WHEN WILL INDIAN TV SEE CONSCENTIOUS BRANDS THAT ALIGN WITH GOOD SHOWS RATHER THAN THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE MOST REGRESSIVE CONTENT ON TV
WE RECEIVED FAN COMMUNICATION ABOUT THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT IN STAR PLUS’ DECISION TO AXE THE SHOW WITHOUT PROPER NOTICE OR PROCESS
The fans of the show are distraught. It seems that advertising revenue that depends upon CPRP ( click per TRP point) of the show has suffered post lockdown and the channel decided to axe the show without proper notice or even help to improve.
The race to the bottom for Brands aligning with the most regressive eye ball catchers defines the way the system of the TV advertising has worked for decades.
Is this not the time for brands to align with quality of content and create a difference in the society they serve? Where are the brands and corporations that have the guts to do this?
The repercussions on the Indian society are irreparable. Crafting stories that stimulate the minds of people are important and brands must change the way the align with what people are watching. Brands have a responsibility to evolve the country, not devolve it.
The mail that we received from the fans is pasted below
THE STORY SUFFERS BECAUSE OF A FANTASY TRACK
#REVIEW EPI SEPT 7-12
Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar ke entered a phase of confusion this week. A series that has been appreciated and loved for its story and execution fell into a trap of narrative chaos this past week.
A few things that have been appreciated about the show have been a strong appealing storyline, an ensemble cast, stellar actors and a very visually appealing aesthetically executed plot.
What suffered this weak was the content quality. The audience of this show are woke, young people and throwing at them illogically executed scenes and weak plots is going to alienate them.
This generation is a digital first generation who may have liked some of the sub-plots in this narrative but they are more focused on the experience of positivity while not being spent on the negative sub-plots.
The audience for the show is 18-44 and more female than male audiences. The daily demand trend for the series reflects the audience disinterest with the current story track.
The story moves to several maneuvers by Meenakshi Rajvansh to blackmail Abir by first manipulating Mishti to leave him, when that fails – she starts forcing the couple to look at surrogacy as an option.
The couple are more inclined towards adoption as a way forward but Meenakshi Rajvansh believes that adopted kids are not real options. Obviously for kids disillusioned by parents who either abandoned them or the fact that they found love in other sets of parents, this logic is hard for Mishti, Abir, Kunal and Kuhu to accept.
At that point, the woman who insulted Kunal as a human being and estranged him as even real family member, turns again to manipulate him into asking his wife to become the surrogate for Mishti and Abir.
The sheer lack of consideration for the aspirations of her children and the boundaries of their lives and relationships; is indeed not new for Indian families. The ultimate need for her own projections to be executed by her family is more for Meenakshi Rajvansh than any perceived benefits that she may derive from such adamancy.
She treats Kunal and his wife ( Anyone not related to her by blood) like trash and is not ashamed to keep using them for her own benefit.
The transgression of this woman and the sheer regressive plane of the narrative is making the audiences disappointed. Let us also not forget that the entire plot does not stand the legal litmus test. In India , adoption is a long process but surrogacy is a more stringent one.
For one, the woman who is eligible to become a surrogate needs to be married with an existing child of at least 3 years of her own. She also cannot deliver a surrogate baby for at least 2 years after the delivery of her first one. The legal aspects of the process are well laid and out and somehow this plot completely misses out on all that basic story parameter conveniently.
Reproductive rights are constitutionally protected in India.
The end of the week has some hopes for the revival of the of the story and we are hoping that the plot will recover.
We have not had a track in the history of this show so tiringly frustrating as this one or so blatantly foolish.
PLUS : The small #mishbir sequences RULE. They are nothings that are something.
MINUS : The illogical turn of the story
Legal Aspects of Surrogacy in India
Rights and Obligations of Parties to Surrogacy arrangements.
The parties to Surrogacy ‘contract’ are the surrogate woman, her husband if she is married, the surrogate child and the intending parent(s). A Surrogacy Agency and the donor may or may not be a party to the ‘arrangement’ depending on whether the intending couples choose to opt for one or not. In light of the drafts of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill and Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, following are the rights and obligations of these parties-
- The intended parents need to produce-
- A certificate of proven infertility (of either or both) obtained from a district medical board in order to enter into a surrogacy contract. In the 2019 Surrogacy Regulation Bill, ‘infertility was defined as “the inability to conceive after five years of unprotected coitus or other proven medical condition preventing a couple from conception”. However, the 2020 bill seeks to delete this definition, since 5 years was too long a period to wait for a child.
- An order concerning the parentage and custody of the child to be born through surrogacy passed by a court of the Magistrate of the first class or above, on an application made by the intending couple and surrogate mother.
- An insurance coverage of such amount as may be prescribed in favour of the surrogate mother from an insurance company or an agent recognised by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority established under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999.
- An eligibility certificate issued by appropriate authority after ensuring the intending couple – is aged between 23-50 years in case of the female and 26-55 years in case of the male; is married for at least 5 years and are Indian citizens or Overseas Citizen of India (OCIs), People of Indian Origin (PIOs), Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and foreigner married to an Indian citizen; have not had any surviving child biologically or through adoption. Note that the last condition doesn’t apply if the intending couple have a child who is mentally or physically challenged or suffers from life threatening disorder or fatal illness with no permanent cure.
- It is the obligation of the surrogacy clinic to explain thoroughly all known side effects and after effects of the procedure to the surrogate mother and get a written consent from her in the language she understands.
- The commissioning couple is obliged to not abandon the child, born out of a surrogacy procedure, whether within India or outside, for any reason whatsoever, including but not restricted to, any genetic defect, birth defect, any other medical condition, the defects developing subsequently, sex of the child or conception of more than one baby, etc. They also aren’t allowed to avail services of more than one surrogate at a time.
- A surrogacy clinic has to compulsorily register itself by making an application to an appropriate authority under the act. It can operate only after authorisation by the authority.
- Neither of the parties to the surrogacy agreement can conduct, offer, undertake, promote or associate with or avail of ‘commercial surrogacy’ in any form; exploit or cause harm to the surrogate mother or child in any manner whatsoever; advertise or promote commercial surrogacy in any manner.
