Colors channel gets notice for 'Na Aana Is Desh Ladoo'

New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) Colors TV channel is in trouble again, this time for its drama "Na Aana Is Desh Ladoo". The information and broadcasting ministry has sent the channel notice for allegedly portraying the character of a district magistrate in negative light in the serial.

"Throughout the serial the character of the district magistrate has been portrayed negatively," the ministry said here Friday while referring to "Na Aana Is Desh Ladoo", a television drama that explores the issue of female infanticide, broadcast on Colours TV.

"In the serial the district magistrate has not only been shown as corrupt and a womaniser, but his lust for women defies any logic," the ministry said while outlining its objections.

The ministry has asked the channel to showcause within 15 days, failing which the serial will be taken off the air.

"The entire characterization appears to be a grotesque caricature of a district administrator," the ministry said, adding that in one of the episodes women are paraded before him on his request.

"However, in the democratic set up of our country, district magistrate is the chief representative of the government at the district level," it said.

"Deliberately portraying the character of the district magistrate in a derogatory way appears to demean the public institution and bring it to disrepute unnecessarily," it added.

This is the second notice Colours is getting in a week.

On Monday, the channel got a show cause notice from the ministry for the use of vulgar language in reality show "Bigg Boss-3", hosted by film star Amitabh Bachchan.

The ministry has sent 268 notices to various TV channels for violating the programme code.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Wednesday said the electronic media needed to follow a self-regulatory mechanism so that her ministry did not have to send notices again and again.

• Television