TV focus on honour killings

Now small screen puts spotlight on honour killings.

New Delhi: After child marriage, female foeticide and sexual harassment, the small screen will now focus on honour killings with an entertainment channel`s upcoming show `Rishton Se Badi…Pratha`.

The fiction show attempts to highlight the practice of killing one`s own kith and kin in the name of family honour. The story, based in Noida, revolves around a young couple deeply in love who are forced to give up their love for the sake of their respective families. "`Rishton Se Badi… Pratha` is a very poignant and relatable story that brings to light certain social prejudices that still continue to exist in our society. Honour is a huge responsibility for Indians and families take enough pride to retain their entire lives. There is no space for anyone to ruin it including children. This heart-warming story will surely resonate with the viewers," Ashvini Yardi, head of programming of the concerned channel, said in a press statement. The show, going on air Monday, is inspired by real life incidents, says producer Pearl Shahi of Spellbound Productions. "The show is inspired by real-life incidents, specially the recent case of Nirupama Pathak who had to pay the price of expressing her wish to marry her love against the wishes of her family. With the show our aim is to highlight the issue and raise our voice against the pseudo-tradition still prevalent in India," said Shahi. Earlier attempts have been made to create awareness regarding the social evil through movies. Director Ajai Sinha made `Khap- A Story Of Honour Killing` after he came across a related newspaper article, followed by NRI Avtar Bhogal`s `Honour Killing God Forgive M` that traced the issue among NRIs in Britain. Even National Award-winning filmmaker Priyadarshan chose to highlight the issue in multi-starrer `Aakrosh`. IANS