We apologize to readers for having to take down this guest post by WAZHMAH OSMAN, which was a chapter from her Ph.D thesis from New York University, Thinking Outside the Box: Television and the Afghan Culture Wars.

The author has since written to us that she does not have permission to reproduce the entire chapter. Apologies to everybody all round!

A young Afghan poster seller displaying Smriti Irani as Tulsi

Image: Reuters/Ahmad Masood