Geeta Balagangadharan

So GHKKPM (season 2) and YRKKH (season ??) are basically the same story !!! Weak hero (definitely an oxymoron), screeching matriarch, conniving patriach, and an ex waiting not in her house or outside the hero’s house but inside his bedroom to become the Mrs! The writers clearly have instructions to show that indebtedness makes you brainless and spineless, Oh & even if you watch every 30th or 50th or 70th … basically you would not have missed nothing at all. You can GUESS what has happened easy peasy. Because it’s 1 step forward 10 steps backward.

Long post warning! I started watching Mohor with a lot of interest and expectation as it was a woman centric theme. For a non-Bengali who had no knowledge of the language at all (I am from Kerala), the storyline and writing got me interested. Its the first serial in any language that I watch regularly. I've begun to now understand Bengali very well (mind you the episodes have no subtitles at all) with minimal reference to Google translate now. I've always thought Bengali stories (mainly films) are way ahead of any other language apart from Malayalam. Even the remake versions of Bengali serials are unbearable except for one or two. What sparked my interest about Mohor ? - The woman centric theme, the focus on education, the mixed bag of women in society, being bold, standing up to atrocities and speaking your mind. Here was a story where the protagonist Mohor had spunk! Most often serial female protagonist are carved out as suppressed, walkovers, self sacrificing with no self identity. - The characterisation of the protagonist Shankho - from being a prodigal scion of the family to an obnoxious persona exclusively reserved for his estranged mother and Mohor, to the man who learns to trust and love battling his insecurities, to being a husband trying to balance a volatile, insecure wife and his responsibility to the extended family, to being a mentor who is rock solid by his wife to achieve her dreams. Got to admit he is my favorite as he comes across the most balanced & most evolved. - The mature love story of Adi and Aditi who've had their share by trials, lessons learnt and wisdom for a second innings of togetherness. - The characterisation of the ACP, Ahir Dasgupta - for some unexplainable reason he reminds me of Lord Krishna in the guise of an ACP ! - I thought finally a serial that will give the protagonist couple their unique individual identities, personalities, aspirations and yet show them work through the challenges life puts in their path and achieve success establishing the strength of love and marriage. - The incredible chemistry between Shankho and Mohor. There are episodes I have watched more than once just to watch their performance. - The performances of each and every actress/ actor is fantastic. What's irritating me about Mohor's story at present? - The repetitive honey traps! What is it you want to establish? A situational analysis of Mohor-Rahul vs Shankho-Anulekha? Can you please think beyond honey traps and give some credit to human intelligence - specially a couple who is all too familiar with conspiracies and the conspirators! - Married life has many more challenges than honey traps which couples solve together! Can we see progression in the story please? - I am very, very disappointed that the protagonist Mohor is so weak- why are you not showing her evolving as a person? For an educated, brilliant young lady who has gone through a lot personally and soon to be a professor herself who will be teaching and guiding students, you are showing her as a person with limited intelligence (she actually is influenced by Shrestha who she knows detests her and even tried to kill her! ), very impulsive, zero listening skills and confidence in herself, brash, immature, no self worth (self worth and self respect are not the same), short term memory loss of conversations & incidents, significant inferiority complex, easily influenced by negative stimuli, resists positive stimuli, always confrontational & a very unhappy person. - The antagonists are projected as more smart, shrewd, right place at right time! Ridiculous! Being a good person does not mean you are less smart, sharp or astute!