I am new to Imlie. As in, I only found out about it last week because of a Youtuber's criticism. As an IPK and QH watcher at one time, I joined to see if all the criticisms of this show were really true. I am now hooked and binging for days! What a treat to see it all at once. I know Gul's dramas, esp. QH was ridiculous after a while, but I really don't see what has been so wrong in this serial. I would say it is the most sensible of her dramas. I am up to April so far and I think it has been pretty seamlessly executed in terms of presenting human dilemmas. I am not saying, seamlessly written every time, but the actors have been doing a superb job and their commitment to the show really...well, shows! They two leads have carried this show on their backs even when the writing didn't match and I want to thank them for it.
Gashmeer has gone above and beyond any actor I have seen work in the Indian TV industry towards making his character nuanced and yet, sympathetic. It is so rare that he cares enough as an actor to put this much effort in an Indian TV show. Most actors in TV just put in time, but they don't work on the skills. I used to think Barun was as good as Arnav, but that character suffered at the end due to lack of work commitment on the actor's part (he paid the price). Here, I see a true commitment from Gashmeer and it places him above the lot in my view. Gashmeer's interviews told me that he has held the bar up higher for TV and that is a win for the industry. He knows his art, which is a lot more than what can be said of other children of big stars. The young female lead, Sumbul, is so talented and without any pretense. She is a natural and she never falters. She acts a woman of Hindu faith and belief with so much sincerity that I forget sometimes that she's just a teen and from a different religion. Imlie's adoration of Aditya is so complete that is hurts sometimes to see how she struggles against her principles to love as she wants to love her man. HER man as god has ordained through marriage. Yet, she asks for nothing from him. She trades her future for his life, but does not ask for her rights because she knows the marriage was against Aditya's will. That's respect.
Gashmeer as Adi is by far my favorite though, he says so much with his eyes. You can tell that Aditya always has his secret heartstring connected to Imlie just by the body language and expressions he gives. That is so difficult to portray as a character in his 30s suddenly tasked with taking care of an 18 year old girl. Just amazingly done. He cares about Imlie from the start and doesn't understand that he's taken with her from the first clash because of her beguiling, challenging, enraging nature. It takes a while to sink in because the character is so committed to his promises and doing what is right that he doesn't realize when that irrational thing called love creeps up on him early on. He thinks it is just good fun to trade arguments with Imlie. He sees late that it is chemistry. Malini was wronged in that process, but she pays it back by doing something so much worse! Malini is wronged, but she is not the wronged wife. Imli is. Aditya is responsible to the hurt caused to Imlie, but his reasons then were guided by his moral compass and existing engagement. Like he says, he didn't think the marriage with Imlie was real cause he didn't have faith. Later, he could not fathom that an 18 year old could have such mature feelings for him and he refused to see his own feelings toward this young girl because it felt wrong. He kept asking her what she wanted to make sure he didn't compromise her life and ambitions. That is respect too.
I am not trying to preach, only to make a request. I think we should applaud the actors rather than morally judge their characters and get mad at the writers. They are writing for TRP and drama and the story flows so far, no one has shot lasers out of their eyes after a leap like QH. While my bar was not high, I am amazed how much better this story is compared to the previous shows. I am in agreement with Gashmeer that Ram-like characters are not real. Unless of course, you are watching some religious drama like Mahabharata. The biggest social cause this show has championed is that of consent and that a man too can be raped (I saw some more recent clips) and that is brave of the actors and the writers to put on Indian TV. How about we take the moral of that story rather than misunderstanding this is a bigamist show championing cheating? Because that is not what it is at all. It is about a non-consensual marriage in a religion where only one marriage is allowed, that marriage is religious, not legal (more on this later). It is not an affair a married man decides to have suddenly one day. It is not bigamy when the second marriage is invalid from the start. It is about good intensions and misunderstands that hurts three people in the process.
The two actors have put real dimensions on characters that could easily be played in 2D, but they have not. Some of the other characters are not as well written, but the two leads, Imlie's Dadah, and her mom are really phenomenally nuanced for TV and these actors really stand out to me. Imlie gives up everything that is hers, including Aditya, when he wants to marry Malini. She takes out her heart and gifts it as she agrees to previous claim by Malini. Promises matter to Aditya and her. He in turn is as giving when he finally recognizes his love, he gives Imlie time even when he is struggling to stay in a relationship that is logically wrong and morally wrong (to him) because Imlie wants him to honor HER promise to Malini. That is nuanced and complicated as a good drama should be. Aditya's character was black and white in his ideals, but he grows thanks to Imlie. Malini doesn't challenge him that way. Fate has not written it for him and Malini, he learns that his story was written with this young girl he just wanted to protect from day one. That clarity makes his black and white thinking grey. And while it takes away his sleep, he puts up with it just to give Imlie time. That is love and it is consent. Him refusing to be intimate with Malini is his respect for her. He sees it hurts her, but does what he thinks is least damaging. I don't see him as a two-timer. Indecisive and confused about Imlie at first, yes. When his world changes under him, it takes time to adjust to the idea of Imlie, but he's decisive about Malini immediately after he see how things are. We can blame him, sure, but his fate did not make it easy.
