Don’t you feel that 2016 has been the one of the most romantic years on telly

Many of us laughed when we heard that Yeh Hai Mohabbatein’s loveable Jodi Raman (Karan Patel) and Ishita (Divyanka Tripathi) were consummating their marriage after 24 months of tying the knot. It was not very illogical per se, they were a twosome who did not marry out of love. They took their time to get into a ‘romantic relationship’. Things are a little different in 2016. In fact, love has been a dominant emotion throughout this year. Shows with lead pairs with great chemistry are doing pretty well. And no one is shying from showing intimacy either. We know that Bollywood is pretty open about love and desire in present times but TV is also not afraid to show passionate love.

Intimacy no issue!

One of the best examples is Jaana Na Dil Se Door. It is surprising seeing the kind of following a 5.30pm show is enjoying just on the basis of the lead pair. No, it is not as corny as Kaisi Yeh Yaariyaan where Manik (Parth Samthaan) and Nandini (Niti Taylor) made summer afternoons doubly scorching for teenagers by locking lips pretty often. JNDSD is a tale of the timid Vividha (Shivani Surve) growing up under a dominating father in Ajmer. Love hits her in the form of the dishy Vikram Singh Chauhan (Atharva) who tells her that as a human being she must exercise her own will, and heart. Empowered, our gal does not shy away from grabbing her guy for a passionate smooch when he is kind of upset with her. Whenever, Atharva is unhappy, Vividha consoles him and it is followed by the ‘steamy’ scenes. Passionate love stories with the backdrop of class differences have come and gone on TV, but a leading lady uninhibitedly pouring in the passion in romance is pretty new. The end result is rewarding. The show has also grabbed the 10.30pm slot on Star Plus and fans are watching the ‘romantic’ episodes twice.

Romp and ratings

TRPs were a huge concern for Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani before makers went in for the magical leap. And they got their fundas right in the second innings. Handsome hunk Sarrtaj Gill and the beautiful Eisha Singh were roped in for a youthful romance. The makers made sure that this time, the Jodi got good screen space unlike the previous one where supporting actors were bigger key players. Sarrtaj dropped his shirt and cozied up with an innocent Eisha in bed (to blackmail her, of course!), did shirtless scenes (on fan demand) and intimate scenes are happening in every second episode. The lady also in a quest for revenge was ready to compromise everything. A few viewers did not like such bold moves given the fact that she was the gracious Rani Gayatri’s (Drashti Dhami) daughter but 99% is happy that there is so much to see! Makers are thrilled because the show is back in top 10. The actress also revealed that people simply love their intimate scenes and they would not like to disappoint the fans!

Classy courtship

Any talk of romance in 2016, would be incomplete without a mention of Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi. Undoubtedly, one of the best couples of the year, Dev (Shaheer Sheikh) and Dr Sonakshi (Erica Fernandes) showed us that mature love can be damn romantic as well. Hesitant conversations, furtive glances and an awkward chemistry paved away for a lovely relationship between the two on the show. The romance is a very classical type. Dev’s epic proposal, I love you like a man loves a woman sent heartbeats racing across the nation. With due credit to Shaheer and Erica, they have given a quiet dignity and grace to DevAkshi that is a sheer joy to watch. Ever-hungry for their romantic scenes, fans pleaded for a ‘light kiss’ between the two. Sadly, it has not materialised so far.

Love 24×7

It is not only love stories but family dramas too are keeping the love and intimacy high. This year, we saw Swara (Helly Shah) and Sanskar (Varun Kapoor) consummating their marriage. The unique part was they ended up making out in the terrace, and that too with full encouragement of family members who wanted to see them happy. Fans rejoiced but the response wasn’t that great as many of them did not like the concept of them getting intimate inside the premises of Maheshwari mansion (the family residence). Another family drama riding high on love is Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. When the leading man Karan Mehra (Naitik) quit the show, the makers shifted the focus on the love lives of the younger generation. Right now, it is Kartik (Mohsin Khan) and Naira’s (Shivangi Joshi) love story that is grabbing eyeballs. From the proposal to first dance and kiss, KaiRa is the buzzword. No one seems to be missing an ailing Hina Khan (Akshara) and Naitik.

Of course, how can we forget Kumkum Bhagya. It was a brilliant idea to take Abhi (Shabbir Ahluwalia) back to his rockstar days and revive the old story between Fuggi (Sriti Jha) and Abhi. The show is a TRP topper since five weeks and this new romance is icing on the cake.

Dil Maange More

So, it is not just about the love or steamy scenes, Indian TV has managed to get fans involved in the love lives of their characters like never before. Of course, people have loved jodis like Arnav-Khushi, Mihir-Tulsi, Madhu-Rishabh immensely but social media has doubled their interest. With intimate/super romantic scenes not being a six-monthly or annual highlight, fans are being served what they love. It has meant more challenges for makers as the side story also has good enough to keep viewers hooked for a longer time. Till then, people are switching channels to see where there is more love on prime time.