Intro: How accurately are Asians represented in 'Life isn't all ha ha hee hee?"

Since the mass isolation of Asians in inner city urban areas in the 1970s, they have come a long way both on and off-screen. Asians as a social group now comprise 3.5% of the population, however this is disproportionately represented on-screen with Asians and other ethnic minorities often playing the roles of ‘token’ characters and rarely those of protagonists. Nevertheless, newspapers such as the Guardians have produced a list called “The most powerful Asians in the media” with Meera Syal being at number two. Syal has been a figurehead in creating the now well established British Asian genre by for example scripting the coming of age film ‘Anita and Me’ (Metin Huseyin, 2002) and producing and starring in ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ (BBC, 1998) This was hugely successful appealing to a multicultural audience evident from its transfer from BBC2, mainly catering for niche needs, to BBC1, clearly for a mass mainstream audience. Although such success, economically and in terms of raising awareness has ensured the rise of the ‘brown pound,’ it has more often than not been based on cliché stereotypes and light-hearted humour as if ‘laughing was the best medicine’ which is epitomised from shows such as ‘Mind Your Language’ (ITV, 1977) and more contemporary shows such as ‘The Kumars at no.42’ (BBC, 2001). However, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee,’ (BBC, 2005) an adaptation of Meera Syal’s novel, in many respects offers a refreshing, cliché free and post modern twist on what it is really like growing up as a second generation British Asian. Perhaps this is an accurate representation of Asians in 21st century British society, as opposed to the farce of the Ferreiras on Eastenders (2003).

Essay plan

“Finally a programme that represents Asians properly."
How accurately are Asians represented in 'Life isn't all ha ha hee hee'?

Genre outline

“Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee” epitomises in many respects a post modern follow-up to films such as “Anita and Me” (Metin Huseyin, 2002) and shows such as “Goodness Gracious Me.” Whilst Asians as a social group are often disproportionately represented on screen, the rise of the ‘brown pound’ has ensured the creation of a genre which is here to stay: British Asian. Although, “Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee” consists of only Asian protagonists, BBC reviews have portrayed an almost universal consensus that “regardless of race” much of the audience related and empathised with the issues portrayed, namely being motherhood, friendship and betrayal.

Audience and Institution

Appeals primarily to females (typically being emotionally based), yet still appeals to all second and third generation immigrants who have experienced “culture clashes” or “generational conflict” similarly to ‘East is East.’ Screenplay and stars Meera Syal- according to “the most powerful Asians in the media’ Syal is at number two. Meera Syal's career demonstrates the “dramatic impact British Asians have made on popular culture over the past few years” from fashion, food to politics. Therefore, the drama attracts all those familiar with her work- possibly broadsheet reading intelligensia. BBC- remit to inform, educate and entertain. But how do they fare after the farce of the Ferrerias? Integration, westernised characters = BBC are promoting multicultural Britain.

General representation of characters

In contrast to the typical overprotective parents as seen in films such as “Bend it Like Beckham” we are presented with three head strong Asian women. Tania- t Like Beckham"h as "ive parents we are presented with three head strong Asian women rrerias? ensia. and betrayal.exception to the Indian norm. Chila- sweet fantasist who receives a massive reality check by episode 3. Meera- simply dissatisfied with life. All of whom endure emotions which strike in all audiences… Meera says “We wanted to do something fresh and contemporary, getting away from this assumption that anything feauring us [Asians] has to be issue based, which is why the focus is very much on universal emotional experiences like friendship, marriage, betrayal, motherhood and especially the changing landscape of male-female relationships."

Mulvey and Asian Women

As evident from BBC reviews, ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ was able to appeal to audiences regardless of gender, age and especially ethnicity. Therefore, the representations of men and women in the text are synonymous with other TV dramas and films, whereby women are often subjects of the ‘male gaze’ as stated by Laura Mulvey’s theory.Despite ‘Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee’ having a primary audience of females (typically speaking it revolves around emotional issues), the audience positioning at times is clearly from a male perspective. Not only do we sexually objectify Meera Syal with her new stylish hair-do and revealing clothes as a viewer, but on-screen males identify with her by whistling her at in the street. Furthermore, they show no anxiety as Meera holds an umbrella; an overt phallic object to substitute for her castration which at first is threatening for a male audience.By Asian women being shown as subjects of the male gaze, it successfully attempts to show this ethnic group as being equally integrated into western society as any other. They experience objectification and are therefore no different from other women. In this perspective, the ‘male gaze’ can be seen as positive psychoanalysis by painting an accurate representation of British Asians.

