It was a very thrilling and enwrapping series. So many things which were touched in the series that its takes time to assimilate it all.
the Homosexual relationship was a lesson in education for most of us. The importance of Love is Love and how we may have all misunderstood this and talked about it as an anomaly or laughed on Homo jokes at some time in life. How Karan pangs for his childhood love through all his relationships and laments the lost years is so heart touching.
The complexity of Faiza's character is beautifully played by Kalki. The knowing that you cannot get what your heart desires but still enjoying the little escapades from reality has summed up relationship with a married man beautifully. The silent oppression that she faces from her ex husband and the present father(whom they dont show but whose character you already hate) somehow justifies her mental state. Though she is the "Other" one, you dont hate her at the end of the series
Adil Khanna is the prototype of the Rich and Famous Boys in Delhi. But they have humanised him and slowly peeled off the layers where you see the reality of his dilemmas. Though he seems to be falling for hot sex with the good looking ladies every now and then, his love for both women in his life is shown in many scenes. For his wife he feels he was her Knight in Shining Armour and for his Lover he feels he can make her happy and save her from the bad men in her life.
And then we have Tara. She dorns multiple shades in her character, where we can see she is groomed by her mother to be a " Gold Digger", how she cheats her way to becoming Adil's Wife and lives a life of the rich and pompous life of South Delhi. She is cheated by her husband and her best friends and how she ends up lonely on her bed almost every night is beautifully captured by the camera. How she loves the smell and sight of the Old Dilli ki galiyan and feels like a robot in the Rich Parties of the High and Mighty is aptly captured. How she is a great friend to Karan and seeing them Pining for each others company and fighting for each other is a wonderful example to Platonic Friendships.
The entire series shows so many things that are taken as passe in Indian Houses, that we recognize how many things we unsee and accept without guilt in the conscience in our routine lives. The drug addict brother, the girl earning for the family without the family bothering about how and where she works, the minor being molested by a royal king but accepting money offered by the would be daughter in law, knowing well along that it is her future father in law who is behind such heinous crimes. All for the sake of a hotel merger which is going to Change the lives of the royals.
The acceptance of the concept of Dowry demanded by the groom's parents by this apparent simple looking, IAS officer, who is miserly buying lowly gifts for all cousins as he is a government officer. The way hush hush dowry is demanded at last minute and still adds to the misery of many Indian Parents even in the best of cities is depicted in this heart touching saga played by my favorite Shweta Tripathi
Another interesting tale is of 2 sardars. One whose wedding is one of the big ones of delhi where a big actor star is performing. His fiance ends up sleeping with this star and then starts the ruckus by the groom. He owns the hotel and so is furious. But he loves the girl and wants to hit the actor for goofing around with his girl. How Karan ends up convincing the to be bride to let go of all this and never reveal the truth for a long life forever is a wonderful example of how the Wedding planners need to think "Out of the box" and solve these crazy issues rising in marriages.
Another Sardar tale is sadly seen too often even now in Punjab. The craze to reach Canada or America makes parents make their girls participate in Beauty contest kind of competition to win the NRI heart. How this girl who has big aspirations for a foreign life get emotionally shattered when she finds out that the Groom is impotent and she has been cheated into this but accepts it for the life of new dreams in a foreign land.
Another favourite is Deepthi Navals tale where we see 2 elderly but perfect together couple struggling for acceptance from their elder children. How the common slut shaming of the mother is done when she finds love once more. How her 30 years of loneliness are forgotten by the kids and how they turn around finally and take part in the perfect celebrations is heartening to see.
The craze of Wedding Tamasha that Indians have increasingly adapted has been shown very well. With never ending functions, dances, rave parties and to be brides over doing it all with theme parties, recording music videos and crying even if the colour of the flowers go wrong bring me back to the simple and intimate wedding that I had and the happiness we had when we looked into each other's eyes 10 years back!
The greed of parents who are politicians and are marrying off the daughter just so that their own political aspirations can be fulfilled is the true sage of hinterland of India. How the girl is drugged so that she doesn't resist this outrageous violation of Human rights melts our heart to the tragedy of many women's lives done knowingly by their own. How she escapes and marries outside the cast and how she has to give interview to save their lives brings us back to the reality of Honor Killing shown in Sairat long back.
Topics like the difficulty of Single Parenting is also touched upon by the character of the Production designer. Also another topic of significance is how even the best of educated, rich and mighty want to believe in Horoscopes even though they know that the Would be bride is adoped. Also shown here is how the best educated of us give in to the fear and follow silly traditions like marrying a Tree in this case for the safety of our partners. (The girl is shown as Wharton Graduate)
Another sensitive topic touched is How Homosexual men stay in closet for so long and hide their true self by staying in a normal heterosexual marriage with a child. The role played so well by Vinay Pathak is a winner. With hardly any lines to be said but just expressions that say it all. The role of his wife is also nuanced with the potrayal of a lady who keeps trying to loose weight (depicting the attempts to overcome the absence of action in their marriage)
At the end it is Karan's role which is the strongest. My favourites parts of this character were when he has to show false masculanity to bully his Boyfriend in school, his refusing to be party to his friend getting married to his gay partner, facing wrath of the police under the Section 377 and political mileage being taken in support of the same cause.
Things I wish were not there was the constant smoking by all the protagonists. It was too much and unessential and it felt as if the directors were unsure of what to put in the pauses and so had to show smoke.
All in all I cant wait to catch Season 2
