Maya and the Prophecies

I have had a lot of problems with Beyhadh😆 With character inconsistencies to another few. But I've recently realized how regressive a few elements of Beyhadh are--especially when it's being marketed as a gender-reversal, revolutionary show on Indian TV.

I've always said that Beyhadh is chock full of blatant foreshadowing that's very off putting. Fine one pandit in one episode or two or three but so many in every episode then a plethora of upshaguns all homing in the same point?

Right from the start the show has shown pandits saying that Maya is a kaala saaya. Then there have been the diyas bhujing and so many upshaguns--which CVs must have meant as God's foreshadowing to the people. The pandits--so respected and spiritual--have all said that Maya will bring nothing but pain and blackness to the lives of the people she's involved with.

And here's my problem. I may not follow this faith and my faith may be different but don't all religions and say that your God loves you more than anyone? That you can make mistakes after mistakes and fill a sky with your sins and ask for forgiveness and God will forgive you before a second?

Isn't it also believed that nobody's a criminal until the crime is committed?

Then why, when we in the east are still struggling with superstitions, is Beyhadh showing that all of these superstitions are right?

Do you know how many women are burned alive because some religious cleric tells her family she's impure or a witch?

How many people are murdered because of apshaguns and superstitions and religous clerics be it pandits or maulvis saying or decreeing in the name of the God that these people are criminals or Devil's spawns?

And after knowing all of this Beyhadh incessantly kept showing that superstitions are correct. That if doodh falls and diya goes off then the woman entering your house is a witch or bearer of bad news.

They showed Vandana in fact more influenced by the superstitions than evidence. Saying dialogues like 'yeh apshagun hua hai. Yeh shaadi manhoos hai' were all not realistic but superstitious beliefs.

A huge part of Maya's life was shrouded in these same superstitions. The God she worshipped--His clerics telling her she's nothing but a black shadow, she's cursed, she's vile. How must she feel as a woman? God would never say that. He would never ever judge you guilty until proven. And yet the CVs showed all of this and then actually proved in the leap that follow what pandits or apshauns tell you because these superstitions are right. Their prophecies did come true -- Maya and Arjun's marriage is a hell for him.

But don't they see what impact this have on people who might watch this show and also believe in superstitions? They'll be influenced and affected and go ahead and buy the next apshagun or prophecy that happens in their life.

It is the single most regressive and dangerous aspect of the show.

And the CVs have somehow glorified it.

P.S. Don't bash any character on my post. thank you.

Originally posted by: KhatamKahani

Self fulfilling prophecies are inherent in many religious takes upheld by their believers.

While I agree it is not correct and the prophecies themselves have a role in eventual outcome, I disagree on putting it all on the 'bad' superstitions, and that the 'good' religious and godly beliefs do not include them.

What is superstition and what is faith? People will categorize them as much as they feel their own faith and beliefs are not superstitions.

Anyway, back to my point. Self fulfilling prophesies are very much inherent in any religious tales upholding its Deity.

Originally posted by: ---Khushi---

So totally agree, Rida...Fab post...Infact, I was myself contemplating a post on this topic...

Regressive it is. Totally. In this era n age, to encourage superstitions, is just so regressive.

Astrology as a science does exist. It makes predictions based on planetary positions and exact time n date of birth of a person . But I don't know how much I can believe it.

But absolutely nothing like the nonsense that the Mauritius Pundit was blabbering, that too, just by seeing 2 people praying n reading their palms...

The CVs tried to portray as if Maya was an evil spirit n the divine pundit recognised her n hence berated her...

I would like to ask the CVs here...Would the pundit say the same for a person with a physical illness??...Coz I firmly believe, Maaya ain't evil...She's ill..Very ill.

So to berate a mentally ill person in the name of superstitions n apshaguns is very insensitive...N cruel.

Originally posted by: thelostgirl

u know once i had also made a post on the pandt drama

do read it if u have time or u r interested

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4798044

Originally posted by: FleetingWishes.

Beyhadh has an excessive supply of pandits and propechies.😆 It's irritating after a point how they keep so blatantly foreshadowing a thing and marking someone as a villain.
It's not a fantasy work like harry potter was. It's the real world where people actually believe such things and people and go on to harm others. If your beliefs--and only beliefs and no proof--makes you harm someone or hurt someone or vindicate someone, it's wrong. Period.

Originally posted by: charminggenie

Not going to talk about the characters of this show because thats a discussion for another time.

This trend to include supernatural elements has nothing to do with faith/religion/superstition but it is a poor attempt at grabbing eye-balls under the category of shock-awe. By putting a flickering diya to show a dear one in danger or showing a crow eating some food to emphasis on the good decisions . The whole point is to tell/spoon-feed the audience towards certain emotion,reaction while trying to push a plot. Read an article by Ekta's writer who very eloquently mentioned how they add such effects to grab eye-balls. What this does is that it normalizes certain beliefs,superstitions and encourage subtly a certain emotion in the society. Now you know that if a diya flickers it means the FL must pray and worry about her guy who will be battling life-death situation.

The reason why such cheap-trp bait stinks here in this show is because the channel and the show makers have marketed it to be a "different, progressive" show. Which means it won't normalize the trp-bait behaviour. Yet, here we are.

Vandana's initial sketch doesn't seem to show that she believed in these abshaguns and what not. But who cares when we need a character to take a bullet so that we might create a trp bait track of bechari bahu and atyachari saas.

The real disturbing tone of this whole show is how these generalizing sweeping superstitions seem to be indicating Maya as the "bad"..who we all know has done objectionable actions , basically being the "Evil". So, show, by associating all those superstition stuff with Maya has normalized the act as well as the superstitions and I shudder to think how this conditioning will impact the viewers . Here it's not about proving the superstitions wrong or teaching Vandana a different mindset but proving how all of those signs were true ..that is where this show immediately joins the types of Gopi show.

That is why shows and channels who proclaim to be "progressive and game changing" , need to realize that giving a subtle wardrobe, using lighter colour tones won't cover the regressive ..it has to be the content, story-telling and the message conveyed to earn that title.

P.S. Only for you and because I am super pissed at this show. You should keep writing here, much more fun.