To tell you the truth, my mom started watching QH before I did. I was busy with my semester when it started on Zee TV last October, so I couldn't be bothered to start following a new show. But my mom seemed intrigued by it, and once my exams were over, she recommended that I watch it too. And I got hooked. But from the very first time I sat down and watched QH with my mom, she's always made her dislike for Asad very obvious. Every other episode she would complain about Asad being an idiotic MCP and how she can't stand his strange mood swings and odd behaviour. Sometimes, she even cribs about KSG's acting, insisting that he doesn't act well. The closest she's gotten to complimenting KSG was when he finally shaved after the whole Rashid fiasco, she said (and I quote): "Hmm, he looks younger." I guess that too probably stems from her strong dislike for his character Asad. There are even times she complains about how the story doesn't flow properly, finding loopholes in their storylines. As much as I love QH, I never really argued with her about stuff she says, because at least she's still watching it, and she doesn't stop me from watching it either.
But yesterday, after watching QH, we were watching another serial, and I made a comment about how the main leads looked awkward with each other and it was a pain to watch. Then, to my utter horror and sheer disbelief, my mom said that Asad and Zoya's chemistry isn't much better anyway!! I was shocked, and now I couldn't take it anymore, so I asked her this: Why do you even follow QH then? I mean, you don't like Asad, you have problems with the storyline, and now you tell me even Asad and Zoya's pairing doesn't interest you. So why do watch it??
I expected her to shrug me off and tell me to do something productive with my life instead of thinking about stupid things, but she pleasantly surprised me by indulging me with her answer. And it was simple enough, she just said (and I quote): "I like Zoya." And then a small discussion ensued with my mom about this, so I'll just list out the main points:
1. Zoya dresses in a normal way. What she meant is that Zoya doesn't dress in designer saris and salwar kameez on a daily basis (like in other serials). No one does that in real life anyway. And if the argument here is that it's because she's a modern NRI, so it's unfair to compare her dressing style with other female main leads, then it should also be noted that in other shows, modern girls are usually shown dressed in designer dresses/tops with killer heels to match the look. Zoya dresses in jeans, with the most normal of tops, and she wears simple pumps on her feet. And that's normal, that's how people usually dress.
2. Zoya is crazy in a normal way. Granted, many shows before this have had crazy, spunky female leads, but their craziness usually stems from the fact that they're uneducated, or if they are educated, then it's from the fact that they're from a small village/town in India so they're kind of country bumpkin-ish, hence the crazy behaviour. Positive female characters from big cities are usually portrayed as classy, sophisticated, sensible young women. Zoya, on the other hand, is from a big city overseas and she's educated, yet she's crazy in her own way. And that's normal!! Most of us here are from big cities I suppose, and if I at least speak for myself, I'm not at all classy or sophisticated. I'm messy and slightly crazy, a little like Zoya actually. So it's endearing to watch a character that you can so easily relate to.
3. Zoya doesn't cry all the time. It's true, they've shown us countless scenes of Zoya crying, but she doesn't keep crying. In one scene she may be crying, but a few scenes later, she's laughing and saying shayaris again, unlike many serials in which the female leads don't stop crying for weeks just because of one sad incident. Once again, normalcy!! I mean, all of us face sad situations, and we do cry about it, but not for weeks on end like shown in the serials. Nobody cries for weeks unless they have diagnosed depression or something.
4. Zoya is independent, but she's also just a girl. My mom said she loves how they show Zoya wandering around Bhopal herself, determined to find her abbu. Yet, she also has a soft side, and she's an emotional person, but a balanced one. Many shows just show extremes, if a girl is independent, she's crazily independent, verging on manly. And if a girl is emotional, all she does is care for everyone around her and cry with them, for them, or even for fun I swear. But Zoya's neither extreme, which is, once again, very normal. All of us are like that, neither are we highly dependent nor are we highly independent. Everybody needs somebody with them some time or the other.
5. Okay this is not related to Zoya, but my mom also watches QH because even though some of the storylines may not make sense, they still move ahead with it pretty quick. It's never stuck on one particular scene/situation for too long, so it's fun to see what's in store. There are some serials you can neglect to watch for a whole month, and yet when you tune in after a month you know exactly what's going on because the story hasn't moved forward at all. QH is nothing like that, so it's fun to follow.
So yeah, that's why my mom watches QH. Not to swoon over Asad/KSG or to wait in anticipation for lovely Mitwa Moments. On this forum, we spend a lot of time/posts swooning over Asad and Zoya, since we're all pretty young I assume. So it was nice to gain a fresh perspective from an older viewer. I hope QH continues to keep us all hooked, young and old!! (:
Udne Ki Aasha
Hollywood
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