I was still in my early teens when Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah first aired. Since then, sitting down to watch the show together was almost a ritual at home. It has been 13 years and the television series hasn’t even begun to lose popularity. Surprisingly, even after delivering some problematic content.
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Jethalal and Babita ji, played by Dilip Joshi and Munmun Dutta respectively, have an equation on the show all of us are aware of. He flirts with her, on several occasions, while she smiles wide and plays along. Now, the concerning factor here is the infatuation of a married man towards another woman packaged as ‘innocent flirting’.
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A little while back, rumours related to co-stars from the show dating led to uproar on social media. Munmun Dutta (34) and Raj Anadkat (24), who features as Jethalal’s son Tappu, are allegedly in a relationship. Dutta was age-shamed and slut-shamed on social media over the age-gap of around 9 years.
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“Women are constantly AGE SHAMED, SLUT SHAMED, MOM SHAMED, at the cost of your humour,” she replied in an Instagram post, now unavailable.
Although the actor lashed out at trolls, the episode makes me question the fact that a similar concern wasn’t expressed over unending flirtation between Jethalal and Babita.
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Jethalal is more loyal to Babita than your partner is to you.
— parth (@PainKillerParth) December 7, 2021
Whenever Jethalal flirts with Babita, we never feel bad for Iyer. We need to improve as human beings.
— Vishcomical (@vishcomical) September 18, 2020
I really need to see an episode where Jethalal and Babita elope
— Yolo (@freak9790) December 12, 2021
Jethalal and Babita pic.twitter.com/QG8fQzAuq8
— Rajesh Kendule (@RajeshKendule) December 11, 2021
KBC 13 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah Jethalal Daydreams About Babita Amitabh Bachchan Gave This Reaction https://t.co/UXneM25w62
— Inder Grewal (@gsgrewal777) December 9, 2021
Whenever Jethalal flirts with Babita, we never feel bad for Iyer. We need to improve as human beings.
— Vishcomical (@vishcomical) September 18, 2020
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In a supposed family show, a married man flirting with another woman is sold to us as humour. The lack of criticism towards this aspect has its roots in the patriarchal mindset of our society, which doesn’t mind a man doing so even in real-life.