Hey Dreamy, CB, Shwetha, Prash😊,
How are you guys doing? Great topic Dreamy........I am sure people will have loads to say............as for my thoughts......I think we have to accept that this is a fictional show, (though set amongst some very realistic backdrop and inspired by a real life character) so there are bound to be creative licenses taken by the CVs to develop the story. Creative license that by its very definition, moves the story line/plot away from reality.
To me the show, at least initially, had a fairy-tale quality to it..........or at least, a very old-world charm..........I mean, in this day and age, who has a love-marriage based on just eloquent eye-locks and little else? We don't need to be reminded that Avita got married without exchanging even a word face to face ( I am discounting Arpita's letter here). So pre-marriage, Avita was all fantasy for me...........post-marriage is another story. I would imagine most if not all, wives of gangsters and dons face the very same dilemnas that are faced by Arpita ......they too pray for the safety of their husbands and live forever under the terror of an assassin/police bullet that could spell the end of their married life.
To your specific points, of Arpita being biddable and addressing Avi with "ji", I think it is quite realistic. You have to understand the milieu, the particular social norms of the setting that the characters belong to. Regardless of the kind of marriage, love or arranged, a young bride, in much of present day rural India, is a pretty docile creature. That is not to say she doesn't always get what she wants, just that she is expected to follow instructions, at least in the initial period of settling in...say a year or so. By that yardstick, Arpita has been nothing less than revolutionary.........in the way she has demanded Avi to change course and shed his bad boy ways. In the West, when a couple gets married, the bride and groom set up their nest independent of the extended family and the girl holds sway in the house. Everything is done according to her wishes, the understanding being that this is "her house".......not so in this case.......Arpita has married "into" the Thakur family and haveli....she is the newcomer and she has to mould herself according to the norms and rules of the family.
Hers being a love marriage, her husband will support her and guide her through this process of settling in, but that does not change the fact that she has to settle in, if you know what I mean. As far as "ji" is concerned, I see nothing unrealistic in it. Too often we think that if a relationship is based on equality and love, then there is no place in it for formality/respect.I can say with personal experience that though HD and I do not use "ji" in addressing each other, both of us use "aap"........and not for any lack of love😳😊...........just that our backgrounds dictate our choices. Oh gosh, this I guess is TMI😳
I hope I was able to make sense. OK girls, bring it on!!!
Thanks again Dreamy for a nice topic.
Vista
