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There was a time when Ekta Kapoor rejoiced in playing God. She killed protagonists on her show only to resurrect them in the most unbelievable ways possible. Soon there came a time when she needed to resurrect herself from the K-quick sand that her fortunes were rapidly sinking into. The results were profitable. New shows emerged from the Balaji stables, better written, more relatable and reflective of a changing audience and their aspirations. One of her biggest successes in recent times has been Star Plus's 'Yeh Hain Mohabbatein', adapted from Manju Kapoor's novel 'Custody'.
The Plot:
YHM tells the story of Ishita Iyer and Raman Bhalla, neighbours in apartment building in Delhi. She is a dentist, he a business man. She is Tamilian and he a hot blooded Punjabi. While the basic premise of falling in love post marriage is not new, Ekta puts a spin on the plot by making YHM a love story of parents. Raman is a single parent, raising his daughter Ruhi with help from his family, while engaged in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife Shagun. Ishita, who has fertility issues forms a bond with the little girl whom she often finds neglected and ill-treated by her father. Circumstances develop to a point where Ishita decides to marry Raman to protect Ruhi and ensure she gets parental attention and love. Living with Raman and the Bhalla family however forces Ishita to change her opinion of him. Instead of an arrogant and hot headed brute, she sees a man deeply scarred by his previous marriage and yearning to be with his son, Aditya who is with his ex-wife. Slowly and steadily the two get over their pride and correct their prejudices to find love and companionship.
The Plot:
YHM tells the story of Ishita Iyer and Raman Bhalla, neighbours in apartment building in Delhi. She is a dentist, he a business man. She is Tamilian and he a hot blooded Punjabi. While the basic premise of falling in love post marriage is not new, Ekta puts a spin on the plot by making YHM a love story of parents. Raman is a single parent, raising his daughter Ruhi with help from his family, while engaged in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife Shagun. Ishita, who has fertility issues forms a bond with the little girl whom she often finds neglected and ill-treated by her father. Circumstances develop to a point where Ishita decides to marry Raman to protect Ruhi and ensure she gets parental attention and love. Living with Raman and the Bhalla family however forces Ishita to change her opinion of him. Instead of an arrogant and hot headed brute, she sees a man deeply scarred by his previous marriage and yearning to be with his son, Aditya who is with his ex-wife. Slowly and steadily the two get over their pride and correct their prejudices to find love and companionship.
The Sub-Plots:
Raman and Ishita's journey so far has seen several trials and tribulations both as parents and as a couple. Battling sultry ex-wife Shagun and her Parachute hair oil ambassador boyfriend, to dealing with a sleazy brother in law at home, the two have had to face odds that tested their characters and their relationship. After almost two years of beating round the confession bush, Raman and Ishita have declared their love for each other. Rumour mills have it that the show may even shoot a honeymoon sequence in Paris and an Ekta Kapoor-esque time leap is also supposedly in the pipeline. However like the myth of Sisyphus where the poor man keeps rolling a stone up the hill only to have it roll down again, the in love couple is facing problems on the family front. Raman has separated from his family after a quarrel with his brother and father. His rather loud mother, and Ishita are plotting to bring them back together. Will the two ladies succeed? How will Ishita and Raman's story carry forward now that they have two kids and romance in place?
Raman and Ishita's journey so far has seen several trials and tribulations both as parents and as a couple. Battling sultry ex-wife Shagun and her Parachute hair oil ambassador boyfriend, to dealing with a sleazy brother in law at home, the two have had to face odds that tested their characters and their relationship. After almost two years of beating round the confession bush, Raman and Ishita have declared their love for each other. Rumour mills have it that the show may even shoot a honeymoon sequence in Paris and an Ekta Kapoor-esque time leap is also supposedly in the pipeline. However like the myth of Sisyphus where the poor man keeps rolling a stone up the hill only to have it roll down again, the in love couple is facing problems on the family front. Raman has separated from his family after a quarrel with his brother and father. His rather loud mother, and Ishita are plotting to bring them back together. Will the two ladies succeed? How will Ishita and Raman's story carry forward now that they have two kids and romance in place?
Critic's View:
It will be fair to say that the shows bears more than a resemblance to another Balaji success 'Bade Ache Lagte hain'. A seemingly incompatible couple, a marriage of compromise and convenience, angry husband, gyaan giving wife and a cute little daughter. However the show has managed to find freshness and appeal thanks to the issues it deals with and the uniformly above average performances from the cast. Fertility, fidelity, live-in relationships, intercommunity marriages and second marriages are all the subjects that the show has dealt with and dramatized effectively without ever blowing the sanskaar and sanskriti trumpet. It instead chooses to create real, flawed characters who could very well live in the apartment next door.
