So, here is my attempt in reviewing and analyzing Punar Vivah.
My mom and I were talking the other day on indian and western soap opera's and we realized that one thing about western soap operas was the natural progression of the story and also how the western soap operas were so much in tune and sync with the western society , the norms and the values prevalent in them.
Something, which is slowly taking root in Indian Shows now. Punar Vivah is one such Indian show.
The concept was unique so to say, when one first heard about the show., Story of two people, who were getting re -married in a society where widowed re-marriage is looked down upon and so are divorceee getting married again. Add to it, a powerful performers and seasoned actors. The promo's too were catchy and gave an insight into the chemistry and the story progression, one was to see. So to say, the stage was set for a good 6 months to one year even before the show had completed one month. The stage was set, much before the show was aired.
This is not your out and out love story. It is a very subtle love story dealing with a sensitive yet very realistic view prevalent in today's society. It deals with issues such as re-marriage, a concept which is looked down upon in today's world!
By the looks of it, the promo's have clearly identified the phases the story is to progress and the tracks clearly spelt out. (oh, the production house sure know the start to end of this soap and the way the characters are defined, is just so real!)
Every episode is giving us an insight into the character and their role in the future story telling. Who says the story is slow! We already have had tracks seeded in. We already have the inter personal equations and dynamics spelt out for us, we know what the characters are!
Booom! and this show is realistic and how!
we have people making constant comparison to the first wife which is so prevalent in today's society. we have the dual double standards of the society and what detailing! I mean its so so realistic...haldi ceremony of the boy and the girl in two different areas, even the juniors are different in every scene and are not repeated, which just goes to show the grandeur of the scale of celebration and the thought put behind the scenes and the detailing by the creatives. Whats noteworthy to watch is how everyone is in sync with each other. The actors know what they have to do and react, the director knows what expression he is supposed to extract and the chemistry he is supposed to get from the characters, even the cheat shoot is cleverly shot, the background scores uplift the scenes and are in sync with the scene - the only add to the chemistry and the scenes! Every scene has a high point and the precap for the next day only has the audience guessing for what's in store for the next day! The screen play is tight, every scene has a high and atleast there is a story and character graph by the looks of it!
It seems as if everyone is in sync and on the same page and this shows in the episode! It shows that there is a lot of hard work and effort that has gone behind the making of the episodes.It shows that there is a lot of thought that has gone behind the story and the characters. Every character is spelt out for the audience and we as the audience can only wait and watch to see how the tracks unfold, how the story progress and how the characters react to the situations that are put across them for these characters are real and they are strong. They have their own individuality and are unique in their own way but most importantly they are real.
The story is just about 25 episodes old, we have two misunderstanding tracks spelt out for us, we have a highly explosive chemistry in store for us, we have about 6 conflicts spelt out for us, the bachelor party is already telecasted, the show is heading towards the marriage and we say the story is slow! In sharp contrast, we have marriages between the leads taking place in what after 4 months! Where most story gets slow after marriage, the real story here in punar vinah will start after the leads get married! Ok, so this is going to be rather long so I will post it in parts!
In 25 episodes, here is what we know about the characters, the story etc!
About the Characters :
Aarti, a name which is a form of worship... Her life was centered around her husband and his family. She is still madly in love with him and cant think of another man possessing her, let alone touching her. In her hearts of hearts, she knows that yash respects her. She knows that he is protective about her. She knows that he will take care of her but there is a defence in her, as if she is not willing to be another man's wife. Her life has only begun and ended with prashant and here, she is expected to move on. Being single mother is not easy. She has done, everything she could, to raise ansh up, spoilt him thoroughly, catered to all his demands and needs. Ansh is her life and her centre of existence and she will do anything for him, anything to make him a man from a child to a boy and she knows that for this, he needs a man, whom he can look up to. For her, her honour and dignity is of utmost importance. She has massive anger right now, which is on boiling point right now, ready to lose steam. She doesn't want to believe what mansi tells her but the situations and circumstances are such, that they only add up to whatever mansi has told her. We know that aarti is a head strong character, for whom family values and ties are of utmost importance. She will stand up for what she believes in and what she thinks is right. She has a view and she wants to express it. She is still cladded up in the past. For her, it is a new beginning, it is a new journey. There is no romance brewing. It's a marriage of convenience for her but it's marriage nevertheless. She is unsure. She thinks that her in laws have told about her past to her in laws to be. She is unsure but she is non judgemnental. She views situations and people by how they react and according to the situations, she goes with them. Its an alien process for her. It's a discomfirting thought, where she is suddenly supposed to accept traditions, culture, values of her to be in laws. It's a new thing for her, where she is getting married to a family, where there are no confidante, no friends and she is supposed to create a place for herself, in a family which is full of the earlier wife's memories. It's a very uncomfortable, unsettling thought for her and of course, she is feeling akward!. It seems as if aarti is scared to fall in love again, that she has closed all doors and is using her memories with prashant as a defence mechanism from falling in love either with a person or with life again. There is a lot of pain within her. Aarti as an individual is some one who will either keep the pain to herself and the only one who truly understands her pain is Shobha. It's only Shobha, who is let in to this pain and sorrow.