- No person, organisation, surrogacy clinic, laboratory or clinical establishment of any kind shall force the surrogate mother to abort at any stage of surrogacy except in such conditions as may be prescribed.
- The intended parents are bound by the surrogacy agreement to pay for the surrogate’s expenses that include expenses related to the entire medical procedure of surrogacy, expenses of feeding the embryo in the gestation period, the attorney’s fee (if appointed) and all other medical expenses as and when required.
- The surrogate is also obligated to nurture the child in her womb during the gestational period (this includes feeding herself well, regular visits to gynaecologists, proper medication, etc.) The surrogate is duty-bound not to engage in any act that may harm the foetus in any manner. At the same time, the surrogate and her husband are not allowed to have an extra-marital affair during the gestation period. The Surrogate has to hand over the baby, relinquishing all her parental rights, to the intended parents at the time decided in the agreement which may be right after delivery or after the breastfeeding period.
- Surrogate mother should be an ever married Indian woman between 25-35 years of age and shall have at least one live child of her own with minimum age of three years and should act as a surrogate for not more than one successful live birth in her life and with not less than two years interval between the two deliveries.
- If the first embryo transfer fails, the surrogate shall undergo not more than two more embryo transfers for the same couple.
- The child born through a surrogacy shall have-
- The status of legitimate child of the commissioning couple (even if the married couple divorce).
- Identical legal rights as a legitimate child born out of sexual intercourse.
- Overseas Citizenship of India under Section 7A of Citizenship Act, 1955 if born to Overseas Citizen of India, People of Indian Origin or a foreigner married to an Indian citizen.
- The right to ask for information, excluding personal identification, regarding the donor or the surrogate.
[extracted from the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2017]
All these rights and obligations of parties along with other provisions negotiated between the parties need to be drafted into a surrogacy contract which shall be legally enforceable.
Also, Important to note is the Right to Reproduction is a Fundamental Right of a woman and protected by the Constitution of India
The Andhra Pradesh High Court in B.K. Parthasarthi v. Government of Andhra Pradesh recognized reproductive rights as a fundamental right and upheld ‘the right to reproductive autonomy’ of an individual as a part of their right to privacy.
ART Regulation Bill, 2020 provides stringent punishments for sex selective surrogacy. This is likely to protect a lot of surrogates from being forced to abort because of the sex of the child.
According to S. 9 of Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2017 too, no person organisation or surrogacy clinic may force a surrogate to abort except in such conditions as may be prescribed. These conditions should be in compliance with the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. By the said act, a pregnancy can be terminated within 12 weeks, if one registered medical practitioner, and 12-20 weeks, if at least two medical practitioners are convinced that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or grave injury to her physical or mental health.
Apart from this, the SRB, 2017 imposes an imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years and with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees against anyone who exploits a surrogate mother in any manner whatsoever. This provision creates a sense of security in the mind of women willing to act as surrogates. Arguably, one of the biggest highlights of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 is the nature of S. 39 which does not follow the Indian legal system of “innocent until proven guilty”. By natural legal practice, the burden of proving guilt of the accused is on the plaintiff. However, S. 39 assumes that a woman or surrogate was compelled by her husband, the intending couple or any other relative, as the case may be, to render surrogacy services, procedures or to donate gametes for the purpose other than those specified under the clauses of the act and such person shall be liable for abetment of such offence under S. 37 (punishment for initiation of commercial surrogacy) and shall be punishable for the offence specified under that section (imprisonment for not less than five years and a fine which may extend to up to 5 lakh rupees) unless the contrary is proved. In addition, all offences under the act shall be cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable. The reasoning behind this may be based on the vulnerability of the surrogate mother due to the nature of surrogacy procedure. When it comes to the ensuring good health of the surrogate mother, the responsibility doesn’t and thus, mustn’t cease after the baby is delivered as post-partum complications are common and can affect the surrogate mentally, physically and financially. Hence, The SRB, 2020 extends the insurance cover for a surrogate mother from 16 months to 36 months.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF MEENAKSHI RAJVANSH
You may have come across a lot of people in your life who give you advice without you soliciting their opinion, but some take it to the next level by trying to micromanage every aspect of your existence. The character of Meenakshi Rajvansh from Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar ke, seems one such psychopath at first look.
She wants to control what you say, how you act, even what you think quietly in your own mind.
You can’t be yourself around people like her. They insist on being your top priority and want undue influence over your life. They might push your buttons to get an emotional reaction out of you because they want to exploit it as a weakness. They have no respect for you or your boundaries.
There are plenty of theories around why people are like this.
One is that people who can’t control themselves turn to controlling others. This happens on an emotional level. A person full of insecurities has to exact a positive sense of self from other people because their self esteem is too low to do it for themselves.
Maybe people control because they are afraid of being abandoned. They don’t feel secure in their relationships and are often testing to see if they’re about to be betrayed. The paradox is that their behavior creates exactly what they fear the most.
Perhaps controlling people are narcissists looking to control their environment by any means necessary. This would mean other people are pawns. They’re useful tools in the narcissist’s world to be used as he or she pleases. It’s nothing personal — you’re just a good pawn.
The aberration to her character development has however been vague in some senses. So we know her as a matriarch who claims she is the lord and master of all who live in her domain and that was the reason she had rights to control their lives, however , even in her most narrow minded thought process, she was also a woman who supported her daughter in law against a molester.
That characterization doesn’t make sense. A narrow minded orthodox, self devolving person cannot be progressive in any domain selectively.
This is a character development error.
Also, if smart, bright sharp people know that she is toxic enough to control everything, why are they even around her to even give her opportunities to know about their lives decisions.
Beats us. Either way – this regressive character has reached a boiling point with the viewers of the show and instead of being entertaining , it is now becoming extremely fatiguing to watch the same drama unfold every week.
The audience of this show has lost its patience with the character of Meenakshi Rajvansh and twists generated by her. Can you please put her villainous character to rest and bring in someone else for the TRP?
MEENAKSHI REDUCES HERSELF TO A ISOCHRONAL DOCTRINAIRE
WEEK AUG 31- SEPT 5@HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS #REVIEW YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE.
