If F.R.I.E.N.D.S. were living in India

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is one TV show that is timeless. Every time I watch it, I can’t help but smile at the sheer fuzzy feeling that comes. I really wish I had friends like that in my life.

This got me thinking, why can’t show like this happen in India?

The answer is quite simple, really~!

Here is the monster analysis! Hope you enjoy! 😉

 

Joey

His ‘How you doin’? set many hearts a-fluttering!

The F.R.I.E.N.D.S ended with a 30+ year old Joey who is a ‘struggling’ actor, single, and happy!

Now, if Joey lived in India, he would be living a life of extreme shame. People would have harassed him to no end asking him to settle down with a ‘nice’ girl. Even the neighbor’s maid’s grandma would be sending eligible girls his way with a gusto and  speed which would put any teen to shame. Each time he steps out of his house, every human, cat, and dog he meets will ask him: “So, when are you getting married? You are over 30, decide fast before all the good ones are taken.” He would still be living with his mother, obviously (No sensible Indian guy leaves the pallu of his Maa till death does them part, such is the love between an Indian man and his maa). Joey’s maa would lovingly serve him his breakfast of hot Paranthas or Idlis with a side serving of tears and emotional blackmail. “You need to get married soon, Joey beta,” she would sigh, “my health is failing, I get tired running around the house whole day. I desperately need help with the chores. What ever do you mean get a maid? Maids these days are extremely costly…and they demand such extra ordinary things like one day leave a week and decent wages!! Do me a favor and get married. These old bones cannot go on! Now how about my friend’s daughter?’ And this would continue till Joey would be coaxed into an arranged marriage with a ‘good’ girl. Also, no sensible family would give their girl to a struggling actor. (Yes, Indian families give their girls depending on the bank balance and the caste of the boy’s family). So now Joey has a boring bank job and has married a woman who is a post graduate, and who left her job as “such things are not allowed in Joey’s family”. So, now she spends her day cooking and cleaning and trying to fulfill his Maa’s dream of an ideal maiddaugher-in-law. The good things is that his Maa is happy that she gets a person she can control for the rest of her life though. So, happy ending, I guess?

Rachel

The show ends with a 30+ year old Rachael Green, who is a single mother, with baby Emma and she is in a relationship with Ross. Happy.

Now were she living in India she would be criticized for ruining the ‘honor’ of her family for having a girl out-of-wedlock (Oh, the horrible shame!). On top of that she was divorced! Who does that? The Shiv sevak’s heard her story and had a mini heart attack and would be crying their hearts out for such a dented and painted shameless woman moving on the streets! She would be forced, coaxed, blackmailed to get married to Ross. “What? You don’t think you love him enough? You shameless girl, you have a BABY with this guy, think of your family’s name and marry him. Love shuv is just nothing, look at us, married by our fathers and are still alive no? This Love crap is just western influence. What did you say, Radha and Krishna loved each other, so the concept of love is not entirely foreign? How dare you compare your feelings with that of our lord you ungrateful girl! Love is such a divine thing in our great Indian Culture that humans have no right to love, only proven Gods can do so. Now shut up and marry Ross.” So now Rachel is married to Ross and they fight daily, but are ‘adjusting’.

Ross

Ross Geller..Divorced thrice, father of two children, dating his high school crush! Happy!

Had he been in India, he would not have been allowed to divorce his first wife, even if she was a lesbian. They would have been told to ‘adjust’ by the elders of the family and both would have continued their life together not being interested in each other. Just like “ The one that could have been” episode, but this time it is the one that is the truth of his life) Poor Ross, He would never have had a chance of being with the girl of his dreams, Rachel.

Monica and Chandler

Monica and Chandler end up getting married, getting a dream house and adopting twins ! PERFECT life full of happiness!! 🙂 ❤

Had they been living in India, people would have frowned and told them ‘After all blood is blood’ and they would wherever they go, they would be asked and encouraged to keep on ‘trying’. Monica would be criticized by the elderly women as she was not able to produce a healthy baby boy of her own. Her family and especially her mother would be hearing no end to what a shame she was and what a poor excuse of upbringing she had. Chandler otherwise would be advised to marry some ‘good’ Indian girl who would give him strong family name, after all, a baby boy is a MUST have as carrying forward family name is the ONLY reason why people should marry in the first place, no?

Phoebe

Phoebe, aaahh Phoebe…the weird girl with a heart of gold who gave birth to her brother’s children and ends up marrying Mike (drool!!!! 😉 ), her life is now complete!

Had she been living in India, first of all she would have never made such a wonderful group of friends. After all  who would make friends with someone who once lived on the streets! Cheeee…She would have ended up in some ashram or other living a life full of crap,and even if by miracle she ended up making such friends, she would have been pressurized to not have her brother’s triplets. Imagine, an unwed mother of lower class, oh the horror! She would have led a lonely existence and no one would have ever married someone who had given birth before, it meant she was not ‘pure’ you see..and in India, A girl needs to be ‘pure’ in order for a man to marry her, she might be horrible, cunning, witch but if she is pure, she gets married!

Nobody would like to see all this now, would they?

And that is why, shows like F.R.I.E.N.D.S  cannot be reproduced in India..sigh 😦

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