Since the time its trailer was launched, the TV show Pehredaar Piya Ki has faced quite the backlash for depicting a marriage between a nine-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman. Over the

two weeks that its episodes have aired, the criticism has only grown louder, with an online petition being launched against what many consider a depiction of pedophilia. After the petition gained

momentum, Union minister for Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani has also directed that action be taken against the show.

On Monday, 14 August, the producers of Pehredaar Piya Ki — Shashi and Sumeet Mittal — held a press conference at a suburban hotel in Mumbai, promising to clear the controversies

pertaining to their show.

A quick lowdown on what the show is about: Diya, 18, marries Ratan, 9, to protect him from his evil family. Despite being engaged to a man she loves, Diya ‘sacrifices’ her relationship in order to

protect Ratan, to fulfill the dying wishes of his father.

The sequences that have invited criticism include Ratan filling Diya’s maang with sindoor, stalking her and taking photos of her, a questionable joke (that borders on pedophilia) made by Diya’s in

-laws after they decorate her bedroom for the ‘suhaag raat’. The content in PPK has been termed bizarre and regressive.
Shashi Mittal, who is also the script writer for PPK, says the petition against the show is unfair. “Many people have filed the petition without even watching the show,” she said, screening portions

of two episodes at Monday’s press conference. Among these was the ‘wedding night’ scene. “The controversies surrounding the show are based on rumours. One news channel asked for my

reaction to a honeymoon sequence being shot in London. I was shocked. We don’t even have any such plans. All the answers lie in those 20 episodes that have been telecast. People should

watch them and then come to a decision,” added Sumeet Mittal.

The producers said that they hail from traditional families and none of their shows thus far had ever showed objectionable content. “How can we show their wedding night? No one has seen it the

way it has been depicted…” said Shashi. “A few days ago, some women were talking about the show before me without knowing that I am its writer. When I asked them if they have watched it,

they replied that they do not watch television, but if such a show is happening, it should be banned. Now where is the logic to this?”

But why even have a suhaag raat/honeymoon sequence considering one half of the ‘couple’ is only nine? Shahshi claimed the scenes were crucial for the plot. “There is no way the girl is

propagating any of these things. Ratan’s relatives are against Diya and will go to any length to embarrass and manipulate her in the name of customs and rituals. The relatives did this even during