Originally posted by: reeha_k
I think they could get away with it. After all the makers did change the ML without a flinch and did it pretty seamlessly, so changing the name is no biggie 🌝😶🌫️🌚
And given that SP has been doing it with their other shows, it won't be strange either. It will actually manage to attract more audience – especially people like us who are sick of watching a flawed ML. Then again, Aryan Singh Rathore is too perfect for a character to base a show on, as per ITV's taste, so I doubt he'll get TRPs for the channel because TRP winners needs to have certain characteristics that Aryan Singh Rathore doesn't, viz.
- TRP winners need to be selfish and yet ensure that the audience sympathize with them – for example, marry a 17-18 year old girl to save your own life and yet act as the wronged party because only you had a life that was ruined. Only you had a dream to marry your love and the said girl had no dreams because she had no one waiting to marry her somewhere out there.
- Have no intention of honoring that forced marriage and so taunt the said girl's marriage dreams into oblivion, so that when she finally says that you don't need to tell anyone about your marriage, you can blame the secret on her head because said 18-year old knows better than a 35-year old you and she can force you, an upright, righteous, honest journalist, to keep your mouth shut.
- Next, continue treating her like shit and go marry her sister. But wait, don't forget that you need the sympathies of the audience. So then, go and throw her some scraps of kindness like motivating her to study, allowing her to visit your room on her birthday, which is such an honor for her because you're an honest, upright, righteous, award-winning journalist, so what if you can't come clear about your own marriage to your family and the world. That's okay, because you are flawed and the audience loves nothing else!
- Finally, one fine day, just randomly wake up and announce your wedding to the world without a thought or care about the said girl or the loving new wife's feelings – it's okay if, as a result, one is ridiculed and abused beyond measure and the other is so disbalanced as to either go kill herself or start messing with others' lives, because ultimately, you are finally in love with the said girl, even if that love came about after the said girl had saved your self countless number of times. Falling in love is what matters, because a flawed man falling in love is such a beautiful thing and a first on itv.
- Fast forward ahead, you now want to keep said girl as wife and second wife (now ex?) as your friend and the mother of your child (wait, when and how did that happen? 😳 right, you became a victim of said seven-year-old-love-cum-friend's imbalanced nature — but what caused the imbalance? I forgot!) both at home. But when said girl/first wife doesn't agree and walks out, you slūtshame her with the first male she comes across or dares to depend on because you were the one she walked out on.
I'm sure I have forgotten a lot of other wrongful things that happened to the poor, flawed, ML's self but even if we just go by these, can Aryan match up? Oh, boy, that's a tall order but let's see.
- Aryan gave Imlie a job, and then moved her into his house, but only after he had thrown her out of the office first. Selfish? Hm, okay, to assuage his guilt, maybe. Did he gain the audience's sympathy here? Hell, no! He came across as the perfect villian.
- Give her opportunities to speed grow in her career because she had the potential. Selfish? Maybe, because he could use her in some way against Aditya for his revenge. Audience sympathy? Again, no.
- Shell out 6 lakhs (an hour?) to get her out of prison and when she turns that money to poof by running away from prison, follow her to Pagdandiya to help her save her ex-husband and village. Selfish? Yes, to improve his image in her mind and clear his name in the eyes of his employees. Audience sympathy – Zilch. 🤦♀️
- Stop the trauma of another forced marriage. Selfish – yes, because why should he just marry in some god-forsaken village? He needs a grand wedding because he's Aryan Singh Rathore. Audience sympathy? Chal hatt!
- Shell out 6 crore to buy a house for her ex-in laws without expecting that money back. Selfish? Hell, yes! She is now indebted to you. 😈 Audience sympathy – dude why are you still trying?
- Finally, when she's trying to destroy her own self and comes begging to you to give up your revenge, because of course, she can do that, you ask, no force her to marry you in exchange for it – again, of course, you didn't allow her to say NO to the marriage. It's wrong of you to be a businessman and offer a deal. You should just have been a philanthropist. Aaaanyway! Selfish? Hell, yes! Audience sympathy? Abey, tere se bada kameena maine aaj tak nahin dekha! Kya audience sympathy? Tere se na ho paega. Go and learn to be flawed first.
Now I understand the channel's choice to keep it ambiguous and let the people decide whether Aryan Singh Rathore is the villian or the ML. Harkatein saari villian wali aur ML banne chale hain. Bhai yahan sirf flawed MLs bikte hain, villains nahi. And if you still can't learn the art of being a flawed ML, go find yourself another step sister of Imlie, I'm sure she exists out there, somewhere and with your resources, you can surely find her. Then, at least, you will be able to get TRPs because the next thing that sells like hot cakes after a flawed ML is a bigamist ML. 🤷♀️
Anupamaa
