Bollywood versus the Taleban

Kabul’s biggest private television station has defied a government order to take Indian soap operas off the air, insisting that it was issued at the behest of religious conservatives trying to “re-Talebanise” Afghanistan. More and more viewers are addicted to the Bombay-made dramas – tales of family life with thin storylines, wooden acting and poor production values, but which have captured the Afghan imagination.

The soaps have caused a huge debate. Prime-time viewing is a battleground between liberals and conservatives, with President Hamid Karzai backing the order to take the dramas off the air by yesterday’s deadline after months of dispute. At least one station complied, but last night viewers were able to watch Tulsi – its full title is “Because a Mother-in-Law Was Once a Daughter-in-Law too” – which is said to be the most popular programme in Afghanistan, and Kasauti Zindagi Kay (Trials of Life).

Tolo TV decided to go ahead with the broadcasts after winning the support of the journalists’ union. Javid Mohseni, one of the Afghan-Australian brothers behind Tolo TV, said: “They may be just soap operas, but if we accept a ban in the run-up to the elections it will then be possible for the Government to ban anything – including, perhaps, political programmes.”

Conservatives have long argued that the soap operas promote alien values. At one point they condemned them for encouraging “stone-worship” because characters are sometimes shown praying before shrines of Shiva and Ganesh. Tolo TV believes that the Government is keen to muzzle Afghanistan’s media, one of the nation’s post-2001 success stories. Afghan journalists, who have felt under increasing official pressure recently, rallied to support Tolo TV’s stand.

Abdul Hamid Mobarez, the head of the Afghan National Journalists’ Union, said: “The mass media is in danger. The Minister of Information and Culture does not like TV which is too liberal.” An ugly atmosphere was brewing yesterday as fundamentalists called for demonstrations. Claims were made that clerics were being asked to tell their congregations to protest.

Tolo, which operates from a building ringed with razor wire and guarded by men with AK47s, was forced to step up security after threats were made against the company. Saad Mohseni, director of Tolo TV, said: “There is a political agenda here but it is also an attempt to end the free media and re-Talebanise Afghanistan.”

Dell Jan is an Afghan widow and a mother of six who relies on a car battery to watch Indian soaps that offer her a peek into a different way of life. "I like Tulsi a lot and my also children like her a lot," she said. "When the series started on television, we stopped all of our work, even eating, and kept watching the series. We love it, it’s entertainment for children."