The Evolution Of TV serials and their Portrayal of ‘Indian Values’ - Page 16

Originally posted by: la_Reine

No I never heard of that one...did it air after Zee horror show?

I mostly used to watch Sony channel in those days...Kya haadsa kya haqeeqat, and achanak 37 saal baad were good too

It was a remake of "IT". Original run: 1998. It's Still available on zee5 online platform. 

I also watched Kya haadsa kya Haqeeqat. It was good. I haven't watched achanak 37 saal baad. 

Originally posted by: NayaNehaD31

It was a remake of "IT". Original run: 1998. It's Still available on zee5 online platform. 

I also watched Kya haadsa kya Haqeeqat. It was good. I haven't watched achanak 37 saal baad. 

IT the novel by Stephen King?

Achanak was more of a scifi, it had Rahil Azam as lead I think

Originally posted by: la_Reine

IT the novel by Stephen King?

Achanak was more of a scifi, it had Rahil Azam as lead I think

Bold) Yes

I am continuing a discussion from a similar topic that is now closed.

Originally posted by: RockingSunny

... Probably 4 years back there was a serial where the male lead's first wife was back who was assumed dead. The male lead truly loved his first wife but he also started loving his current wife so he decided to stay with both his wife in the house and the banner was like he was loving both of them. Now that's a really horrendous thing to even watch. ...

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

If you find it unwatchable, you have the right to say so, but what you've described seems like a serious and dramatic situation. If it's a thoughtfully told story with multifaceted characters, I might watch.

What do you think the man should do? Suppose his first wife deliberately left him, she let him remarry, and now she wants him back just to make trouble. Should he reject her, when he really wants to feel loved by her and forgive her and rebuild what they lost? Suppose his second wife is innocent. Should he pretend to be happy with her while pining for his first wife, or should he end their marriage and feel guilty about ruining her life? Maybe telling the truth, that he loves them both, is the most honest approach.

Of course, the serial should acknowledge that bigamy is illegal in India (with exceptions), but after complying with the law, if both women agree to share a husband, are they hurting society or just making their marriages work by accommodating another person in their lives?

I would like to share my impression of how a new Indian TV daily drama is handling the topic of bigamy. This is Ramā Rāghava on Colors Marathi, a remake of the ongoing show Rāmācārī on Colors Kannada.

When the male lead Raghav goes to the house of the female lead Rama to conduct a pūjā for her father Girish's sixtieth birthday, he overhears Arushi, a teenage girl, consoling her mother Pavitra, and he learns that they are Girish's secret second family, living in the same house with his legal wife Lavanya - Rama's mother. The details of how this arrangement has affected each family member are revealed to the audience as Pavitra speaks to Arushi, Rama's friends question her, and Lavanya confronts Pavitra.

Rama feels embarrassed that her parents' marriage is only a business deal, and so she has told her friends that Pavitra is a distant cousin of Lavanya who stays with them because she and Arushi don't have anyone else. Arushi remarks that Girish and Lavanya don't even talk to each other properly, whereas Girish and Pavitra look after each other like a real married couple.

Lavanya says that she could have refused to let Girish see Pavitra, forget bringing her home, but if Girish had divorced Lavanya or gone to live with Pavitra, society would have gossipped about the fault in Lavanya, and her reputation and social status would have been ruined. Thinking of her young daughter Rama, Lavanya endured years of humiliation and loneliness in privacy - until Raghav made it public by telling Girish that the pūjā would not be sincere if he sidelined and hurt the feelings of Pavitra, the woman who is his wife in his heart.

Pavitra says that she is a wife only in one room, and her maṅgaḷasūtra stays in a cabinet. Rama always insults Pavitra, insisting that Pavitra has no right to ask her where she has spent the night, and no right to care about Girish's health because she is no one to him.

Girish indulges Rama with every luxury, probably because he feels guilty that his distance from Lavanya hurts their daughter. However, it is never enough for Lavanya, who opposes his every effort to teach Rama to observe boundaries. It is Pavitra who displays the best parental instincts with Rama, looking past her cruel words to say that Rama has a pure heart and needs someone to inspire her to work hard in life.

Rama, who behaves opportunistically with all three parents to get what she wants, empathizes with her small child cousin Abhishek, who is an orphan living with their family.

All in all, the drama created by this bigamy has given me a lot of food for thought. I appreciate that the characters are all human, with relatable emotional needs. Even Rama, who fits the stereotype of a spoiled rich kid with no redeeming qualities, isn't a caricature. Lavanya, in spite of her villainous background music, has my sympathy no less than beatific Pavitra, and I don't hate Girish for living a life that fulfils him.

I wonder about two points, however:

1. Is this story palatable because the bigamous character is an older man, and not the male lead?

2. Would an Indian audience ever accept a pūjā performed by a woman and her two husbands?