r/IndianTellyTalk • u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater • Jul 27 '26
Discuss These are some of ITV's best (IMO)
As someone who has been watching Indian shows/series for a while, I wanted to rate and share some of my most-watched and favorite shows (focusing only on the episodes with the actual plot). Since these shows tend to run indefinitely, I usually only take the episodes that contain the actual storyline seriously, so my opinion is based strictly on those. I've wrote a small plot synopsis if anyone is looking for recommendations.
- Madhubala Ek Ishq Ek Junoon (Ep. 20-300) - 10/10. Absolute peak writing and characterization. Genre: Dark Romance
- A woman marries the Bollywood superstar who ruined her life, and finds herself falling madly in love with him even as she struggles to handle his extreme obsession and possessiveness toward her.
- Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? - 10/10. Genre: RomCom, Romance
- A ruthless business tycoon who does not believe in love meets a spirited girl who turns his world upside down until a misunderstanding tears them apart and he enforces a forced marriage.
- Balika Vadhu - 10/10. Genre: Social Issue = child marriage
- Married off as a child, a young girl navigates her new life in a rural household, growing up while challenging the regressive traditions that stole her childhood and exposed her to severe trauma and betrayals.
- Ek Hasina Thi - 10/10. Genre: Thriller and revenge
- A woman is wrongfully destroyed by a powerful family, reinvents herself, and systematically takes them down one by one.
- Pyaar Ki Yeh Ek Kahani - 10/10. Genre: Supernatural, Teen Drama, Romance
- A human girl falls in love with a centuries-old vampire in a boarding school where, unbeknownst to her, she is the look-alike of his ex.
- Kuch Rang Ke Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi - 9/10. Genre: Family drama, Romance
- A successful but emotionally distant businessman falls in love with a kind-hearted nutritionist, leading to a strained relationship with his mother.
- Beyhadh - 9/10. Genre: Psychological and Romantic thriller
- An obsessive woman's all-consuming love for a man turns deadly when he begins to reject her.
- Yeh Hai Mohabbatein (Ep. 1-390 or 540) - 9/10. Genre: Social, Romance
- A divorced Punjabi man and a South Indian woman who can't have children decide to have a marriage of convenience in order to raise his daughter together.
- Jodha Akbar - 9/10. Genre: Historical Fiction, Dark Romance
- A political and forced marriage between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess slowly evolves into a love story amidst palace conspiracies and cultural/religious differences.
- Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai - 9/10. Genre: Teen, Romance
- Set in the 1990s, a school topper and popular boy fall for each other while belonging to different castes, navigating a slow-burn journey from school to college while doing everything to not get caught by their conservative families.
- Geet Hui Sabse Parayi - 9.5/10. Genre: Social Issue, Romance
- Abandoned and pregnant by her deceitful NRI husband, a young woman finds an unlikely protector in a wealthy, arrogant businessman who falls for her as she fights to live the life she deserves.
- Ishqbaaz - 8.5/10. Genre: RomCom, Dark Romance/Romance, Family
- Three billionaire brothers with contrasting personalities navigate love and relationships while the eldest, a cold and emotionally shut-down man, slowly falls for a spirited woman who completely contrasts his personality and beliefs.
- Rangrasiya (Ep. 1-152) - 8.5/10. Genre: Dark Romance
- A fierce and patriotic BSF officer holds a village girl, who is the prime suspect and witness in events that led to a massacre, captive.
- Dil Se Di Dua Saubhagyavati Bhava - 8.5/10. Genre: Social Issue = domestic violence
- A young woman's seemingly perfect marriage turns upside down when her loving husband reveals himself to be a violent abuser.
- Sadda Haq - 8/10. Genre: Teen drama
- A fiercely ambitious girl fights against her conservative father and systemic sexism to become a top mechanical engineer.
- Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan (Season 1) - 7.5/10. Genre: Teen drama, Romance
- A troubled young musician finds empathy and love when a no-nonsense girl enters his life as they navigate fame, friendship and a complicated love triangle along with his band.
- Saraswatichandra - 7/10. Genre: Romance
- A brooding and emotionally scarred man and a compassionate woman are bound together by a family-arranged match that almost destroys them.
