TV shouldn't showcase women in regressive manner: Shilpa Tulaskar

Mumbai: Actress Shilpa Tulaskar, who has been active in the entertainment industry for over a decade now, says TV shows should have a parameter of not showcasing women in a "regressive" manner as it can create negative impact on viewers. "TV’s biggest percentage in terms of viewers is women. That’s why we have more of women-centric shows. But my only hope is that when you have such a strong medium as television and you have stories being told, why not make these women amazing people rather than making them regressive,” Shilpa told IANS. “They shouldn’t show women in a regressive manner. If you are showing injustice being done to women, then you should also show how she fights it. That should and definitely become a parameter for TV shows,” she added. Though Shilpa, best known for her roles in shows like “Dill Mill Gayye”, “Ladies Special” and “Veer Shivaji”, feels the television industry has created a lot of revenue generating concepts over the time. “Today, concept and content is not only ruled by what the audience wants to see. It is predominated by the revenue that a concept will earn. Definitely the revenue comes from viewership, which means the audience,” she said. “So it is like a vicious circle. I feel that we should break free a little and try to experiment with a different kind of content that doesn’t make women and people regressive,” she added. However, Shilpa said that this transformation of TV as a medium has many negative effects too. “From purely actors’ point of view, theatre has given abundant opportunities to artists. Today there is work for everyone in the entertainment industry," she explained. “But the flip side is also this that fewer artists value their work. They feel that if not here we will get work on some other show or film. But artists should not leave out their inherent sensitivity and they should value and respect their work," Shilpa added. Asked why she has not taken part in a reality show, Shilpa said: “Reality shows are something I’m particularly not fond of. It’s something that I don’t see myself doing". “I feel it’s an amazing thing to present myself as a particular character. I’m not comfortable with anybody getting into my private zone or competing in a dance show," she added. Shilpa will next be seen in the upcoming TV show “Jana Na Dil Se Door” as actor Vikram Singh Chauhan’s character Atharva’s mother Sujata. “The mother-son relationship which is little different from what we have seen on TV till now is what drove me to take part in this show. It’s not an out of the world story, but the way it is presented is very unique," she said. “Jana Na Dil Se Door”, which will also feature Shivani Surve, will be aired on Star Plus starting May 9.