The old episodes are most definitely not slow. I have an attention span of like 4 seconds and I can say that they are definitely now slow. Like you said, lots of storylines are happening at once which keep the viewers engaged. But nevertheless, I can see how they may be too slow for someone else. But the claim that the old YRKKH is more sexist than the new one is utter bullshit. I will argue that the older stories were a lot more feminist and progressive while still being realistic compared to the new generation YRKKH. Buckle up peeps, I’m about to monologue.
1) The older stories might begin sexist but all the characters grow and change their mindsets, which is a huge deal, especially with the older generation. Let’s take the Singhania elders as an example. Akshara went from a bahu who had to have her head covered to a working woman and mother who had the freedom to wear whatever she liked. Daddaji grew and realized that respect doesn't come from women covering their heads with a pallu but from the heart. Gayatri and Bhabhimaa both changed so much over the years, and that can be seen in the way they interacted with Akshara. Tell me who in the newer stories has shown even half of that much progress?
2) This was a show where women supported women, even when they weren't blood related. I'm talking about sisters-in-laws (Akshara, Varsha, Jasmeet, Nandini, Rashmi, Muskaan) and even mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Think about Rama who supported Rashmi after her son's divorce with her. Think about Gayatri standing with Akshara after Naitik went into a coma. I specifically remember this scene where Akshara was apologizing for what happened to Naitik because he swerved the car trying to save her. And Gayatri replied saying she was happy with what her son did. She was proud that he had protected his wife before himself and that Akshara needn't apologize. Do you think this could be possible with Naira and Swarna (the one played by Parul)?
3) No woman was turned “evil” just to accommodate the lead couple. Even when other women were introduced (Sneha, Antara), they weren’t butchered for Akshara. They were given a proper storyline. Unlike the likes of Vedika and that therapist in Mumbai who were butchered for Naira. Real feminism does not involve bringing one woman down to glorify another.
4) The older women grew and became their own person and found their individuality. The best example I can think of is Rajshri. She slowly began to rely on herself more than her husband, like when she took her mother for the pilgrimage trip when her brother couldn't. She also slowly made a social media presence on Facebook as she became more outspoken. But she never lost who she was or any of her relationships in the process. It was a perfect balance.
5) Many women of the old generation were working women and their careers made a huge part of their story. Akshara handled the Singhania’s business alongside Raj banna and Naitik. Karishma was a working woman and how she adjusted to the Singhania family while balancing her work was a huge focus of her character. Varsha and Jasmeet began a joint online business of stitching and selling clothes. Another example of sisterhood. Other than Keerti (her boutique), I don’t know which woman in the new generation had their career be such an integral part of their life. I don’t really count Naira because she never stuck with one career. She had a dance academy, then she went to college, then she joined the Goenka business, then she was a yoga instructor? It was all over the place.
6) The men. The men of the older stories showed true feminism. First of all, Naitik always stood by Akshara like a rock, even if it meant staying away from his family in a different country for 10 years. He took equal responsibility of the kids in that time AND the household chores AND earning money. While Akshara was a teacher, Naitik was the owner and chef at Krishna. Even before him though, we saw Anshuman pursue cooking as a career, something that is traditionally seen as a “woman’s job.” In fact, Naitik even learned the basics of cooking from Anshuman, when Akshara was pregnant. How many times have you seen a storyline centered around two men learning how to cook in ITV? I loved that track. Even Daddaji, Vishambhar, Mohit were amazing male characters. I remember when Naira was born, Daddaji refused to pay the transgender women any less than what they would take for a baby boy’s birth. On the other hand, we had Manish who supported the sex determination test despite being more “educated” and “modern” than Daddaji.
^^ This was all just related to just feminism. I’ll extend the argument and say that the old YRKKH was more progressive in all other aspects too.
- Mental health and disability: When Akshara was pregnant with Naira, Jasmeet developed a phobia of pregnant women. No one shamed her or ridiculed her for it. Literally everyone was supportive of her. Jasmeet was so ashamed of herself but her husband and in-laws persuaded her to visit a psychiatrist. They all convinced her that a phobia like that could happen to anyone and taking professional help was nothing to be ashamed of. Years later, when Akshara went blind for a while, we saw how supportive everyone was. But most importantly, we saw that only Nandini could give her the encouragement she needed as only she knew what it was like to be disabled. The way that scene (and the rest of Nandini’s storyline) dealt with her disability was very sensitive and realistic. Now compare that to Naira calling a therapist an outsider who didn’t know her child as well as she did.
