#SilsilaBadalteRishtonKa: 5 reasons why you should STOP HATING Nandini!

Colors' Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka starring Drashti Dhami, Shakti Arora and Aditi Sharma was met with huge anticipation from audiences all over the world. The show promised some fantastic performances and a never-seen-before story. Going on-air, the show fetched a good number in terms of TRPs and went on to create a niche fan following. However, we have been hearing of the show receiving quite a bit of flak due to its unconventional content. 

A majority of the show's viewers are irked by the track that the story is taking. They hate the idea of Kunal (Shakti Arora) and Nandini (Drashti Dhami) getting closer and the fact that Mauli (Aditi Sharma) is suffering.

What they hate even more, is Drashti Dhami's character. In lieu of looking down on the character as a traitor, viewers are forgetting a bunch of other elements to consider. Recently, between the trolls and the hate comments, we also came across fans talking about wanting to see Nandini as a strong independent woman. Furthering on that spirit, we are listing down 5 reasons why you should STOP HATING on Nandini.  

Here's our opinion- 

The plight of the other woman is that she is alone in her stance as a scapegoat. She is not only looked at with contempt on account of her ways, but on account of her gender. Kunal doesn't get as much hate as Nandini does! And, that's because the woman bears greater guilt and earns a bad rep in terms of extramarital affairs. We are so used to labels like "the other woman", that we almost completely forget about the cheating man. Kunal is happily married to Mauli and his wife shares the sentiment of happiness. They are a good couple but Kunal still has a wandering eye. He has a commitment to his wife from which he strays. This is morally incorrect and in our opinion, a lot more grave a crime than that of an unattached Nandini. Think about it!

Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka is all about changing relationships as the title suggests but, it is also about complex relationships. Indian daily soaps have been known for their conformity to societal norms and what is perceived as 'appropriate' content for family viewing. For years we have seen a husband and a wife go through the ups and downs of a family life. We had the occasional moral slip-up, but these were met with severe punishment, giving out a clear message. Silsila shows us a budding attraction between a woman and a married man and the wife of the man in question, is friends with the woman. Only this time, the attraction is allowed to play out on screen, instead of being met with staunch opposition. Audiences have forgotten the main plot and are accusing the show of being what it initially promised to be.

Mauli becomes a plot device that adds to the bashing. By showing her descent into depression, audiences will clearly be drawn to disliking Nandini. However, it is important to see things objectively. Attraction beyond labels, is normal. Kunal and Mauli helped Nandini during a delicate phase of her life. There is bound to be a bond formed between people going through a sensitive issue together. Kunal was happy with Mauli but in dealing with Nandini's problems, he created a bond with her and it cannot be done in the absence of a certain kind of love. This isn't highly unnatural. Society teaches us to repress such emotions but that doesn't mean they are absent in married people. As individuals, it is natural to feel drawn to someone. Married people just deny it as the human mind develops a mechanism to prevent them from cheating. Thoughts? 

Drashti Dhami as an actor has been receiving heat off screen as well. We think fan responses are complicating the situation. Some fans are cringing at the chemistry between Kunal and Nandini but, this is also translating off screen. An example, is the hate posts on twitter. Tweets and polls did the rounds as fans decided to support their favourites from the show. The problem with this is that instead of using the character names, fans took on the actors' names. This blurs the boundaries between on screen characters and the actors off screen. So instead of hating Nandini, haters are targeting Drashti Dhami. 

Another unfortunate incident occurred when the actress was actually put in harm's way due to viewers' hatred. There was a sequence that involved commoners to participate in the scene. In this shoot, someone from the crowd actually hurled a stone at Drashti Dhami. The actress was also upset recently as she was questioned about her character. We think projecting qualities of a fictional character on a real person is highly illogical. 

So stop hating on our home girl. Okay? Okay!