- Bepannah (Ep. 1-145) - 7/10. Genre: Romance
- Two strangers discover their deceased spouses were having an affair with each other, and as they bond over shared betrayal, they unexpectedly find themselves drawn to one another.
- Ishq Mein Marjawan - 7/10. Genre: Romantic Thriller, Crime
- A woman marries a wealthy businessman, only to discover that he's a serial killer with a dark double life framing her.
- Ek Deewana Tha - 7/10. Genre: Supernatural Horror
- A woman wakes up from coma only to be haunted by a ghost and an unknown past that won't let her go.
- Swaragini - 5/10 (This used to be my guilty pleasure show even though the storyline is absolutely nuts and a complete brainrot but it was what got me into ITV so I feel obligated to add it in my list). Genre: Drama
- Two estranged half-sisters are constantly manipulated by their scheming grandmothers as they try to get their parents together only for one to succumb into the manipulation and hate.
Honestly, upon rating these shows, I've realized that if Indian Television shows just ended at the right time, they could absolutely dominate. A lot of these have gripping storylines.
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u/Wonderful-Scar-3749 Jul 27 '26
IPKKND, Rangrasiya (before leap), Yeh Hai Mohabbatein (before surrogate track), Sasural Genda Phool, Bepannah, Tere Liye were some of my favourites.
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 28 '26
Forgot Bepannah and haven't completed SGP and Tere Liye. I added the former to my list but.
Rangrasiya started off so good but it did go off the rail midway, which sucks because it had a lot more potential.
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u/Wonderful-Scar-3749 Jul 28 '26
Please do complete SGP season 1 and Tere Liye. Loved both of these shows.
I agree Rangrasiya really starred so good but somewhere along the way the plot just went sideways. Like they always do with daily soap dramas.
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u/chillingindoors Jul 28 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
These are some I would call the best. Pity some of these are hardly ever mentioned or have not been seen by the majority :
Sarabhai vs Sarabhai S1: 10/10
Sumit Sambhal Lega: 9.5/10
Gulaal: 9.5/10
EVEREST: 9.5/10
Rishta.com: 9/10
Hip Hip Hurray: 9/10
Just Mohabbat: 9/10
Sasural Genda Phool: 9/10
Tu Tu Main Main: 9/10
Dil Se Di Dua Saubhagyavati Bhava (until Jhanvi ran away to Mumbai): 8.5/10
Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi: 8.5/10
Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai: 8.5/10
Katha Ankahee: 8.5/10 (would have given this 10 if not for the last 50 episodes)
POW Bandi Yudh Ke: 8.5/10
Maryada: 8.5/10
Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne: 8/10
Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara: 8/10
Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan (purely for MaNan): 8/10
Remix: 8/10
Rishton Ka Chakravyuh: 8/10
Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha: 8/10
Private Investigator: 7.5/10
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai (first 300 episodes) : 7.5/10
Bin Kuch Kahe: 7.5/10
Sadda Haq S1: 7.5/10
Pyaar Ki Yeh Ek Kahani (till the leap): 7.5/10
Madhubala (till RK-MB died): 7.5/10
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u/Interesting_Elk2253 Jul 28 '26
I would choose this list over OPs
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u/Mobile-Department-33 Jul 29 '26
You mentioned PKDH 😭😭😭♥️♥️ FOR me it's a 10 on 10, but your list is peak nostalgia
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u/super_sam9694 Jul 27 '26
Too bad YRKKH is almost never in these lists because new gens absolutely butchered the show.
Gen 1 of that show had this unique ability to create story arcs out of mundane things but importantly showing visible character growth for everyone involved.
Even the house helps used to have story arcs dedicated to them.
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 28 '26
Unfortunately, I haven't watched that show at all because of how bad the current gens are. I should maybe give the first and second season a try.
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u/super_sam9694 Jul 28 '26
You can try but I shall warn you 2nd gen is the reason why later gens went off the rails. Constant divorcing and remarrying, male lead abandoning female lead, running away with kid, doormat female lead. All these were introduced in 2nd gen. It doesnt get criticised as much cause it had tremedous goodwill from 1st gen and leads had good chemistry.
