Ghum and Manipulation

Long rant ahead. Not fiction.

I don't normally do non-fictional analysis. My opinions and thoughts go into stories I write. But I needed to do this. Because honestly, the show's blatant manipulation is getting on my nerves and I can't hide it with fiction.

I'm going to pick obvious and not-so obvious moments from today's episode on hotstar. So, if anyone's watching the TV version, SPOILER alert (there's not much though. It's just drag fest). Things I mention might be exclusively might not be patriarchal phenomenon, but they do turn dangerous when mixed with Patriarchy.

1. Gaslighting &

The episode starts with Ashwini asking Virat to get out. Well and good. But it is his reaction to it that scares me. Gaslighting is basically manipulating someone to question their own sanity. Making them think that whatever is happening is because of them. Playing with words and in turn playing with your mind.

Virat goes on a rant about how the family views him as a liar and traitor. He refuses to introspect his actions, refuses to accept someone else's interpretation of his actions and in turn self-victimises. Shows himself as the victim by somehow showing that he will walk out because he's the one facing all trouble because of family's misunderstanding of his "harkat".

Then he moves on to say that just like all of them, he doesn't want Sai to leave the house as well. What crap !! That's clever words. Somehow making us see the "good" side of him and his love for Sai. Thus the unfairness of treatment he's getting/

Loved Sai's reply "Mujhe koi farq nahi padta" 👏

And I appreciated Ninad's intervention. Somehow changes the narrative and makes it look like Virat is not doing any amazing deed by willing to step out. Yes, the whole Machli thing was a bit OTT, but meh.. And then, we get back to the monologue of Virat Chavan. Whines about how parents misunderstood him. This is more of gaslighting for the audience. Now they're attempting to make us think if we have misunderstood Virat - someone who even lost his parents' support.

And then blah blah blah...more self-victimisation and manipulation. "Aur takleef nahi dunga", "Chala Jaunga"

And you go Mohit, brought up divorce (and gotta appreciate Patralekha too, whatever her intentions maybe. She planted the idea of divorce. in the other episode. Chavans would never think of it)

And then our hero yells.."MOHIT!!"

And Ninad, the unexpected liberal thinker. Speaks of a relation with daughter-in-law beyond their son and not so subtly even speaks about her moving. Wish he wasn't portrayed as an abuser, for us to enjoy his character here. But he gets a point form the feminist here. Only here. Sonali's good. Defended her son, pointed out the truth. Virat committed the mistake and he's screaming at everyone else.

2. Divorce

Well, this is specifically for Bhavani's outburst against Ninad about sons not getting a divorce. I know as an audience, she's wrong for us. But look at the larger picture, Virat and Sai are endgame, even after the divorce because they somehow whitewash him. What does that speak for attitude around divorce ? That you should adjust, wait and see not matter how worse it gets. Divorce is portrayed as a bad option.

(This point is more of a rant than analysis, but why do they even show shots of Patralekha with her hair flying around and that make up. Horrendous. Aishwarya is gorgeous women in reality. One nice way to screw it all up. But Patralekha's eye roll is all of us)

And then the whole "thak gaya hu" . Loads and loads of self-victimisation about divorce. If divorce happens, he's portraying it as something he's doing FOR Sai, not because he faulted.

Here comes my most hated part of Ghum. Using someone's mental illness as a tool to victimise someone. Devyani's mental illness has been used and misused. But this is the limit of it. Using it to somehow portray that Virat is hated even by the most innocent of members for his good work. Below the belt, really, for writing that scene.

The most dangerous narrative of all comes here. Bhavani calling Sai selfish and spouting fresh garbage about izzat . See, again, we know Bhavani is a negative character. Her words are inherently bad. But since the narrative is being spun in such a way that Virat is a victim, at the end, it'll point towards the same thing that she meant. Sai is selfish, misunderstood her Mahaan pati and divorced him.

Whoever wrote Sai's dialogue here deserves an actual applause. Gotta give credit when it's worth.

And Ashwini, that woman. Amidst those tears, she's the most dangerous of all in this episode. She's asking Sai to stay back to make sure no one knows what happened. I call this the most dangerous because Ashwini is a positive character. And when she spins shame around divorce, it's a horrible narrative. The emotional manipulation present here and blackmail is wrong. She's speaking as if she's putting Sai before her son but still doesn't want anyone to know what he actually did. Hypocrite much. Rings a bell about certain ACP's hypocrisy in general. Divorce is not shameful, never shameful. Divorce is not always a sad thing. When you break out of abuse, break out of a cycle of infidelity, it's a celebration.

*Indian law and courts don't need abuse/ cruelty to be physical for divorce to be given. It can be mental as well.

