(Non) Sense & (In) Sensibility

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veeleo

@veeleo

Beginner

Posted: 11 years ago

So I asked the forum people ages ago to delete my account and lo and behold, they haven't so here I am again. This time I'm posting about KKB.

Please note this is just a diatribe against the writing, and NOT the actors. I never understand people getting nasty about actors - they are just doing their roles! The actors are good. :) I'm also not railing against EK - I admire everything she has accomplished at a relatively young age. I loved "Tere Liye."

I have been watching from the beginning and really, when EK announced that this serial was based on Austen's novel I must have taken her too seriously or literally or something because the similarities are pretty minimal. Yes, it's about two sisters who are very different being raised by a single mother. That's it. That's where the similarities end. The story has taken so many liberties with the original that I have to really stretch and find connections now. That's fine. I can live with that. In fact, I was quite impressed with some of the changes that were made to "Ekta-fy" it. :) And of course, we can only pray KKB doesn't turn into Pav. Rsht.

Here's where I have a problem. Do the writers think the audience is stupid? Why do they have to show a hysterical mother who gets the vapors (much like another Austen character Mrs. Bennet in P&P) whenever she's stressed? For all intents and purposes, Sarla raised two girls, ran a business and a home, took care of her MIL all without needing a single sniff of smelling salts; so why show her as a basket case? Next, the entire marriage lie is ridiculous. Pragya is a highly educated professor, not a puppet. Don't Bulbul (who is only less annoying than that ditz Purvi) and Purab know Pragya will be ousted by the Unholy Trio/Satan's Minions as soon as he marries Alvira (Aliya + Vampira)? And what's with us being charmed by Abhi? Any way you look at it, he's a jerk. Sure, there are moments he is endearing when one can forget he's a lying, cheating, gullible yet also manipulative, arrogant fool. Even if his major crime is to blindly believe his sister, that just shows he's a moron. Not exactly heroic. He was sticking hair pins in Pragya's arm...really? Everyone okay with that? He physically hurt her multiple times - notice him dropping her during dancing and on the bed? Don't even get me started with the cheating and the violence - what was all that slapping for? And why was everyone just standing around like frozen zombies? Pragya could actually believe her sweet cousin would be a peeping perv?

I admit, drunk Pragya was hilarious. Sriti Jha is awesome.So is Shabbir, Shikha etc... and the others. That's why I wish the writing wasn't getting sloppy. The show definitely has potential.

Anyway, just my humble opinion. Far too little sense or sensibility in the writing these days, I think.

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Frequent Posters

Mina

@-mina-

Stunner

+ 3

Posted: 11 years ago

Thanks for the rant, I laughed at your delicious rhetoric along with nodding my head in agreement 👏

I do agree with most of your points. As for why we love Abhi...a large part of it must be Shabbir fangirling, which is entirely about the actor, not the writing. You are right that the character as written is majorly unlikeable. The hairpin thing bothered me a lot, I'm glad you mentioned it. It was just too stupid. Of course all the dropping is much worse, but somehow easier to write off. Anyway, if there's anything at all about Abhi as written that is appealing, it is his adorable dumbness. Which is obviously not a factor if you're someone who doesn't find some kind of dumbness adorable 😆

I also agree that Sarla's hysterics don't fit the backstory. Wish there was a better device than "infinitely fragile mother" to keep the story going.

I think it's inevitable that the writing will get sloppy on a daily soap. But it's still hard to watch the decline of a great concept handled badly, even if that's just how the genre works 😔

Edited by -mina- - 11 years ago

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nitarata

@nitarata

Achiever

+ 3

Posted: 11 years ago

Last friday's episode was annoying to say the least. I could not and did not watch it fully. But let's give the soap some time to know how things eventually turn out.

First of all, it's not sense and sensibility except for a vague inspiration for the premise. The character traits are way too modified. It's just that the concept of two sisters with different natures and their finding love is going to be explored.

Secondly, it's a fiction. We will have to admit some soap statements and believe them. Like you would believe while watching a sci-fi hollywood movie that aliens really exist, if you know what I mean.

So, here the misunderstanding and doing anything and everything for your family form the basis of the plot.

Abhi is doing all this nonsense for his sister. Pragya is bearing with all this nonsense for her mother. There were 100 other ways for Abhi to revenge on Pragya given his money and power. Likewise, Pragya also has so many ways to get out of this nonsense. If we want to follow the story, we have to accept that these characters believe in what they did.

As far as Abhi physically hurting Pragya goes, the soap never showed that Pragya had a broken bone because of Abhi dropping her or that she was bleeding because he poked her with a hairpin. So it's not exactly physical violence but more like evil annoyance. And all this started after Pragya never showed any interest to walk off of the wedding. Abhi wanted her out after Purab came back to Aaliyah. But Pragya wouldn't want to leave. So him being a "jerk" also equates to Pragya's desperation to stay in his house and life even after his absolute rejection to recognize her as his wife.

