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When the Delhi gang-rape case was trending, Madhu spoke out loud and clear against abusing women, RK was so moved and touched he apologized for behaving like an animal, and getting the TRPs and having done lip-service to women-power and gender-equality, everybody was happy.
A few episodes later RK revealed his grand revenge plan. And I thought- how can this guy who earlier said he knew what dhoka meant having been cheated in three of his rishtas do this himself. And what about what he told Madhu after she defended Padmini in court? Did the character never mean it then? Was it just one episode's show of solidarity and that too fake? How can CVs insult Amanat's memory so? (And remember, Madhu talked about Amanat, may be not by name, but she mentioned rape inside a moving bus).
Anyway, I couldn't believe it, so I convinced myself RK was faking it and some plausible (as plausible as you can get in Indian serials, at any rate) explanation would soon be revealed. Days passed, RK started proving himself more and more a royal jerk, and as my hope for an explanation started fading I hoped for him to realize his mistakes and make amends.
When he saved Madhu from that creep on set (a day after insulting her in front of the unit) my mind screamed at me: what is the bloody message? The man insults, the man mistreats, but see- he loves her, he also saves her damsel-self in distress... But I told myself, this is fiction, there will be stereotyping, ignoring it. I kept hoping for his redemption.
Then Sultan entered. I thought- this girl can't get a break? It's either a jerk or a gangster? But alright, this is all for a filmy flavour, let RK feel jealous now and try and rectify his mistake.
I was hopeful when he gave that "lat lag gaye" line.
I was hopeful when I saw the Holi promo where he said he was coming to colour Madhu. I expected apologies. I expected tenderness. I thought may be he would see Aryan and realize who he had spoken to and what he had said. What I got was one man full-of-himself pulling off one cheap stunt after another (that forceful twirling dance, that picking up, that self-assured "iss tarah kanpne ka haq sirf tumhara" line) who had the audacity to feel ill-treated after his wife whom he had mistreated in all possible ways ran away to colour someone else. And I saw the girl whose courage & self-dignity I had admired so far melting and weeping because she couldn't colour her jerk of a husband.
And people were going gaga over that scene. I felt uneasy, but I kept quiet, knowing that if I opened my mouth I would be bashed to smithereens.
But now he gets to tell people not to talk to his wife (& people justify this by comparing with Madhu telling Deepali that RK was only her husband), he gets to kidnap her, kiss her against her will (& when I point out that any sexual advancement against the will constitutes harassment I'm told RK is her husband & Madhu may be angry but she too loves him, so this is not against her will), lock her inside the house AND...have you seen the latest promo where he CHAINS HER UP? Seriously, I know all is fair in love and war, but even war has some code of conduct!!!
According to RK fans who can see him do no wrong, we are delusional, we live in an imaginary world & we can't differentiate between fact and fiction. I want to ask them, do you know husbands forcing wives, locking them up happen to real world women and they are traumatized by the experience? Do you know they showed an actual episode on Sabdhan India where the man chained up his wife and daughters because he saw his wife exchanging pleasantries with a neighbour & one girl finally ran away and had to undergo prolonged treatment in the hospital? Do you know young boys think it's cool to tease and harass girls because movies like Rowdy Rathore teach them so? I mean, didn't all our school essay books have some variation of the topic "Mass Media & its Effect on Society". A man, supposedly a 'hero' drags a woman to his house against her will, touches her against her will, kisses her against her will, chains her up to prevent her escape and you need us to spell out for you what is wrong in this? We spell it out for you and then you call us delusional?
Worse, you celebrate these acts as the height of romantic passion?
I'm actually afraid to visit the forum now because I might come across a thread about how RK chaining up Madhu is so romantic and then i'll vomit over my keyboard and have to clean it myself.🤢
I have loved Dsena since his Kasamh Se days where his role was minor, I loved him as Abhay even though I hate Twilight & its derivatives, but does liking an actor and appreciating his acting means having to support such a heinous character?
Udne Ki Aasha