From what I have seen so far, I see a real and legitimate dilemma that makes a great drama. One is a first marriage by religion, not recognized by the state and the other is a marriage by law, not recognized by religion. Depending on which institution a character is inclined towards, their views are set on a path. It is actually smarter than IPK in that regard and that show was a huge international success. In many ways, it is better written that all one dramas by this company. I am really enjoying the fiery chemistry between Imlie and her Aditya. As a woman, in Malini's shoes, I do not see how I could fight a religious marriage that precedes hers. It makes Imlie the first wife in a case where Adi was forced, he did not cheat and bring Imlie out of the blue later. Imlie precedes Malini in marriage, Malini precedes Imlie in a relationship. One has more ethical, moral, legal weight than another. Hinduism does not recognize bigamy, so Malini's marriage is the one that gets lapsed before it begins. She has legal claim simply because of a state registration, but she had a religious marriage that wasn't real. If she was in a country that allowed polygamy, she would lose legal claim too and Imlie would still be the first wife. For Imlie, the religious marriage is all that is real. She has gone out of her way to give everything she had to Malini because that is what Adi wanted then, but her faith in the institution was never shaken even when she watched him with Malini and took all his barbs. It costs blood to watch someone you love with someone else when you know you are the one, trust me. To be civil to the other woman (Malini) takes grace and class. To watch them be intimate eats at your soul. Imlie has class and strength to a degree unimaginable.
The hurt is partly true for Malini as well, but it is clear that she doesn't love Aditya to the same degree. Otherwise, Malini would protect Adi's self-respect against her mom from the start. She does not, she thinks she is doing this proud, but handsome man a favor by deigning to marry his class. That's her compromise. She wants to possess him because he is an ace who happens to be middle class. She is not able to give him up when he wants to be free, unlike Imlie who would do anything to respect his will. Aditya returns that favor to both women, he never imposes. This is not just an affair drama, it is the story of a marriage that is coming out in the open and it has no villains, only people in life circumstances beyond their control. Except Imlie sacrifices herself to give Aditya back his control and Malini actively works to take it away by tying him into more complications. You can't make a person love you, you can only wish it.
I started the show wanting to hate a two-timing husband, but that is not how Aditya turned out to be. He's not a chauvinist who thinks he can keep breaking hearts by changing his mind everyday. He is a conflicted man in a very difficult position. He wants to give in to Imlie's will as she gave into his once he recognizes their marriage is real and he is consistent as soon as he knows that's what love actually looks like. There are many who confuse friendship as love. I am sorry but KKHH was wrong. Friendship and compatibility is not automatically love, love is friendship on fire. He tried to tell Malini the truth, but she fainted. He had the second wedding in an effort to keep his word because he was used to only what he knew - the comfort of dating safe with the type of pretty girl one is supposed to be with, but it is humanly possible to find real passion at the wrong time. Conveniently for him, this passion was for his first wife who was too young for him to immediately think of as a real prospect. He has evolved to see that emotion is not logical.
Like Aditya said, change is a constant. It is not comfortable to see as a desi audience because we are moralistic as a people, but if you think of it another way...what is more moral than the only sanctified marriage that is religiously allowed? It makes his marriage with Malini void. Yes, she was hurt, but nothing beyond that is her right. Legally, I don't see how the Indian government would challenge Aditya's first religious marriage. It can only say that it wasn't registered and not recognized legally, it wouldn't challenge the religion that only allows one marriage. The first marriage was without consent, which is a whole different ball game, but both Aditya and Imlie accepted the result without reporting it (esp. Adi who didn't challenge it later). He took on Imlie's responsibility and they eventually fell in love; so there is no consent issue left. Imlie always believed in it and Adi came to. A state cannot challenge that. Imlie did it to save the life of the city boy with the "dulha-like face" and "hero-like hair" who never took advantage of her. He was willing to die than break his engagement promise to compromise a "chotti" girl, but she was willing to trade her dreams for his. She was also always into him despite the age gap which was so cute to see. She started off messing around with him to annoy him, asking if he has anyone special, etc and all he wanted to do it take pictures of the jhalli for keepsakes. And they say they didn't want to be together!
Ok, rant over. Just carry on, Gashmeer and Sumbul, you two are doing an excellent job. I hope it continues without getting derailed by petty dramas that 4Lions is known for after the key story is done.
P.S. One request, could we see more of Aditya in white? He's so fine in white! The village episodes from March were a treat to the eyes. Cursed are the beautiful, haha! Poor Aditya and his good looks, he just can't help it that no girl wants to give him up. Imlie at least has some self-respect, but Malini just can't take no for an answer. Malini doesn't realize the golden rule of womanhood - you never let a man tell you twice that he does not want you.
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