A good show often stands on the foundation of good scripts, and well written episodes can be given a huge chunk of the credit for driving the success of 'Yeh Hain Mohabbatein. There have been some memorable moments on the show. Ruhi performing Ishita's godh bharai and proving that biology and motherhood need not co-exist, Raman and Ishita having a moment dancing in the rain, or the two breaking the tension over a funny name in the hospital. The writers have allowed their relationship to simmer gently and develop into a rich love story with many flavours. The show also makes effective use of subplots tying them back neatly to the protagonists of the show. Powering this narrative device is YHM's strong supporting cast of family and friends. Raman's sister's marriage is in trouble because her husband molests Ishita, his friend is involved with Ishita's sister Mihika, but she marries Shagun's ex-boyfriend Ashok, Ishita's brother tutors Shagun's son for an income, and Ishita attends Raman's ex-wife's wedding for the sake of the kids. There is nothing simple about their entangled lives, yet thanks to some deft writing, nothing seems unbelievable or ridiculous either. Special mention must be made of the crackling chemistry between the lead pair and the perfect foil they create for each other's personalities. Despite of coming into the relationship with a lot of baggage, Raman and Ishita discover how unburdening falling in love can be.
The Cliches:
The show does have its prickly points. The scheming Shagun is predictably clad in strapless blouses that have become symbolic of negativity in the visual dictionary of television, the stereotypical portrayal of Tamilians complete with exaggerated accents and gajras, and Raman resorting to violence and threatening to beat up people including his sister, are topics that leave a sour taste in the mouth. However these are minor blemishes in an otherwise engaging show. 'Yeh Hain Mohabbatein' could be the true story of modern urban families in India where conventional norms are slowly giving way to a pragmatic acceptance of interpersonal equations . If you are saturated with overdressed women and sermons on sindoor, do give this show a watch. It may be worth 21 minutes of your time.
It will be fair to say that the shows bears more than a resemblance to another Balaji success 'Bade Ache Lagte hain'. A seemingly incompatible couple, a marriage of compromise and convenience, angry husband, gyaan giving wife and a cute little daughter. However the show has managed to find freshness and appeal thanks to the issues it deals with and the uniformly above average performances from the cast. Fertility, fidelity, live-in relationships, intercommunity marriages and second marriages are all the subjects that the show has dealt with and dramatized effectively without ever blowing the sanskaar and sanskriti trumpet. It instead chooses to create real, flawed characters who could very well live in the apartment next door.
A good show often stands on the foundation of good scripts, and well written episodes can be given a huge chunk of the credit for driving the success of 'Yeh Hain Mohabbatein. There have been some memorable moments on the show. Ruhi performing Ishita's godh bharai and proving that biology and motherhood need not co-exist, Raman and Ishita having a moment dancing in the rain, or the two breaking the tension over a funny name in the hospital. The writers have allowed their relationship to simmer gently and develop into a rich love story with many flavours. The show also makes effective use of subplots tying them back neatly to the protagonists of the show. Powering this narrative device is YHM's strong supporting cast of family and friends. Raman's sister's marriage is in trouble because her husband molests Ishita, his friend is involved with Ishita's sister Mihika, but she marries Shagun's ex-boyfriend Ashok, Ishita's brother tutors Shagun's son for an income, and Ishita attends Raman's ex-wife's wedding for the sake of the kids. There is nothing simple about their entangled lives, yet thanks to some deft writing, nothing seems unbelievable or ridiculous either. Special mention must be made of the crackling chemistry between the lead pair and the perfect foil they create for each other's personalities. Despite of coming into the relationship with a lot of baggage, Raman and Ishita discover how unburdening falling in love can be.
The Cliches:
The show does have its prickly points. The scheming Shagun is predictably clad in strapless blouses that have become symbolic of negativity in the visual dictionary of television, the stereotypical portrayal of Tamilians complete with exaggerated accents and gajras, and Raman resorting to violence and threatening to beat up people including his sister, are topics that leave a sour taste in the mouth. However these are minor blemishes in an otherwise engaging show. 'Yeh Hain Mohabbatein' could be the true story of modern urban families in India where conventional norms are slowly giving way to a pragmatic acceptance of interpersonal equations . If you are saturated with overdressed women and sermons on sindoor, do give this show a watch. It may be worth 21 minutes of your time.
Saraswati Datar,TNN | Aug 3, 2015, 01.23 PM IST | TV Series Review
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