would get such a podium to abuse and bitch about each other though they really wanted but Kairali TV is providing such a amazing platform for them to do everything that they could not do in the real life.

The mother of all is the ‘‘Kathayallithu Jeevitham’ (life is not mere a story) that is there in Amrita TV in everyday at 9.30pm, it is more like making people to rinse the dirt in a public toilet. The hostile husband and wife are brought together where either of the party living with another man or woman when their marriage still subsists legally. If the channel and the anchors have real intention to solve the dispute between the husband and wife why the whole issue between them is being recorded and aired? Of course, it is with the permission the fighting couple.

‘Giving viewers what they want’ is the mantra that keeps media moving ahead. In the research that is being conducted by channels, it is evident that what kind of programme the viewers want and give them maximum delight and happiness. Channels can’t be blamed for the kind of programmes they come up with, ultimately, it is media serving ‘the particular dish’ the viewers wish to enjoy. The success of such sadistic programmes is that viewers watch (use) them as their ‘needs’ getting gratified.