When will ITV evolve?

Bollywood has started making more women-centric films where female leads realize their worth. Movies like Queen, Raazi, Dangal, MRS, and Gangubai Kathiawadi show women fighting for themselves and making their own choices. But ITV? It still keeps women trapped in outdated roles. Take Anupamaa for example. She has been shown suffering for years, always forgiving and sacrificing, but rarely standing up for herself properly. The show claims to be about women’s empowerment, yet it keeps bringing back the same toxic people in her life, forcing her to tolerate them. Then there’s Abhira from YRKKH. She keeps crying over her relationships and never focuses on her own growth. The show constantly revolves around her love life, as if a woman’s existence is incomplete without a husband. One of the worst examples is Lekar Hum Deewana Dil (Dangal TV), where the husband physically abuses his wife, but she still stays with him. The show never encourages her to leave or fight back; instead, it justifies her suffering as ‘true love.’ This is exactly the kind of regressive mindset that keeps women trapped in bad marriages. And if ITV isn't busy making women suffer, it's busy degrading them in supernatural shows. Take Star Plus, for example. Whenever it makes supernatural shows, it almost always focuses on Dayans or witches, reinforcing the stereotype that powerful women are evil. Shows like Nazar, Divya Drishti, and Tanhaai promote the idea that a woman with supernatural abilities is dangerous or cursed. Instead of showing strong, independent supernatural heroines, they turn women into villains, making them the ‘other’ that must be defeated. There were also shows like Aladdin naam to suna hoga aur Dhruv Tara in which women's characters were really strong. The male character will not have to save always the princess. Yes, there have been some good shows like Barrister Babu, Madam Sir, Shakti,and Udaan, which tried to break these stereotypes. But these shows either ended too soon or were forced to change because TRP audiences still prefer ‘bechari aurat’ stories. If Bollywood can evolve and show strong women, why is ITV still taking us backward? Why are women in daily soaps still shown as doormats, and in supernatural shows, as villains? Why can’t ITV show powerful women in a positive light instead of making them suffer or turning them into dayans?"