Petition demands a ban on this weird love story

The TV show Pehredaar Piya Ki, which has a nineyear-old boy married to an adult woman, raised eyebrows right from the time the promos began. Now, with suhaag raat and honeymoon popping up on the show, furious viewers have asked Smriti Irani, Minister of Information & Broadcasting, to pull it off the air.

A petition was posted by one Mansi Jain on Change.org. At the time of this report being published, it had 51,818 signatures. The petitioner wrote that “we do not want our kids to be influenced by such TV serials”. In the story, a young prince (played by Afaan Khan) is put under the care and security of his adult wife (played by Tejasswi Prakash). What has infuriated viewers is the projection of this relationship as a love story.

When we contacted the producers, Shashi Mittal of Shashi Sumeet Productions told us, “Whatever action we will take [if any], it would be in front of everyone, so you shall see. Right now, I can’t say anything.” Actor Suyyash Rai, who plays a character called Abhay on the show, said, “The makers aren’t fools, and if a reputable channel like Sony has approved all this, they must have discussed the pros and cons a thousand times. The show is not promoting child marriage.”

Though we couldn’t reach Afaan’s mother, a source close to the production unit told us that she was more than happy when her son bagged the lead role. “She knew the storyline, and if she had any problems, she wouldn’t have allowed her son to be a part of the show.”

AT THE TIME OF GOING TO PRESS, A PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG HAD 51,818 SIGNATURES, ASKING THAT THE SHOW PEHREDAAR PIYA KI BE SCRAPPED