Hindi TV Serial - Yeh Pyaar Na Hoga Kam - Finally Abeer and Leher are married, but have nowhere to go

So, it finally happened. When the serial started, the inter-caste romance and marriage was cited as a major constraint that would cause a lot of problems in society, but as the serial progressed, it was less of a problem from society and more of a problem from their own family members. There was some initial resistance from both sets of family members, but it seemed to go away, and even Abeer's family members seemed to agree; but this was deceptive and they eventually went on to humiliate Leher's family members. However, Abeer refused to be stopped by this move and went onto actually marry Leher.
This family was not supported by either sets of families, with Abeer's family walking out earlier, and then Leher's family also refused to support the marriage and turned their backs on the couple, turning them out of the house.
So now we have this couple, in love and married to each other, who have nowhere to go. They get their first sweets of the marriage from the local shop (with the owner also giving Leher a gift as a first present); and then decide to move to a hotel (although they have very little money with them). The hotel manager behaves a bit fresh with them, seeing them in the marriage dress and thinking that they are actually some kids out to enjoy a night out (as a part of an affair). however, this is settled and they finally move to a room where they whisper sweet things to each other and finally Leher sleeps in Abeer's lap.

Hindi TV Serials - Yeh Pyaar No Hoga Kam - Abeer and Leher moving towards an engagement ?

Yeh Pyaar Na Hoga Kam is a show that was started on Colors a few months back, looking at the relationships between families of different castes, especially in a small town such as Lucknow, where a love affair between young people from different castes can cause huge social issues, and lead to a lot of talk (something which would be far more rarer in the metro cities where there is no expectation that people would care about what other people are doing).
The shows takes 2 families, a Brahmin family (Bajpayees) and a Kayasth family (Mathur). The family heads of both families really don't like each other, and don't interact like neighbors do. The son of the Bajpayee family, Abeer (played by Gaurav Khanna) goes to a local college, and with a well to do family, he does not have too many cares in the world, till he sees the new people in the neighborhood, the elder brother of the Mathurs (along with family). This family also comprises of a girl called Leher (played by Yami Gautam), who initially stays away from Abeer, since she has been cautioned by her uncle against the boys of the neighborhood. However, Abeer is always trying to help in one way or the other, and slowly she starts warming up to him, and now both of them are in love.
And now the families of both of them also get to know, something that neither set of fathers are happy with, but as the story would move, Abeer's father will take the initiative to talk to Leher's father for the sake of his son, and eventually a grand engagement will be planned (what happens in the engagement is another story though).

When do we say enough is enough! - Ye pyar na hoga kam

It is heartening to see that Hindi serials have taken it upon themselves to question the many old and often harmful notions that continue to plague modern India. Be it child marriage, the stigma attached to widow remarriages, female infanticide, the helpless conditions of poor farmer who are forced to sell their children, almost all the serious subjects are being covered. There are serials whose main pivots are these sensitive and topical issues. However there are other shows that are trying to do their bit by weaving in equally important issues as sub plots.

One such show is Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam (Colors) where the track is focusing on the unfair and unequal treatment that the bride’s family has to tolerate and endure. The structure of society is such around the world that women are pegged lower than men in terms of social status and hierarchy. In India there is a strong male child preference given culturally and ritually prescribed notions like the son’s right to light the funeral pyre, his sole authority to perform last rites and so on. Patriarchy, where property passes on from father to son, has helped to strengthen this system of unfair bias. Even during a marriage it is the bride’s side that has to bow down and give in to the demands of the groom’s side, no matter how unfair these are.

Rashmi and Madhav are in love and have decided to tie the knot. They belong to two different caste groups and also come from different linguistic background. Madhav’s parents unhappy with the match have been unkind and disrespecting to Rashmi’s parents from day one. Madahv’s mother especially has been cruelty personified. She has used every opportunity to belittle Rashmi’s parents, using barbed comments to hurt and wound. Madhav’s mother is so caught up with her power as the ‘groom’s mother’ that she has not stopped to consider how her behaviour affects her son’s happiness. The final straw in all her evil schemes was when she refused to let the bride’s family perform any ritual according to their own tradition.

The final obstacle will come in the way of the demand for dowry that she will put forward. Reshmi’s family has stood by mutely with folded hands accepting every taunt and insult with tears and pleas of understanding. This is drama, but there are thousand families across India who would have experienced a similar situation during the time of a daughter’s marriage. Women in their different forms-mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend- are one half of the population and the pivots of families. Isn’t it time we stop harassing them and their family members all in the name of tradition and custom? Isn’t it time to change for the better?

