Niranjan and the old order

Initially I thought they would show a strong Aastha who is able to keep her principles and slowly change this regressive household. However, it does not seem like it is happening. We had this absolutely negative hero / villain who is a vain glorious idiot unable to think for himself or protest against a whole bunch of really regressive family ethics. the only redeeming grace of this serial seems to be the girl's family.

Niranjan's anger and lecture to Shlok seemed to indicate that he felt that his son Shlok was wrong not because he was not a caring husband but because his wife Aastha was not brainwashed and controlled enough by him, so that she did have the temerity to fight against him and thus against the illustrious Agnihotri family