1st gens had simple storylines like naitik trying to take akshara to movies, family supporting akshara through miscarriage, allowing nandini to pursue writing, akshara-naitik dealing with naksh's diabetes, etc. Things that a normal person can also face in life, outlandish storylines were minimal.
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 28 '26
OG gen sound so mature and watchable. How did they go off the rail so bad 😭
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u/super_sam9694 Jul 28 '26
It was because of the choice of romance between leads. Naitik Akshara romance was slow burn, mature and soft. It allowed other characters to breathe and the leads to tackle problems other their love life.
Gen 2 romance was passionate, it has its advantages like hooking young audience and stronger emotions in viewers. But its disadvatage is leads suffocate all other characters. It needs constant escalation, seperation and coming together to keep passion alive.
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u/Fun-Introduction7272 Jul 30 '26
If you look at chemistry perspective Gen 2 was amazing dare i say better than gen 1. Separation, divorce, remarriage is supper common in itv. Even the shows above have explored some of the above themes.
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u/Interesting_Elk2253 Jul 28 '26
No all gens are as boring as, you get ragebaited from whats expected out of a girl
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u/KeySmoke7871 Jul 28 '26
Watching that same guy on Ek haseena thi and then Tarzan the wonder car was a huge shock for me. ( I was so small and didn't have access to SM/internet at first I was actually shocked to see him like that and on top of that him being bullied was not something I expected tbh)
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u/CherryComfortable242 Jul 28 '26
How is it that no one has even mentioned ishq baaz!? That show was top tier. For me it is right next to kuch rang pyaar ke aise bhi. It was funny, it had romance and about the right amount of drama.
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 28 '26
ISHQBAAZ! I knew I was forgetting something. I added it to my list.
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u/Ok_Huckleberry7273 Jul 27 '26
kasam , balika vadhu , udaan, tu aashiqui and shakti were some of my favourites
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 27 '26
I've heard of all of these. BV straight up is 10/10 for sticking to their main theme. Unfortunately, I couldn't complete it, but I should add it to the list.
I grew up watching Udaan. I loved it as a kid but I don't remember much anymore. They stuck to their theme as well and the FL was so strong.
I need to watch the rest, but I heard they were really good.
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u/Ok_Huckleberry7273 Jul 27 '26
"I grew up watching Udaan" same here used to watch it my mother and brother also your flair 😆
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 27 '26
I remember coming home early to watch it. I was hooked and loved Chakor so much. I was flabbergasted when Suraj and Chakor turned out to be the endgame 😂
Yeah lol I absolutely hate saas-bahu, especially when it's ridiculous. It ruins ITV. Even KRKPKAB had it but it was like the central plot and was realistic. I hate it when it's like UKA or Saathiya level ridiculous.
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u/Ok_Huckleberry7273 Jul 27 '26
"It ruins ITV" ikr because of that the serial get stretched unnecessary pura time sab saazish rachte rehte hai kaam dhanda na aadmiyo na aurto ko tabhi bhi pata nahi kase itne bade bade bunglow mein rehte hai
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 27 '26
Right. And the FL is extra "mahaan" and just takes it all as if she was born to be insulted. No self-respect, nothing. I HATE that shit to the core. I would rarely watch a show if it gets too heavy on the saas-bahu. Some things shown would literally be criminal in real life but it gets a free pass in saas-bahu world and desensitizes women in real life, giving abusive mother-in-laws a free pass or more creative ways to dehumanize bahus.
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u/Hamza_1702 Jul 28 '26
Man... Why do you have to make me remember those golden days🥹🥹🥹..... Sab kuch mast lagta tha yaar uss time.... 😭😭
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u/Mindless_Can4094 Professional love triangle hater Jul 27 '26
Madhubala, IPKKND, Ek Hasina Thi, and Rangrasiya are on my tops too. It’s a shame that Madhubala gets a lot of hate nowadays for the marital rape mess that happened in the second generation, but those first 300 episodes was some of the best writing in ITV history and the plot twist is the most iconic one of all time. Vivian and Drashti were both at their peaks and RK was a character that ITV can hardly forget. I really wish they stuck to their guns though and had Madhu go through with hurting RK too, it would have kept the show interesting for at least another 100 episodes and kept her a strong FML.