Sonali and Mansi bua have my heart. Know how to send a person away when she's stepping out.

Again, manipulation by Ninad. Quite dangerous. Beti aur Bahu ka farq. That's emotional blackmail and God, I wish it wasn't there.

I wish Sai didn't have anything to say Virat. She should have just walked out, but how would we get to see a victim and crying Virat that way.

And the bag and ring moments are purely there to show us Virat's suffering. Nothing more, nothing less.

My last point would be the Point of View of whole episode. It's Virat's. We're being placed in Virat's shoes to watch the happenings. At the end of the day, the characters are fiction, story is fiction. There's no Sai or Virat. All that's there is audience and story-tellers. So who's really being manipulated ?

I would love to hear your thoughts..

P.S : My favourite scenes are the traffic ones. Sukoon, Shanti, and Peace.

Have not been watching the episodes, precaps are enough to make my blood boil. I dont how you guys manage watching the episodes, the written updates by Neerja, and now, your post is giving me an idea of how (slower than tortoise) track is going on.

Amazing post indeed👏, I agree with wach and every point you have mentioned. I dont know how they got the idea of air blowing and diya getting extinguished for a 2022 show, that idea seems straight from some 70s ka movie🤢

Their is nothing good left, neither in the script nor the other aspects, be it acting, dialogues, costumes(I cant stand Sai's pink dress and Virat's oversized coat anymore😣😣). I hope this crappy track becomes intolerable for the TRP audience as well, their TRP needs to drop, the makers and channel need to know that the sloppy inconsistent writing wont sustain them good TRPs for long.

The only tolerable elements for me, as of now, is Sai and Ayesha.

This show has had this problem from a long time. It's like they write some specific dialogues and scenes without knowing who is right and wrong in it, it's as if they don't even try to think that how would, any sane person in real life, react to the situation. Remember Sai's apology for "over-reacting" about the Cafe Scene or Virat's apology for the anniversary fiasco? Both the times, it should have been the opposite one apologizing and yet, we got to see such stupid dialogues make their way to our screens!

I really don't know what the writers think while mindlessly twisting the narrative in the favour of someone who shouldn't be favoured. I have stopped watching the show but from what I have read on the forum and now your post too, Virat is being portrayed as someone who is highly misunderstood which is utter BS. He is now a criminal for God's sake! Ask any married woman out there and she will tell you how she would have reacted to her husband staying out all night.

I don't even want to talk about Ashwini. I thoroughly despise her. Just reading what she says makes me furious and nauseous.

This show......*sigh*

The show is manipulation of many sever crimes..

Starting from Devi who has been abused by her own family for years in the name of family pride.. But the great ACP never took any actions against its.. Ousting and locking up wife but none got addresses..

Final nail in the coffin a cop is sheltering a fugitive..

Loved reading your RANTS.. Agree with each and every point you said..

If audience are sensible enough they should reject the show... Tried a lot of things ban from telecasting.. But nothing had worked 👎🏼

First thing, precaps ? Precaps ? It's been the same precap since 4 days 😭

Ghum started out as a unique story and ended up getting regressive. I remember reading a latest interview if Vankar or someone about how regional shows have a liberal outlook and adapting them would do good. What's the use of doing it if they turn it into a saas bahu drama. Perfect example is ghum. They are somehow copyoastung something and making it worse.

Ayesha ..that glorious woman. I hope her rough edges are softened and she shines big like some of the well known actresses wh are adored after decades. A brand of her own.

I think they don't specifically have the reference episodes in front if them while writing new scenes. This show is full of plotholes, that can make you go, "WTF"

I think TV shows in general need to be finite. Read this one different forum. If you go on catering to TRPs, this is what you get. Sloppy, ethically compromised content.

I'm more concerned about systemic poisoning it is doing.

Exactly...Virat's portrayal is all things wrong in our society. The over catering to men, how their actions are just let go, how a divorce is always shameful on woman even though husband is the one at fault.

Bhavani's Chavan Boys don't get a divorce shows their hypocrisy. Yes Shivani is an outcast and the black sheep but she was still accepted. But they are basically saying, we'll treat our bahus how ever we want, and they're forever imprisoned.

My alarm goes off at 6:00, episode is visible at 6:05. I skip to the precap, watch it and then go back to sleep because there's no way I'm carrying the episode content to the whole day because I need my logic to work for law. Ghum is a law student's ( med student's too) nightmare. It goes against every single thing we're thought.

We shouldn't have made fun of Khaana romance. At least it was good. This is pure crap. I don't know how thick headed makers can be to reviews. Like seriously, if they got numbers, they would've made Virat and Pakhi scenes, or Virat and Sruthi scenes more bolder