KPji has my sympathies...it is very dificult for a writer when he has to curtail his imagination on account of the lead actor's incapacitation. however, therein lies the challenge. Turning the situation to your advantage and coming up with something out of the box.
Sharad, although he is unable to walk, has made himself available for the shoot. Kudos to the actor for his commitment. If KPji had worked his grey cells a little harder, he could have come up with a more innovative storyline that would have still revolved around the leads rather than bring in the ghisa pita vamp vs wife track. At least, he need not have played it in this cliched fashion...
Here are my thoughts on what he could have done instead...
1. Mallika could have been brought back but not as a cliched vamp. To me, that is a huge let down given that we expect this show to veer away from the typical GEC route. Instead, Mallika could have come back as a victim of abuse. She is shattered and in need of genuine solace. She resumes her responsibilities in KGH, which is a heaven sent for them in the absence of Dr Ashutosh. Obviously, even when he is unable to take an active role, Dr Ashutosh will be involved at least in an advisory capacity with regard to hospital administration and patient care. So, there is bound to be close interaction between Mallika and Ashutosh on that. Maybe she will also take his advice on how to deal with her domestic violence case. This constant interaction can by itself undermine the confidence of Nidhi. You don't really have to resort to plaiting hair for that. Her mind is still coloured by her past experiences with Mallika. Instead of going over the top and turning Mallika crazy or wicked, this track could have been about how these women try and forge a relationship of their own, in the interests of the man who is so dear to both of them. Of course, Mallika would have had to confess her past misdeeds. Ashutosh reacts badly to this betrayal on her part and here Nidhi could have been magnanimous and said that they had no need to punsish Mallika since life had already done that on their behalf. Nidhi could have been shown helping to rebuild the friendship between Ashutosh and Mallika.
2. Imagine a man being wheel-chair bound within the first month of marriage. I can't think of better drama then that. All his insecurities could come to the fore, he begins to take his frustrations out on his wife, there is only so much the wife can take after which she starts reacting. The pressure on the marriage would be immense. There is emotional, intellectual and physical frustration involved here. The combination could have been explosive. There was enough scope for drama without external forces intervening. Why should a marriage always be shaken by external threats when there are enough factors to shake it up within?
3. Bringing Rohan back would have made more sense at this point as opposed to Mallika. When a wheel-chair bound is already frustrated that he is not able to do enough for his lovely, young wife, imagine her young male friend entering the picture. Worse still, the said male friend has been in love with her. Imagine the impact of this on a middle-aged husband. This track could have been played out keeping all characters intact. They need not have contrived to create absurd situations that prompt reactions which go against the grain of the character.
Much of the mirchmasala added in the current track was to sensationalize. I don't know if it added to the TRP but it sure succeeded in making Ashutosh seem like a selfish man who was having the best of both worlds! It would take immense effort to try and understand his motivations. I understand that KPji expects that kind of maturity from his audience. They are only too willing to oblige but then he cannot simultaneously shove illogical and absurd sequences steeped in negativity down their throat.
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Bindi
