A Letter to Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan: The Show, the Stars and the Fans!!!

A Letter to Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan: The Show, the Stars and the Fans!!!

First of all, thumbs up to the makers of the show for creating a spectacular show like Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan. With a well-written and directed script, good-looking leads who can act and emote very well, and a fantastic supporting cast, KY2 (as it is lovingly called) has managed to garner a LOT of attention, be it positive or negative. It also boasts of lovely background music and apt song choices, partnered with important social messages from time to time. Parth Samthaan (Manik) and Niti Taylor (Nandini), lovingly known as MaNan, have gained an overwhelming fan following, which is proven by their growing popularity on all social media outlets. Not only Parth and Niti, but also the supporting cast comprising of Utkarsh Gupta (Dhruv), Ayaz Ahmed(Cabir), Charlie Chauhan (Mukti), Krissann Barreto(Alya) and Veebha Anand(Navya) have an immense popularity in these platforms.

Moving on to the actual reason for this letter: to address the ongoing "(tug of)war" that is happening between the Stars of the show and the Fans. When you are a Fan of a show, every little thing about that particular show and especially its stars, become important. There is curiosity in all fans, but, this fandom of KY2 is something else. There is an obsessive level of "love" and "adulation" for not only the characters but also the stars of the show. From what I have gathered from my research and observations, even a single word that does not suit their opinions, be it from another fan or the stars themselves, will create an instant war-zone. Some fans seem to have forgotten that actors are only normal people playing these characters. They have their own personal lives outside of their profession. Yet, even after numerous long hour shoots, actors make it a point to interact with their fans via various social networks. They answer questions, respond to fan mails, hold chat sessions on twitter, and update their social feeds. I have seen how Niti and Parth both have had these chat sessions with fans on Twitter several times. Krissan, Charlie, Veebha, Utkarsh, Zain (Abhimanyu) and Dishank (Pandit Trilok) all keep their pages updated. I also noticed that they are highly humble and thankful to their fans in every interview of theirs, for loving them and making them the #1 youth show of India.

Sadly, Ayaz is no longer active on Twitter or Instagram. Why? From what I gathered, it was because he was not happy about being scrutinized too closely by his fans when it comes to their personal lives. A female friend of Parth was bashed badly by the fans. The lady was accused of causing a rift between Parth and Niti's off-screen comradery. To cut the story short, the manner in which fans reacted to Parth and her (the lady in question) friendship was very distasteful, to say the least. How is Parth's personal/dating life interfering in your love for KY2 or Manik? And we do not know the true story behind the scenes, and we probably never will. I watched a video of Ayaz and Parth where they both were clearly annoyed about the intrusion. This was a message loud and clear from the both of them not to speculate on their personal lives. A lot of the fans were hurt and displeased about the manner in which the duo showed their frustration. In my opinion, how Parth and Ayaz acted was completely normal and anyone in their sane minds who loves their near and dear ones would have reacted the same way. I agree that the words could have been a little diplomatic or tactful so they would not hurt anyone. But the boys are young. And so are we. We react emotionally sometimes, and they did just that.

You might argue that they are public figures so there is no such thing as personal. But just because there is a "public" tag attached to something does not mean we can do as we please. For example, when you go to public museums, you admire the artifacts and appreciate them. They are there for your pleasure and entertainment. But, that does not mean that you can vandalize them. They still have to be appreciated and guarded with safety, so they can keep shining to please the public. Likewise, the stars might be public figures, but what goes in their lives after the cameras are off is completely off limits to everyone, unless they personally decide to speak about it. Until then, can we please stop throwing accusations, ruining friendships, and creating animosity and awkwardness between co-actors? Thank you!

Recently, there was a merger sequence between the two MTV shows, KY2 and Warrior High. Fans of KY2 are livid as they had to miss out on 2 episodes of their favorite show. Some were angry because Niti (Nandini) was absent in the episodes and others were angry because there was a history shown between Vibha (from WH) and Manik (from KY2). Fans blasted Vikas Gupta, the Production Head of Warrior High (also KY2) for using KY2's popularity to promote his new show, Warrior High. There was an uproar of fans on social media the last few days. There was anger and negativity everywhere. Honestly speaking, after reading some of the comments, I was afraid of the kind of world we live in. When did we become so selfish as a society? We do not seem to care about anyone else but ourselves. Anyone with a half-intelligent mind should have been able to understand that this was all a way to promote a new show. Nandini was not part of Warrior High and that is why she was not involved. And the only reason Vibha and Manik were shown to be best friends is to present a deeper connection between characters and bring out more emotions from the audiences. How hard is it to understand that? It was all business.

