Netizens have filed an online petition on change.org addressed to Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Cabinet Minister of Textiles and Information and Broadcasting (Additional Charge) to impose a ban on television serial Pehredaar Piya Ki. Ever since the show was aired on television it has received flak on social media for its inappropriate storyline promoting child marriage. More than 50,000 people have signed the online petition raising their objections against the story of the show in which a 10 year old boy has got married to a woman who is twice his age.
The petitioner wrote, “A 10-year-old impressionable little kid (“piyaa”) caressing and stalking a lady who’s more than double his age and filling sindoor in her “maang” is being telecasted at prime time, family time. Imagine the kind of influence it will steadily and perpetually infuse in the viewers’ mindset. We want a ban on the serial. We do not want our kids to be influenced by such TV serials.”
AV spoke to many television viewers and many of them want the serial to be banned. They also criticised the serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in which Smriti Irani had played the lead role.
Asha Mamidi a social worker said, “In this TV serial an old woman called “Baa” lived for thousand years and Smriti’s TV serial husband Mihir had taken birth several times. These days you stick to any TV serial especially the daily soups they are based on immoral preaching and hate. Hardly any TV serial actually carries family values”. These serials should have sensor check before its telecast.
Pehredaar Piya Ki was aired for the first time on July 17. After the broadcasting of initial few episodes, some viewers slammed the makers for “selling stupidity in the name of content which gives TRP.
Tejaswi Prakash, who plays the role of Diya (the Pehredaar of the title) said, “The relationship cannot be like child marriage as we both (characters) do not know the definition of love, nor there is nothing like romance on the show. We are not married in a romantic way, we are just like friends.”
Cast member Suyyash Rai defended the show and said, “People should understand its TV serial and just a fiction and a disclaimer is being published. Just selective attack for publicity is not done.” He further stated, “This controversy doesn’t change the fact that we, the whole team of Pehredaar Piya Ki love this show and we all have worked really hard for it. If you talk about ” Pehredaar Piya Ki” it has been slammed for its bizarre plot, do we really buy such crap these days?”
But those who filed petition feels, in the recent few episodes, the matter went from bad to worse with a suhagraat sequence and a proposed London honeymoon for Diya and Ratan.
Another tele-viewer Mrs Ranjan Darji a social activist said, “A ban must be imposed on all TV serials, because none of them has any social message. At a time when people slowly understand the worth of being independent, most of these serials end up showing marriage as the sole motive of life. Be it a career oriented guy, or a modern and realistic girl, marriage seems to be their main target. And, funnily enough, sometimes, they even get geared up to marry the person they hate so that they may teach a lesson to their “partners”. Of course, after a few days, this hatred turns into immortal love! After all, the hero and heroine have to fall in love with each other. It happens only in India.”
Mrs Purnima Mistry, “We have always thought of the period series better than the rest. But with the same trope of a vamp trying to hinder the normal life of a larger than life and great hero, even these period pieces seem to be monotonous. Besides, some history series try to even re-build history by trying to manipulate the “villains” in their own way. Well, we understand that the director may be a failed history scholar, but television is not the way to show off his/her expertise in the subject.”
