Pehredaar Piya Ki is a Hindi Television Serial that airs on Sony TV, Monday to Friday at the prime time of 8:30 pm, IST.
The basic premise of the story is that of an orphaned 9 year old boy (Ratan) from an aristocratic family who is married to a 19 year old girl (Diya), so that she could be his protector.
This decision comes about after Ratan’s parents are killed by a car bomb planted by greedy relatives eyeing the vast family fortune. Ratan’s dying father asks his best friend, Diya’s father, for a favour and requests Diya to be married to Ratan, so that she could protect him from any danger to his life.
Since Ratan is the sole heir of a vast fortune he needs protection. To honour his dying friends wish, Diya’s father goes ahead and gets his daughter married to 9 year old Ratan.
If all this is not gross enough, there is more. 9 year Ratan has grown up on a steady diet of fairy tales narrated to him by his Aunt. Tales of a beautiful Pari (fairy) who will be his bride. When Ratan spots Diya he is instantly attracted to her and decides that she is his ‘Pari’, and expresses his wish to marry her. All the adults laugh and brush this off.
Ratan then stalks the Pari (Diya) clicks her pictures without her knowledge or consent, and wants to fill her maang on Holi. The adults are still laughing off these statements.
Ratan’s dream comes true and Diya is married to him in a temple, with Ratan’s dying father, Diya’s parents and a few close family members as witness.
What is more appalling than the story is the fact that people, more women than men, are watching this serial and enjoying it, ensuring high TRP’s.
People watching this serial find it ‘Cute’, ‘Very different’ and ‘Innocent’.
The loopholes in this unbelievably gross script are so large that you could walk in and out of them.
Can’t a 9 year old sole heir of a vast fortune be protected legally?
Can’t a rich 9 year old be protected by hired guards 24/7?
Can’t a 9 year old be protected by whisking him away to an undisclosed location, away from relatives who are plotting and planning to kill him?
How could a 19 year old girl ‘protect the life’ of a 9 year old?
How did the 19 year old girls parents agree to marry her off to a child?
How could a teenage girl agree to marry a child?
A writer’s imagination is his greatest weapon. An imagination can create a beautiful fantasy or an ugly nightmare. In the case of Pehredaar Piya Ki, it is clearly a nightmare.
Well known Blogger, Social Influencer, Animal Evangelist and Social Worker Uttpal Krushna, who is popularly known as UK says, ‘Shocking! While the world moves ahead, such serials take us back to the 17th Century! Such serials should be banned immediately and action should be taken against the channel for showing such material on air!!
Prerna Sinha, of Maaofallblogs shares her view on Twitter
Prerna also adds, ‘So many people questioned the reality of child marriage that exists in Rajasthan. My answer, so just because rape is real we glorify it? Many people asked why wasn’t Balika Vadhu not shunned down? It’s because Indian audience is changed now and has a voice. They do not conform to the stupid norms and change is good whenever it happens!’
To all those watching this serial and calling it entertainment, it’s time to question yourselves. What about watching a 9 year old child married to a 19 year old girl is entertaining you? If it was the other way round, a 19 year old Boy marrying a 9 year old Girl, how soon would the label of ‘paedophile’ be attached? So why not in the case of Pehredaar Piya Ki?
Give a thought to the psyche of the child playing Ratan. Imagine how scared he could get, being made to portray emotions he is not the right age to experience?
Imagine if your children watching the serial asked you to get them married?
There is something that is beyond TRP’s, Ad Revenues and Popularity. That something is Social Responsibility.
Our children are growing up too fast, please don’t let them grow up wrong. Share on X
Very well written. Such cheap TRP stunts should be stopped by channels.
Agree 100% the Indian TV industry has lost it completely. Very soon if they have honeymoon between these two characters I won’t be surprised
Our children are growing up too fast, please don’t let them grow up wrong. – Well said.
I was appalled at the story and when the trailers of this serial started airing on Sony TV, I thought may be I was mistaken about the story.
It is surprising to see people watching it and supporting it. It should be off air immediately.
Valid and important point! I have signed the petition too.. Hope they pull of this, and such other idiotic serials!
Just what was needed, #StopPehredarPiyaKi This is a new low Indian television has stooped to.
High time!! The negative impact of mindless and irresponsible so called entertainment on TV has been going on for years… please do protest loud and clear and not let greed and commercial considerations prevail.
Those were the days… when gems from Indian literature entertained viewers with ‘Ek Kahani’ and eminent writers explained the subtle nuances of human emotions. When depiction of history with ‘Swaraj’ ‘ touched many lives and perhaps changed a few’ (TOI). We were taught that standards ought to be raised through arts and aesthetics, media has a social responsibility and entertainment a purpose!
Absolutely disgusting concept! I have only watched the teasers. They put me off enough to not watch the serial. Reading your post I am even more horrified. This has to stop. What kind of mindset enjoys watching such perverted serials! Disgusted!
Totally agree Mayuri. Why couldn’t they shift the boy to some undisclosed locattion and how can marriage be a solution to everything!! Also the people comparing it to balika vadhu is silly as Balika vadhu portrayed the child marriage as an evil in the society which has to be weaned out, while here peheredar is showing a 19 year old scared of cockroaches to be fighting off complex plots to murder the kid!!
You are so right – if it were a young girl and an older boy it would have been a whole different story. I feel sorry for the little boy playing the protagonist.
Oh god, had no clue such a serial existed. Saw the furore over social media and got curious to know the reason. I’m just appalled at the quality of serials being dished out. And, really, people like it???
very well depicted. absolutely attrocious. hope this serial is pulled off air soon.
You are so right Mayuri, even I am appalled at the thought of what effect all this will have on the physche of the little boy who plays Ratan, so we already are laying the wrong foundation for our children.
So glad that the serial has been pulled. You’ve summed up my sentiments on this perfectly. Well written!
I agree with you Mayuri,except one point.I feel Balika Vadhu (mainly the pre leap) was presented differently and the way it was presented,it never encouraged child marriage. The negative sides were perfectly shown. Again the ambiance of BV was different, like village atmosphere,illiterate grand mother. The father in law and the mother in law were in favour of the lil bride’s education. Even they took decision to let the child couple live/stay separately and continue their education. The bride was allowed to stay at her father’s home with due respect and would return to her in-laws’s once she turns eighteen.
Yikes! I am so glad that this serial if taken off air. How did it get approved in the first place? Anything goes these days, I feel.
Just when you think you have had enough, they come with a worse non-sense.
I am glad people such as you came out & spoke about this issue and forced the program off air. This is a shame in name of entertainment.
Thank God this serial was pulled down. But honestly, I really wonder the mindset of cast and crew who are working on stories like this. What would the child be thinking? Would he really understand what he’s being made to act as? And secondly, what is the leading lady trying to portray by acting in such serials?
Guess its very easy to hide under the garb of creativity when acting in serials like this but honestly there is some sense of control which needs to be exercised in what is ok to be shown on prime time television and what is not ok.
Yes, I am so glad it was pulled down. Creativity is a much abused term these days.