Hindi serials beginning to come of age... Yeh Pyaar Na Hoga Kam

It is heartening to see that the new breed of Hindi serials is more rooted in reality than their predecessors. There is an attempt to depict real people, people whom you would bump into while taking a walk, or at the mall or at work. Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam is one such serial that talks about the values of Lucknow, both in terms of class and caste differences. Abeer (the male lead) and Leher (the female lead) belong to two different caste groups; Abeer is a Brahmin and Leher a non-Brahmin. There also exists this slight difference in terms of class position between Abeer’s father and Leher’s uncle (father’s younger brother).

The interplay between caste and class has been further highlighted by the entry of another factor-regionalism. Madhav, Abeer’s cousin is all set to marry Rashmi (a Bengali girl) and preparations are on in full swing. However Abeer’s aunt and his whole family are out to make life difficult for the girl’s family as they belong to a different community and caste group. The entirely real drama wherein the groom’s parents take every opportunity to humiliate the bride’s family not only makes for interesting episodes but is also a telling commentary on the Indian social milieu.

The groom’s side of the family has always had the upper hand in terms of privileges. True to this custom, Madhav’s mother is shown to be a total shrew who at the first introductory meet commented on the fact that Rashmi’s (the bride) family had little sense of tradition and custom as they had travelled all the way from Kolkata to get their girl married at the boy’s house, instead of it being the other way round. Then again when Reshmi’s father goes to her to finalise the rituals that would be carried out by the bride’s side of the family, she snubs them by crossing out their list of rituals. Madhav’s mother then informs Rashmi’s father that the marriage will happen according to the rites and rituals that she will finalise and that the bride’s family will have no say in it and will only take part as mute spectators. She makes it very clear that as she is the groom’s mother her decision is final.

In our social hierarchy, the bride’s family is always placed a peg down the groom’s family. If it also happens to be an inter-caste and inter-community marriage, things get heightened. And this kind of social behavior is not restricted to rural areas and small towns but is also a part of the fabric of urban existence. But isn’t it time that things changed? Yeh Pyar na Hoga Kam, by depicting this reality of caste and class disparity and regionalism is trying to raise a point and say that let us all rejoice and celebrate the union that takes place in a marriage and not spoil its beauty by bringing in divisive derogatory elements.

OLD WORLD CHARM OF YEH PYAR NA HOGA KAAM - New serial on Colors

There is something about Yeh Pyar na Hoga Kam, Colors’ recently launched prime time serial that reminds you about gentler, more refined times. Maybe it has to do with the setting, Lucknow, a city associated with heritage, tradition and high culture. The meandering lanes of this beautiful city houses family, people, histories steeped in a manner of living that is far more refined than the humdrum of burlesque urban living. In this city resides Abeer Bajpayee, the shiftless yet good hearted son of a successful lawyer. He is yet to discover his own true self and whiles away his time with friends at local tea stalls.

In this unruffled world of his, enters Leher (meaning waves) and creates the gentle ripples of first love. They are drawn to each other at the very first meeting but while Abeer tries his best to initiate a friendship, Leher rejects his overtures as she has been warned about him. The gentle wooing that takes place between these two young people is reminiscent of an era gone bye. Love stories depicted in television serials nowadays reflect the maddening hurry of the present world. There is immediacy, an aggression attached to all of it. But this is not so for these two (yet-to-be) lovebirds. Their glances are more relaxed, their exchanges free of time and space constraints, their innocence more pronounced. It comes across in the scene where Abeer desperate to impress Leher, fills in and submits the form of another girl without checking her face.

Even though there has been very little scope for high voltage drama at this stage of the story, even then it is very evident that in this serial even aggression will have a mellow voice. Abeer’s father is forever chiding him for taking life too easy but even in his reproaches he is careful to not cross the line of decency set between a father and son. While depicting the difference in eating habits of two different caste groups, (while the Vajpayee’s are Brahmins and therefore vegetarian; Leher’s family is non vegetarian given the fact that they are not Brahmins) there is an effort to not be judgemental of either group. Facts are presented as facts without layering them with prejudiced notions.

The old world charm of the milieu amidst which this love story is about to develop is even reflected in the background score. The use of semi-classical scores is so very different from most other serials that tend to use Bollywood songs. This whole new and refreshing backdrop of the serial has added more depth and dimension to its characters. How this love story unfolds and what turns it will take will be decided by time and viewer ratings but in terms of its attempt to introduce a novel setting, Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam, is a already a winner.