Sonal Jha, best known for her roles in ‘Balika Vadhu’ and ‘Na Aana Is Des Laado,’ has stated that progressive TV shows are not always so. She was most recently seen in Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Jehanabad of Love and War.’
When asked about the TV content that has changed since the days of Balika Vadhu, she stated that she had given up watching television and hadn’t turned on the TV since 2016. She said, “Ekta Kapoor was making her serials on kitchen politics and (that kind of) regressive content at the same time as Balika Vadhu.” She is certain that there are still good stories, but most of them are the same as before (all these years), if there is any visible change, it is too trivial.
“There are times when I get calls offering me ‘a strong and progressive character.’ I believe their agenda lacks progressive content. ‘This is the story, this is a progressive role,’ they tell me. That is why I have stayed away from TV work; their agenda is different. They don’t have a position. Because the market lacks a stance, it will gravitate toward profit. All of these companies are now promoting positive conversations about skin color and body image, but how much has actually changed? If you want to work with a specific ideology or something, TV is a difficult medium to work with.” she explained.
“The orthodox bana dete the, the progressive bana dete the mera Balika Vadhu character (They could easily switch my Balika Vadhu character from progressive to orthodox according to their will). My creative team would often argue with me about why my character would say something completely opposite of what it said two episodes ago. However, you can’t say much on television. We knew the channel could do it, but we felt helpless,” she said.