However, the merger could have been presented in a more tasteful manner by integrating more of KY2 within the story. That would have saved the rage of the fans towards Vikas Gupta (PH of the two shows). But I want to ask why we are not able to be civil about our opinions? Why were the fans on twitter and Instagram bashing Krissann and Charlie for taking up screen space and not acting well? Their characters might be rubbing people the wrong way, but that is because they portray those emotions wonderfully on screen. Why do Charlie and Krissann have to take the burden of your anger in the promotional tactics played by the channel? I myself am a fan of KY2 and I agree that MaNan are the soul of this show. But, in all honesty, this show would be boring if it was just the 2 of them all the time. The bonding of Fab 5, the jealousy and insecurities of Alya and Dhruv, the anger of Mukti, the silliness of Navya and the calm empowering support of Cabir is what makes this show what it is. And every actor has done complete justice to their role. I agree some might be somewhat ahead in their acting game in comparison to the others, but again they are all new actors and they are growing, every day. And what Charlie or Krissann wear in the show, is given by their production team. We have no right to bash an actor for trying to portray their characters the best way they can onscreen.

Also, about their team not being united. From where I stand, I see unity all right. Charlie posted a picture on Instagram with a caption that says it all. The team gives out such wonderful performances and sequences, how do you think this is possible? Please tell me this, are you best friends with everyone you work at in your workplace? That could be simply why Parth and Niti are not best friends. They are all colleagues who give you an amazing show. If they want to take a picture together, they will, if they don't, they will not. Maybe they have their reasons, just let them be! Do you all wish for them to be stuck like glue? Please do not say yes! We don't even want our own partners to be stuck to us at all times. And also, I read a question from a fan on twitter to Charlie, asking her if she is friends with Niti, because she does not take any pictures with her. I see plenty of pictures of them together, how many pictures is enough to prove they are friends? When we work with so many people, sometimes you click with someone more than the others. That's how it is in our lives, so why do you expect something different in their lives? Everyone has a different personality, and we connect better with some than the rest. Maybe Charlie, Parth and Ayaz have similar personalities, hence their connection. Whatever reason it is, it is up to them who they want to be close with. And please stop asking Niti and Utkarsh why they are not friends anymore! Please! If there was something they wanted to say and share, they would have.

On the contrary, I feel that they are a rather close bunch of co-stars and we should appreciate the relationships they hold within themselves and their fans.

Having said all of that, I would like to request the stars of this wonderful show to take a backseat with the social media turmoil and focus on the love that they are getting from their fans all over the world. I would just like to request you to hold your cool and not instigate any further drama among and with the fans. Please do not take things to heart. I know you have seen a lot of hatred in the past few days, but trust me there is way more love coming your way than hate. The fact is that fans do get aggressive and possessive at times. But it is only because you are close to their hearts. We all protect and care about the things that are close to our hearts, right? They are doing the same. Some might not be doing it the right way, but trust me it is their way of showing love. Please forgive the intrusion of privacy and practice diplomacy during those times. Please be mindful when giving those interviews bashing the fans because they are truly the ones who have brought you this far. You do not have to talk about your personal lives, in fact, please try not to talk about your personal lives. As long as you are playing your roles to the perfection and as long as the story is going well, they will love you.

I apologize to the stars on behalf of the angry fans these past few days (and before) and I apologize to the fans on behalf of the stars (for not being tactful enough). I also apologize to Charlie and Krissann, as a woman, for all the negative, unwanted criticism you had to see coming your way. I apologize to Ayaz for offending you in such a way that you chose to be inactive on all of social media. I hope you change your mind because there are plenty of fans who love you and want you around. I apologize to Vikas Gupta for this chaos your promotional tactic caused. I know it is about business and you were only trying to promote your new show, but please be a little mindful of the fans' emotions and not rub it in any further with your posts on Instagram.

You are all celebrities and you hold the power to calm any situation down with your grace and tact, so please use it. I request you to respect the love that your shows have gotten from fans all over the world. They do have the power to make or break you. I apologize to the fans who are angry because Vikas was not able to incorporate Nandini into the merger episodes. Please forgive them as a little sacrifice for the sake of promotion. Be thankful to Vikas for giving us Nandini and be happy that your favorite Niti Taylor was able to enjoy a mini-vacation. And Keep up your spirit, as Parth has when he posted the tweet congratulating WH on being #1 but confident that KY2 will be back on top!

When I say "I", I speak on behalf of all the fans who are in this same wavelength on this matter.

Lastly, I apologize to anyone that might have been offended by this letter. My only goal was to present both the perspectives and neutralize this whole situation. Hopefully it helped a little.

Much Love, Admirer of the show and a silent spectator of the current "KY2 cast vs. KY2 Fans" war!!

p.s. May Peace Prevail!