I know it’s really hard to imagine this but in a way Kyunki can be considered progressive for its time, and by that I mean season one of the show.
Yes, now we blame it for the plethora of saas bahu shows that have flooded our screens but it inevitably was a response of demand and supply. We as audience accepted the content regardless of what form it was packaged in and that’s why we are here trapped in this vicious cycle.
When Kyunki began it was a show that highlighted subtly topics such as classism - when Savita rejected Tulsi, widow remarriage - Hemant Pooja track and when Mandira would stoop so low as to fake a pregnancy to trap a married man unwilling to have a relationship with her - how women who can’t take a no for an answer exist. Yes, shows that had EMAs had already been aired before but the difference was that regardless of who initiated the affair, it was always about a married man/woman who willingly entered into a relationship outside their marriage, Mihir was not shown reciprocating Mandira’s advances once he was reunited with Tulsi and truly recovered his memories.
When the show took a leap we saw the show again delving into topics like the effects of divorce on the psyche of children - with Gautam and Karisma, move even further ahead and we come across topics too bold and controversial even today in a way for our country and society to discuss - marital rape and euthanasia, but we had those nonetheless on the show.
Which brings me to this season because Smriti Irani said how this season while short and limited will address social issues and when the show wasted no time to make Pari frame her innocent in-laws and ex-husband in a case of domestic violence it seemed like it truly was kicking off with a start… but the recent Mittali track in parallel with Noyna Mihir nonsense is too much to handle. Worse, Mittali’s track could have very well included social commentary if the intention was to make sure she didn’t get married to Angad but they go ahead and make it a freaking possession track!
Aditi is doing a good job with those scenes but I wish it was genuinely a mental disease or a disorder that they had used here to make her display her acting chops, even if they had to give her a Dissociative Identity Disorder, she could have been shown as acting in a completely different way; not this.
I remember one of the earliest shows that had a side character suffer from Split personality disorder was in a show called Jyoti. The main character’s younger sister was so psychologically damaged in it. She usually comes across as a very timid, shy and docile girl, the kind who would cry if you so much as stared at her angrily or yelled at her. But she has a different personality that is shown as a very confident girl, the kind that goes to clubs, drinks, parties and even wouldn’t mind arguing and hitting strangers.
Given that Mittali’s father is practically non-existent so far, her personality disorder could have easily been something related with that aspect of her life. Maybe she could have been shown as having a different personality whose mental state is very childish or one who in the absence of a father, latches onto older men and probably has no qualms about having an affair with a man old enough to be her father, for once someone who is not Mihir. The guy may or may not even know she’s mentally unstable; could simply see her as a willing young woman eager to get in his bed.
Mittali could have easily been shown as a compulsive liar or a gambling addict or into drugs or a chain smoker or a hundred other things that would have been absolutely valid grounds for Angad to have second thoughts about marrying her and finally calling the whole thing off… but they go for this which doesn’t even fit in with the narrative or genre of Kyunki.
Heck they could have easily shown that Mittali has a body count - something that is a subject that is still a taboo today. I am not saying that she had to be sl** - shamed with it, Angad could certainly have stated he too has his own number… but the fact is that this could have still been a valid enough reason for Angad to call off the engagement if he were to have discovered Mittali lied about something to him - like the prospect of having children or maybe an STD, not necessarily something fatal like HIV but still something that would make a person pause and say… yeah, I don’t think I can marry someone who might spring such a surprise on me. But they freaking seem to be making this about a possession. I am not saying that shows can’t go down this route but really if I wanted to watch supernatural or superstitious content I would willingly sign up for those and not watch Kyunki to tune into the same. This is about misleading packaging in a way which sucks big time.
Can’t believe that Tulsi having a random guy as her long lost son who just so happens to run a drug empire was more believable and convincing than whatever this nonsense is.
The fact that Angad was more concerned about Vrinda than be terrified about what he witnessed and more importantly heard his fiancé sound like doesn’t help this plot one bit. Even if you’re not willing to admit that you have the hots for an ex-employee whom you just saved from getting assaulted, if you witness your fiancé act the way Mittali did, heard her sound like she did - that should still scare the living daylights out of you! Angad doesn’t even seem concerned about Mittali!
Honestly, this is the worst plotted cop-out of an engagement that I’ve ever seen on an Ekta show, and I bloody grew up watching Kyunki, Kahaani and Kasauti simultaneously!
Indian Idol 16
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