Pratigya - Will she be able to stand up to Krishna’s bullying ways? - Need to show the girl as being more fearless

Pratigya (Star Plus) began with a lot of fanfare and loads of promise. The promos that were telecast on television before the programme began talked of Pratigya as a bold and fearless girl. She was shown standing up to eve teasers, taking to task all those who meant to put her down and being a spirited individual. However the show has yet to live up to that promise as Pratigya is a far cry from what she was portrayed in the promos.

Pratigya is the daughter of an honest college professor who lives by his morals and values. She soon catches the attention of the local ruffian, Krishna, who loses his heart to her. From that day begins her story of grief and humiliation. Krishna is a school drop out who considers himself to be lucky to be born in a family where he has everything and he need not work. His attitude towards women in particular is coarse and he feels that women are merely objects of pleasure and comfort- as long as you give them food; you can treat them the way you want. He treats his mother and all the other women of his family with disdain and nonchalance. He considers himself to be extremely romantic and believes love is just acquiring.

On the other hand Pratigya has been brought up in a household where women are considered equal to men. Her father Shyamji Saxena has given equal opportunities to all his children and has educated them well. Pratigya is allowed to do as she pleases. Unaware of Krishna’s growing obsession with her, she agrees to get engaged to her father’s friend’s son. At the engagement party Krishna turns up with his side kicks and declares to one and all that he and Pratigya are in love. In his selfish, boorish mind this is true as he is unable to comprehend that Pratigya does not love him back. He feels that the girl is bound to love the boy she marries, so it doesn’t count whether she loves him before marriage or not. He believes that anything he does for Pratigya, which includes threatening people and sending her love notes, is because he loves her.

Krishna even beats up Pratigya’s fiancé so gravely that he has to be hospitalized. Her engagement is called off and Pratigya decides to leave town. This too does not suit Krishna and he drags her back to the town. As Krishna weaves dreams of a life with Pratigya, the latter is left paralyzed with shock and helplessness at Krishna’s inability to understand the word “No”. Indeed this is true for a large section of India’s society where boys are made to believe that girls are merely chattels, who are meant to live the way it has been ordained for them by the man in their lives. It is time to change such thoughts and hopefully in the coming days Pratigya will do just that.