This last week, Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, fell into a Indian TV Serial trope mode of evil mother in law trying to blackmail and oust her daughter-in-law from her house because of infertility. This track is regressive in parts and the only saving grace is Shaheer Sheikh and Rhea Sharma again.
Avinash Mishra, as Kunal, has finally found entrancing chemistry in his equation with Rhea( Mishti), Shaheer( Abir) and Chaitrali( Parul) as well. He came off as a strong performer in his scenes of rejection by Meenakshi Rajvansh, his reconciliation with the complication of his ancestry, the ultimate acceptance of the fact that he may have been illusioned in giving the respect of a mother to the wrong woman and the resolute truth that his only guiding star in his life was his older brother Abir.
The first two episodes of the week were high pitched drama between the vile machinations of a mother who viewed her own daughters in law as a baby making machine and Mishti’s Badey Papa. These expose not only a deeply regressive side of Meenakshi Rajvansh but also her core character of being an unscrupulous, abhorrent, and disgusting excuse for a human being.
Not only is her character single mindedly selfish in her need to control the lives of other people, but also stoop down to the depths of opprobrious conduct to get her way.
This week Meenakshi was able to manipulate Mishti to think that Abir is compromising on his desire to have children by supporting Mishti in being in their marriage. Mishti, who wants nothing but Abir’s happiness, shuts down her phone and leaves the house.
Though we have loved the story so far, not only in its narrative but also execution of the production, it was a bit disappointing this week in the first three episodes of its regressive story line and paleoconservative characterizations.
We understand that to move the story to a progressive narrative, the need for a mossbacked pre-track is important but the audience for this show is not the orthodox families that may have deep affinity to such unprogressive tropes but young adults who find these repeatedly archconservative values repulsive and triggering.
We have always loved the story of this show but repeating the same sequence of fogyish storylines repeatedly points towards paucity of fresh ideas and not creativity.
Let us see how the story develops next week. Hopefully we should be able to see a recovery of the narrative.
PLUS: The actors, the direction and the quality is A+ as usual.Bruno, the puppy.
MINUS: The story suffered this week. These Meenakshi sub-plots are becoming too repetitive and isochronous. Even for a TRP jump.
YRHPK LIGHTS UP THE WEEK FOR ITS FANDOM
#REVIEW ———YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE—– WEEK AUG 23- AUG 28 @HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS
The story is wheezing at a dizzy apace. That’s what we love about this story. It’s a perfect attention snack, just the right speed, the right dialogues, the right actors, the right combo of racy, well-paced sequences, enough troughs and crests to the narrative to keep one hooked. It is eclectic in parts, maudlin in others, passionate, exotic and socially relevant and just perfectly riveting for a continuous watch.
This week of the Series was sic. The story moved at a great pace with several plots, sub-plots raveling and unraveling all at the same time.
While the track was lighthearted in some episodes, it moved to intense very quickly by the end of the week. The fans staged an online protest ( including a Change.Org petition) asking Star Plus, the channel to drop the surrogacy track. The fans also were protesting about the second lead being featured as the plausible surrogate mother for Mishbir’s child, which they found extremely revolting.
There is a palpable camaraderie between the two sisters-in law at the start of the week which predictably melts itself down into a shouting match and the brothers leaving their homes to move in with their in-laws to stay away from the warring wives.
The mother, the brilliant Meenakshi Rajvansh, played by Rupal Patel (famous in the week due to a viral video that made millions of hits ) knockouts another high with her performance, first as a scorned mother jealous of her son’s relationship with Badi Ma, Mishti’s adoptive mother played by Lataa Saberwal, (who we drool over quite a bit) and then a mother who wants to be in his son’s life as he faces a huge disappointment to support him and his wife.
The week was full of a lot of highs for the fans. The thing that remained constant through the week was of course the phenomenal #Mishbir chemistry through their romance, intimacy, fights, yearning and the fact that they feel each other’s pain more than they care about their own.
There were four controversies amongst the fandom this week.
The First being the reconciliation between Mishti and Kuhu, where Kuhu , once again gets away with her deplorable behavior but without consequences.
“In our opinion, if the writers remain honest to the evolution of Kuhu’s character, there will never be a day when she clearly realizes her own superficiality. That is not her SmartSuite.
So she will keep flirting in and out of favors with Mishti for as long as she is relevant to the complications in the plot.”
The Second being that Abir was wrong in leaving Mishti alone to unravel the relationship with Kuhu. We believe, despite the fact that Mishti initially felt bereft, Abir was right. Mishti and Kuhu need to pit to rest the real cause of the problem they have since their childhood and not dress it up. Kuhu dresses things up because she wants to look good to other people and Mishti dresses up their differences because she fears losing her loved ones. Patching up temporarily is not a long term solution because they keep coming back to war with each other over small petty things, where Kuhu is mostly responsible for the aggression. Dressing up a deep wound will cover the surface but will never make the wound go entirely away because any small abrasion can pull the skin on the wound back making it hurt more than before since the deep wound has never been cured.
The Third was allowing Kuhu to “get away with it”
Abir in telling Mishti to resolve the issue, is telling her to cure the deeper wound and not dress it up just to please people around her. To do that instead of getting agitated, she must start looking at the issues between her and kuhu in a different light and change her attitude towards Kuhu’s immaturity. He assures her that she has to stop thinking that the solution will take her loved ones – Badi ma, Badey Papa and Abir, away from her. Also, he is not concerned about Kuku and her issues, he is more concerned about how Mishti reacts to triggers that Kuhu sends her way. He is clear that he does not expect Kuhu and Mishti to become good friends. All he wants them to do is to stop lying to everyone that things are okay between them, because that is always a short term fix. He wants her to resolve it so that he doesn’t effect their home and relationships.
He is very clear in stating that Kuhu is not only immature but very vain as well, but he also knows that escalation of a bully and a person with a grudge will not go away with just fighting with that person. It never does. As much as a bully likes to have the final word, a bully also finds a deep satisfaction in how you react to their words and actions. Bullies thrive off the reactions and pain of the people they bully.
