Exclusive: India’s first soap opera of the 90s ‘Tara’ completes 31 years; writer Vinita says, “The nostalgia for Tara that I feel is bitter-sweet”

India’s first ever

soap opera

of the 90s-

Tara

has completed 31 years today. The writer of the show

Vinita

talks about Tara (played by Navneet Nishan) and portrayal of

women

in

television

and casting of

Navneet Nishan

.
Talking about it, Vinita said, "I often look back at Tara, which raged as a trailblazer from 1992 to 1997, and feel nostalgic. But then I bounce right back because I realise that it’s time is yet to come. Most of the decade of the 1990s was about equality, inclusion and liberty for women in India."
Vinita talked about the shift from the progressive storytelling to the regressive change, "We saw some of the best storytelling happen by women on television, stories that almost demolished patriarchy. But then the tyranny of male autocracy arose to fight back for its dominance and put brakes on the progress made. They pushed back the positions women had gained by 50 years and sent women storytellers back to the prisons of rigidity, once again putting their beauty, their resilience, behind a veil."
She added, "We are seeing today what 20 years of the most regressive storytelling has done to India. So, the

nostalgia

for Tara that I feel is bitter-sweet. Whenever I own its success and decide to enjoy the glory it brought to me, the thought of where we could’ve been with our storytelling today and where in contrast we actually are holds me back from celebrating its success. Only that woman is empowered who can tell her story fearlessly to the world."