so I randomly saw a promo on youtube for this show and decided to check it. am mostly caught up and here are my impressions:
-- the initial promos were kind of misleading. it just seemed like the usual type romance drama except with north-south divide. I didn't even realize it was a rural setting drama! upon watching, I was surprised because my expectation based on the promo were very different from what the drama turned out to be. the promo made it seem like some romantic comedy about two people in the city who happen to be from different states. but it is far more earnest in tone. that does not make it boring but just more endearing in a way. you know that whoever is making this drama is putting their heart into it.
-- it isn't a typical romance or just some family saas-baahu type nonsense. instead, this is a social drama squarely centered in the rural landscape and talks about issues related to those regions. these issues are very relevant and have huge impact. as a city person, we forget that there are still homes without proper toilets in the rural areas. while it seems like such a normal thing for us, toilets have huge impacts in society. it is not just about disease control but also about privacy and safety for women. there is research to indicate that when toilets are built, enrollment of girl students in schools increase.
-- the other issue that is just touched upon but not dealt in detail is how the lack of women is forcing these men to look for brides elsewhere. this is a real issue that is prevalent in some parts of our country and is because of female infanticide. there have been articles about how women from other states end up moving to some of these regions. it starts off with one woman and pretty soon, many women from that state end up moving there. basically the first woman will suggest a rishta from her village for someone and so on, it spreads. so it is interesting to see this drama cover this issue and to see the implications from a daily life perspective. how do two people from different states build a life together?
-- then we have the issue of land and lack of prosperity. how is land management affecting certain regions of our country? why are some lands barren? those are complex agricultural issues and it will be interesting to see how the drama covers those. we are also seeing the issue of land grabbing with goondaism mixed in with local politics -- those issues are real and that is why some regions continue to be so underdeveloped.
besides the social issues, I like how they are building the relationship between these two. I loved that we have a drama where both are scared and we hear their fears before they get married. we can see how these fears and hesitations are shaping their relationship. at the same time, there is lots of attraction between the two and a kind of genuine camraderie when they are on the same page. it is rather cute! 😘
I also liked that harphoul's mom is a genuinely sweet lady who is looking out for all in her house.
if I had to mention a small negative, I would say the depiction of mohini's house and cultural customs were at times a bit off but it wasn't so bad to be annoying.
so on the whole, I like the drama -- it is earnest, it is romantic and you are getting a dose of real social issues mixed in with an entertaining format. the drama also moves really fast and there is a lot of stuff that happens with each episode.
my only question is if this is meant to be a limited episodes drama (like 150-200 episodes) as opposed to something like a daily drama with a zillion episodes.
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
