Wednesday, July 24, 2013

DABH : Plotlines and Characterizations - A Critical Assessment

_________________________________________________________
6th July 2013 - My Responses in Blue to romantisch & shruthiravi


Subject of Discussion: DABH - Illumination stubbed or ignited

Originally posted by romantisch

Hello to all members as am a newbie.

I thought of starting this thread as have watched this serial for quite some time, oft and on...
The very point of joing the forum was not only this serial but a very subjective opinion of how the TV shows in general have declined.
So shall not go into those details as shall stick to this particular serial, which holds light to light (as far as the name suggests) but has long since degraded into obscurism. The light fades out by the day and looks like is snubbed (going by the never ending episodes).

POSITIVE START

This serial had everything one needed a very strong message: Liberty and equality of women in a  changing society. 

But alas it soon got lost into petty feuds and illogical reasoning.

EVIL PERSONIFIED

Altruistic approaches have been snuffed out by a story line that justifies that the end can be met by all evil means. 

A lot of members have been complaining of several issues and tracks that are not resolved.

How long can a theft go unnoticed (the directors) not only did leave the issue of a person stealing a watch unresloved but the matter was conveniently forgotten to make way for more evils to come. No one now talks about how the watch was stolen and the initials forged (bravo).

Most of the characters are either Diabolic or Weak which is not the way a joint or even a sensible nuclear family functions.

THE ILLUMINATION : The lead pair is idealistic but weak, the son who is a bread winner and gets humiliated by a mother who has her own rule of jurisprudence(forget justice and not prudent). Each and every action of his is court martialed in front of a venom spewing family and the poor kid just takes the brunt. As of now this proves him to be a weak archaic person (persona non grata!). 

His wife who holds torch to the principles of truth (including some scenes with the father of the nation) has no qualms about lying when she has to to protect a mother in law who leaves no bowls unturned to humiliate her and her husband.

THE SIBLINGS : These brothers and sisters could put the siblings of Cindrella to shame(at least out there the lines were drawn as the whole family was STEP).
The brothers lesser said the better, they seem to be groomed to make fun of their elder brother and sister in law. They rave and rant and while talking of family values, their non chalant stupid behaviour always seems to be met with a green signal. Did we forget that one of them tipsy as he was with his drunk wife spent the night in a cell. Well, well this never came to light. 
The other one has casual sex and this is justified as the poor daughter in law(of course the eldest) gets blamed and a pot springs up as a challenge.
The sister (heaven forbade) a good to do nothing creature (why is she even there!!!). A lot having being said about her as well better not to dwell (Necklace misplaced in a beauty parlour and the brother gets humiliated) alongside a whole lot of tomfoolery that is never justified in the serial.

THE DAUGHTER IN LAWS: The lesser said the better. One steals (watches...never resolved? Money from ATMS a grave crime pardoned in a teary weepy way, swaps babies...never mind that still this problem remains a shame...girl babies are killed, so many women raped etc etc...) 
The other one cheats, lies and does what ever she finds to justifies her means(which include loving a spineless husband).

So the question is :
How long does the audience wait so that this mess untangles irself.
Dear members, this is just fiction, but does that justify the loose ends and loop holes...

Thanks for your kind attention and the fact that you really did go through the post



Responded by shruthiravi
See considering other serials DABH is far better. I am talking from a perspective of other Malayalam and Tamil serials I have to tolerate at home as my mom watches it. DABH has a storyline. Yes it has. Agreed it is dragging. But what to do TRP rules the world and successful serials adhere to it.


