The premature end of Sony TV's controversial show Pehredaar Piya Ki has set many tongues wagging. While thousands of viewers are happy with the series being pulled down, the cast, crew and makers are quite disappointed for obvious reasons.
In an interview with Indian Express, Pehredaar Piya Ki producer Sumeet Mittal opened up about the end of the show. Mittal said that ever since the promo was out there had been a constant buzz about the storyline. It was followed by a massive backlash and a petition, but the team was hoping to move past the controversy.
Pehredaar Piya Ki finally goes off air: Read to know what show's actors have to say
However, when the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) issued a notice to shift the show to a 10 pm timeslot, the entire team was heartbroken and after a meeting with the channel, they decided to pull the curtains down rather than airing it in a wrong slot. (Mittal believes that the show was meant for a specific audience and hence 8.30 pm slot was best suited.)
The producer, however, refused to comment on reports of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) pressurising the channel to take the show off air.
The show maker further said that they are now keen on returning with a new show with the team of Pehredaar Piya Ki on the same channel. "I cannot comment on the ministry part but I must first tell you that the channel offered us to get back with a new show in the same time slot. That's commendable on their part. We had a wonderful team and we really hope we can get back on another project with them. It's sad but we will take this in our stride and move ahead," Mittal said.
Spilling some beans on what caused the unfortunate incident, the producer blamed the social media claiming that people have been irresponsible in judging the daily based on a promo or scene.
"I think the social media. I agree that people have the freedom of speech but one can't be so irresponsible. There's a show where so many people are working and you can't judge it over an out of context promo or scene. I have time and again said that the people who are talking negatively about the show are not the ones who watch TV. We have to understand the organic reach of a specific show. Pehredaar Piya Ki audience is not the ones who troll or bash things online," he added.
For the uninitiated, Pehredaar Piya Ki received severe backlash from viewers followed by a petition signed by over 1 lakh people demanding a ban on show for its regressive and cringy content, where nine-year-old Ratan Singh (Afaan Khan) gets married to an 18-year-old Diya (Tejaswi Prakash). The serial had shown it all, from the kid's adult conversations with the grown-up girl to the newly-wedded couple being forced to spend first night together and planning their honeymoon.
With the controversy finally coming to an end, we can only hope that the team returns with a good and socially relevant content this time.
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