The demonitisation drive by the central government banning old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has sent the entire country into a tizzy. Looking at the most topical of all topics, many TV shows are adapting themselves to be in sync with the times, incorporating the notes ban in their narratives.
The sudden move by the Modi government may have invited harsh criticism from many quarters, and news reports are filled with a mounting number of deaths related to the current ban. But all our TV shows, more or less, are in support of the government’s move to curb black money. Each show is busy explaining through their characters how one can deal with their old currency. The moral air about the issue is deafening to say the least, and no channel is interested in being anti-establishment. Even the non-fiction band, for example The Kapil Sharma Show, makes jokes about desi jugaad, but refuses to satirise the government, which it can very easily do given the show’s format.
As soon as the demonitisation drive kicked in, creative meetings in various channels discussed the first possibility to include it in their stories. This is an issue that everyone in the country is concerned about, and its arrival in their favourite show signals an immediate connect.
The Kapil Sharma Show
Unlike the fiction band and soap operas, reality shows have a larger flexibility in terms of incorporating elements circulating in the news. The Kapil Sharma Show jumped at the opportunity to include demonetisation in its episodic gags. The episode mostly focused on the Indian mentality of ‘jugaad’, of finding ways to tackle an issue, this time, black money. So, a lot of Whatsapp-esque jokes popped up to make Navjot Sidhu guffaw as usual, while the crowd clapped. The episode also featured a vegetable vendor and a housewife in audience. While the vendor spoke about not being able to sell his vegetables, the housewife lamented about having been caught for hoarding cash. It would be too much to expect for this show to develop a satirical backbone, for GEC shows always opt for the safer route.
Devanshi
This show is centred around a little girl who is made to believe she is Goddess incarnate. Devanshi (played by Kashvi Kothari) is shown going to a shop to buy a gift with an old Rs 500 note.
When the shopkeeper refuses to take it, the little girl talks about the scarcity of change, and other problems she’s facing due to the sudden invalidity of the high denomination currency. The shopkeeper, an elderly person, tells Devanshi that this money is not invalid, it can be exchanged at the bank, and that this little inconvenience is nothing, since the PM has taken a bold step to eradicate black money.
Thapki Pyar Ki
This soap opera ran two different episodes to highlight different facades of demonitisation, both lauding the government’s move of course. One episode shows Shraddha (Monica Khanna), the vamp of the show, showing off a lot of cash, as another character Kabir (Sehban Azim) insists on burning it. When the lead girl Thapki (played by Jigyasa Singh) comes into the scene, she stresses on the fact that the currency can be exchanged at the bank by December 31. But Kabir makes the women understand how this huge amount of cash can’t be turned white, and this black money could lead to their arrest.
Another episode, a few days later, highlighted commercial enterprises, especially shops being shut down, due to the lack of cash in the market. In that episode, both the hero Bihaan (Manish Goplani) and Kabir are shown looking for aam papad (because the heroine likes it immensely), and a montage shows their desperation, for all shops are shut and locked. Finally, Bihaan breaks a lock, takes a pack of aam papad, and hands out a wad of Rs 500 for the damage done. He informs the shopkeeper that he can exchange it at the bank. The shopkeeper is too scared to utter anything in front of our alpha-male of a hero, and nods.
Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai
Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, the flagship show of &TV, has come up with a track solely relying on demonitisation, and almost all the characters go through trials and tribulations. The fresh track will see Angoori Bhabhi (Shubhangi Atre) facing the brunt where a vegetable vendor denies to give her groceries in exchange for a Rs 500 note. On the other hand, being a businessman, Tiwari (Rohitash Gaud) faces issues because he has a huge amount of cash at home. Another prominent character, Anita Bhabhi (Saumya Tandon), will be in a fix when she is unable to pay any salary to her helper due to the lack of change.
Shubhnagi Atre aka Angoori Bhabhi says “The entire cast and crew is excited about the upcoming track on Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai. It's a completely out of the box track that is going to depict the issues on the current environment in our country. We hope the viewers enjoy the track and take it in a positive way.”
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
In their hat-tip-to-demonitisation episode, Jethalal (Dilip Joshi), one of the leading funny men of the show, gets a big order from an electronic company and has to painstakingly arrange a huge amount to pay for it. Suddenly, he gets a message about the notes being banned and he doesn’t know what to do with the old currency being rendered useless. How does Jethalal pay his dues? Does he learn to use online wallets or does he choose to stand in bank queues? The episode has key insights and learnings for all.
Khidki
A comedy with a moral spine, Khidki was about to run a kidnapping story when demonitisation drive was announced. The real life inspired story follows the kidnapping of a rich jeweller’s boy and the kidnapper asks for cash in the new currency. The jeweller informs him that such a huge amount of cash won’t be possible, instead he can offer him gold. The kidnapped child ultimately turns out to be the watchman’s child, and much like Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 tense thriller High & Low, everyone in the housing society comes together to save the child and bust the kidnapper gang.
As soon as the previous track wrapped, the next story (currently running) also decided to throw up light on the most important issue grappling the country right now. The current story is about a greedy man who gets a monetary ‘vardaan’ from goddess Lakshmi, who commands him to distribute it to the needy. The man stashes all the cash at home, and to his misfortune, the government of India announces demonitisation. What trouble the man goes through to finally learn a lesson is the core of the story.
I think it’s a great move for our country to bring in a systematic change. Which is why I have incorporated this track in two of my stories to make people understand how to go about it. This is entertainment, yet it teaches something valuable to our audience.JD Majethia, Producer and Narrator of Khidki
Interestingly, Majethia learnt that many of his crew members of Khidki were facing issues thanks to the cash crunch. So he gifted his entire crew including all his technicians, gift hampers which enabled them to buy essentials and home utility items. “It also coincided with the celebration of 100 episodes of our show. I wanted to do something different for my crew who toil so hard, and this is the least I could do for them,” he adds.
Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi
The story of a mother still holding tight to her son even after his marriage, also found a way to speak about demonitisation. Heroine Sonakshi’s father returns home empty-handed from the market, unable to buy anything since he had a Rs 500 note. Moments later, mother and father sit and count their usable currency notes and declare with great patriotic fervor that they will tide through, along with a rendition of Bharat Mata Ki Jai, for good measure.
PS: Many more shows are trying to weave in the demonitisation issue, considering it will take a long time for situations to be back to normal.
(The writer is a journalist and a screenwriter who believes in the insanity of words, in print or otherwise. Follow him on Twitter: @RanjibMazumder)
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