Abhi is not heroic. Why should a lead character in a soap always be heroic? He has flaws and that's okay.

I am pretty sure the reason to make him this way is to have him repent for every single thing he did to Pragya when he knows the truth.

Again, just want to say, give the characters and the story some time.

Edited by -Tia- - 11 years ago

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veeleo

@veeleo

Beginner

Posted: 11 years ago

happy i got two great replies to my figurative foaming at the mouth rant...all points well taken. thanks. :) i was not clear about something...sorry...i used the word "heroic" as in the lead/hero of the show not hero with heroic traits as in superman or batman :) yeah, writing for a daily show must be challenging... i am being a little hard on the writers but i just get irritated when a good premise gets off course. mina, really enjoyed your os series.

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riyya6

@riyya6

Stunner

+ 2

Posted: 11 years ago

indeed a thought provoking post...

U have ur points and in general I agree with what you highlighted...

But...

not that I watch many hindi serial, but I can safely tell that abhi & pragya love hate story is still acceptable... I have watched few love hate stories of hindi serials and the hero manhandles the heroin really worse... but here its still ok in my view... im not saying what the hero is doing in the show is right but hes still under MU, and even then I find it toned down...

I do agree with certain plots that does not make sense... in fact the whole Friday drama with puneet involved was not needed at all... they just want to show abhi tannu united back.. they should have found other way...

as for the aliya & tannu, they are vamp but funny ones... here in KKB its good too see most of their plot failing & one succeeds... so as for now im enjoying it...

As long tannu is wipe out from the story soon im fine, as a viewers its getting hard to see both tannu & abhi n abhi being married to pragya... The worse I have to agree was on thwir wedding night but still just dun like it...

10q😳

Edited by riyya6 - 11 years ago

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Anju

@ipkfrnc

Navigator

Posted: 11 years ago

I agree with you.How come Bulbul and Purab can think that Pragya and Abhi will go on after Purab marrying Aaliyah

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soapwatcher1

@soapwatcher1

Rocker

Posted: 11 years ago

Absolutely loved your post (except I did like the character Purvi)!

The pin thing bothered me as well and I mentioned that in my post about "the most disappointing character", cannot understand how violence and sadism can be excused for whatever reason. A genuinely nice person would not dream of physically harming another even if he/she wanted to get even with their worst enemy. Abhi doesn't need to break bones or make Pragya bleed, he exposed her to both kinds of harm and that is enough to make him a non-hero. His drinking and driving and then lying about it plus the manhandling of Puneet now, it is quite sickening. I agree he can be comical at times but that goes to the credit of the actor.

As for Bulbul, she irritates me with her constant badgering of Suresh and her insistence that Purab marry Aliya for no valid reason. The actress is cute and does a great job but the character is grating at times.

Pragya has been driving me up the bend with her profound stupidity these past few episodes. Even her taunts to Tannu about baharwaali makes it look like she cares for that jerk husband of hers. And her doting, melting looks during the dance on Thursday was the last straw. No self respect whatsoever, cannot brook that. What is wrong with the writers? They need to be logical and keep the characters in line with how they were initially presented unless there is character development that makes them behave to the contrary. If Abhi had shown her love and been caring and she developed tender feelings for him as a result that is another matter. Even the sbs segment at the hospital, she looks mighty pleased he was worried about her. Why? TM, you hit the nail on the head, it is anything but sense and sensibility, it is the other extreme instead.

And please don't get me started on Sarla, she is the most annoying character of the show to me. A hundred Mrs. Bennets I could have tolerated gladly than this silly woman who acts like a 5 yr old that needs to be pampered and tucked at every turn.

Thanks for the opportunity to vent yet again :)

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Fariyal

@Fariyal

Dazzler

Posted: 11 years ago

I thoroughly enjoyed your rant & agree with it. I would have added more to it if It would have made any difference... Ekta Kapoor has always said that she knows what her audience wants & you & I & the few who agree with your post are not her real audience...its evident from the soaring TRPs, despite the current track.
I have a strong suspicion that one of the prerequisites for a writer's job at Balaji's is to have had a bad experience with men, be it fathers, uncles or husbands. Why else would all her male leads be such un-evolved cave men?

@Tia
"As far as Abhi physically hurting Pragya goes, the soap never showed that Pragya had a broken bone because of Abhi dropping her or that she was bleeding because he poked her with a hairpin. So it's not exactly physical violence but more like evil annoyance. And all this started after Pragya never showed any interest to walk off of the wedding. Abhi wanted her out after Purab came back to Aaliyah. But Pragya wouldn't want to leave. So him being a "jerk" also equates to Pragya's desperation to stay in his house and life even after his absolute rejection to recognize her as his wife."

