Originally posted by: Lady_Macbeth
Actually , a lot can be said what went wrong with Aarambh ratings wise..
I'll start by saying , with it's very many flaws , at the end of the day , Aarambh is still an awesome show and I salute the makers for trying some thing new and huge in ITV , which is so boring nowadays , not a single good show to watch on any channel , in spite of so many channels and so many shows.
It;s like water water every where not a drop to drink.
It's always better to try some thing great and fail at it , than not even trying or worse , doing the same old ghissa pita stuffs over and over again.
Since I see many differences in how the show is being handled pre vs. post leap, I'll talk about them separately .
Pre leap-
My main grouse came under four broad headings.
1. Portrayal of Dravid society . They shouldn't have shown Matriarchy to begin with. It was innovative , but it's totally inaccurate , because there wasn't even monarchy in Indu valley civilization .
Plus , it's too foreign a concept for Indian viewers , India is practically steeped in Patriarchal culture , beliefs and thought processes . Yes , it should be changed and entertainment media could and should play a role in it, but they should attempt for a gentle nudging towards change instead of electric shock treatment . I instantly knew Indian viewers will reject this concept of Women >> men in any society. It's just too much too soon for them.
And on top of that , put that kind of dialog on the mouth of the FL !! That's what I call delusion in ambition.
You can;t promote Black people are >>>> than white counter parts in USA and expect people to accept that kind of content , no matter how innovative it is.
And that's wrong too ! No person is superior or inferior than any other person by virtue of any traits they get from birth , like , caste , creed , religion, gender , looks , color etc.
What they could've shown instead is that woman are considered rightful equals to male counter parts in all fields , including the throne , where the prince and princess are given equal chance to ascend the throne by virtue of their merits and qualities.
NOW , that would've been a fresh and acceptable for viewers concept !
And immediately would've shown Dravid society at better lights than the outright Patriarchal society of Aryans and keep the opening to show that how Aryans saw and felt the flaws in their old ways and their society changed as a result of influence from Dravid cultures. Huge mistake from story telling point of view and huge loss of potential right there.
2. Too much cruelty in Dravid side , almost bordering on inhuman and barbaric .
The Indu valley civilization are well famed for it's rich culture , yet the makers here presented them as those of Kalkeyas or Pindaris from Bahubali , with rules like no mercy to or from the enemy ( mercy is the biggest of human qualities ) , daughter has to kill father, loyal soldiers made to take walk of shame and killed off brutally for being alive with enemy's mercy ... and so on ! 🤢
3. The character of DS - I can practically write a huge article on how flawed her character was in compared to an exceptionally , brilliantly written Varundev. But I won't do that. I'll mention just a few bullet points. Already this reply is over lengthy !
a. Some cringe worthy dialogs at times . I mentioned one above.
b. Instead of seeing the flaws in their law system and taking a mental vow to change it slowly after gaining power , she blamed Varundev for the death of her father and vowed to kill her - a result of totally biased and truncated though process .
A protagonist is called a protagonist for a reason , if she's puppet of Hahuma and a helpless carrier of old rotten rules , then how come she's the protagonist ??
c. She lacked the courage and honesty to accept her own feelings , her love for Varundev . She was as affected by him and fell for him as strong as he fell for her , but it was VD who'd the courage and honesty to make the confusions clear and urging her to take a stand for their love.
I understand she was struck with her duties , but she'd already betrayed it by falling for him , so why not try for a peace treaty ?? She was the queen of her clan , she was in a better position of power in regards to her people , than Varundev , who was just one of 12 consisting their senate.
d. They should've given her more dialogs highlighting her compassion , her urge to bring greater good for her people , her determination to make a cleaner better society , a wish to outgrow Hahuma's influence etc.. Instead they just focused on her warrior side , which , instead of making her a strong female , made her look like a bloodthirsty wench.
Powerful woman should be a fine blend of silk and steel .
Her mother Chamundi's character was far better , she was so gentle , well spoken , open minded , took a stand for her love by herself ( though I wish she didn't suicide , nope ! ) and not so impulsive.
4 . In the Aryan side , I've little to complain except that I wanted to see Varundev's mother.
Plus , I wanted to see more of Aryan women and how their lives are in a patriarchal society.
Pre leap my fav scenes were that of leads with their respective fathers, since it highlighted their human sides .
I loved DS the most when she prayed for the safe return of her father , and went to the tent of the soldiers to taste their foods.
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