In the first episode, we know that aarti wants to tell people that she is a divorcee but is not given a chance to. It though doesn't mean that she is weak and submissive. It just means that Aarti, may never get a chance to tell yash and his family as well that she is a divorcee
Shobha and her husband : over ridden with the guilt of their son leaving their daughter in law at a time, when she was pregnant and tired of the societal norms, they now aim to seek to settle their daughter in law again. For them, now it is a challenge to throw back to society that a woman can get married again. May be it was their fear that society may never accept a divorcee, that makes them lie but a lie is a lie. They are highly guilty as they feel that their daughter in laws life has been spoilt because of their son. They aim to make right all the wrongs by their son, without realizing whether the route they are taking, is that good or bad. Shobha is the one who has taken it up to stand up for her daughter in law and getting her place in the society. She is the one, who has disowned her own son for her daughter in law. She is aarti's confidante, probably, the only one who can reason with her and get her to see light and make her see light. Shobha's husband on the other hand has little or no say at all. Wouldn't call him weak, but I guess, he himself has not much to do, where his own son is wrong. they are abashed and guilty of the way, their son treated his wife and left her in a lurch to be with another woman
Yash : the name which stands for splendor and grandeur, also means success and good will. He is a wedding planner who planned weddings in style and grandeur. He is madly in love with Arpita and his whole life centered around her. When Arpita was alive, he loved to dance, was happy and full of life. Its only after her death, that he became a man of no words, became recluse and life for him only about living. He had forgotten how to live, let alone smile. He is man, who is still haunted by his wife's memories, yearns for her a lot, misses her. It seems as if Arpita was the soul of his existence where everything started and ended with Arpita. Now, he is a man, who is living but has forgotten how to live. He loves his daughters to the core, is extremely possessive about them. He is a family man no doubt but where Arpita is concerned, she has her own place in his life and in his heart. He can't think of another woman entering that space. He is still living in the past and from time to time does feel guilty of any one else occupying that place. Where aarti is concerned, unconsciously he has already accepted her to be his. Her respect and dignity is of prime importance to him. He is super protective about her and will be the one bailing her out of trouble and out of situations. He will be the one who will stand up for her, support her and protect her. He will be the one siding with her, and walking step by step with her. He is a man of few words, for whom his eyes and expression do the talking. Its his heart that understands. He understands that it is tough for aarti, as it is for him. He understands that aarti is going through the same emotional turmoil as him. He understands that it is as difficult for aarti as it is for him. He respects her. He feels for her. He know that the surreals of feelings and emotions that they both have, are unknown for both of them. He wants her to know that he is only doing this for the kids, as she is doing for the kids. He is exasperated, that she is not giving him a chance. So, if she has told him, to back off, he will but there will be an unsettling thought in him, to clear the air before he gets married to her. He is a perfectionist who likes things in an orderly manner. Everything has a place for him and he doesnt like things messed up with, hence he doesnt like the situation, he is currently in, is trying to get out it. His desperate attempts in trying to clear up the air is slowly testing his patience. He will explode, no doubt, probably will have to do something drastic to get aarti to hear him out. He is extremely patient and of course, being a buddy to yash is something rather novel and new to him.