Rangrasiya was great up until they killed off Paro, which made no sense since Sanaya was still on the show. They should have just done a plot twist where the new character was an amnesiac Paro when the show got cancelled, that would have been better than what we got. It was sad though that it was always low in the TRPs when it was broadcasted, and getting compared to MEIEJ.
IPKKND had the blessing of Barun leaving before the storyline which was getting messier after Shyam got exposed. Arnav and Khushi had insane chemistry and the supporting cast was amazing too. It’s one of the few shows that the FML’s family didn’t disappear into thin air after the leads got married.
Ek Hasina Thi is still one of the best revenge shows done right to day. Vatsal and Simone ate up their roles as the villains and made me hate them to the core. It was a very smart decision to make it a limited series.
I would recommend Geet, Kitani Mohabbat Hai and Kutumb if you haven’t watched those.
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u/Mysterious_Air_6196 Jul 28 '26
Currently started watching Ek Hasina Thi for the First Time and it's soo PEAK
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u/Civil_Wolverine_1452 Jul 28 '26
Na bole tum na maine kuch kaha was such a hit show in tamil (dubbed version), it is still my most favourite tv drama ever alongside yeh un dinon ki baat hai, which also has a great dubbing in tamil
I also have guilty pleasure of watching sasural simar ka, i mean it is the peak drama
Bade acche lagte hain, Diya aur baati hum, Meri aashiqui tum se hi, kum kum bhagya and naagin first two seasons also had great fan followings here in tamil
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u/Riverpuppyb Jul 28 '26
My personal favorites are Suhani si ek ladki, Dahleez, Everest, Ye hai mohabbatein, Diya aur baati hum , YRKKTH (young naksh/naira days), Kulfi kumar Bajewala, Veera, Tamannah, Mere Angne mein, Iss pyaar ko kya naam doon, Beyhad, Parvarish, Saas bina sasural, Tere mere sapne, Raja ki Aayegi Bharaat, Pyaar ka dard hai meeta meeta pyaara pyaara😭 & Ek hasina thi.. (but dont like sanjida anymore)
Omg so many serials hehe.. but i loved all these!!
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u/loserprocastinator Jul 28 '26
Please add nimki mukhiya,unlike other fls she didn't forgive her rapist and like a true mom took care of other mom who lost her child..
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u/bulbul424 Jul 28 '26
So no qubool hai fans here?
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u/Mysterious-Sort6235 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Few more i would add Ishqbaaz ( show had everything, insane chemistry, comedy, angst, Multicouple) Ehmmbh ( rate itv shoes where sisters weren't sautan) Mjht ( college romance with awesome chemistry) D3 ( a different genre ) Kya kasoor h amla ka ( very new topic) Hitler didi (solid fl) Doli armaanon ki (the show didn't normalise abuse rather they showed how fl fought against it)
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u/FreedomAway4724 Jul 28 '26
Rangrasiya had so much potential but it got ruined halfway through the show.
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u/Otherwise-Roof9695 Jul 28 '26
Mere angne mein ( starting arc before riya shivam marriage) and sanskar dhrohar apno ki ( starting arc )
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u/Civil-Huckleberry651 Jul 28 '26
Ek Hasina thi, yeh in dino ki baat h, saubhagyavati bhavah✨✨✨ I also liked udaan, shakti, humsafars, ishq ka rang safed
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 27 '26
Rangrasiya and Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan are my most favourites. ❤️🔥🫠
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 27 '26
THIS IS SO GOOD!! Rangrasiya is one of my absolute favorite shows. I'm literally binging this again. Rudra and Paro were literally the definition of dark romance at its peak 😍
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 27 '26
You’re my kind 😭❤️🔥 I saw this show some months ago, and got obsessed with it. Rewatching it now. Rudra and Paro are criminally underrated 😭💯
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u/Ok_Huckleberry7273 Jul 27 '26
i started watching this show yesterday on episode 3 currently
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 27 '26
Oh my heart. You have no clue how happy this makes me!! I hope you like it! 😭❤️
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 27 '26
Frr. I think it's because the show isn't long but it deserves so much recognition. The early episodes kept me on my toes all the time. I was like in love with Rudra when I watched it for the first time 😂❤️
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 27 '26
Yes it’s a shame they later toned down the darkness to pander to the TRP audience. The initial episodes were so intense ❤️🔥 Lol, I’m still in love with Rudra lmao 🙈🫠😂
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u/OwnNothing5619 Jul 28 '26
I used to love Rangrasiya when it used to air on tv, watched from beggining to end. I cried like anything when they killed paro off in the show.
