Frames of War: When is Life Grievable?

chapters. Munshi’s claim here (based on secondary evidence) that watching these soaps is indirectly empowering for women in rural India needs corroboration through more extensive fieldwork and audience reception studies over a longer term. In other words, while the production and textual approach is worthwhile and an important first step, it is not enough to provide a holistic picture of a populist medium like television. Further, the book is marred by repetitions. For instance, the makeover of central character Parvati (played by actress Sakshi Tanwar) as the glamorous Janki Devi in the soap Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki (or, the story of every house) is mentioned in nearly every chapter. It could also do with more context for non-Indian readers, especially given that Indian television studies is increasingly of great interest in the West amongst scholars and teachers in a wide range of disciplines. This context could take the form of an interrogation of terms such as “Indianness,” which the author appears to refer to often without clarification, and the explication of culturally-specific practices such as the “fair skin versus dark skin complex.” My only other bone of contention with this book is not to do with its feminist politics, but its glossing over of the fact that most prime-time soaps in India valorise the hierarchical Hindu household, and paradoxically also the consumerism of post-globalisation India. While both of these attributes is duly noted, more could be made of the neglect of non-Hindu narratives, and also of the implications of a spectacle-obsessed television industry. Despite the above criticisms and perceived omissions, there is no denying that Munshi’s book is likely to be a trail-blazer in its field, and that it is very pertinent at a time of India’s transitioning modernity and growing global interest in the same. Also, works such as this are making a significant contribution to the still-developing area of popular cultural studies in India. If anything, it proves that Indian television deserves as much critical international attention as Indian film.