So Mishti’s reaction and pain at Kuhu’s actions and words gives Kuhu deep satisfaction and a sense of power over Mishti. That is why Kuhu keeps repeating the pattern. She gets what she wants to thrive in her convoluted world – Mishti’s apparent pain and tears. Kuhu victimizes Mishti again and again because it is that trigger that gives Kuhu satisfaction and she validates it as retribution for some childhood insecurity.
Kuhu will stop effecting Mishti when Mishti stops caring about what Kuhu is doing not when Kuhu stops doing the things she does.
The Fourth issue was that of the Surrogacy track. The fans are disappointed that there may be a “spoilt” #Mishbir pregnancy track as well – after a spoilt wedding and a painful murder track. They are further disappointed for the inclusion of Kuhu, Mishti’s perpetrator as the plausible surrogate mother in the track.
Having said that, the week was glorious for the fans.
- They got a beautiful ensemble of a performance for the Janamashtmi, the birth festival of Lord Krishna with both Shaheer Sheikh and Rhea Sharma, looking ethereal and exotic all at the same time. The dance, the look, the costumes and the chemistry were all electrifying enough to send the fandom into delirious delight.
- They got the hilarious track of Abir and Kunal moving in with their in laws.
- They got the late-night stealing into each other’s room while placing pillow camouflage on their beds ( so so so #Mishbir ) episode.
- They got a red heart balloon apercu.
- They got exotic verses in a rendition of Abir’s desire to be a father, he never had, to his and Mishti’s children.
- And they got the stylishly shot, sensual consummation of the relationship scenes which just broke the internet in all of the 9 minutes that it burnt the screens.
There were also the Ganpati celebrations and Abir’s agony in receiving the news that Mishti may not be able to conceive.
The week ended with something that the fandom had hoped for a long time. The reconciliation of the relationship between Abir and his mother, where she persuades him to fight for what he needs in life for his Mishti. That was an epic moment for this show and we are just hoping that this relationship now builds its trust brick by brick. After all, yeh rishtey hain pyaar ke. ( These relationships are made of Love)
PLUS : OH we have less fingers that we have things to appreciate from this week’s episodes. We had romance, discord, reconciliation, pain, love, devotion and all the emotions that have been a hallmark of this serial since its start- all packed in.
And mind blowing music as usual.
Thumbs up for picking up the most appropriate music tracks and re-shooting them so aesthetically well that we start appreciating the songs and titles a lot more now because Mishbir are burning the screen in them.
No complaints. Just bliss.
MINUS : Surrogacy track. Still a Meh.
#REVIEW ———YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE—– WEEK AUG 17- AUG 22 @HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS
The show started this week with the high drama closure of the Varun track. Evidently, Varun was the murderer of his brother Karan. Mishti gets him to confess his crime in a high intensity schmaltzy story.
While the intense fight was going on, Abir jumps in to save Mishti, but not before Varun throws her with force- an incident in which she gets hurt on her stomach.
Most of the episodes in the week were sprinkled with light hearted comedy,
The most drama in the week actually did not happen on screen. A promo started airing start of the week, which not only caused an uproar on the social channels for the fan clubs but also the start of a Change. Org petition by the end of the week with fans taking to several platforms asking the creatives of the show to change the upcoming story of the show.
The fans are pushing back on the storyline involving a possible surrogacy implication for Mishti. The fans want Mishti herself to conceive and none of them want to see an alternative. While speaking to the various fan clubs they also confirmed that they were writing to the Production Team and the Channel ( Star Plus) to ask them to change the storyline to something more acceptable to their sensitivities.
The other issue that the fan clubs put forward was the indelicacy with which the relationship between Kuhu and Mishti was being portrayed. Kuhu, being highly insecure about herself bullies and mistreats Mishti through the start of the series. The fans want to not only have her apologize for her misdeeds but they also do not want her involvement in the surrogacy track as they feel that any role of her character dilutes the chemistry of the lead pair of the show and therefore their entire experience of the show.
The week ended with hilariously execute episodes ( Friday and Saturday) of a few crackling chemistries. The relationship between Abir and Kunal became a thang in its own right. The warmth of Meenakshi Rajvansh as a mother and a protective mother in law to Mishti, was just as badass as her. The relationship that everyone loves the most is the one between Abir and Badi Ma; That one- is special. The love, trust, candidness and warmth of their chemistry makes everyone want a Badi Ma of their own. And the father son connection between Abir and Badey Papa is one to cherish. The father daughter connection between Mishti and Badey papa is pure rapture.
The most special bond is that of Mishti and Abir -the chemistry that all the fans crave for. The mutual understanding, the antics, the magnetism of their love are couple goals.
The evolution of all these relationships, the love, warmth, the passion for each other makes the show so much more compelling .
Plus : Great cinematography, witty dialogues, enchanting comedy and all round a Plus show. . The bonds between the all the characters are warm and fuzzy.
Minus : Yeah, the Surrogacy Track. Kinda’ tacky especially with the involvement of Kuhu. Hope the fans are able to push it.
WHAT’S THE WHOLE DEAL WITH THE PEACOCK FEATHERS IN YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE EPISODE OF AUG 18
The feathers have dominated symbolism for fertility.
Whether used as adornments for clothing and head-wear or displayed over a bedroom door, these precious feathers were used to increase fertility. was mostly by newly-weds, who have traditionally been presented a gift of peacock feathers after the ceremony.
So the symbolism of Badi Ma giving the peacock feather is her permission and blessings of fertility to Abir so he can start a family with Mishti. Abir giving it to Mishti is the peacock impressing his peahen that it is time to start a family.
When a male peacock sees a peahen and wants to mate, the male presents his tail-feathers in a beautiful, fanned display. Abir’s dance signifies that deeper connotation.
This is intended to impress the peahen and convince her that he is worth the time and effort of raising chicks.
If you are looking to start a family, one recommended method is to place peacock feathers above the bedroom door.
In ancient cultures, myths, history and folklore, peacock represents meanings of sacredness, spiritual guidance, Intuition, protection and awareness.
Mythology has also associated the Peacock with the God Lakshmi. The peacock feather represented kindness, compassion, good luck, patience & benevolence..
Another meaning is “the ability to thrive in the face of suffering”; due to the fact that the peacock survives on a diet of poisonous plants.
So maybe they will have a baby girl? What do you think?
