Jr NTR's Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu promo glorifying 'motherhood' is deeply problematic

Actor Jr NTR is returning for his second stint on the small screen as a quiz show host for Evaru Meelo Koteeswarudu, all set to go on air this August on Gemini TV and streaming platform SunNXT. Ahead of its telecast, Gemini TV and the show creators had unveiled a promo today, suggesting that the contestants aren't only here to win money on the show but also to win hearts. The actor cum host appears matured and composed in the same. The intent behind the promo may be sincere but its execution is in poor taste.

Well, to what extent can show creators go to sell their content to the public? The promo here takes off at a school classroom where a teacher asks her pupils what they aspire to become in their lives. A young girl in the class stands tall and says with an element of pride, 'I wish to become a mother,' to which the teacher offers a confused response. Similarly when the young girl heads to college and is asked by a friend about the career she wishes to pursue, she yet again expresses her interest to 'become' a mother. This reply doesn't change even when she's asked the question by Jr NTR on the sets of Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu.

The girl in the promo further justifies, "My mom did odd jobs to raise three girls after my father died early. Pilots may run aeroplanes. Collectors may control districts and the CM may control a state. But you can't think beyond a mother to lead us to a better tomorrow." Jr NTR refers to this statement that the contestants can win hearts too. While motherhood may be a personal choice for some, having a young girl in a school deliver a line where she aspires to become a 'mother' in the future is downright creepy. 

The promo makes it worse even when the girl grows to be a college-going adult and utters the same words while her friend talks of her ambition to become a CA. The comparison between motherhood and the duties of pilots, collectors and CM is audacious at best. The promo fails to take note of the efforts behind the girl's entry into the show, with no mention of her intelligence to have come this far and instead chooses to take a motherhood angle, which undermines her abilities. This also throws light on the show creators to milk the sob stories of people from marginalised backgrounds for TRPs. In every way possible, this promo sets a wrong precedent. One hopes Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu turns out better than what its promo suggests.

Also read: SS Rajamouli's RRR resumes shoot; Jr NTR and Ram Charan return to action