Thursday, June 9, 2016

IPKKND memories ... 5 years on

Meant to make a 5 year anniversary post for IPKKND, especially as 6th June also fell on a Monday ... but am travelling and very too busy, so could not. To make up, here's a really cute article on IPKKND taking yet another country by storm ... viz. Jamaica.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20160608/annie-paul-jamaicas-strange-love-indian-drama

I don't know when I first started noticing it. Perhaps it was the time I went to clear some goods I'd shipped from India a couple of years ago at one of Kingston's ports. After navigating the much improved process of recovering your possessions from the wharf, you finally end up in a large waiting room with about 50 chairs and a TV mounted on the wall in its own personal grille.
It was lunchtime by then. Sitting in front of me occupying the front rows were 15 or so large, tough-looking men, the kind of individuals who lift up crates and literally manhandle them, along with a few wimpier-looking folks there to claim their goods. All were glued to the TV screen on which a brilliantly coloured Indian soap opera was playing. The men were watching the melodrama with the helpless concentration of snakes following a mongoose's wily darts to and fro.
Some weeks later, the Smith sisters came to visit me. When I mentioned serving some Indian sweets, up jumped Sister No. 1 accompanying me to the kitchen saying she wanted to see if they were the kind of sweets Khushi makes. Khushi? "A who dat?" I asked, upon which Sister Smith informed me that Khushi was the star of Strange Love, one of two Indian soap operas CVM TV had started showing in their lunchtime slot, Monday to Friday from 1 to 1:30 and 1:30 to 2.

BOSOM BUDDY


"Whenever Khushi's upset, she retreats to the kitchen and starts making sweets," declared Sister Smith, as if she was talking about a bosom buddy.
"Really? Indian soaps are melodramas of the sickly sweet variety. How on earth had they taken Jamaica by storm?" I wondered. Sister Smith assured me that they were such fun that not only she but her parents the goodly Reverend Smith and her mom as well as her brother, a financial analyst in New Kingston, were all hooked to Strange Love. In fact, at her brother's workplace, office workers threw 'Khushi parties' after work and spent Saturdays binge-watching the serial, while at home the goodly reverend could be seen shouting at the Indian couple to just DO IT. Just kiss the girl, no man, her father would yell in exasperation as Khushi's admirer spent days and weeks gazing into her eyes, while the background music intensified in volume and sentimentality.
Strange Love, or Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, as it's called in Hindi, premiered in India in 2011. Comprising 398 half-hour episodes, the drama is the love story of an arrogant business tycoon, Arnav Singh Raizada, and his middle-class secretary, Khushi Kumari Gupta. Played by actors Barun Sobti and Sanaya Irani, the series has propelled both to fame and stardom not only in India but around the world where the show is dubbed into the native language of the region it is shown in. After a few years when Barun left to pursue a career in Bollywood, the show's fans went berserk, demanding his return.
OK, fine. But what is the attraction such shows hold for Jamaicans? I mean a recording artiste named Tiana has even come out with a single named Khushi that has reportedly been blowing up local radio.
"What fascinates us is the slowness of the story, the way the lovers look at each other. The music that comes up when they think of each other. Strange Love focuses on ... feelings, how people view each other, how they love each other from their hearts, not their gonads," vouchsafed a blogger named Lady Fingers.

EXTREMELY ADDICTING


Meanwhile, according to Jodian Downs: "These dramas are different, as the characters still maintain their pure innocence, and for the viewers, this is extremely addicting. Imagine yourself watching the full 20 episodes of one show just to see the main characters at least get a small peck on the cheek from their love interest."
Also, continues Downs: "The level of loyalty portrayed by each female actress for their male superior is rather humorous and astonishing for the modern female." Aha! Perhaps this explains why Jamaican men are so fascinated by Strange Love. The docile Indian female is no doubt irresistibly attractive to them, considering the independence of most Jamaican women?
Interestingly, unlike Jamaica, where Indian soap operas are appreciated as a step back to a time when love was innocent, in places like Afghanistan where they are also popular, they are considered too liberal and, therefore, threatening to Afghan culture. According to a recent article, "Afghan video editors must blur all objectionable content in the scenes, such as too much bare skin, Hindu ways of worship, alcohol and anything that could offend religious sentiments."
In Jamaica, on the other hand, Indian dramas have generated much goodwill and love of Indian culture. Long may it last!
- Annie Paul is a writer and critic based at the University of the West Indies and author of the blog, Active Voice (anniepaul.net). Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.comor tweet @anniepaul.



2 comments:

  1. Dear Diya , I am not sure if you remember me , Ratna ( premparbat ) from India Forums who followed IPK along with you , Sush , Sari at al .

    I had this link bookmarked several years ago and have not been following desi soaps. A recent incidence reminded me of how a big fan you are of Sanaya hence thought of telling you this .

    A few weeks ago I went for a holiday to one remote part of the world that is non English speaking and was trekking with a few natives. One young friendly native in broken English asked me where I was from. When she got to know I was from India she literally jumped 2 feet in excitement and kept holding my hand. She said how she loved India and Indians ...and she loved Indian soaps . She then asked my if I knew Khushi ??? Who ??? do you know Sanaya ? And then I got it she was asking about Sanaya and IPK .

    I was dumbstruck and so was my family as to how in the mountain ranges of Africa a young girl would know about a show I was crazy about several years ago.

    I then gave her a low down on the fact that she is now married and not doing daily shows but still part of the tv industry.

    I was overwhelmed to acknowledge that how lucky is Sanaya who is connected to people who she will never know about and her karma that she has built by entertaining so many.

    God bless her. It was a very nice story who only a fan such as you can appreciate.

    Take Care Diya

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ratna,

      Yes, of course I remember you! Thanks so much for writing here ... it was wonderful to read this, and see how loved Sanaya and Khushi are in so many countries.

      IPK was really very special in that regard - it connected to so many people all over the world, and I am really proud to be a Sanaya fan and see the love she has gotten from everywhere ... most deservedly, I think, given the amount of hard work she put into the show, and how much she loved IPK and her own character. God bless Sanaya for the happiness she has brought to so many people. Sanaya, Khushi and IPK helped me through a very difficult time in my own life, so this show will always hold a very special place in my heart. And while we wait for Sanaya to come back to screen, it feels good to hear stories like this.

      By the way, Sanaya has not left daily shows, she is waiting for her next fiction show. Rumors are she might be back on SP soon, but Colors is also wooing her, so hopefully it's just a matter of time before we hear about her next show. As you can imagine, I'm eagerly waiting for that. Watching her in JDJ was great, but for me, Sanaya's greatest strength is in her acting and the way she makes her audience connect to her on-screen character. That's what made me her fan in the first place ... so that's what I'm waiting for again.

      Thanks so much again for sharing this here ... made my day! Hope all is well with you. Take care.

      Delete

Back!

 Received a message about a spam comment, logged in to delete it, and browsed through the blog after AGES!!!! With work and home life gettin...