Posted:
Everybody hailed KPji as a progressive writer and described Nidhi's decision to focus on her career for two years before planning a family as a reflection of the perspective of a modern career woman!
Although personally disturbed by Ashutosh's angst, I could not find fault with Nidhi's logic completely. While personally, I do not believe it is impossible for a woman to manage a high pressure career and a baby, I realize that a woman's right to her decision had to be respected, much as one may disagree with it!
However, in this one episode, I find that the writer has undone all the good that he supposedly tried to achieve earlier!
When Nidhi said that she had been focusing on her career instead of fulfilling Ashutosh's desires and this was life's way of taking revenge on her for that, my jaw dropped. After taking pains to show the importance of career in a woman's life, here was a career woman blaming herself for her professional choices. If she had said that life had taught her that babies were not made to order and that they were a blessing that Nature chose to deliver at a time of her choosing, it wouldn't have seemed so inappropriate. Instead, here was a woman blaming her ambition as reason for her disappointing her family. Also, this whole concept of disappointment makes no sense. Is a baby a gift that a woman is expected to deliver to her family? Is it not a part of her body and soul that she longs to welcome into her life and hold close to her heart? Why should a woman apologize for her inability to conceive, even if it is temporary? I am sorry but I was thoroughly disturbed and disappointed.
Secondly, Nidhi's comment that a woman's life is not complete with a home and a husband but only with the coming of a baby. This made things even worse and reeked of an extremely chauvinistic attitude. There may be women who may find their lives complete without marriage, husbands or children. How can this kind of a generalization be made which again compromises a woman's fight for self actualization?
Hardly, two days ago, she was not even sure if she wanted a baby and had to be cajoled and convinced by her Dadi Bua. Suddenly, she is seen spouting dialogue that is more befitting of a Tulsi or a Parvathi.
Why have the writers chosen to compromise everything, be it characterization or track, that they had originally created?
If they truly believed in Nidhi's fight for her career, why not devote the last few episodes to that? Why not show something like Nidhi preparing for a PG entrance or skip that and even take a short leap of two years and show her acquiring a MD or an MS degree? Why not end the show with Nidhi receiving a gold medal for standing first in her masters course and have Ashutosh applauding her from the audience. Why even delve into this whole baby track which is even considered regressive by some and which is supposedly injurious to the lead actor's professional health?
Why not stick to the values that you have tried to uphold on the show? Why try and make a mess of everything that you have tried to do earlier? The audience did not ask for the baby then and they did not ask for it now.
I have just one question for the creatives. Have they managed to figure out what they have been trying to say? Or are they even trying?
Today, I feel let down both as a career woman and as a mother. The show has done justice to neither!
Sorry Sony TV, Rajan Shahi, KTLK creatives, Mr Kelkar and Ms Kamra...but sincerely hope you guys actually have a plan the next time round...if there is to be a next time...!
P.S - I included the names of the actors only because we have been given to believe that tracks are played out to suit their convenience. If that is indeed the case, then they have to take some degree of responsibility for the success or failure of these tracks too! Even if they are not responsible to the show's makers, they are surely responsible to their fans who are also responsible for making them who they are? When bouquets are accepted with a smile, then surely brickbats have to be accepted with a bowed head!
Although personally disturbed by Ashutosh's angst, I could not find fault with Nidhi's logic completely. While personally, I do not believe it is impossible for a woman to manage a high pressure career and a baby, I realize that a woman's right to her decision had to be respected, much as one may disagree with it!
However, in this one episode, I find that the writer has undone all the good that he supposedly tried to achieve earlier!
When Nidhi said that she had been focusing on her career instead of fulfilling Ashutosh's desires and this was life's way of taking revenge on her for that, my jaw dropped. After taking pains to show the importance of career in a woman's life, here was a career woman blaming herself for her professional choices. If she had said that life had taught her that babies were not made to order and that they were a blessing that Nature chose to deliver at a time of her choosing, it wouldn't have seemed so inappropriate. Instead, here was a woman blaming her ambition as reason for her disappointing her family. Also, this whole concept of disappointment makes no sense. Is a baby a gift that a woman is expected to deliver to her family? Is it not a part of her body and soul that she longs to welcome into her life and hold close to her heart? Why should a woman apologize for her inability to conceive, even if it is temporary? I am sorry but I was thoroughly disturbed and disappointed.
Secondly, Nidhi's comment that a woman's life is not complete with a home and a husband but only with the coming of a baby. This made things even worse and reeked of an extremely chauvinistic attitude. There may be women who may find their lives complete without marriage, husbands or children. How can this kind of a generalization be made which again compromises a woman's fight for self actualization?
Hardly, two days ago, she was not even sure if she wanted a baby and had to be cajoled and convinced by her Dadi Bua. Suddenly, she is seen spouting dialogue that is more befitting of a Tulsi or a Parvathi.
Why have the writers chosen to compromise everything, be it characterization or track, that they had originally created?
If they truly believed in Nidhi's fight for her career, why not devote the last few episodes to that? Why not show something like Nidhi preparing for a PG entrance or skip that and even take a short leap of two years and show her acquiring a MD or an MS degree? Why not end the show with Nidhi receiving a gold medal for standing first in her masters course and have Ashutosh applauding her from the audience. Why even delve into this whole baby track which is even considered regressive by some and which is supposedly injurious to the lead actor's professional health?
Why not stick to the values that you have tried to uphold on the show? Why try and make a mess of everything that you have tried to do earlier? The audience did not ask for the baby then and they did not ask for it now.
I have just one question for the creatives. Have they managed to figure out what they have been trying to say? Or are they even trying?
Today, I feel let down both as a career woman and as a mother. The show has done justice to neither!
Sorry Sony TV, Rajan Shahi, KTLK creatives, Mr Kelkar and Ms Kamra...but sincerely hope you guys actually have a plan the next time round...if there is to be a next time...!
P.S - I included the names of the actors only because we have been given to believe that tracks are played out to suit their convenience. If that is indeed the case, then they have to take some degree of responsibility for the success or failure of these tracks too! Even if they are not responsible to the show's makers, they are surely responsible to their fans who are also responsible for making them who they are? When bouquets are accepted with a smile, then surely brickbats have to be accepted with a bowed head!