Coming to your point, CVs close most of the tracks with something positive for Sooraj and Sandhya. And many occasions they have showed that when something negative is aimed at SURYA the most positive happens for them in the end.
For e.g Meena not allowing Sandhya to attend award function. This was the sole reason by which Sooraj came to know about Sandhya's dream, else Sandhya would have never told it.
Chavi losing necklace and Sooraj getting blamed. It was because he went in search of that necklace that he came to know about night college and enrolled Sandhya there.
Last but not the least current Chavi matter- Matka broke, but the CVs will show that matka actually broke Chavi's life as Chavi's marriage is going to be on a lie and she will get the humilation at her in laws place.
There are many like this in the serial which I have appreciated.
One thing I want to stress is that DABH tries to stress on the point that your Karma catches up with you no matter what. Though SURYA forgives and forgets the universe will not forgive or forget. Punishment may not be from SURYA for evil characters, they will be put in situations which will be the punishment for them.
For e.g Bhabo did have to stand as a thief atleast for a day in FB track  for all the wrongful accusations she threw on Sandhya. It was a warning for Bhabo to reform. Unfortunatley she didnt care. So I am sure something big is coming her way
Coming to negative characters getting punished. Yes I want LC to come out and BS also at the earliest. But most probably this will be dragged as without Bhabo and Meena in the frame Sandhya's challenge is over. Especially LC will be dragged for sure.
With mega serials patience is the word, to be frank even I dont have it. I would have preferred DABH to be a book which I could easily read and finish in couple of days. I guess DABH is a serial one should watch after it goes off air. Then we can watch it at a go and feel happy about it. 

Responded by Myself
@bold ...Agree with you.

I did the same. Left the show beginning of 2012, after Sandy gets stopped by Suraj for leaving the house and Bhabho gives her the idiotic 15 day challenge.  Though I always liked SurYa Chemistry, I was like...let it go on...and recently, I thought let me catch up with them what's going on in their life.  I was in India in May this year when I watched that LC drama...being shoved by Bhabho...I was just flipping the channels when  I happened to see them.  But what caught me by surprise was...Bhabho ke ghar mein Isaai Shaadi...as in inter-religion marriage ???!!! I was like...oh! So Sandhya and Suraj keep going after their social service missions.  Coz I happened to stop during the time Dump Trash in Trash Bin Social Message.  And now we have this inter-religion.  Seemed Bhabho had to gulp down too much defeat at Sandhya's hands. And that made me smile.

So ...in June...I started watching randomly for SurYa scenes.  See a lot of improvement in the couple's relationship.  Suraj has taught the shy Sandhya what it is being romantically involved.  Sandhya now instead of earlier sensibly behaving  as the intelligent girl who sees her husband attracted to her, his desire for her, his helping nature; and what a good man he is; is now sensibly responding to him with emotions as well.  She used to be a girl totally oblivious to romantic interest because of her soul and mind trapped in her dream and love for service towards general good...that is what her parents taught her.  And Suraj always could make out this about his young wife. And that was one of the reason, why he never wanted her in resignation or submission.  I like now that Suraj has finally been successful in having a cheery Sandhya before him. He may be surprised about that aspect, but every naughty, teasing or happy look is registered by him and he inches close to her forcing to drop the barriers of formal educational difference between them and instead has made Sandhya realize there is knowledge beyond formal education as well. And there is that balancing act as well that her HALWAAYI Husband has learnt to walk on the tight rope of continuing to remaining the sweet person with sweet tongue for everyone amidst the bitter and sour and decadent characters around him.  

In a lot of scenes, I am seeing how the couple undulate between Confidence and Diffidence.  While Sandhya is confident about rules on enforcement agencies and what would be those duties and is able to fight for the right without  Suraj's support, Suraj used to come as the diffident guy.  Now today that diffident guy, instead of pulling down Sandhya's confidence has become her support by trusting her knowledge and helped fighting the wrong in each of his wife's social service missions. It shows the dormant side of Suraj character who could not get this side of his developed due to lack of formal education...though he was smart enough to discern that Sandhya new about Policegiri more than what could be read in school or college texts.  Suraj has now effectively developed himself to lose his diffidence in fighting for the right as he sees that whatever his wife does, it is for others good (which is his principle as well) and that it is appreciated by great people around her (like the DSP or diff Madams).

