So a lot has been said about the current track and how fans feel about it, figured I would make a balanced post of what has worked for this track and what hasn't.
The things I loved about this track:
- Avni and Neil have evolved so much! When Juhi first entered the show, I thought oh no it is going to be trouble and go the typical route but no such thing happened. Neil despite getting a shock that his ex is alive knew very well what was in his heart. Neil knew he loved Avni and nothing and no one can change that not even the return of a dead ex and her child. Neil values the importance Avni has in his life and is not about to forget everything she has done for him, the fact she stood by him when she could have very well walked away.
- Avni, the growth she has shown has been beautiful to watch unfold. Many of us were convinced Avni would be walking away from her marriage but she didn't. Avni has finally seen she can write her own destiny, that history does not have to repeat in the way she always feared. Avni is secure in her marriage and ready to fight.
- Avni having the support of her in laws! I said this in another post and saying it here, I could not respect the CVs more than I do for this because in other shows you would have seen Avni's feelings be neglected in favor of Juhi and her child, nothing of that sort is happening here. The Khannas know everything Avni is enduring and are not about to disrespect her.
- Shweta's character growth! I am loving her scenes with Avni and even her friendship with Neela, definitely one of the pros to this track, it is bringing her closer to Avni and they are forming a bond.
- Vidyut, yes I included him here because I am loving him as a villain. I don't want Vidyut to go anywhere, I want to see more of Karam with the cast. Every show needs a villain and when you have the chemistry and talent Karam does when going face to face with Aditi and Zain, why wouldn't you want to take advantage of that?
Now to what did not work for this track
It dragged! In NK usually tracks wrap up within a few months but this one just felt like it was taking forever to finish, had that promo not been shot I feel the outrage would have been much worse.
Neil and Avni were made to be fools for too long and that annoyed fans to no end. Granted Neil had no reason to believe Juhi was lying to him but still it would have been great had he caught onto Juhi sooner.
The reduced screen space of characters like Ali, DD and Neela! This for me was the biggest disappointment because I love all three of these characters and they just get a few minutes here and there. Sayantani said it right, supporting characters are pillars to a show and it was sad to see them reduced to nothing. We need them back, we need Neela's words of wisdom and we need Ali and DD to assist in bringing down Juhi
Basically this whole track had its pros and cons. I see what the CVs were trying to do with emphasizing that Neil and Avni were never going to be another version of Ayesha-Ashish-Neela and I respect that because this track really did soldifiy AvNeil as a couple but it needed to come to an end. Juhi became intolerable to watch so knowing the end is near for her character is like a sigh of relief, none of us want to see this show end and no it has not been destroyed. I have watched many shows completely destroy their story and leads but here NK is still going strong in that department. Here's hoping Juhi will be out of the Khanna house and AvNeil can be back to getting the upper hand against Ragini and Vidyut.