Here are 7 statements she made for the 7 basic things from the show.
Sony TV’s Pehredaar Piya Ki, starring Tejasswi Prakash Wayangankar and Afaan Khan has been in the news ever since the first promo of the show went on air. And, now that we are 20 episodes into the show, it has been surrounded with controversies. Recently, a petition was filed against the show and now,Minister of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Smrit Irani has sent a legal notice to the makers.
At a Press conference held by the producers Sumeeet Mittal and Shashi Mittal today, the writer and producer, Shashi Mittal took to clarifying her stance on the show and also addressed various other issues.
And, here’s all that she had to talk about!
#1. Her clarification on the CONCEPT!
The entire concept of a 9 year old getting married to a 18 year old, is purely circumstantial. Ratan’s father is on his death bed and he talks about how Ratan’s life is in danger, because someone from the house itself is plotting his death and that he needs someone who would look out for him all the time. As he breathes his last, he couldn’t think of too much and hence, the first thing that comes to his mind is to make Diya his son’s wife. And that’s how she turns into his Pehredaar.
Diya, on the other hand, is sort of obliged to Ratan’s father, because he had saved her life when she was young. That only makes it her duty to reciprocate what Ratan’s dad did. I agree, Ratan’s father was behaving a little selfish, but for him, it was more of a need of the hour to make this happen. And the marriage is what he resorted to.
#2. About NOT portraying their marriage as right!
The story is NOT about child marriage and we’ve NOT promoted how this is a ritual and that is still prevalent in Rajasthan or any other parts of India, anywhere in our show. This was, in no way a forced marriage. In fact, the mother clearly tries to stop Diya from doing it, as for a person who doesn’t do anything without her approval, Diya took such a bad decision for herself which might actually sabotage her future.
#3. Talking about the basis of the RELATION between Diya and Ratan
Everyone in the house is trying to bring Diya down and no one likes seeing her in the house. Also despite Ratan’s liking towards her, Diya is never seen reciprocating to what ever it is that Ratan imagines them to be.
The relation that we are showing between the two here is more of friendship and nothing else.
#4. Justifying the instances that people tagged as CREEPY!
It is a very common occurrence that we tried to portray, as Diya did not fall seeing who was around (no one does). It was just a scene where she sees a cockroach and panics, following which Ratan keeps her from falling only because he was just around there. And, it isn’t portrayed with a romantic angle, because being the kid he is, he does talk about how she is heavy and he couldn’t keep holding here.
About the much talked about suhagraat, people are totally judging it not having seen how we showed it. We being the people that we are, will make sure that we don’t show anything wrong. Nothing regressive (like the above) is actually happening in the show, it is just words that are used like we do in our day to day lives.
#5. About raking TRPs because of the CONTROVERSIES!
Had the TRPs been out for a couple of weeks, I would be able to say that they are due to all the controversies and the comments. But, given the fact that it has been 20 episodes of the show already, it is purely on the basis of content.
#6. Her take on the PETITIONS and letters!
People are signing the petitions without even watching the show and they are doing so purely on the basis of what they’ve read on the internet and heard about.
#7. On plans of CHANGING her content
If I think or feel that what I am showing and doing is wrong, I would consider changing it. But since that is not the case, I don’t see the need of changing anything in the plot.
To what extent, do you think is all of this justified? Leave your comments below.