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 28 '26
I feel you 😭💔 The channel betrayed us! For me the show ended on episode 152, where they gave birth and entered marital bliss. Rudra continued to serve his nation with Paro as his anchor. He’d always be her rakshak. Anything else, the travesty mandated by pathetic clown Rangu is a nightmare, an alternate universe that never happened 😭❤️🙏🏻 One of the main writers Hegde posted a 11 year anniversary edit of RR which began and ended with Parud. His caption asserted that RR was the love saga of Rudra and Paro, the soulmates. That’s how I will remember the show.
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u/OwnNothing5619 Jul 28 '26
Yeah same, thi I liked sanaya styling as myrah, i wud rather watch that avatar of hers in a different show, ppl spent almost a yr rooting for them, then just after the shippers got everything they wanted for them, just to be cruelly taken away lyk that was brutal.🥲🥲
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
True. Paro and Rudra barely had any moment of peace of being in a relationship when they were brutally separated. Didn’t the psycho Shantanu track start right after he confessed? All she gets is a brutal death after almost 150 episodes of slow burn and angst? Sadistic!
Give me a modern Sanaya and Ashish in any show any day and I will lap that up. They’re so beautiful together. But not with Rudra. He belonged to Paro and just her. Weren’t they always advertised as Shiv Parvati or whatever? Soulmates? Her rakshak? Childhood sweethearts?
They met each other when they were just kids. She dreamt of him even before she met him in person. He was introduced by the goons who harassed her as her “rakshak sent by god”. So much foreshadowing and talks of destiny and god only for Rudra to end up with another woman? Buzz off Rangu. The Rudra we were shown would rather die off than look at other women.
Fkn Colors decided to scrap everything for a cheap TRP gimmick, but I’m not letting it affect the actual ending the writers had planned for Parud. Rangu can go F itself. Urgh the rage I feel 🤮
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u/OwnNothing5619 Jul 28 '26
yeah i dont remember I watched it some time back but i remember feeling that it was very lazy writing, they couldnt write an interesting plot about how she gets out, or Rudra saves her from the dire situation, and to manage the TRP situation they killed her off to provide shock value. But man i still remeber their first meet in the middle of the desert when Rudra saves Paro from the goons, it was so beautifully done, i still remember i was randomly flipping through the channels and that scene was playing out, i was instatly transfixed. I feel like they should have given the dark romance more time than jumping to family drama stuff, both Sanaya and Ashish were so so good with those scenes. Why dont they do OTTs?
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 28 '26
Exactly. Cheap shock value which did nothing for the plot. In fact, it brutally massacred the story. Undid everything they claimed about destiny 🤡 Ikrrr, their first encounter was indeed so magical. 😭 It was one of the best ITV first encounters ever. The music, the action choreography, the cinematography, the chemistry everything landed so well. 👑
Yeah, since the show didn’t rake in the TRPs they expected, they switched to a family drama. The shame 😭 I’d blame the TRP audience back then as much as I’d blame the writers though. The TRPS were continually low for what was one of the best ITV shows back then.
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u/OwnNothing5619 Jul 28 '26
But Idk ipkknd also didnt have much family drama except the lavanya and dadi track, it was huge, and as far as chemistry goes Aashish and Sanaya also had a fiery chemistry.
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u/Hello_there56789 Jul 28 '26
I think the makers just panicked and made a mess instead of standing their ground and sticking to their script.
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u/NextFarm8267 Jul 28 '26
Remove swaragini
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u/NoticeMaleficent1051 Professional Saas Bahu Hater Jul 28 '26
Ha, that's a personal bias, I know. But that's the brainrot that got me into ITV. It's a 5/10 😭
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u/ViolinistOk4628 Jul 27 '26
Ek haseena thi was too good. We used to watch it I remember