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Originally posted by: sanfan
Hi.. I donโt have that much experience of ITV shows ( in fact itโs probably only the 5th one that I am watching at length else I just give up a show in a half a month or two ๐๐) but relatively I have more experience than you I suppose, so I will offer this by way of explanationโฆ
In my experience, Jhanakโs has the among the jerkiest story telling despite having a decently organic pathway until 200 odd episodes. Itโs not that others donโt have inconsistencies but they are situational inconsistencies and far fetched drama quotient arising out of situations; the problem with Jhanak is the inconsistency is in the characterisation which is too noticeable. The other thing I note is the writer making too many expedient calls which they fail to justify in the narrativeโฆ No serial can do without expediency given the nature of the medium but in Jhanak you can sense the expediency in how the characterisation is stacked up. The aim is episode count but the extra episodes do nothing by way of furthering the story or building any sub plotsโฆ which in itself is not a surprise cos this story is a very linear plotโฆ there are no sub plots worth exploring and there is nothing to justify this level of complexity beyond the love story The issue is simpleโฆ itโs not even a love triangleโฆ in the way it is projected - itโs about the personality driven conflict. Itโs about whether Jhanak can do anything to own the relationship publicly that she privately accepts, can Ani feel the intensity of the dilemma holding Jhanak back and can he do something about it? This to and fro of do you love? Or Gi back to Arshi is only about keeping the conflict at status quo.
For instance, while Aniโs indecisiveness or should I say a tendency to choose easier modes of combating a problem may be a trait that was very much illustrated in the narrative early on, but with the development of Aniโs arc in realisation of his love, the writerโs insistence on using that trait to provide vacuous reasoning for certain actions is very silly and expedient to say the least. Similarly, Jhanakโs ambivalence towards her bond with Ani had a very specific pathway in the earlier episodes but there was also noticeable development of her arc in the tumour and HA track.. To now regress that to the utterances of go back to Arshi etc is also a very silly way to continue status quo. Today they arenโt adversariesโฆ they arenโt friends but their journey means there must be a way for more meaningful communication to be shown. Even keeping them at different ends, their conflict can be shown more imaginatively. Suppose I hypothetically accept that Ani and Arshi were married post aagโฆ the conflict between them is actually more interesting cos it provides complexity to the situation. People who fall out of love and move on with new partners face some degree of complexity in dealing with the contours of their relationship with their partner and those challenges can be creatively shown but since the writer is saddling two boats ( She canโt show Ani Arshi as married but she she expects the audience to accept Arshi as the wifeโฆ pray tell me what is the audience supposed to do except blame all the three characters in different ways) the conflict looks absolutely muddled. If Arshi was a wife, Aniโs entreaties to move on in the relationship will look justified and organic - Kya main pehle insaan hoon jiske saath ye ho raha hain? makes complete sense.. But we are projecting the same thing but with semantics arranged in a way that โ Jo tumko ho pasand wohi baat kahengeโ - the result of so much confusion and anger and issues with characterisation.
Sorry I donโt know if I answered your actual questionโฆ but I rambled on ๐๐๐
Thank you for taking the time to indulge me in these reflections.
The only other show Iโve watched is YRKKH Gen 3, and it was an absolutely dreadful experience. After a divorce, the FL hid a child from the ML, married another man, built her family life around that child, and then fought with the ML to preserve her new family. After the second husband died, she tried to reconcile with the first husband (ML) for the sake of her child, only to discover she was pregnant with the second husbandโs child. The ML accepted it all, but ultimately, both he and the child died, leading to a generational leap. I endured that godawful story solely for the emotional turmoil so beautifully portrayed by the ML while the FL showed no remorse.
I feel like I'm getting there with Jhanak as well. For me, itโs not so much about what these FLs do, but the why and how behind their actions. And when you add inconsistent storytelling into the mix, it becomes nearly impossible to connect with the narrative.
.... New mama paida ho gayi jaise aashram msi pita paida hua 
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