Suraj likewise is confident about maintaining relationships, house-hold chores and his work. This is where Sandhya is diffident. She is not a good wife by social standards even today. But in her diffidence, she has accepted only one challenge for herself...to be the good DIL for her Bhaabo. Somewhere, Bhabho's insults to her by repeatedly accusing her brother, and parents had made Sandhya very defensive about them. So the defensive daughter and Sister though standing on the side of Truth, gives into Bhabo's demands as for her it is a challenge that she needs to pass the test of good DIL.  The day Sandhya breaks out of this Diffidence, she will do herself a LOT of justice and understand being the WIFE of Suraj as well.  It is for nothing that MAASA likes Sandhya. Maasa notices the spunk that Sandhya has, which Bhabho lacks.  And Sandhya needs to get that SPUNK back.  And in here Suraj keeps instilling that confidence that she can do it.

So together the couple as I see now...have grown a lot.  They value their strengths, recognize their weaknesses and more importantly remain dignified in their responses to each other.  Somewhere, the two embarked on getting closer to each other becoming man and wife after return from Singapore and Suraj would have achieved that had he not been revealed of Sandhya's dream.  It is since that day, Suraj is becoming less of romantically interested in her, though loving her more and more as each day goes by.  And here we see Sandhya slowly assuming that role in their relationship, though in very incompetent manner.  Like Sandhya is guilty of lie of her brother and so works day and night to be the IDEAL BEENDNI of Rathi Pariwaar, Suraj is seeing God's command that he needs to fulfil Sandhya's dream as he sees her parents passed on that mantle to him.

THis is the truth that has festered them...sometimes a great impediment to being SurYa and yet they are DABH to each other. If we remember the scene at the temple where they both pray, they both are telling about their individual dreams and hopes from each other to GOD. This is the video.


Now this has reversed.  The dreams have been accepted by either of them without them actually even talking about it. Its like God heard them and did his work.

Bhabho is ONE big loser in the drama as I caught up with the drama.  The story telling is told in such a way that Mittals do not want to be rebellious, but want their Educated Girl to educate People like Bhabho on the drawbacks on carrying forward backward traditions by regressive thinking. In every track I see that SurYa or Sandhya expose the TRUTH and Progressive Thinking is LAID on the table...and it is left for Bhabho to decide if she wants to PICK it up or Not.  The moment when she removed the cap from Sandhya's head and gave it back to DSP, shows us how INSECURE she is as the person challenged by NEW AGE thinking.  Through Bhabho it is the Struggle between New and Old Generation. She is the authoritarian and upholder of traditons, even if they are bad.  So then doesn't Sandhya's mission to change people like Bhabho start from her home ground ??!!!

Sandhya has done awesome job so far to silence Bhabho's screeching voice and public humiliations of her DIL and her SON. Her army is her vain sons and daughters and the two selfish DILs that she has.  THE BIGGEST CHANGE in Bhabho is that she has accepted that SurYa will never go against her but will always show her the truth and she will be forced to ACCEPT their POV. This has now become GALE KI HADDI of Bhaabo...na nigalte banta hai, na Ugalte banta hai.  


Its not that Sandhya and Suraj cannot get angry and put their younger sibs in their place, but they know that it is Bhabho who has forbidden them to exercise their right. She is THAT INSECURE. And this is where Suraj with the leverage of being the doted son helps his wife in transparent manner before his mother and this is where Bhabho has resorted to Blackmailing Sandhya and now even cheating her like that LC shoving.

For the drama to progress, it is important that Bhabho is won over emotionally by her really going down too low to beat her insecurity that Sandhya has come to usurp her place. It is then all the side characters of Meenudi, Mohit and Chavi and now Emily will be stubbed.

Towards the title of this TOPIC...I would say  
  • Bhabho tries to have Illumination Stubbed in every Track.
  • And SurYa Keep fighting her and Illumination is Ignited end of every Track.

So far the entire family behind Sandhya's back praises her intelligence, investigative skills and her support and good naturedness. In front of Bhabo they ditch her because they know if they support her Bhabho is going to be angry with them. Perfectly correct portrayal of a weak mind.  I am seeing how many times Vikram, Mohit, Chavi and Meena have actually praised Sandhya. And twice even Bhaho was missing Sandhya.


