“TRP” may be crucial barometer, but no less important is the political compulsion behind the almost maniacal preoccupation with the tragedy. Arguably, the constant focus on the suicide serves the partisan purpose of the ruling party at the centre as it keeps the attention of viewers from problems which are inconvenient for the ruling dispensation.

These include the pandemic, the economy and the situation on the Sino-Indian border. It is known that on two of these – the corona crisis and the economy – the government is on the back foot. A spotlight on them, therefore, is not desirable for it.

And, what better way is there to avoid such topics than to emphasize the meaningless snuffing out of a promising life and to hint at the controversial role of some of his associates, including his girl friend.

The mix has all the ingredients of a gripping, even chilling, drama – a sudden death to which the entire nation awoke with shock and dismay, the insights provided by the actor’s various female companions, the role of others such as those who worked with him and the family members of his girl friend.

Apart from the personal, there is also the professional side, including how jealousy over the success of a rising star can unnerve the existing establishment of the tinsel town and lead to a rearrangement of the pieces on an apparently tilted playing field which frowns on the entry of talented outsiders. The tales of the high life of the stars also add lustre to the television presentations, especially of the use of forbidden drugs.

The Romans are known to have depended on circuses to keep the citizens amused and occupied if there was a shortage of bread. In India, television is increasingly playing that part or is being persuaded to play the part by the powers that be. It is not unlike the Congress’s recourse to screening the blockbuster Hindi film, Bobby, on TV to keep the people away from Jayaprakash Narayan’s public meeting in Delhi a few days before the Emergency was declared on June 26, 1975.

The present obsession with a death and the police investigations into it can be regarded as a replay of that episode irrespective of whether the channels are doing it on their own or are being encouraged to do so from behind the scenes.

Bollywood is no stranger to the untimely deaths of the rich, the famous and the glamorous. There were the cases of Divya Bharti and Jiah Khan recently while Guru Dutt’s death at the age of 39 has become the stuff of legend. He was far more famous than Sushant Singh Rajput, but there was no media outcry then.

True, the 1960s were a quieter and much more sober period in terms of both the media and politics. But the story of Guru Dutt and his wife, Geeta, who was a Bengali (like Rhea Chakraborty), was no less poignant as it involved the celebrated director-actor’s romantic involvement with one of the most beautiful actresses of the time, Waheeda Rehman, which resulted in Geeta Dutt’s nervous breakdown, alcoholism and early death.

Imagine how today’s media will react if there is a similar episode now. Any number of newsmen will park themselves outside the residences of the key figures, following them in their cars whenever they go anywhere while the police and the doctors will be continuously questioned about the suspected suicide and its impact on the devastated wife. The other person in the love triangle will also not be spared.

If the unrelenting focus results in the upgradation of the level of the telecasts and not sink into puerile voyeurism with a political axe to grind, it will be of benefit to television journalism. But the current shrill outpouring of views which apparently seeks to drown the suspicion of bias with noise does not serve to enhance the media’s reputation.

Instead, it is a regression to the days when official outlets like Doordarshan and All India Radio were seen as the government’s mouthpieces and, ipso facto, unreliable, which is why Rajiv Gandhi had tuned in to the BBC to confirm the news of his mother’s assassination.

Now, except for a few channels and online newspapers, the TV presenters appear to compete with one another to declare their loyalty to their political masters. The tragedy in Mumbai has seemingly given them an extra opportunity to do so. (IPA Service)