@Tia, what you said above brings to mind those cases of domestic harassment one reads about. It starts in small ways & if the girl doesn't wisen up & lodge a complaint with the cops, very soon she'll find herself doused in kerosene while her husband/in-laws light a match.

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Shridevi Gaddam

@0-SD-0

Rocker

+ 2

Posted: 11 years ago

I loved your post. I read it last night ..and was laughing abt it.

Now having read other responses and being completely objective about it, what I want to say is that all the Nonsense and Insensibility is actually acceptable as long as the drama plays off between 6 characters on outer periphery and 4 characters in core manner.

Core - Plotters reveal their plan to Pragya

Abhi

Aliya

Tanu

Pragya

Add two others -Pragya providing knowledge of the Plot to these two and Plotters do not know that these two are aware of their plotting.

Purab

Bulbul

So nonsense and insensibility is acceptable when plotting, humiliations and rescues between these people.

But when it gets out of these boundaries, then drama becomes unacceptable.

I can forgive the Accident drama, because the man was compensated and in real life too, police encourages settlements before pursuing Justice method. This is the ugly reality of Indian Accidents on Road enforcement routine. A crime was committed, absconding happened, serious enough on moral and ethical grounds, somehow, we had the SoapHeroine doing some kind of retribution and she helped the man with her jewellery...and she was shown asking him not to withdraw his complaint ...

Well it played out conveniently.

Now the beating up drama.

Beating up people is also a criminal act. Ofcourse, the counter arguments would have made it hard for Puneet to even have an FIR done...with best of knowledge applied. And that is why this beating up, needed more vocal defence of all involved there. What was extremely disappointing was Pragya and Pragya's family, the way they did not have faith on their own kid. And even if the kid was a bad apple, it doesnt make sense for Abhi going up beating people. As Public Figure, he would be the one who gets to publically scandalized for his aggressiveness.

So where is the logic here? There is no Misunderstanding here as an excuse? If indeed this character is like Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton or Justin Beiber and goes on making scandulous news stories, why doesnt the soap show that? Why the budget and story constraints to show those affects? Argument is that this is Private Family Party. then Counter Argument is also that, Abhi was chiding Pragya earlier about press having taken photographs of him with his cheeks painted with Pragya's lips.

Even if logic and consistency in script is thrown out of the window, the audience needs a vent to an outrage of an innocent dragged into plotting drama. One good this though is that...this outrage was long due since June marriage. Pragya and us had got too easy about winning each of the scheming, and we could have ignored the abuse as consequences of battling, but this episode brings us back to where we should stand on...to continue with MU or to get Pragya out of the wedding.

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nitarata

@nitarata

Achiever

+ 3

Posted: 11 years ago

#10

Originally posted by: Fariyal
I thoroughly enjoyed your rant & agree with it. I would have added more to it if It would have made any difference... Ekta Kapoor has always said that she knows what her audience wants & you & I & the few who agree with your post are not her real audience...its evident from the soaring TRPs, despite the current track.
I have a strong suspicion that one of the prerequisites for a writer's job at Balaji's is to have had a bad experience with men, be it fathers, uncles or husbands. Why else would all her male leads be such un-evolved cave men?

@Tia
"As far as Abhi physically hurting Pragya goes, the soap never showed that Pragya had a broken bone because of Abhi dropping her or that she was bleeding because he poked her with a hairpin. So it's not exactly physical violence but more like evil annoyance. And all this started after Pragya never showed any interest to walk off of the wedding. Abhi wanted her out after Purab came back to Aaliyah. But Pragya wouldn't want to leave. So him being a "jerk" also equates to Pragya's desperation to stay in his house and life even after his absolute rejection to recognize her as his wife."

@Tia, what you said above brings to mind those cases of domestic harassment one reads about. It starts in small ways & if the girl doesn't wisen up & lodge a complaint with the cops, very soon she'll find herself doused in kerosene while her husband/in-laws light a match.

But the way it is shown in soap does not indicate it's like that. Abhi could do worse to Pragya if his intention was to physically hurt her. He gets forced to do things for her such as decorate with her or to hold her hand for mehendi.. which he doesn't like. And then, he comes up with these silly ways of annoying her.

Of course it can be extrapolated and thought of that way. But I never thought Abhi is physically abusive.

Even in the dance sequences, he dropped her and all that, but they also showed she dropped him too. He fed her mirchi.. and she did too.
So, it's more a light hearted "irritating" each other than actual violence.

Edited by -Tia- - 11 years ago

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