#REVIEW ———YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE—– WEEK AUG 10- AUG 15 @HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS
This week was a compelling binge watching of Yeh Rishtey hain pyaar ke. Not only because of our apparent love for the show but the phenomenal narrative of the episodes telecast this week.
The episodes start on Sunday evenings for us here in North America and we have been on a non stop binge re-watch roll of the episodes aired this week.
Abir, portrayed by Shaheer Sheikh finally realizes Varun’s (Ruslaan Mumtaz) ploy to get to Mishti (Rhea Sharma). He tries reasoning with him but Varun does not seem to be amenable to reason.
Abir, on being asked to make a choice between his sister and his wife. chooses to protect both, except that he remains more concerned about his wife Mishti. A little trick by Varun, triggers Mishti to confess the accident in front of the entire family, Varun’s family and Mishti’s parents. As she confesses, the entire family is shocked and Varun’s mother leaves with an ultimatum that she may not be amenable to the wedding between a pregnant Ketaki and her son Varun.
Significantly shaken by the events, the family corners Abir for his lack of communication of the incident in which Karan, Varun’s brother had been accidently killed by Mishti.
Perhaps in the most iconic scene shot, with highly impactful dialogues, Mishti’s confession is soulful, heart wrenching and agonizing in how her need to protect Abir from the conundrum of choice between his wife and his sister is more than her desire to choose safety for her own self. Then came Abir’s in the face of his mother’s contention that he had not informed her about the accident.
Those last 4 minutes of the August 11 episode deserve an award – for Shaheer Sheikh and Rhea Sharma as actors, the dialogues by Divy Sharma, the direction by Ashish Shrivastav and to the entire team for creating one of the most impactful scenes of this show, thus far.
We binge watched this episode with tears streaming non stop not only for the articulation of the trauma that Mishti was suffering but also for all those women who survive sexual assaults but have no Abir in their lives to bat for them.
But as Abir said, everytime a woman faces a monster like Karan, an Abir will stand up to protect a Mishti.
Right after the airing of this episode, the internet broke with all the fandoms of the actors and shows driving a frenzy emotionally.
The other favorite scene of the week was an emotional Meenakshi, Abir’s mother, realising her folly in not being able to be a loving mother in law to Mishti. She stands by her daughter – in- law finally to support her against the plot that Varun has woven. The fandom does not trust her a lot in terms of keeping her promises but to see a softer side to her character was a welcome change.
This track is now moving towards resolution where it seems someone else is the real murderer. All that and more will get resolved next week but tonight as we write this review – the fandom is indeed going quite berserk over the pre-cap for Monday’s ( our Sunday) episode where it is shown that Mishbir are pregnant. The fandom is hoping for the precap to be a dream sequence because they want to see more romance and slow burn between the lead pair – leading to the pregnancy. They feel the makers are rushing into the pregnancy track without giving them romance and intimacy just like how Mishbir’s wedding was a two episode affair compared to all other weddings in the show which were far more elaborate. So while Twitter and Insta burn with the speculations – we all wait for how the story moves on to the next track next week.
What we loved this week :
Avinash Mishra as Kunal arrived in his form.The chemistry between the Rajvansh brothers is getting hot and Avinash has beautifully fit into the script to continue the character of Kunal smoothly.
And what we could not miss was the beautiful, composed Lataa Sabarwal, as Mishti’s Badi Ma. In the serenity of her character, Lataa Sabarwal shines not only in her rendering of the character but also in her chemistry with her (on and off screen) husband Vishambar Maheshwari , played over the years by Sanjeev Seth, her affection for her adopted daughter Mishti who she takes immense pride in and the most striking chemistry of a son and mother between her and Abir. She sparkles in all her avatars and OMG her sarees kill. She is just such a gorgeous woman. Through and through.
PLUS : Brilliant pre-climax scenes, impressive acting, strong storyline, every episode packs a punch, every episode has repeatable scenes, dialogues and events that make the audience want to go back for reruns
MINUS : Nada. Nothing. Nope. Couldn’t find one.
#REVIEW ———YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE—– WEEK AUG 3- AUG 8 @HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS
The story continued to introduce further intrigue this week as well. The beauty about the narrative and the story telling was the balance that the Director Ashish Shrivastav maintains between making it interesting & intriguing, yet not nail bitingly stressful. ( keeping the psychological stress of the pandemic in play)
We really appreciate that, not only for the sake of our weak entangled hearts ( the love for #Mishbir breaks the internet everyday around 8.30PM Eastern/ 5:30PM Pacific when the show drops an episode at @hotstarusa, the streaming platform with thousands of crazy fans repeating endless dialogues, scenes, notes, expressions and their first take on how they appreciated the story.
In fact there was widespread panic last Thursday amongst the international & India based fandom who wake up at 6am their time to catch fresh #mishbir vibes everyday,when @hotstar delayed the uploading of the episode by 1.5 hours due to technical issues.
We have not seen such an engaged fandom for any other show being broadcast, not only in the dedication with which they turn out every day but the devotion and commitment that they have towards Shaheer Sheikh and Rhea Sharma, the lead pair. They are so enormously loved that It borders on reverence.
The most astounding part of this process everyday is that there is always an iconic scene, a dance routine, a look, a certain action or a dialogue routine that keeps the fandom engaged in writing long/ short reviews, fan fiction, tweets, insta stories, deep psychology of the characters, reason for actions committed by these characters till the next episode drops.
This fandom deserves to be applauded.
The commitment and devotion that they show towards the show, the artists, the team and the characters is indeed exemplary.
With this show, it is not surprising that the fandom get back the quality of engagement they so well deserve and this symbiotic relationship makes this story very personal for it’s viewers.
The fandom was heartbroken with the news of passing away of one of the actors of the show this week by suicide. The love they poured for the agony of the team was immense and sincere as the entire fandom mourned Samir Sharma, in disbelief and sorrow.
The story made meaningful progression as usual. What we love the most about the show is that there is never a dull moment in the narration. There is NEVER a #mishbir scene that is watched without a smile tugging your lips because the depiction of pure love is so perfect in tone, mannerism and measured words.
Again, hats off to the writing, the cinematography and the editing. Knockout.
