Posted:
What first attracted me to Karol Bagh was the character of Simi. Typically heroines in films and shows are pretty girls who don't have a hard time finding suitors. Rarely do we have a female character who is appoaching 30 and looks like a woman and is struggling to find someone in life whom she can marry. Stuck with awful suitors such as Rajeev Bhala, we all hoped that someone would eventually come into her life and sweep her of her feet.
A long came Abhi T. While I was not a fan of the "she looks really pretty" moment at the mandir when Abhi first meets Simi, it was tastefully done and Abhi didn't dwell on her after he first met her. He saw her, thought she looked cute, and went on his way. The chance encounters between the two helped build their relationship. Abhi respected her as a friend but was not in love with her. I initially liked the way they let each other get to know one another and had hoped they would have had them go out more and had more chance encounters before they suddenly confessed their love for each other.
Unfortunately others were nor satisfied with how the storyline was developing and became excited when the character of Neeraj was introduced. Some professed a desire to see Neeraj pursue Simi in order to make Abhi jealous and realize that he loved Simi. This approach would defeat the whole concept of what made the original story so endearing - a not so attractive girl struggling to get a guy to like her. If Simi is pursued by two guys, then it takes away from the whole essence of what made the Simi storyline so different.
To have had Simi end up with someone could have been done in numerous ways without the need to bring in another guy and turn the show into another Ekta Kapoor drama (her shows are full of triangles most of which are insanely awful). A more interesting way for the not so pretty girl to get the guy, is for the guy to pick her over a number of other women who are attracted to him. That's how it's done in Hollywood and a number of books I have read. For example, ever seen the film Truth About Cats and Dogs? The guy picks the not so pretty vetenarian over the not so smart but beautiful model. In the film, Never Been Kissed - the guy picks the not so pretty journalist over his pretty girlfriend because the journalist turns out to be far more brighter and in Bridget Jones' Diary - Bridget gets picked over the smart and powerful lawyer, because she has an funny and sincere personality. Also, in the film He's Just not that into You - the young girl who loses out in love gets picked because the lead character finds her personality charming.
As you can see here, I have listed just four movies where the not so pretty girl is picked NOT because we have another lover in the picture but because she wins over other girls. That's how the not so pretty girl winning the guy storyline is supposed to take. You keep in essence with your original concept, and have her win by taking this pathway. The storyline of KB never attempted to do anything different but instead looked at Ekta Kapoor dramas and used tunnel vision and played safe.
Well, the creatives didn't like this idea nor did the public. Instead the desperation for a competitor for Abhi was sought and now Abhi has become the center of the story. Simi is no longer the girl whom guys rejected; instead she has become the attention of Abhi and Nukul and will be in love triangle. Gone is the story line dealing with a young girl who was rejected and found true love.
I am truly saddened by this angle. It has nothing to do with idea that Simi and Abhi will not get together; we all know this going to happen. However, to take this story on this gissa pitta pathway is tantamount is going to turn Simi into the same heroine we have seen in other shows.
