Kya Paate Hain Kya Khotein Hain...

Happy 6th

It's been 6 years, six years to a show that remains fresh as ever, six years to the flawed man who tried every day to be better, six years to the maa who had to choose between her childrens' childhood and their future, six years to the woman who was strong despite having flaws. Six years is a long time, and even though memories fade, a show that was so good, that I'll carry it with me forever.

Whenever I delve into fiction, it's mostly an escape, to forget about whatever is going bad in my life. But this piece made me more aware of the world around me. It made me feel more, love more, sympathize more. It taught me that how multiple perspectives can be right at the same time. That no one can be correct all the time. It showed that everyone is dealing with their own battle scars, that whenever a wish a fulfilled, it often comes at the cost of others, that there is no perfect way to deal with pain, be human.

Whenever I think of Kuch Rang, I think of it as my family, because these people live right with me. Their everything is relatable. Their struggles, successes resonated with me. I see Neha in countless daughters, whose dreams were sacrificed because their families could only afford education of a single child, which went to the sons. I see Riya among my classmates, who knew the privilege of being educated and treated as equals, so learned to live with the preferential treatment given to their male counterparts. I see Ishwari in our mothers, who left behind their individuality so their children could grow up better. I see Bijoy in our fathers, who proudly proclaim us beta, their princess, afraid of trusting their daughters to other men. I see Sonakshi in us women, who despite growing in a patriarchal world, are taught to dream of being equals, that we can conquer everything, but with our culture intact. I see Dev around me generation after generation, who deal with the conflicting ideologies taught to them, on one hand they are expected to the man of the house, the stronger one and on the other hand they see their mothers struggle, sisters sacrifice, wives adjust all in the name of twisted patriarchy and traditions. I see these people every day, live with them every day.

Gosh! This has made me so emotional.

 And a few offscreen things that have struck with me forever. Sheikh and Pilgaonkar were at first going to refuse to do the show, as it looked to them as the typical saas-bahu drama. There was going to be a different female lead than Fernandes. And now these years have passed by, can you even imagine the show without these three?

But first a big thank you to the writers involved. Mamta Y Pattnaik, who not only conceptualized the show but was in the writing team for 70+ episodes. She gave the show the solid base and made it what it is today. And the other writers involved Mitali Bhattacharya, Divy Nidhi Sharma, Arundhati Sharma, Raghuvir Shekhawat, you guys are brilliant. And even if Durjoy Dutta joined the show after 70+ episodes, he gave us some of the most beautiful and painful phases. These guys wrote layered, dignified and loaded characters, never sacrificing any character to glorify the other. No one was glorified, or butchered in the name of drama. They took the cliché tracks, and turned it into something extraordinary. In any cinematic project, writing is the backbone, and without this however hard to you try, a project can turn out bad. So, here's hoping that we have more writing of this caliber in our cinema.

But when a project is this good, it means almost everything went right. The makers who had the guts to make this show. Sony TV, who brought this show to our screens and at a proper time, ended it. This show had fantastic directors Gajraj Rao, Noel Smith, Prateek Shah, Mahesh Pandey who brought the best of artists. The people behind the music of this project, Adil-Prashant (composers), Arpita Mukherjee, Varsha Tripathi, Subhajit Mukherjee (singers) and everyone else involved, you made some brilliant music and background scrores, that took it a notch higher. The awesome cinematography team, who never made us feel like that we were watching an ITV drama, but something far superior. The editing team who delivered day after day. The stylists which made us ooh and aah over the costumes, the makeup artists, the spot boys, everyone was bang-on in this team. And the people who designed the posters, it is my favorite poster (the first one), so thank you.

This show marked the return of Shaheer Sheikh, after the colossal success of Mahabharat. Playing heroic characters would've come easy, but he chose a project that had little chance of success. I would not call Dev a perfect anything, but a man that we find around us, brought up in a world where men are told to be strong and silent. "Koi bhi apni Maa aur Patni ke beech me, kissi ek ko kaise chun sakta hai?", has stuck with me through years. While we discount the need of men in kitchen politics, the woman involved are connected by the same man. How can it be easy for them to choose? One brought him up, and the other is supposed to spend her whole life with him. And Sheikh portrayed every facet, the tragedy, the silence, the confusion, smiles, flaws, love and devotion so beautifully. One day I would be happy with him, next day cry, then be frustrated, angry, and then sympathize and the cycle continued.

While we have all adored Supriya Pilgaonkar over the years for her calm and sweet characters, Ishwari truly explored her range as an actor as the most realistic mother-in-law found in most south-asian households. The women who have been so involved in upbringing of their children, that they most often lose their individuality. After all we glorify mothers so much, that these mothers forget that they also were women, with the same insecurities and dreams that their children today have. And Pilgaonkar brought every shade brilliantly. She was neither the idealistic person, nor the truly evil planning-and-plotting kind, a but a person who tried to do her best even when the odds were against her.

Whoever had the idea of picking Erica Fernandes from her other Sony show, and putting her here, deserves a big thank you. You gave us a female lead with whom many of us connected to. She was stubborn, sometimes too rooted in her principles, but never forgot to take a stand for herself. It's rare to find a woman as Sonakshi, who could even show the elders their place without being disrespectful. That's pure class. She is practical, but still dreamy enough to take a plunge when her heart wanted to. She learnt from the mistakes around her, so she could give her child a better future. A type of woman which many of us aspire to become. And Fernandes struck a beautiful balance in being dreamy and realistic.

And who can forget the remaining cast? Each and every one was so perfect in their places. Mamiji, Mamaji, Bijoy, Asha, Dadiji, Neha, Riya, Nikki, Sourabh, Vickkey, Elena, Golu, Suhana, Subh, Jatin, Ritwick, Natasha, Tina, even the house-helps, our beloved Kichu Bhaiya, then Bhola and Mamiji ka bhakt. So, everyone involved in the casting, thank you.

Thank you for Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi. A show that was entertaining, beautiful and taught some very valuable life lessons. It'll remain my comfort show forever. 

Happy 6th Anniversary.