Udaan

Indian television series

Udaan (meaning Flight) is an Indian television series that aired on Doordarshan from 1989 to 1991 The serial was written and directed by Kavita Chaudhary who was also the main lead of the serial It also starred Shekhar Kapur in an important role. The show was based on the struggle of a woman aspiring to be an IPS officer. It was probably the first Indian television show on women empowerment. The serial is inspired by true story of IPS Kanchan Choudhary Bhattacharya (Former Director General of Police) who after several hardships went to become the first female Director General of Police.She is elder sister of Kavita Chaudhary, director of show. The direction and performance of Kavita Chaudhary were applauded and loved by the media and the public. It was so refreshing to see a lady IPS (Indian Police Service) officer in Kavita Chaudhary's role that was not only humble, but also wanted to perform her work in letter and spirit by going to the public and placing the public's needs ahead of everything else, in the true spirit of a public servant. Also, as happens in the US and other countries, Kavita portrayed her role of as a friend and guardian of the public who the public should want to go to for help, not a policewoman that everyone should fear. In fact in several episodes of this serial, Kalyani Singh IPS chastens her constables and other police officers for speaking with the public in a rude manner. This was very refreshing. When the serial ran in the late 80s and early 90s, there were several suggestions by the public and the media that all police officers including IPS officers could benefit from viewing this serial and learning from it. The other point to be noted is that at the time this serial aired, it was not commonplace for women to seek to join the elite government services in India such as the IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police Service) or the IFS (Indian Foreign Service). But this has since changed. As of 2010, the number of women joining the elite Indian government services, especially the IAS, has increased drastically compared to the 1980s and the 1990s. The entire "Udaan" TV series (30 episodes) have now been released in India in DVD/VCD format by Reliance (as of 2011), and are available to be purchased by the public. From Wikipedia