Truth be told, there are pure comedic shows. Then there are entertaining shows that dabble with a certain about of lewdness. And then there are shows like Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, which is, truth be told, in a league of its own.
There are few daily running programs that have an element of tradition, culture and sanctity so beautifully interwoven in them that they manage to humour you as well as educating you.
Just how many programs on the popular space that is the Indian television have managed to do that?
Moreover maybe it’s not wrong to say that is the biggest contribution of popular Sab TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah that it has, time and again, given back to the country, which is deeply rooted in its ethos, by celebrating its values, systems and beautiful culture in its inimitable funny way.
And yet, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah came in for some relentless trolling where the recent past stood- would you believe it? While surely, there was a grave error committed by the makers of the program and one that was actually related to the actual date of release of a patriotic song so dear to our country, the key question that begs to be discussed is this:
Did the show deserve to be so brutally trolled given the way it was on social media which is when it has entertained us and made us laugh for what is now nearly fourteen years?
But first up, here’s what really happened:
During the episode that was screened on popular Sab TV platform on April 26, 2022, it was rather erroneously shared that the famous Indian song dedicated to Indian martyrdom was released in 1965. This was a mistake, rather a rare one on the part of the makers of the show and the entirety of the team.
What was, however, correct was that the song was actually released in the year 1963, i.e., two years prior to when the show stated it was.
Now true to the ways of being on the social media stratosphere, the viewers and followers of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah didn’t keep quiet or to themselves; they hit at the makers of the show, most noticeably the actors and not to forget, the man whose dedicated efforts have given the space of Indian television its longest running comedy show: Asit Kumar Modi.
Though, it’s not that the famous comedy show, which has now reached cult status, kept quiet. They were quick to issue a public apology knowing that they had erred, of course, unintentionally.
That being said, the following is the message they had posted on social media in admitting their mistake, which truth be told, was the most natural and just thing to do:
But even then, going by the reaction of those who ended up trolling Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (the episode, the program on the whole), it didn’t really look as though the viewers were okay, perhaps even with the apology. The sort of reactions that one saw being posted on divergent social media apps weren’t too pleasing:
For instance, check this
“We watch this show bcoz of comedy! but currently you are Just out of track, so stop spreading unnecessary knowledge and make some funny episodes that we can laugh and enjoy as much as possible.”
Here’s what another person wrote:
Bhai ab koi nahi dekhta. Make a graceful exit. Wind up the show. The Tappu Sena kids are of marriagable age. The parents face look swollen and botoxed. No comedy left.”
And then finally, there was another person who wrote the following: Nobody cares.. we only watch old episodes.. new episodes are not watchable.. bas timepas karo episode khatam karne ke liye…”
What one thinks and plainly speaking that is, is that what happened to TMKOC is just brutal. Gives a fair idea why they say that the social media space is a double edged sword; it loves you and can also tear you down.
Who doesn’t, after all, make mistakes? What those who trolled Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah perhaps forgot is that not all Indian Mythological dramas have been absolutely factually correct? Now when they may have made mistakes, then how could anyone else not? Moreover, is no damage repaired whatsoever even in the event of offering an apology?