So its all selfishness and insecurity of the Ruling Party where the Opposition Party SurYa are definitely getting more votes.  Time to get dirty and so Bhabho is playing it dirty.

@ bold.  Even now I am not regularly watching the soap...I would like to see it after few more months...but I just stopped by the Forum to hear what you are all speaking. IMO, I believe that if the last Matka also gets broken and later Bhabho sees how actually Sandhya did it for her and her family, she will be ashamed of her low thinking.  And in here...already Meena's Baby Swapping drama is being slowly unravelled.  Meena is now unable to take it that her cute daughter gets all the attention of her husband, the shooting Crew at the studio and now Bhabhasa and all playing with her. IMO the fairness of her daughter and Kanha's dark color and his lack of bonding with her or vice versa, is going to blow up in a fit of jealous rage...or another Sandhya or Suraj scoop.  Bhabho needs to learn a lesson there about gender discrimnation.   And when Bhabho sees Sandhya's Bhabhi helping her husband, there is another lesson to be learnt there.


May be they will drag the story...but to me now what is important is how many more defeats that Bhabho is going to get through Meena, Chavi, Mohit, Vikram and Emily.  Vikram is bit improved. So that is his development. Others I see are inwardly afraid of their SurYa but become barking dogs before Bhabho. So there is character development there also.   Underlying meaning in not punishing these culprits is that IN FAMILIES you cannot punish people, but they are forgiven and given chance.  And this is how Sandhya has to achieve her dream of SERVING PEOPLE.  Her dream was never just to wear IPS uniform. Her dream was to serve the country and people...and Sandhya is doing a hell of a job for Hanuman Gali and Pushkar with her biggest supporter friend being her Halwayee husband.

Somewhere, their dreams are already realized. And they never stop.  

Look at the way Suraj made the progress.  Too respectful of educated people, Suraj used to salute people making himself look more the illiterate rather than 9th pass one. Now he is able to confidently speak to even DSPs.  He used to bribe police to get away, now wears helmet and is now ready to become the traffic clearer for the sake of a medical emergency (in the beginning also he was a helpful man and that is how he ended up taking Sandhya's parents to hospital), he no longer bribes, but is able to stay his ground with authorities.  All the changes that we see in Suraj in his dealings with People around him are Sandhya's achievements of her dream...serve your people and country in such a way that you become an inspiration for others to change themselves towards social ethics.

And likewise, Sandhya made the progress...dream can be realized...BUT dreams have a COST of their own. This is what she has learnt and everyday she goes through this balancing act of sorting her priorities per situation never swaying even once from her mind that is Unique in its own way. She was intelligent and she remains intelligent even now. She was strong spirited girl and she is even now.  What she has to deal was something that none should have...being cheated. She was cheated. But she chose to stand by her principles that were taught by her parents and first for them handled the Cheating with Dignity and now has understood her husband. She is slowly falling in love with her husband. She definitely has not reached the stage where Suraj means everything to her...but we can see that a seething anger is growling in her at anyone who looks down upon her husband now. So what I see for future is that Sandhya may not give a damn about her dream, will continue to place truth, service and family relationships of the house higher over Suraj, but she definitely is going to be one possessive and protective wife for her husband.  We got to see this aspect raising its head in the TV remote episode and later their conversation as to how she interprets that her father is now happy that indeed she is married to a great man. For her Suraj may not be a formally educated man, but he remains a man of principles that he never compromises about and a man who never discriminates between anyone and is supportive to everyone...and not just her. This too is SERVICE to mankind in her eyes.  And add to that he loves her so much that she has become his life.

Right ?!!!


24th July 2013

With regards to Meena's win in SMB Competition showing Misri as her daughter and Emily and Mohit's corrupt efforts to win the competition.

