I 100% agree with your post. I had said in one of Asmi’s posts - I started watching from the Amey track - I remember there was a ZA scene and the way Sai was giving back left, right and centre to the family about Shivani and her rights. I remember seeing a mature and understanding Virat who was sort of bemused and watching her do all her nautanki and then sort of backing her when it all became too much for her. It was awesome.
Somewhere along the line, the quiet dignity of Virat’s character has been crazily butchered till he is a chalta-phirta epitome of a regressive ITV male lead. And Sai has become quiet, in fact has been told that in a “joint family”, she needs to behave like this and curtail herself - all for what? She is constantly abused mentally, harassed and tortured till she is breaking down and ready to keep everything away from her, and build up walls. Sai - who said she is not defined by anyone else - is putting her happiness in the hands of a man who has thrown her out of the house at night, suspected her, and most importantly - allowed his disgusting ex to taunt, degrade and humiliate his wife and supposed one true love - despite seeing her true colours. All in the name of TRPs of course. You know, when I saw 3.5 TRPs for last week, it was like a slap on the face. I realised it really is who the hell are we. We are only the people who sat and analysed and drew out patterns of behaviour to justify the crap being served to some TRP households on a platter. We are only the people who hyped the show and then got ignored when we asked for respect. We are only the people who are also now losing interest because the kind of shoddy nonsense that is being given is too much to take in an already pathetic world.
To me, one of the other main things that triggered the downfall was the way Pakhi was played against Sai continuously. The lady does not have the acting chops to carry off such a complex and nuanced character. Instead it seems to be alternating between cartoonish villain and cliched soap vamp. If she had been a strong foil, it would have been a different matter completely. But that’s our luck. What to do. Instead we are seeing a whitewashing that would give Tide ads a complex, and a toxic environment exacerbated by horrible acting.
Offscreen - I feel 100% that a talking-to of some sort atleast has happened, given the mutual commenting on the posts suddenly just when online trending has started reducing. Feels a little less awful now. But promotions for the lead jodi - I mean, parallel jodi, sorry, leads are Samrat and Pakhi of course - let’s forget about it. The one who did it single-handedly was never acknowledged properly, and the other one doesn’t seem to be interested. I am definitely not voting for him and his (offscreen) ‘better half’ in Nach Baliye (which I am sure is definitely happening).
Hindi TV Shows
Bindi
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Jodha Akbar