The girls in the fandom feel that they may never marry because they may never find a guy as perfect as #AbirRajvansh in their lives (OMG the tweets). We agree. There may not be another Abir Rajvansh. The character is a masterclass in what every woman should be looking for in a life partner.
We highly recommend that men get up close and personal with this perfect male partner prototype. Women have raised their standards of expectations after watching this show.
The chemistry between Rhea and Shaheer is pristine.
The highlights in the story this week were quite a few.
Varun is revealed to be the mastermind in his attempts to scare Mishti into admitting her crime. He tries various ploys in the episodes throughout the week to get her to give her secret up by cornering her in games, scaring her with language and even planting blood on dolls at a pre-marriage ceremony. Abir ousts Kuhu when he traces threatening letters he had been intercepting, meant for Mishti, back to Kuhu. He stops trusting her with being a “bro” to him at that time. Abir, the perfectly flawed, husband specimen also stands up and protects Mishti through the episodes during the week, whether it is to make sure she stays composed in front of the family, or withstands the curiosity of his own mother. We love the trust and love in the relationship between Parul and Abir. The unconditional, unspoken love makes us mushy. Chaitrali Lokesh Gupte is a veteran artist and she makes the character both vulnerable and strong in as much as a sweep of an eye.
The discomfort of Ketki, played by Trishaa Chatterjee, every time people address her pregnancy, tells us that there may be none and it might be a ploy for her and Varun to pressure the families in agreeing to their wedding. Trishaa falters in her longer sentences not only in diction but accent and pronunciation as well. She may need to work a bit on these aspects especially when acting in one on one scenes with more sophisticated actors like Rhea and Shaheer.
The revelation that Varun is indeed scheming with no intention of really marrying Ketki is another angle revealed this week.
Kunal Rajvansh comes back home. ( This is the new actor Avinash Mishra). Avinash comes with ample screen presence & seems to have slipped into the role well already. He is tall and handsome, not so anglicized as Ritvik, but if he and Shaheer find their chemistry soon; this could be a killer good looking boys bromance combo, ready to blow our minds.
Shaheer is a natural but Avinash will need to find his harmony with Shaheer soon.
Meenakshi Rajvansh ( Rupal Patel) confused us this week. She figures out that Mishti & Abir’s absence may be connected to the death of Varun’s brother Karan ( and suspects that it may involve law enforcement and decided to shield her son from any ensuing harm.Her decent behaviour towards Mishti makes us hope that we may finally not have to deal with her astoundingly reverberating baritone.But let us not rejoice, she may be back with another trick up her sleeve.
Ruslaan, as Varun is a consistent performer and he delivers every trick with panache. Another big relief is the toning down of Kuku’s posturing which is a huge stress reliever.
The Friday ( Saturday for India) episode ended with Abir figuring out that Varun may be aware of Mishti’s accident with his brother and may be in their lives for retribution.
There were three cast birthdays in the week, Ruslaan, Vatsal and Rhea. The fandom had planned a big twitter trend for Rhea but called it off when they heard of Samir Sharma’s passing away.Even when called off, the internet became a perfect storm for her big day and the love kept pouring in, trending it anyway.
As usual, this week delivers for the show and we cannot wait for Sunday’s ( Monday for India) episodes. Will Varun succeed ? How will Abir resolve the situation? Will Mishti become stronger ? Will Ketki’s wedding take place?
Keep watching.
PLUS : The story is strong, performances stellar and the pace of the story telling leaves no one wanting for momentum. The strong, meaty, nonconformist story makes the series a delight to watch.
MINUS : Some character actors need to gear up to match the performance fluidity of the main leads. The sync, diction and acting chops are wanting.
#REVIEW ———YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE—– WEEK JULY 27- AUG 1 @HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS
The week was a little slow in its velocity for this series. Though most episodes are always full of not only events but excellent dialogues, Shaheer being patched into most of the episodes this last week was a big downer for the authenticity of the experience, notwithstanding the excellent editing. In the episodes for Thursday and Friday. even when Shaheer was in frame with Rhea, he was not shooting with the rest of the cast.
Rhea continues to slay in her portrayal of a mentally anguished person dealing with the aftermath of a sexual assault.
The writers have a myriad of issues to deal with in this track. The incessant psychological pain of the character of Mishti, not only in dealing with the PTSD of the assault but also the impact of verbal assault from her mother-in-law, monstrous treatment from her sister Kuhu and the moronic utterances of Abir’s aunt needs to be further dealt with by the story.
There were steller dialogues in this week that characterize Abir as a character as one of the most progressive Indian television male leads. You have to give it up for the dialogue writers ( Divy and Aprajita Sharma) for simplifying such social justice issues for the audience with brilliantly arranged words.
The issues that this track deals with are very important socially.
- The treatment of daughters versus the treatment of daughters-in-law
- The fantastical connection in our societies between the uterus of a woman and the honor of the family
- The absolute absolution of any responsibility that men in our society has towards any outcome that may be connected to woman including surprise pregnancies or even sexual attacks
- The effect of verbal abuse on mental health and self esteem of people at the receiving end of such abuse.
- The conundrum of the response women should have towards men who assault them and the justification of how to save themselves from assault.
More than anything else, the series is a reflection of a society that preys upon girls who seem vulnerable either if their parents have abandoned them or if they are impaired or weak in any manner. The society finds it easier to blame, stigmatize and bully women who do not fit into their narrative of class and family. Abir is the change agent and Mishti is the change.
The story has taken a very interesting path so far and this track is extremely powerful in its essence. The director has treated the story immensely well and the editing, music and cinematographic effects are top notch.
The story has two new faces, the unforgettable spy that Meenakshi employs has been replaced (and a new brother to Abir – Kunal, earlier played by Ritvik Arora is now replaced by Avinash Mishra
It will be interesting to see how the story unravels next week as Varun ( Ruslaan Mumtaz) comes over to stay with in the Rajvansh House, obviously approaching a climax to this track.