- Children’s trauma: I remember the aftermath of Naksh and Ananya’s kidnapping (both separate occasions). The entire Singhania family was so supportive and caring towards Naksh. His trauma was dealt with over a few episodes and how he gains his courage again and gets over his fears. Earlier when Ananya got lost/kidnapped, after Ananya returned home, there was a separate, private scene where Varsha asked her if any bad uncle touched her in the “danger spots” she taught her about. This means she had a conversation with her daughter about sexual abuse and promptly made sure that she had been safe all along. Compare that to all the trauma that Kairav has gone through which was never even addressed.
- Child-rearing and bonding with an absent parent: Naksh growing up was a huge part of the show. Both Naitik and Akshara were shown as strict when needed but also loving parents. Unlike Kartik and Naira who either traumatize their kid or coddle him. Now consider this: Both Kairav and Naksh spent the early part of their childhood without their father and had to bond with them later. However, Kairav was away from his father who was absent during his early life because of his mother’s ego. In fact, he had to go search for him and bring his parents together. On the other hand, the reason behind Naitik’s absence however, was that he had put his life in jeopardy while trying to save Akshara. Now also compare the storylines in how Kairav and Kartik bonded and how Naitik and Naksh bonded. Which was more realistic and interesting and just more heart-warming?
- Adoption and step-family: We all have been asking where Krishna is, right? What happened to the girl that Kaira adopted? No one knows. Even the old YRKKH did this better. We all know that Yash was adopted at one year old. Then Anmol was born. No one differentiated between the two. Even then, through Rukmini, the show addressed the concerns and insecurities of an adopted child vs biological child. It wasn’t just swept under the rug. There was also Naman and Muskaan’s storyline and how they were integrated into the Singhania family. The way their relationships forged with Naitik, Rashmi, and Nandini was so beautiful. It was slow, but it was realistic, because forming such relationships takes time. You can’t just put on a skit of Devki vs Yashoda and expect sibling relationships to form. Some people might point out that Chiki was forgotten about from the older generation. I would argue otherwise. When she was introduced, she was a little girl and was adopted into the Singhania family. I remember Gayatri didn’t approve of that. But over the years it changed. We saw Chiki as a teenager and Gayatri was the most fond of her. In fact, she was practically the one parenting her. Chiki got a lot more justice than Krishna ever did.
- Marital relations: Compare Kaira’s marriage to any other marriage from the old generation (Akshara-Naitik, Mohit-Nandini, Varsha-Shaurya). They all had problems but the old generation worked it out. You know how? Communication. No one ran away or emotionally manipulated the other. Akshara and Naitik had one of the longest misunderstanding tracks but in resolution, both of them apologized. Both were wrong and both of them acknowledged their mistakes and made amends. Unlike Naira, Akshara was never glorified like that. Shaurya and Varsha dealt with his infidelity. That can be such a huge blow to a marriage but they worked their way through it. Even then, all the Maheshwaris were in staunch support of Varsha. Do you think the Goenkas could stand in support of their daughter-in-law if their son did something like that?
- Divorce: Kaira made a joke of divorce by getting divorced twice for the most stupid reasons. The old YRKKH dealt with it much better in Rashmi and Nikhil’s divorce. They too dealt with the husband’s infidelity (like Shaurya and Varsha). But the difference was that Shaurya actually wanted to put in efforts to save his marriage while Nikhil didn’t. That’s when Akshara convinced Rashmi to take a stand for herself and her daughter and let go of a relationship that would lead nowhere. Divorce wasn't such a stigma but it also wasn't their first resort.
- Single parents: After being divorced, Rashmi raised Gayu alone. She wasn’t forced into another marriage. She remarried years later when she was ready and when she found the right man: Sameer. Even Rajshekhar’s second marriage happened over a year after Gayatri’s death, that too for the right reasons. It happened for his happiness, not because his kids needed a mother or because his family wanted to marry him off. Meanwhile, there is Kartik who can't stay single to save his life. If the newer YRKKH was really that progressive, we'd be seeing him as a single parent to three kids right now.
Edited by Aditi_MM - 4 years ago
Anupamaa
26