A grossly unconventional love story of an 18-year-old woman marrying a nine-year-old boy is under scrutiny for its regressive content. PARTH TAYAl meets the starcast to understand the unusual storyline
The promos make it look bizarre — a nine-year-old boy applying sindoor to a grown up woman’s head. That’s Pehredar Piya Ki for you, all set to become the talking point of the small screen world due to its audacious, apparently regressive and socially unviable, content.
The show, to start airing from July 17 at 8.30 pm on Sony TV, features Tejaswi Prakash aka Ragini from Swaragini as an 18-year-old Diya marrying and care-taking a nine-year-old prince Ratan, played by child actor Affan Khan.
The show has been running a constant asten with the promo explaining that their new baby does not mean to promote any form or idea of child marriage. The stars say, it is all about the teenager and her life changes when she agrees to marry a child eight years younger to her to protect the prince from life threatening intrigues of the court and kingdom.
The show is a narrative by Diya who takes you through the life and times of Ratan Singh, heir of the Harshvardhan Group of Heritage Hotels in Devgarh, Rajasthan. He is constantly under threat and the only way to keep him safe is to get him married off to an elder woman so that she can become the custodian of his issues and, resultantly, his troublesome assets too.
Producers are quick to explain that the show will deal with this uncomfortable phase only to build up the real story of romance and that they plan to come to with a quick leap with Ratan being seen as a grown-up man, romancing his wife.
But fact is that Indian TV will be witnessing a much too unconventional love story which is bound to raise eyebrows either way.
Co-producer Sumeet Mittal, explains: “Taking a cue from our previous super-hit show Diya Aur Baati Hum on Star Plus, where we showcased the unusual story of a literate and illiterate couple making their marriage work, we decided to tap on another odd jodi and showcase differences that crop up in unusual marriages. To engage the audience for a longer time and not let their interest fizzle out, we have decided not to reveal the plot but there will be a lot of twists and turns to make the show interesting and will tap on many layers to do so,” he adds.
For 25-year-old Tejaswi Prakash, playing a character much younger to her in age is not new. In Swaragini and Sanskaar, she played characters over five years younger to her actual age. She says the concept of Pehredar Piya Ki was so interesting that she agreed to play the role. “The show is very different from the ones I have done so far. Diya is a perfect blend of beauty, strength and courage. The concept is new and difficult to digest. It’s challenging to do such a role. Imagine how difficult it will be to create romantic moments with a child husband so much smaller than me both in age and height. He has no understanding about romance so it is on me to make the scenes still look romantic and, at same time, maintain decency,” Prakash explains.
Though the on-screen chemistry between Prakash and Afaan might look weird, they both have been having fun off the sets. “He is a fun kid to work with. We do a lot of masti. Being a child it is difficult for him to shoot for such long hours and feels sleepy in between the takes. That’s so cute,” Prakash says.
Away from a disturbing storyline, the show promises to be a visual treat adorned with breath-taking landscapes, regal opulence and magnificent mansions celebrating the heritage of Rajasthan.
The show will have a strong back story that will unfold the reason behind Diya marrying a nine-year-old prince. “Every situation will be duly justified. Nothing will happen accidentally,” Mittal says.
The promo shows there is no forced child marriage, which is a relief. In fact the Indian television has witnessed shows like that such as Balika Vadhu, which have been big hits, so it would be unfair to treat this show differently.