The Director, Ashish Shrivastav has done justice to the portrayal of the character of Mishti and having seen a firecracker of a woman that Mishti, inherently is, metamorphosing a vulnerable Mishti, who has found her only family in Abir, her soulmate, who not only understands her well but supports her unconditionally. He becomes her oxygen in not only allowing her to grow without changing a single thing about her but also keeping her safeguarded from the society , in ways that even her adoptive parents were not able to.
The strength of this story is not only in picking up societal issues but also the content, so beautifully paced that there is never an episode where multiple events do not push the story along meaningfully. A huge relief from the rest of the fare where the same theme seems to drag on for weeks.
Plus: Rhea Sharma. She rocks her role. She lives it in every quiver of her face, every movement of her hand. See how she almost gives up on the rope of hope and loosely holding it with one finger ? The audience feels anguish everytime she cries. Her baby face is capable of getting the audience involved in her psychological turmoil and she has kept it intensely high caliber. Shaheer Sheikh, undoubtedly not only completes the chemistry, the timing and the delivery of the Mishbir effect but also shines in his solos. The only dampener was his patched appearances which, though expertly edited, still spoilt the Mishbir experience
The last two episodes of the show this last week also saw a new tone with Roopal’s characterization of Meenakshi Rajvansh, which was a welcome change, she is a great actress and we need to see more of her low key characterization of a scheming character.
Minus: Dramatic high pitched, irritable dialogue delivery by the Roopal Patel and Sangeeta Kapure. You do not need to be loud to be effective or in command; yet these two are unbearably loud. We saw lesser of Kaveri this last week, which was a welcome break.
YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE FANDOM ERUPTS WITH DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE NEWS OF RITVIK ARORA QUITTING THE SHOW- THE BROJO WILL BE MISSED
The feeds on social media platforms erupted in distress, disappointment and sadness at the news of Ritvik Arora leaving the show in the midst of the pandemic.
This is indeed a huge loss for the show. Ritvik aced the complexity of his character since the beginning of the show and the chemistry of the bromance on and off screen between him and Shaheer Sheikh is sterling.
Playing a convoluted character is never easy but Ritvik’s understanding of the psyche of a daedalian character like Kunal impeccable.
The gordian process of evolution of Kunal’s personality, his monochrome critical thinking capability and irrefutable love for this mother is very well characterized.The psychology of Kunal’s love for his brother, the foible of his inability to differentiate between right and wrong, the frailty of his ego, his inability to see his brother’s pain and the resolute conviction of his abomination for a girl who did not think they were compatible in a marital relationship further complicates the portrayal.
The transformation of Kunal’s animus to his appreciation of his brother’s feelings towards Mishti (Rhea Sharma) and gradually metamorphosing respect for the same woman he loathed was flawlessly executed by Ritvik.
Ritvik is indeed a gem of a performer. His chemistry with the character of Abir, his controlling mother and the transmogrification of his relationship with his wife Kuhu and the reshaping of his character trajectory was all Ritvik’s forte. Replacing him will be a tall order for any actor, however experienced or capable.
#RitvikasKunal will be missed.
#REVIEW ———YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE—– WEEK JULY 19- JULY 24 @HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS
The show continues its momentum with an engaging storyline last week as well. We really like the pace at which the story progresses. The affirmative appeal of this series is based on the fact that
a. the pace of the story is engaging
b. the character build up is extremely strong
c. the writing is extremely superlative.
In every episode, from the very beginning of this series, there has been at least one such scene or sequence that you would want to keep replaying. The reason for constant engagement of audience is normally either exceptional screenplay, remarkable direction, sophisticated acting, phenomenal chemistry between the lead pair and extraordinary cinematography.
The last week was another such week for the story. Some moments were so beautifully written, emoted and performed that creating a representative collection of “moments” was quite a venture.
The entry of Varun ( Ruslaan Mumtaz) and Abir’s realization that the rape attacker of his wife Mishti was Varun’ s brother. In a situation where this knowledge would trigger Mishti’s PTSD, he is also aware that if the truth was to become evident to the rest of the family, the bias that the family has would still relegate the blame upon his wife instead of the rapist.
He takes the decision that he will have to protect his wife over and above the responsibility to be a part of his sister Ketaki’s wedding. The turmoil he faces, the manner in which he tries to hide his pain from his wife and the conflict this creates in the family was very well dramatized.
Shaheer Sheikh as Abir, continues to shine in his depiction of a conflicted husband who is unable to manage the balance between the expectations of his family and the trauma his wife faces getting belittled and harrassed by the family members constantly. He loses faith in the ability of his family to be able to protect his wife. His frustration at his demanding, threat-mongering mother, who plays passive regressive mind tricks and his relief with a very understanding massi is epochal to the evolution of his personality.
Rhea Sharma, excels in her timing, emotional PTSD scenes, dialogue delivery. The scenes between the two leads are fire. The sincerity, emotion, love and passion between them on screen remains the core fundamental of the story.
The interference of the family in the personal affairs of the couple, debasement of Mishti at every possible occasion, the abject tone-deafness of Kuhu, the fear based immorality of Meenakshi and the licentious impropriety of the insults thrown at Mishti by both Abir’s mami & Jasmeet Chachi add triggers to the resultant actions and behaviour of the couple.
The director has us hanging on for more. What will happen now? Will Mishti be implicated? How will the family react? Will Abir be able to fight the world to save his wife? The whole fandom is waiting in animated suspense.
Here is a collection of some iconic writing and acting for the last week . #yrhpk #yehrishteyhainpyaarke
Plus: The resplendent soundtrack. OMFG, the soundtrack is a collectible in itself. Dig it! The chemistry of the lead pair, intelligent direction, the shayari, the dialogues, the unspoken- ALL SUPER DOPE!!
Minus: LOOPHOLES IN STORY. Again, reminding the editor/ director. There is absolutely no back story to where Nanu is , why is Ketaki’s own brother Atul missing? Why is Abir’s presence such a big deal and why not Atul’s. We didn’t forget that cutie, you know.
Varun wants to go to the US in the middle of the pandemic ? Varun, please dont come. First the consulate is shut. Secondly, we really are the worst hit country in the world right now- businesses have shut down and people are still out of work and at home. Please fix this writers.
#REVIEW ———YEH RISHTEY HAIN PYAAR KE—– WEEK JULY 13- JULY 17 @HOTSTARUS @STARPLUS
If a television show has caught the imagination of the younger audience of Hindi content globally, it has been this piece of art.
