Shoma Munshi - Remote Control: Indian Television in the New Millennium

SHOMA MUNSHI

Remote Control

Indian Television in the New Millennium

Contents

For my father, Wing Commander Anil Chandra Munshi
the source and inspiration for it all

PENGUIN BOOKS

Remote Control

Shoma Munshi is Professor of Anthropology at the American University of Kuwait and Senior Research Partner at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Gttingen, Germany; as well as the Joint Centre for Global Communication Research, Shiv Nadar University, India and the Anneberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Prime Time Soap Operas on Indian Television (Routledge, 2010); editor of Images of the Modern Woman in Asia: Global Media, Local Meanings (Curzon, 2001) and co-editor of Media, War and Terrorism: Responses from the Middle East and Asia (Routledge, 2004), in addition to authoring several articles in refereed journals. She earned her PhD from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, France; and her work experience encompasses the University of Delhi, University of Amsterdam, University of Pennsylvania and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New Delhi, India. She speaks several languages fluently and maintains close collaborative research and personal ties with scholars and institutions worldwide.

Advance Praise for the Book

At last, an analytical book on Indian televisionits content, its production, viewership, its role and impact on society, its evolution and changing character. Shomas writing is interdisciplinary and the joy of this book is that it is situated at the intersection of anthropology, sociology, media and cultural studies. As a market strategist, deprived of accessible social science writing on subjects of direct relevance to me, this book gave me a lot of insight into the life of mainstream Indians and plenty of food for thought. Rama Bijapurkar, market strategy consultant and author of We Are Like That Only: Understanding the Logic of Consumer India

This is an in sightful account of the power of television in India told with great clarity and deep understanding. Rooted in academic rigour, but written in a highly accessible manner, this is the story of media in India narrated not by a disinterested spectator, but by someone who has a passionate grasp of what it means to all of us. A must read for all those interested in popular culture as a living vital force. Santosh Desai, columnist and author of Mother Pious Lady: Making Sense of Everyday India

Shomas book captures the rapidly changing pace in the Indian television domain. Big plots, subtle changes, new scripts, stolen ideas, factual updates, dreams and disrupted plansall neatly explained. Good if you know nothing about Indian TV. Even better if you think you knew it all. Sunil Lulla, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Times Television Network

The growth and impact of television in India, strangely, hasnt got the academic attention that it deserves. Shomas book is a refreshing attempt in that direction. It is well researched and insightful. She has an insiders sensitivity and an academics objectivity. Uday Shankar, Chief Executive Officer, STAR India

Broad in scope and rich in detail, Shomas book examines the ever changing face of Indian television in the first decade of the new millennium. She delivers a compelling analysis of trends that are transforming Indias most popular medium. Imaginative and accessible, this book makes a vital and timely contribution to the fields of media and cultural studies. Anyone with an interest in Indian televisions present and future will find Remote Control an indispensable read. Ashvini Yardi, Co-founder, Grazing Goat Pictures Pvt. Ltd, and former Head of Programming, Colors and Zee TV

A vigilant army of media critics keeps watch over the content of Indian TV news; a militant band of feminists dissects the gender politics of TV soap operas. Munshi does this and more. Impossible? No, shes done it! Building on her earlier pioneering work on Indian television soap operas, Munshi provides critical insight into the three dominant genres of contemporary TV viewing: news, soap operas and reality TV shows. A unique, scholarly and mercifully readable account of the everyday culture of contemporary TV viewing.Patricia Uberoi, former Professor of Sociology, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi

This is a serious study of not-so-serious forms of entertainment. Shoma Munshi is a brilliant guide towards a new understanding of the significance of Indian television for understanding Indian society. This book makes sense of the overwhelming amount of entertainment and infotainment that is flooding Indian living rooms the world over. A must read!Peter van der Veer, Director, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity

We have heard about the Indian hi-tech revolution. But few of us in the West realize how the dynamics of change are being transformed by Indias television. News and entertainment, from established soap operas to recently introduced reality TV shows, are not just the most popular and accessible; they are also the most democratic ways to engage the Indian public with the media, market, and politics. Munshi immerses us in the world of Indian television as it reaches the viewers from rural areas to overseas markets and engages them in the reality and concerns of the twenty-first century. This is the first book-length study that sets Indian television apart from the other media as the most dynamic and impactful agent of change in India today. A serious academic inquiry that manages to avoid media jargon, it discusses expanding viewership, strategies of public engagement and the popular genres of TV entertainment. Munshis knowledge of Indian media is wide-ranging and deep as well as personal. From news programming to soap operas to reality shows and the business of television, Munshi gives us an inside-out overview of what makes Indian television today the powerhouse of Indian social and cultural life. Marina A. Tolmacheva, President Emerita, American University of Kuwait, and Professor of History, former Director of the Asia Program, Washington State University

Remote Control is the authoritative and entertaining story of Indias rapidly evolving and hotly competitive television programming in the twenty-first century. A must read, it places Indian television on a worldwide stage and is a model for comparable studies elsewhere. Dale F. Eickelman, Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations, Dartmouth College (USA)

Professor Munshi has done it again! Anthropologist and media studies specialist, Shoma Munshi gives us a wide-ranging, scholarly analysis of the popularity and impact of television programming in India today. Through this widely accessible medium, 24x7 news, soap operas and reality shows tuned to Indian audiences are shaping world views and self-images and providing a showcase for talents. A scholar of media and cultural studies focusing on India and South Asia, author of Prime Time Soap Operas on Indian Television and editor and co-editor of several books on different aspects of the media, Dr Munshi entertains and teaches us. Indira Nair, Professor and Vice Provost Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University

Post-liberalization satellite television has been extensively watched and featured in the popular media but not given, ironically, the scholarly attention it deserves. Shoma Munshi has consistently attempted to remedy this lacuna. An engaging scholar and a regular viewer of the TV genres she writes about, Professor Munshis book Prime Time Soap Operas on Indian Television led to a lively debate among feminists and remains one of the most important ethnographies of the television industry. Her new book Remote Control: Indian Television in the New Millennium will be an essential read for students and scholars of the media, while being at the same time an enjoyable read for anyone who takes television seriously. Shohini Ghosh, Sajjad Zaheer Professor, AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia