OPEN LETTER 4lions and Pandora's Box

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joenet1234

@joenet1234

Dazzler

+ 4

Posted: 13 years ago

I have never initiated a post on IF but have commented on plenty. General boredom and the state of affairs with the onscreen and off screen drama made me break my resolve today. So here it goes.

Today's "OPEN LETTER" by 4lions' opened the Pandora's box yet again with a lot of interesting comments. This post is not intended to rant about 4lions' outcry because I am sure we are all ranted out by now on multiple posts and platform, so let's give ourselves a break and not infect the wound anymore. We all deserve a break! In response to the letter, many viewers have suggested potential ideas and storyline to take the show forward. While the forum has a powerhouse of talent with many amazing writers and ideas, some of the suggestions on forum32 indicated the focus shifted to just keeping the show running longer vs. running it (for whatever period of time) while keeping the USP intact. This is just my observation and strictly my opinion.

IPK for me has always been about Arnav and Khushi's love story, with just a tad bit of drama to act as a catalyst and spike the love. I agree 100% that for a while now the romance has fizzled, rabba vey is a tale of the yore, getting the leads in the same frame is rarer than Eid ka chand etc etc. Yet, almost every day I watch and hope that maybe the semblance of love story will return. Even if in a 20 minute episode, I get to see 8-10 minutes of romance, teasing, flirting, my quota is fulfilled. Sad I know! Pathetic that I have the biggest smile on my face if I see the leads (not the BDs) in the same frame, this is what I have resorted to these days Anyways, I digress. The reason I still watch this show is because of the love story and bas. I don't give an iota of faraq to the drama, I am not looking for the show to instill a sense of civility, patriotism, responsibility or inspiration in me. To me, it has and will always be fictional, fantasy, unrealistic, unbelievable love story which I can't and shouldn't find in real life because let's face it no girl would marry a guy who drops her from his office window 😆 The day I am completely convinced the romance can't possibly return in IPK, I'll quit watching (although it seems the day might not be too far 😕)

Coming back to the ideas (not mine) I read in forum32 and my take (strictly my POV). (The ideas are in bold that people have proposed on the forum32, they are not my ideas. I have provided my POV on why an idea does or doesn't work for me).

1. Let Aarav be Arnav's kid - While this makes for interesting drama, my question is what happens to the love story? If the kid is Arnav's and if Sheetal's character is not killed off in the show, what happens to Arnav and Khushi? If the kid stays, so does the mother whether she is on the screen every day or not, the possibility of her returning any day exists, like a dangling sword. What about the kid? Does he not deserve his parents to be together? Enough cases have been made that the kid angle brought us epics like Masoom, I agree! But if I remember correctly a) Kid's mother died in Masoom b) it worked because it was a 3 hour movie instead of a 20-min daily soap so the point was made within a definite time frame c) the movie was not sold to me as a love story, it was an issue-based drama. If IPK has decided to change the genre, then sure! this can make for an interesting and a "grown-up" watch for many but I wont be watching. If I want to watch this kind of drama, I'd much rather turn to a movie or Western TV where such things are handled with much more finesse, realism and sensitivity! Or better yet talk to my next door neighbor who is dealing with divorce and custody battles!

2. Arnav and Khushi should separate - A physical separation around the remarriage time made sense because of the past angle which unfortunately was wrapped up and forgotten more quickly than a one-night stand. Now that the two are married, physical separation does not make sense and can't invoke the same angst that an emotional separation can. It is rather easy to move away physically from someone, not meet them, not talk to them but staying under the same roof with someone, trying hard to avoid them, denying their existence while they are in front of you - that makes for some intensity. Everyone loved the intensity, the passion, the tug and pull in the hate marriage because they were together, under the same roof BUT emotionally distant. Same thing needs to happen here. Emotional distance, not being able to share the pain with the one and only person who understands your pain. That is some powerful stuff.

3. Khushi gets pregnant and moves away - The two have not even had a chance to explore each other's habitats fully and a kid already? 😕 While I would love to see Arnav and Khushi go through the process of becoming parents, I think it should be the absolute last thing in the show. Arnav becoming a father is the ultimate exorcism of his demons and a complete acceptance of what the father-son relationship means. Both Khushi and Arnav being orphans deserve to experience this happily and not in turmoil to restore and maintain faith that "yeh duniya itni bhi zaalim nahi hai". I have a rather gripping and fitting story/track around this but since I am not getting paid, 4lions can try getting it out of me telepathically 😛

4. Anjali needs to rebuild her life - I have to admit I don't really care much about anyone else in the show other than the leads but for the sake of filling up the 20 mins, I'd say utilize Anjali's character to show nayi soch and a dose of issue-based drama. I agree that she needs to get out of the house instead of sitting pretty on the couch all day. Let her volunteer in a hospital or do some social work maybe around kids since she is so motherly. Make her stand on her two feet and establish her identity and then only if she finds a right person, start a new chapter. This way the drama-enthusiast get their share and I get my love story with the leads.

5. Payash - Both Deepali and Akshay are good actors, any decent story that explores Payash's relationship will be watchable as long as it does not involve an 8 year old Payal ki saut.

I have plenty more to say but this post is already way longer than intended. My intention wasn't to criticize, belittle or object to any of the ideas. I simply wanted to make a point that perhaps we selfishly want the show to continue just because we are addicted but overlooking the main factors on why it does or doesn't make sense for it to do so. A really good friend of mine said, watch it for "nirmal anand" and that's what I want to do! But my nirmal anand depends on the love story, the kid not being Arnav's, no physical separation between Arnav and Khushi, and decent quality walay rabba veys - yes plural for rabba veys because yeh meray escapism ka mamla hai! 😃

Agree, disagree, scream, ignore - have at it peeps!
[/NOCOPY]

Edited by joenet1234 - 13 years ago

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Frequent Posters

ipkbs

@ipkbs

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 13 years ago

Sorry for resing 1st spot and then not updating😳

Happy first post. Ek baar post kiya ab baar baar karogi. 😃

I'm glad you made this post.

Everyone loves this show and we don't want to see a premature death when we haven't even been satisfied with what we've got.

So obviously when the forum32 sent out the request, people got their ideas rolling.

However, in the panic or excitement or whatever it was, they've overlooked the consequences on the show with those ideas. So thanks for the eye opener Joey.

Parallel tracks are good and needed but for how long will we stand and watch them?

When we got a Payash track, we wanted it off. Same with Di. Dadi and blah.

So what is the guarantee we won't do the same this time?

Giving ideas is fine but in the end it is not our show,we are the customers and no we don't want to stack the shelves in the store.

Let the creatives use their creativity or find someone new whose brain hasn't shrivelled up and give us the love story back.

Shukriya.

Edited by ipkbs - 13 years ago

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madmaxine

@madmaxine

Inactive

+ 7

Posted: 13 years ago

res.

Cheers to the 4Ls for making you break your making a post virginity. Never thought I'd thank them for anything. 😆

Unres

Kya bey. Now I have to make sense and can't just toss around random expletives. So, with reference to the show. Like you said, the USP is the love story. I have a slightly different take on their love though. Bear with me.

No relationship works without trust. A and K love each other alright. They obviously have trust issues. 😆 He needed her to risk her life and save his, for him to trust her. She can't seem to take his word for it that he isn't Aarav's father. For me, this love is inherently flawed. They need to explore this a little further. He needs to hurt that she didn't trust him (I am with you on Aarav not being his kid. Kid is adorable and a good actor. But it just doesn't work for me). He needs to blow up at her. And then some home truths need to come out. The entire story of the hate marriage needs to come out to the family. (They don't know this, except Di who got some rubbish version from Chotey). Khushi needs to express her insecurities and hold him responsible for judging her harshly when he behaved very similarly in the past. Then she needs to go away.

Regarding emotional versus physical separation. I am actually for a physical separation. Reason is simple. Khushi feels inadequate. Her husband indulges her, but he also gently mocks her. Every loving look, every flick across her nose is a "You're such a sanka devi! Paagal, but cute" from him. She needs to find herself. She needs to find her confidence. And she can never do that while in her asshole husband's shadow. And honestly, the feminist in me would like to see her grow a little sophistication and finish the 'what the' for him some day. I'd like her to go away and find herself a career and come back all hotshot and catch him on the back foot.

He'd be upset that she didn't trust him and she disrespected her love. She's be upset that he was allowed to make mistakes, but she wasn't. Trust is a two-way street, and they didn't have it. Now, they blame eahc other for a broken relationship, mistrust and dislike each other, but still love each other with a passion. Nafrat paas na aane de, mohabbat door na jaane de. Part deux. The family can be conflicted over whose side to take. Payal and Akash can especially battle over this.

And yes...Di needs to find a career, herself and a man, in that order.

As for nirmal anand. I find that on skype with my friends these days. 😊 Rabba vey gaya tel lene. IPK made me some awesome friends. So you know what, 4Ls, I forgive you for being douchewads. Because, I found me some awesome friends because of the show you created.

Edited by madmaxine - 13 years ago

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savvy05

@savvy05

Rocker

Posted: 13 years ago

Joey could not agree more - What attracted me to IPK is the premise of a love story between polar opposites, characters brilliantly conveyed by 2 actors who have brought Arnav and Khushi to life. Everything other character/story in IPK is just a stepping stone or a stumbling block aimed towards their love story.

From 12 min of HOF brilliance of Nov 1st of 2011 to 2 minute of blah Arnav and Khushi scene today - oh where and how did we land here with the soap barely 1.5 years old - infancy when compared to other soaps out there.😕

I was convinced that getting these two married will open a whole avenue/plethora of plot lines when Arnav and Khushi took their next step as husband and life, needless to say I was educated today that it all ends with marriage and life is all hunky dory, bed of roses after that

Pain of the past still haunting Arnav, Khushi making him accept the past, Arnav understanding the sankiness of Khushi, encouraging Khushi to continue her entrepreneurial venture , she trying to fit into his world yet retaining her core identity, he trying to understand the Gupta dynamics better, both trying to make Anji independent, their squabbles because of their strong unique identities.. so many many ideas plus there are abundance of books, movies that the writers should not be afraid to raid to get inspiration from.😡.. yet they went down the cliched route of vamp and vamplet (TM belongs to Jamba 😉)

In spite of all this on screen and off screen drama, I still hold on to hope that the old IPK charm or at least the shadow of it will be back.. call me a die hard romantic, overt optimistic?

Edited by savvy05 - 13 years ago

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sugar_babe

@sugar_babe

Inactive

+ 2

Posted: 13 years ago

Joeyyy 🤗

Thanks for the birthday wishes yesterday!!

I couldn't agree with your post more. This whole tug of war and loonieness on "let Aarav be Arnav's kid" has gotten out of control. If Aarav stays (no matter whose son he is), Sheetal directly or indirectly stays in the picture. We don't want that. We can't have that. God knows we've had our dues of "aap bhi nah", now its time to focus on the happily married couple. Its about their journey now. There's more after the "happily ever after", explore that. Besides, there are too many open loops still lurking..

I don't know what DB re-negotiated with, but Anjali's character has pretty much remained the same except that one hard slap episode. She needs a story, get out more, get out of interfering in everyone else's problems, go find your own problems out there Anjali. Go find a kid who needs a home, or a kid who needs a mother and comes with a father.. so much potential.. She needs to be shown strong. There are so many women who go through divorces and stand on their own feet, they need something like that for Anjali.

Akshay and Deepali are seriously underused. These couples got married together, there are a lot of newly married issues they can deal with and make for a strong parallel track. Why can't Payal be shown designing for AR, she knows embroidery..?!

Alas, at the end of the day, who knows what those creatives are upto and who they set out loose without supervision. Word of caution CV's, tathastu, one of these days, everyone will give up if you keep this up. Credibility goes a long way and so does karma.

Edited by sugar_babe - 13 years ago

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Hriju321

@Hriju321

Rocker

Posted: 13 years ago

res

Couldn't agree more with you Joey. This is a love story of Arnav and Khushi to me...20 minutes of sapnon ki duniya after a hard day's work in asli duniya.

For me Aarav cannot be Arnav's son...bas.I liked Masoom,loved "Man,Woman,Child" but I cannot relate that plot to Arshi.In both cases,the child's mother was not in the picture and in both cases the female lead had a family of her own and was not newly married.

The story can now proceed as a track of "atoot Vishwas".Arnav had believed all Khushi had said without proof during Shyaam's initial ouster as he had come to believe Khushi and now it is Khushi's turn. The story can be explored to show how Khushi's innate insecurities are making her lose confidence about fitting in ASR's world and how she emotionally distances herself miscontruing the actual truth and does not believe even though ASR has clarified his stand with respect to his relationship with Sheetal.Let ASR be sensitive to his wife's turmoils.He may hurt seeing Khushi believing what Sheetal wants to project instead of having faith in him but ultimately let ASR realise that he is in some part responsible for Khushi being what she is today.All his past behaviour,constant taunts and the initial hate marraige has caused the the deep rooted hurt and loss of self confidence of Khushi...let ASR realise how he is equally responsible for this whole Arnav-Khushi-Sheetal-Aarav quadrangle.Let Arnav and Khushi rediscover each other,delve into each other's psyche and heal each other.Let them have a child of their own...Khushi's pregnancy can be such a lighthearted,funfilled,romantic track...Jalebi Bai with all her sweet mannerisms and paagal demands which a love lorn,would-be-father tries to fullfil...come on 4 Lions...do I need to say more?

Let Anjali get a job,where she can meet some dashing man with some sorrows of his own and let them bond...

Bring Lavanya back and let her and NK make a pair.

4 Lions...as I'm not paid to write the script for you...ab free mein itna hi milaga.Baki..paisa doh...maal lo...😆

Edited by Hriju321 - 13 years ago

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showstruck

@showstruck

Rocker

Posted: 13 years ago

Agree with first one definitely. Kid cant be Arnav's as mother is healthy and alive. Yes, kid deserves a family and if he gets his then we lose out love story all together. So, please no kid of Arnav with a woman who is not Khushi.

Emotional separation is the best way to get intensity back but if they can get it back by physical separation too, then I can take short one.

The side character ideas are really good for filling air time and give the actors a chance talk and act.

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meens80

@meens80

Dazzler

Posted: 13 years ago

Hi Joey 😊
Long time n hope you are doing well..
I think the best way to move ahead is a seperation; maybe a short physical seperation and then the family intervenes and gets them together but they are still emotionally disconnected for sometime till they sort out the issues and emerge stronger as a couple.
The kid seems to share great chemistry with both Arnav n Khushi so maybe the family can adopt after it is revealed that he is neither Arnav nor Sheetal's son and she just used him as a pawn in her game.
I would like to see Anjali rebuild her life, NK get a job first n then a GF and some movement on Payash as well, parallel tracks that do not eat into the love story..

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soapsuds

@soapsuds

Rocker

Posted: 13 years ago

res

Edited:

Have yet to read any of the responses so perhaps some of this may have already been said.

Joey, I am not talking about specific tracks or situations here but this is just my general idea of what I would now like the story to explore post marriage still keeping Arhi as the focus of the story:

The story so far has focussed on Arnav's journey into the light with Khushi as his beacon...how has managed to confront the darkest shadows and the deepest scars of his past and get past them and how Khushi has been largely responsible for the transformation. Situations arose which forced Arnav to confront his fears and eventually overcome them and he has now found peace and love and sunshine with Khushi. Khushi's happy facade is very deceptive...but underneath that mask Khushi has equally dark shadows...and she hasn't yet had to confront them and overcome them in the same way as Arnav had to. What I would like to now see is Khushi's journey through the same. Khushi has never been put in a situation when she has to confront her deepest darkest insecurities and learn to overcome them...the first test was at the mandap but Arnav showed up and put her fears to rest. This current track (in my head'.not sure what the CVs are aiming for) is the first real major test for Khushi...and for ArHi to live happily ever after, they both need to overcome the shadows of their past and emerge stronger out of it.

I would also like this to be Arnav's journey of understanding his wife and how damaged she is in her own way and help her in the same way as she helped him. Khushi changed him from ASR to Arnav and we saw that beautifully (largely)'..now its time for Khushi to take the steps to become Mrs. KASR from KKG and KKGSR with Arnav by her side every step of the way. Arnav understands Khushi better than anyone else but even he doesn't know quite how deep her insecurities run...her low self-esteem and her almost compulsive need to make sure she puts everyone else first and her need to put their needs first even at great personal cost...as if she has to pay a debt of gratitude for every crumb of happiness that comes her away. To him she is the girl he loves beyond anything, his sunshine girl who brought light and laughter and her own special brand of pagalpan and fun into his life and who taught him all he knows about love and atoot Vishwas. He is yet to realize that this girl he loves and who taught him all about atoot vishwas and bharosa is herself struggling with it her own insecurities...to Arnav, Khushi is the bigger person in front of whom he bows his head...that its himself who had to struggle with trust and love and belief...not Khushi...so I don't think Arnav has really understood this part about Khushi. Understanding also doesn't some magically or overnight...it evolves over time...and this will also be a journey of Arnav's understanding of his wife, her fears and her insecurities and then he will help her through them so that she finally learns to trust that love and happiness can truly be theirs and is here to stay...where Khushi will finally overcome her own fears and truly have atoot vishwas in "them" and in a future which is theirs. Khushi will learn that she should not drive away happiness with her own actions (the way she seems to be doing now) just because she is afraid to trust in it for fear of it being snatched away. Sheetal is just a catalyst in this...

At the end of this the final step will be Khushi and Arnav becoming parents themselves and embracing parenthood as whole people having helped each other to heal. This can be the final track of the story after which the show ends.

So whatever is the microtrack ...whether it is Sheetal and Arav or a story of any of the other characters, the show for me still needs to be Arhi-centric and furthering the love story in various ways...all other stories are a means to reach this goal. To me I have no interest in Anji's or NK's or anyone else's story except as a track in the background for the leads to have some respite and have something else to show for part of the 20 mins. So I would like these stories to be developed well so that the viewer interest is held but only as parallel stories in the background and not as the focus of any track...the focus always needs to be ArHi.

Specifically various situations can be used to explore this. I don't want Araav to be Arnav's son because no matter how they handle it, there will be no happy solution which is fair to all concerned as long the mother is still in the picture...if they are exploring issues that's a different story altogether then...not this one... I want this is be an epic lovestory and the journey of the two people in it and Arav being arnav's son will not serve that end. As far as separation is concerned it can definitely make for a more emotionally gripping and intense story...I think an emotional separation is easier to show than a physical one...considering that ArHi is the USP of the show.

OMG never realized this became so long...so enough bak bak for now.

Edited by soapsuds - 13 years ago

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nonasi

@nonasi

Dazzler

Posted: 13 years ago

#10

I'm so glad you made this post!!!! And I agree with everything you said. It's a love story, an unrealistic one, but a love story nonetheless. Any situational drama is peripheral to Arnav and Khushi and isn't supposed to actually be the focal point.

I always wanted the show to end on a high note (kids-related, happily ever after, etc.), but their struggles as a couple trying to cope with their differing ideologies is something I thought we'd get to see after the shaadi. The way they've shown how deep their understanding is makes it seem as though these two will never clash, which makes no sense. Marriage didn't need to be the end point!