Why we call it a piece of art is because in its very conception, it has makings of a very deeply emotional story, that not only tugs your heart strings with a myriad of emotions, but it enmeshes the narrative with the art of poetry, with vivid colors in its pageantry, using light and shadows in the most aesthetic chronicling of the love story of Mishti and Abir, in the most picture perfect small town called Rajkot in the state of Gujarat in India.
Pre-Covid, the audience was taken through the most emotionally excruciating roller coaster ride of Will-they/ Wont-they till the entire internet broke in joyous revelry when Abir ( played by heart-throb Shaheer Sheikh) and Mishti ( played by perfectly cast Rhea Sharma) got married in an iconic manner on top of a bus, signifying the first time Abir had clicked Mishti on a ride to a desert festival.
Abir and Mishti, now married, have started their connubial life, living with a egoistic draconian mother, Meenakshi, (portrayed by Rupal Patel) and a brat called Kuhu ( played very suitably appropriately by new comer Kaveri Priyam) who is not only Mishti’s sister in law now ( Abir’ s brother Kunal, played by very talented and handsome Ritvik Arora is married to Kuhu), but also the grand daughter of her adoptive parents ( and deprecatingly insulting and dismissing of Mishti), amongst other family members in a joint family.
Pre-COVID, the brothers Abir and Kunal, try to get the two wives to be considerate to each other by taking them on a weekend break to a resort. At the resort, the sisters get into an argument, and frustrated about the fact that her husband Abir does not back her up, Mishti decides not to accompany her husband back home.
After COVID, the story has transformed into a thriller with a murder plot, an impeding wedding of Abir’s sister to a stranger with a seemingly ulterior motive ( played by handsome Ruslaan Mumtaz), three months of cognitive dissonance for Mishti diagnosed as PTSD because of a potential rape attack on her by a boy the day she was left alone at the resort by her husband. When Abir realizes his folly, he traces her to find her lying unconscious near another person’s body. Mishti identifies that person as her attacker. They stay in a hotel for the COVID lockdown period of 3 months as Abir helps Mishti recover from the distress of the attack. They decide to return home once the lockdown eases.
The trauma of the assault and the guilt of having possibly killed another human being, even if in defense, is weighing upon Mishti as she undergoes mental anguish in dealing with Kuhu’s offensive outbreaks about her intentions, her mother-in-law’s taunts about the distancing of the couple from the family and just the anxiety of having to cope with the expectations of a joint family.
The only thing that keeps her going is the love and support of her love Abir, who unconditionally becomes the armor that she needs while trying to recover and restore her state of mind.
The brilliant pivot, the engaging story, the usual racy style of narrative, colors, shadows, cinematography, editing and the exceptional music score/ songs that keep the audience wanting more makes the show extremely outstanding.
The internet keeps guessing the next twist, absorbing the smaller details of the plot, the superlative dialogues, the intimacy between the lead pair, getting into the mind of these characters as if they exist in real life, to justify their actions, their emotions and their aspirations along with the terrific chemistry of the lead pair as they ignite the screen with the magic of the love that they portray is mind boggling. For their fans, Mishti and Abir exist in real life.
So much so, that every episode telecast this last week has broken the internet with the joyous fan clubs, fans and the media going ecstatic over the intensity of the comeback track and the much loved lead pair, lovingly called #Mishbir.
Every episode seems to be ensconced with intense chemistry between a young, protective husband keen to protect his wife, whom he loves with every fiber of his being, and a wife, who is sinking in trauma and guilt, yet unthinkingly trying to save her love from the pain that he is undergoing trying to protect her. In her condition of shock, she is not able to deliberate that the outcome of the recognizance of her actions, may in fact harm him more.
Rhea Sharma, with every twitch of her face, her harrowingly moist eyes, the shaking of her hands, her reaction every time a trigger causes her to relapse, her gaze, her face and her efforts to overcome her distress for the sake of her partner- is so beautifully portrayed that it seems real. She is mind blowing.
And Shaheer Sheikh. What can we say? The experienced actor has hit the rendition of Abir out of the park. He gives life to Abir. He has evolved Abir from a dreamy poet with a heart of gold, who could give up anything for the sake of his family to become a responsible young husband protecting his wife with all his soul, understanding her well enough to know her feelings and triggers and support her recovery while being her knight in shining armor standing up for her. The honey of his eyes showing myriads of emotions from love, care, concern, fear, anger or desperation are so intense that you feel that somewhere in the process of the making of this show, Shaheer has become Abir.
Together, #Mishbir make the essence of this truly enchanting Hindi series which has swayed the internet generation since the day it was launched, but now is the cause of daily explosively ecstatic fan led trending hashtags from welcoming them back to celebrating the story with every small detail in the post-covid #mishbir focused story line.
Just the story track that the audience needed to watch in the middle of their own fight for sanity amidst a pandemic. It is a reassuring thread and the love between the lead pair #MishBir makes the world a better place for the millions of their fans. Apart from breaking the internet every day.
Plus : A really good, engaging new gen story, brilliant writing, great dialogues ( that the internet quotes and repeats ad infinitum, ad nauseum), great cast, excellent direction, design and editing, gorgeous brilliant actors in Shaheer Sheikh, Rhea Sharma ( And their explosive chemistry on screen), Splendid co-actors in Ritvik Arora & Kaveri Priyam ( as a dysfunctional couple).
Very loyal, active and fierce fan following across all internet platforms. Fan Fiction sites with aspirational #Mishbir plots, analysis of character motivation and psyche being carried out across all forums every time an episode airs; therefore very high degree of audience interactivity and stickiness. Top Quality.
Minus: The new gen looks for loopholes. The previous episodes are readily available on streaming platforms. They will watch them a thousand times over, if they like them and whats more they will binge on the content. The story may have some logical open ends, which they hope will be stitched back into place in due course of time. This generation believes in retribution and the actions of characters who have been evil to their beloved #mishbir, not having been exposed or set right- is weighing high on the internet chatters and threads. They also want better wardrobe, makeup and hair for the apple of their eye- Mishti 🙂