Media Language

Life isn't all ha ha hee hee"... describes the scene best when Chila (the sweet fantasist) walks out of her house with her baby in the pram as the voiceover of her says "trying to be an indian single mother..how scary is that?" This clearly shows that sinlge parenthood is not part of indian culture and is certainly not the norm. Nevertheless, Chila appears headstrong accepting the cirumstances and failings of her marriage therefore having underlying values of liberation and a consequence of Feminism.As she goes to the post office to collect some forms a shot-reverse-shot shows a couple of traditional Indian women behind her refusing to acknowledge her as she has left her husband. When she politely speaks to the woman at the counter.. she writes on a piece of paper "i know Deepak's (Chila's husband) mother-stop shaming both families and take him back." Chila is furious and retaliates venomously saying 'gin and fags are far too expensive these days" and also significantly says how when a husband sleeps with your best friend "somehow it's always their fault!" This epitomises much behaviour from the media whereas the woman in any situation is quick to be labelled as the "whore" whereas the immoral actions of a man is totally disregarded and Chila represents this viewpoint. Many audiences regardless of their race and ethnicity will be able to relate to this. Furthermore, Chila at first exemplifies the typical Asian fantasist who prioritises marriage and love opposed to a high-flying career but by the third episode she was "seeing it all for the first time." Therefore her character cannot be pigeonholed, but can be said to represent Asians accurately as we live in a Post modern society where everything is relative. The media language of this scene also subverts general assumptions of a woman and more specifically an Asian women. As her voiceover says " i learnt more in those 3 months than i did at 10 years of school." The voiceover is accompanied with Chila on a stool with a torch fixing the fuse. Women are not typically associated to DIY and definetly not to Chila who has only ever dreamt of happy family life. Moreover, we see Chila from a low angle inclining the audience to extol her as a reformed well-rounded person. Here she has rejected patriachal views and comes across in a more Feminist light. Throughout this scene we see many subversions of the characters where we may have assumed their personalities at the outset of the drama series. We are able to empathise with them and therefore this scene can be seen as part of the pluralist model..satisfying us with many representations of the characters therefore painting a realistic picture of British Asian life as rejecting some of the rigid cultural values is what happens in society today.


“Laughing as the best medicine”

Use of chiche humour is however still present- Syal’s tried and tested formulas. Or she just poking fun at Indian traditions = post modernism. Avoids creating an other in the audience by inviting them into exactly how Indian traditions operate in restricting or liberating you.

Colonial Culture

Origins of colonial culture can be dated back to the supremacy of the British Empire and the power it still upholds in various institutions; if not in terms of how many countries they rule. BBC being “hideously white”- Greg Dyke prime example. How does this affect the production and representations on the drama? Is the BBC effectively combating the moral panics associated with Asian/Muslim people? Although- Hall’s theory- as Goodness Gracious Me and Kumars at no.42 are riddled with racial clowns. Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee doesn’t really have one. Perhaps Chila- has a slight accent but her ‘liberation’ by episode 3 that she neither can be pigeonholed.

Conclusion:

Accurate or not? Many conform yet majority defy 2D characters. Review “felt as though I had lost some friends”- melting pot society. Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee slips neatly into 21st century media- pluralism and media literacy.

Historical text: Mind Your Language

Mind Your Language was a British comedy television series originally shown on ITV, between 1977 and 1979. Produced by LWT and directed by Stuart Allen, it was set in a language school in London, with Barry Evans as the night school English language teacher for a group of assorted foreigners.

The series was known for its humorous take on national stereotypes: the German woman was dour and humourless; the French woman was sexy and flirtatious; the Swedish woman was liberated and straightforwardly sex-mad; the Chinese woman a rampant Maoist; while the Sikh and Pakistani men were often on the brink of war, and the Spaniard, the Greek and the Italian were macho. Much of the humour also stemmed from the trouble the students had with the English language, their often outrageous speech patterns and the students' hilarious mispronunciations of English. In the politically correct days of the late 1990s the show was criticised, but in its day the show was popular with people of many backgrounds because of its light-hearted take on multiculturalism and because it gave some otherwise unrepresented minorities a television presence.

It was cancelled in 1979 by Michael Grade, then LWT's Deputy Controller of Entertainment, who considered the stereotyping offensive. Nevertheless it was sold to other countries where it found amazing popularity, including Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Singapore . It was also one of the first British TV programmes shown in South Africa after the end of the boycott by Equity. It was even resurrected, briefly, for the export market by an independent producer, in the late 1980s. Only Granada Television transmitted the final 13 episodes consecutively as a complete series. Some ITV companies didn't show any of the episodes made in 1986. The programme was remade for US television as What a Country! In India, a comedy serial based on Mind Your Language was aired on DD2. In the program Zaban Sambhal Ke (Hindi for Mind Your Language) people from diverse regional Indian background studied Hindi.

Even though it has a "light-hearted take on multiculturism" it most definetley tapped into real anxieties of the British people which was further fuelled with the rise of the National Front. in the 1970s.