#gul khan

[duncanssixthchild]

a fact Gul failed to realise... resulting in two flop shows back to back ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chotebabua]

HUSBAND

[phati-sari]

Helloo! I’m new to the IPKKND fandom, and just wanted to ask, is it true that when Barun announced he’ll be leaving the show, they were gonna continue the show with a replacement, but decided to end it because of the fans’ opposition?

Hello0o0 and welcome :)

Yup, they'd even apparently cast a replacement (there were also rumours that he was meant to play a new male lead, not specifically replace Arnav). This is why Arnav has all those lines during the remarriage and Karva Chauth about dying or no longer being around. I've talked about this here and here.

You can still find articles from around the time that discuss what happened but you have to be careful as the media tends to report rumour as fact. This 2020 article features quotes from Sobti explaining not only the contractual situation, but the fact that they'd found a replacement.

Gul Khan herself has some interesting things to say on whether the show would've gone on:

'Iss Pyaar ko…’ was one of your significant shows, highly popular for its leads Barun and Sanaya. But Barun left the show mid-way. Producers have seen such phases where the audience relates to the characters majorly, but these very characters end up quitting the show. How do you handle such challenging situations?

Actually, audiences don’t relate solely to the actors in the show. I have done it so many times. When Qubool Hai was on the top, Karan Singh Grover wanted to leave. And it was on a very amicable note, so was with Barun. And Qubool Hai ran for three years after that. Because it’s never the face which is popular, it’s the character which people relate to.

source

[For context, when Grover left QH, 4Lions replaced the actor but continued the character of Asad. It didn’t go well, and they killed almost everyone off and introduced a time-leap to focus on another generation where Karanvir Bohra played a new character. When Bohra wanted to leave, they moved the storyline to Pakistan with an amnesia track to introduce a new character played by Varun Toorkey, before killing everyone off again and starting ~season four~. In other words, while Gul might say QH continued for three years, they had to kill off characters and introduce new leads and generations to keep it going.]

[tellywoodtrash]

Do you feel like something has fundamentally changed in Gul's shows? Like yeah, they always followed very cookie cutter character sketches, but there was something about IPK and Ishqbaaz that drew me in, even despite the very obvious issues. I also started watching QH recently, and that's magnetic in the same way. But then I look at stuff like Imlie and Namak Issk Ka and Ishq Pe Zor Nahi and that vibe just isn't there and I can't put my finger on what has changed.

P.S.- I'm enjoying QH a lot right now (about 25 eps in) but I know this show goes off the rails because it went on forever, can you suggest a good stopping point before the inevitable butchering of everything?

Yup, I do think something has changed. Nothing she’s made post IB/DBO has really drawn me in. One thing I think is that her earlier shows had couples that were absolutely electric; we all sat through the terrible phases of all her shows coz of how amazing the couples’ chemistry was. Another thing I think is that that old sense of humour is missing. IPK, QH, IB, all had that comedy element in them that made us laugh - the screenplay and dialogue was just genuinely good quality, and not just ainvayi ke jokes for the sake of it being there. I think the new shows don’t have that anymore. They’re high on the aesthetics and tashan and all those other things, but the casting/couple’s chemistry + the humour element just isn’t there anymore in my opinion, and that’s why we don’t feel compelled to watch them.

[nawaazishein]

Recently, Gul got into some spat with a Rikara fan (it all started because the fan said that fanfic writers are better than cvs or something). It was like a back-to-back argument. Finally the fan was like 'you are too immature to fight with' and she left, and Gul made some reply which actually proved the fan's point. My thing is, Gul is so lame, like its one thing she can't take criticism but its another thing that her comebacks are so bad. Its literally junior school level. What do you think?

God, this woman… there’s so many things you mentioned I could pick apart (like the “fanfiction writers are better than CVs”) but let’s not get my blood pressure up for no reason. I’ve talked about this war situation Gul has going on with some fans here already and really, elaborating on it again and again is a moo point.

Gul needs to grow up, the fandom needs to grow up, everybody needs to stop taking themselves and their opinions too seriously, ya know…

[mukhtaleef]

View this post on Instagram

Oh my mata!! What are these two up to?! Are they going to produce a show together? What kind of monstrosity are they going to dish out this time?

[rowdyprofessor]

Hello! What is your take on how the fandom blames/ hates on Mrs Gul Khan and Harneet Singh for the failure of the show and to a large extent the content they show? Thanks! :)

I find the current obsession trend with blaming them for the woes of the currently airing dramas … weird.

Mrs Khan is the face of the production house in the same way Arnav is the face of AR and Steve Jobs is the face of Apple. None of these people are actually involved in every minute detail of their products. They’re the people who go the meetings, the people who broker deals, the people who have the long term visions. They’re the people who get credit when things go well and have to resign when things go wrong.

I think it’s unfair to blame everything on two people. The fandoms have even given them a cutesy ship name! I understand they’re very visible, but this idea that they’re driving a bus and cackling in delight while everyone else holds on for dear life completely ignores the role of the directors and the editors, not to mention the channel itself. People seem to be imagining Khan and Singh in a room, thinking up of ways to annoy, pester, and otherwise ruin the lives of the people who support their shows on some personal level.

I think they’re trying to make money, just like all of us. They might do it in ways we don’t agree with, sure, but I don’t think they’re sitting around trying to annoy their audience. That would be counter-productive. They’re trying to cater to a very specific audience (the people who contribute to ratings) and, by necessity, are extremely reactive.

I’m not saying they’re perfect or above reproach.

But honestly, an entire fandom made predominantly of women has decided to fixate on the women involved in these projects and completely ignores the contribution the (male) directors have on the final product.

Isn’t that interesting?

[arnavsinghraizada]

This is dangerous. I'm already scared. Someone start planning my funeral cause whatever this is, it's gonna ruin my life