Hi!
In a couple of days, curtains will fall on a tale to which we all have been heartfelt spectators over the last several months. Each of us will remember the 'half-an-hours' we invested in the tale each weekday in our very own way and describe it with an adjective we think most apt. At the same time, it is quite natural to feel a bit gloomy as we inch closer to the last telecast. Jostling with these thoughts and armed with the responses that I received from this forum's distinguished members in the poll conducted last week, I couldn't resist writing this epilogue for our dear tele serial.
This epilogue, as I prefer calling it, is meant to serve multiple purposes. Firstly, as the subtitle of the epilogue suggests, it intends to mount a soft and sad-toned critique of the show with the sole purpose of highlighting where it could have gone wrong. Secondly, as most epilogues do, it will seek to judge whether the tale in question accomplished the project it had set itself in the preface. Lastly, it will try and include some emotions and lessons (if any) towards the end.
At the very outset, the story was full of promise, potential & poise. To the credit of the CVs, the screenplay was captivating, the circumstances were exciting and the actors were brilliant. As a result, it is quite difficult to imagine how a delicacy could go awry when the recipe and ingredients were perfect.
I. How A Promise Went Wrong
- The Means-Ends Problem
Most philosophers agree that no matter how pious your ends are, the means that are employed have to be equally righteous and acceptable to make your acts correct. This, I think, is where the show's promise fell short of expectations. (I will elaborate through the headings that follow.)
Unjustifiable Injustices: On the basis of my analysis and the feedback I have received in my posts, the show took the most serious body blow when the 'groom swap' happened. The second & the fatal body blow came when the male lead was unnecessarily sacrificed. One may argue that the CVs had the right motive in mind when they televised the 'groom swap' (that Aradhya should marry the real Ehsaas, not an imagined one), but the means they employed were distasteful and abominable. As far as Madhav's death is concerned, both the means & the ends were unjustified. No wonder, the most faithful of viewers had to question their loyalty to the show.
Imposition Instead Of Realisation: The CVs continued unabated with means-ends blunders when they televised the "Daadi Ploy" as a method to make Aradhya realise her longing for Madhav instead of relying on and waiting for the inherent capability of her love to come to the fore and effect a genuine realisation. Again, I am of the view that Aradhya's liking for Madhav was always genuine, but the means employed to prove it were deplorable & very lousy. The means bordered on imposition and robbed the plot of its much-deserved essence.
- The Shameless Catalyst
It's called Television Rating Points (TRPs). Quite easily the main culprit, it acted as the shameless catalyst to push the show deeper into the abyss. We all know how methodologically flawed the entire system is (rural areas are excluded, sample size is shockingly small, etc.), but we can't blame the CVs for bowing to it when the entire TV industry is based on it. The CVs can only be criticised for being too greedy in their pursuit of these TRPs & sacrificing good story-telling in the process.
The Elusive Points: One does wonder whether the CVs should have realised that the concept they were handling would have always had only a limited clientele given its contrast with mainstream thinking about ideas such as beauty & love. This realisation would have not only avoided the mindless TRP-hunt beyond a certain point but would also have immensely benefitted sensible & sensitive story-telling.
II. The Miscarriage of a Concept
- As I understood the essence of the show at its inception, it sought to question the necessity of a good physical appearance in a relationship. It wanted to assert that a true relationship can go beyond physical appearances and the symmetry of looks/complexion of the partners. In my view, as the show ends, I cannot but say that this essence has been compromised and dealt with very inefficiently. In fact, I am afraid the ending may prove counterproductive to the project they had ventured out with initially. It may end up reinforcing the existing stereotypes about fairness of complexion and 'good looks'. Much has already been said about how the show is ending, I only want to add that I strongly feel that the ending of any tale should be in consonance and compliance with what it had stated at its inception. Had the show declared its aim to be that of exploring the vagaries, fickleness and unpredictability of life, the ending would have been apt. But, that was not the case.
III. In Conclusion
As I end (what is my last post as topic-maker), I have to pour out my emotions too amidst all the formal arguments. I have to say the show has succeeded in arousing feelings of all hues - affection, shock, anguish, sadness, longing & love. I will surely miss the Periwals and the Mansinghas at 7.30pm on weekdays!
The lessons to be learned are few but stark. How long can effective story-telling be a slave to the obnoxious TRP system? How long will Sony's shows promise so much but deliver so less? How long will the CVs & the PHs be unresponsive to the lay viewer's feelings? Let's think it over.
Thanks a lot!
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