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3651229&PID=88543414&#88543414

Originally posted by romantisch

CORRUPTION
As the serial meanders it's way lazily through the labrynths of lies, what is evident now is CORRUPTION.
Just to prolong the longetivity of a serial is it justified to portray such negativism. 
Swapped babies win competition and the corrupt lie crowned (as you shall inevitably watch tonight).
Instead of subtly tackling issues the producers have taken pains to incorporate every possible social blunder in this serial...
The end shall be a happy one no doubt...but, the question that shall haunt would be was all this justified. 
For any viewer it is but evident what the grande finale shall be all about, but could they have not done it in a more graceful and subtle way.

Responded by myself
This was a NEW ABYSMAL LOW POINT for the show, even if it to HAVE TWIST in favour of the Protagonists.  This kind of treatment to the story is not justified.

Totally with your sentiments.

Responded by romantisch
Thanks 0-SD-0
The need of the hour is to sensitivise the population about the growing number of problems that our country faces, not glorify certain things that all of us face in our day to day lives.
KUDOS and thanks for your say.

Originally posted by romantisch

RACISM
An apology rendered to those whose sentiments stand hurt, but again this is purely subjective so please allow me to air my views on this.
Agreed that the baby swapping thing has taken this serial to absymal depths, it continues to plunder down into a black hole and shall get absorbed in a vacuum given the devious twists and turns.
Agreed the baby girl is sweet and fair skinned and whatever (the whole nation is obsessed by fair and lovely), on the other hand the poor little boy is made to look like a village idiot. Is this treatment fair?

Responded by myself
Black is black.
White is White
Truth is Truth.
There are good looking fair skinned people.
There are good looking dark skinned people.
For some only fairness matters.
For some only beauty of the skin matters.
For some only beauty of the souls matters.

It is not justified to add negatives to negatives to make a selling point towards some social, moral and ethical teaching and corrections.

DABH Producers already suffered a debacle on the rival channel with their show which had the premise to teach the fair skin loving heroine the meaning of Beauty of Soul by forcing her to see there is beauty behind ugly looking dark-skinned people.  The show FAILED and is now OFF the air.

Problem is that not seeming story Plot.  Problem was Execution of it.  One cannot deny people the right to love beauty. It is their individual aesthetic sense.  If half of the world runs around fair color, half run around beauty also, any kind they see.  And it is presently the AGE where talking of Dark Skin in derogatotory sense is NO Longer appealing and entertaining on screen to watch.  Just on this ground, any idea, any story theme will fail.

Story Writers :  Advice to you
Leave Aesthetic judgment to Viewers. Don't force them your views in PREACHING Style.
Show Beauty of Character and Ugliness of character by taking a mix of both fair skinned and dark skinned characters without mocking dark skin, but rather showing the under-currents of Pity towards dark skin, then you would be able to execute new line of thinking for people.

Don't execute story on basic instincts on cavemen type of notions,  but execute them from today's vantage of the new generation of kids and older generation of citizens.  In my life, I have seen people stoically accepting dark color as more challenging than fair color, fair is more appealing than dark, yet beauty has higher appreciation than color.   And between beauty of soul and beauty of skin, soul takes the higher pedestal. And yet, people inspite of knowing all this, go for their sense of aesthetic appeal, as what they want is comfort that is feel good.  

Daisa and her DIL have both shown to be fair-skinned and beautiful ladies. We have not seen Daisa's son, but I assume he must be tolerably fair as all people from Northern lands are fair. Its plain anthropology knowledge.  Daisa is also shown to be a rich woman with TV and all. So no way KANHA can be that dark-skinned and made to look like Village Bumpkin.  THIS IS ANOTHER ABYSMAL LOW of the SERIAL.  NOT AT ALL JUSTIFIED to take someone down so that RATHI PARIVAAR is MADE AN IDIOT of their SENTIMENTS LATER ON.  

Whatever it is the family is loving Kanha as their kid.  But to engage in such rigmarole of emotions is simply convoluted story writing as there are no psycopaths who need to be treated with shock treatments here.  We can have only passing references that shall be registered by all. Dark is better than White is NOT a crusade, CRUSADE in this context is about a BOY is NO BETTER than A GIRL, THEY BOTH ARE EQUAL as each are important contribution to Social health.