Yash and Aarti, both are in denial right now. They can not fathom how they are supposed to share their lives, share space with each other. Sub consciously both have accepted each other.
Mansi : an extrovert by nature, who believes in living life to the fullest. Partying, drinking etc, she thinks men only have one ulterior motive in mind. In all fairness to her, she tries to use this, as getting them to talk. She know that aarti and yash desperately need to talk and uses this as one way for them to talk. To her, it begins as a way to tease and scare aarti, but little does she know that may be the same ploy will be for her advantage for pankaj (more on that when I expore the dynamics between the characters in a later post). Her life is full of excitement and she views sex has something which is a need. For her, man is only in a relationship to satisfy his err hunger and need and she has no qualms in admitting to that. She is ok with the fact of dancing with a married man and swinging her hips with him, marroying some matkas and jhatkas with him. I mean, we to can not even think of that. Hence, she and paridhi are more or less on the same platform when it comes to being outgoing and having fun.
Mr and Mrs Scindia: Both hold family values and tradition in high regard. Theirs is a family which has a rigid life style. Mr Scindia's word is the last. It is always his way in the family. For him, it is always about his family honour and pride. Arpita and her parents have a special place in their life. He will do anything for them. For him, their wish is their command. They go by the societal norms, values and traditions, which take precedence in their life. For them the culture is most important and they will leave no stone unturned in following these traditions and culture to the hilt.
Mr Scindia's Sister : of course, she is bitter and why not. Her own brother thinks its ok to get another widow to his house but not ok to get her married of. She is living with her brother and not with her in laws. This is one character which is still opening up. For now, she is bitter, has a feeling that what meets the eye is not really what it seems.
Pankaj and Vidhi : Vidhi is the trusted daughter in law of the house, who has a lot of family responsibility bestowed upon her. Her life revolves in managing the house and taking care of the people of the house, but she has no time for her husband. Pankaj on the other hand, loves his wife a lot, wants to talk to her and spend time with her but can't. The wife is busy in managing the house and the husband wanting to spend as time as he can with the wife but can't. He is the one who explains to yash that he must open his door to the present and accept aarti, whole heartedly. Both he and prateek have been great catalyst in making yash see reason
Prateek and Paridhi : Both are very modern in their outlook. Both love partying out. Prateek loves cooking and paridhi is a radio vj, which will tell us that prateek will be a very joru ka ghulam kinds where he will be the one cooking and looking after paridhi, while paridhi will be the one working. They both love each other to the core but the lifestyles will spell trouble for the scindia household. Paridhi loves to eat, dance, party'which is not in sync with the tradition s and culture of the scindia's. Prateek is your very vibrant personality. In all his innocence and child like behavior, he knows how to reason it out with Yash. He knows that the only way to make yash what he was like before, will be talking about Arpita. He is the one who unconsciously made yash realize that aarti had some misconception about him. So in all probability, he is going to be one major catalyst in the yash ' aarti story. Paridhi on the other hand, has no iota of feeling of what she is getting into. She moves her face away, talking to some one while her aarti was taking place which clearly showed disrespect. Full of life, energy, she keeps a watch on prateek and its almost like she is trying to control him but unconsciously. Theirs is a relationship which is full of life, full of romance, full of energy in sharp contrast to yash and aarti, which is all akward!
Prashant : the man, who left aarti, seems to be a weakling to the core, whose male ego is going to take a royal beating, when his wife gets married to another man and falls in love with him.
Arpita meaning dedication. True to this name, it seems as if Arpita dedicated her whole life to yash and his family. She was the only one who held the family together. The mere mention of her name brings a smile to every ones face. She was the ideal wife, ideal daughter etc. In short, she was perfection personified with a rather pleasing personality. She was the centre of existence for yash, and it seems that both were madly in love with each other
The stage is still being set as the characters are still being defined. Every episode, every scene, also gives an extra insight into the story.
My next post will be on what we have learned and seen on the family dynamics and tracks on the basis of the character of these 25 episodes, future conflicts etc.
Has any one ever noticed and wondered how the name aarti is derived from the word arpita! Just wondering ! or then how the two are interlinked with each other! More on this later.
Promo Analysis on pg 2
inter personal dyanmics on page 4
cards thrown page 5
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