Awesome Gul, awful commercial

Am I the only one who does not like the new Tata Sky Plus ad and finds it stereotypical? Whoever I have spoken to has loved the ad, none sees the emphasising of gender constructs in it and as for me - "aren't you reading too much into a simple advertisement?" - is the often heard response. No, I am not.

Take the teaser for instance. In the two that I watched, one has Aamir Khan washing dishes and the other has him washing clothes. Unaware that he is being watched, Aamir is shown singing in a carefree manner. The camera zooms in on him and he suddenly notices it. He is annoyed that he is caught doing these domestic chores, his "wife's" tasks. A visibly miffed Aamir shouts at the camera: Wife ki help kar raha hoon bhai. What's wrong?

What's wrong? Why  is our man so upset? Only because he is caught doing stuff he wouldn't normally be doing; because he seems to believe that it is beneath him to be even seen washing dishes or clothes, all "women's" tasks.  

I was taken aback at what was being said. To me, this is the most obvious genderising of household chores. Cleaning, cooking, washing, taking care of the house - these are a wife's tasks! And when the husband "helps"out (why the hell is it not your duty, and not just helping out, to do them as well?), he is doing the wife a huge favour. And despite that he would rather not be caught on the camera. 

And then the actual ad shows up on all television screens. Yes, yes, I agree - Gul Panang looks awesome but I surely would have expected a lot more from this Dor woman. But I digress. Let us look at the advertisement itself:

Gul wakes up to see a cup of hot tea (and don't miss the red rose) next to her bed. She is shocked into consciousness; she walks out and sees her husband busy cooking - he has her breakfast ready, her tiffin packed (by the way - surprise, surprise - the lunch is packed but Gul is not even shown getting out to work as Aamir does) - all done. Gul is dumbstruck - this is not something she is used to, something that happens on a regular basis, and something that she can ever expect. 

It doesn't end there - Aamir comes back from work, arms filled with grocery bags and all ready to make tea. And then the truth is revealed - why has Aamir been so "nice" to Gul throughout the day? So that Gul would allow him to watch the cricket match instead of catching up on her serials. The stereotypes abound in this scene - women watch serials and what kind - Kyonki Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi - and men watch sports. 

And what happens towards the end when Aamir realises he doesn't necessairly have to put up this nice, helpful husband image to get his way? He gives the tea container back to her and demands that she makes tea - the natural order of things has been established (of course, all thanks to Tata Sky Plus) and everything is fine with the world! 

I guess I am being too harsh on Tata Sky Plus; advertisements which reinforce stereotypes abound on the idiot box. I remember a commercial for Jaipan electronics from the nineties. A bunch of women are seen walking down the street, raising slogans - "We want a revolution! We want  a revolution!" Sadly, what was the revolution all about - the Jaipan items that would ease their domestic chores! Another advertisement that is currently doing the rounds and that irks me every time I see it is this commercial on HDFC pension plans. The man sacks all the domestic help in the house and asks the wife to get back to cooking, washing clothes and mopping the floor. So that he can feel great about taking her on a Singapore trip. Not once is it even implied that he would share the responsibility equally!

What irks me is that in this ever-changing world, these gender constructs may not even be totally true any more. For instance, why isn't a man (or even a single woman) ever shown in the detergent advertisements? In a world where a lot of men and women are having to get out and live on their own, don't they ever wash clothes? 

I do not want to imply that there is absolutely no one out there who thinks differently. I love the advertisment where the daughter dishes out a cheque so that her father can get a bigger car or the Tata Indica Xeta ad where four women get out on their own, try to hit on a good-looking stranger (who is so dumb that he doesn't realise it is a bait)! Unfortunately, however, for every such commercial there are hundred others like the Tata Sky Plus one. 

I know a lot of men who do their own laundry and cook their own food. I know I am not being fair to them, but sometimes I do wonder if this would change when these men get married? Whether it is selling detergents or mutual funds, these commercials are just reinforcing what is considered to be the norm/what is natural. 

And in a country that is changing ever-so-slowly, I guess, my greatest fear is that these examples of stereotyping would condition one to believe that this is the "natural order" of things and it should be kept alive.