Responded by romantisch
Kudos dear 0-SD-0
You could not have said it better. Thanks a lot for intelectually stimulating the forum.

Responded by shrutiarvi
@SD even I agree with you. They need not have shown Misri really beautiful( by the way I love the baby, she looks so so cute) and Kanha impoverished( inspite of that I am liking him too for his large eyes). Instead they could have taken 2 normal babies to drive home the point. Also I was not at all liking SMB funda. There could have been better ways to expose a crime of such magnitude.
CVs should not show repentance is always the best medicine. If that is the case then we need no law enforcement. What is the need for Sandhya to become IPS. She can give bhasan to all and make them repent. If they end BS with repentance then it is a abysmal low as it involves another family and their sentiments too.

Responded by romantisch
Thanks shruthi just went through some of your comments and very much am in favour of what you posted.
What unfortunately started of on a promising note withered into a shadow like pale version of the original.

Looks like people are in love with the Bard of avon quoting so misquoting with ample abundance all is fare in love and war;
So the mother il law could put the witch in Macbeth to shame. The father in law is (sans tragedy) king Lear. The one with the golden dream once resembled portia but now is a pale comparision of juliette. The son is the prince of Denmark(of course the evil mother is omnipresent. The rest of the cast is composed of clowns that can easily fit in a comedy like mid summers night dream, without an iota of intelligence.

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3651229&PID=88551627&#88551627
By romantisch
Well 0-SD-0, you have summed it up beautifully there and thank you once again for illuminating the forum. 
Your post ignited the ruffled feather feeling, have been having of late.
The sad part remains that the serail still soars and the producers keep on adding to the all pervailing viciousness. Nonsensical things (like this idiotic competition alongside the baby thing) rely on cheap (read very cheap gimmicks) to whet the appetites of poor audience.

No one seems to have raised a voice when the poor baby boy was swathed in talcum white (why??????...as an audience are we so insensitive). Time and again his colour keeps on cropping in and now the poor thing seems to have lost it out all now because of the fact that he is not fair. 

Whereas the protagonist is showed shifting loyalties towards her biological daughter (not as she was illuminated...a flash and a bolt from the sky that would put in order her all wrecked out brains), as the little kid is fair and lovely and seems to be in harmony with the all pervading skin colour.
This is an assault to the viewers intelligence. Why does no one raise the issue and such episodes ought to have been long past banned.
We all know how this tortuous serial is going to end. A song and a dance of liberating a woman. BUT DID THE END JUSTIFY THE MEANS????
Is the question. 
A bloody shame!

Responded by myself
This was exactly the feeling I had got by Mid Feb in 2012 and I left the show. As in I refuse to be part of it as me being part is only encouragement to TRP viewers. But surprisingly TRP soared and soared.  I still do not watch it on everyday basis as it is still the same pain I receive through other characters.

But what I love is still Sooraj and Sandhya's love story and Sooraj and Sandhya as two evolving people from their own diffidence entering into realm of confidence.  That is the only hope that makes me want to know what's happening in the story.

That is what makes me see why people make the show a Hit and I see that everyone just watches Sooraj and Sandhya and rarely give any thought to what the other clowns do.

Oh! how I wish for once Sooraj and Sandhya stood up to Justice Served and NOT REMAIN MUTE. Now its 2 years of the show. Its high time they both SHOULD BE CONFIDENT to NOT LET the CLOWNS STUB ILLUMINATION  and just not be happy with themselves igniting illumination.

If you remember my previous response to you some days before, I showed how SurYa ignite illumination and how Bhabho & Co stub Illumination and how SurYa's winning is what matters.

But Like I said above and as shrutiarvi said above about not just repentence, even punishment is must,  we need SurYa to PROTEST AGAINST the CLOWNS STUBBING ILLUMINATION if they cannot punish those acts.  Come on for God;s sake, its two years to the show now...Have some mercy and be fair to Justice Served.

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