Not Another Cinderella Story!
At first glance, IPKKND on paper seems like yet another Cinderella retelling , and it is to an extent, it has the key 'rich man falls in love with poor girl' component that is necessary in any Cinderella story.
However, this is where the similarities between Cinderella and ArnavxKhushi end, as Khushi is not Cinderella and Arnav is certainly no Prince charming but Cinderella does exist within the IPKKND-verse and that Cinderella is no one but Payal.
Akash and Payal's love story is a simplified, realistic version of the Cinderella fairytale ( of course, without the magic, pumpkins and mice but Khushi and Arnav collectively played the role of fairy godmother!). Payal herself shares many qualities with Cinderella. Both are kind, beautiful, resilient, sensible and hardworking and not to mention they both seemingly have a silent strength that is easily glanced over.
Khushi isn't Cinderella, She is the Little Mermaid, she is Ariel. She like Ariel is a young, naive girl who falls in love with a prince that seems a world away. Khushi and Ariel are both fun-loving, passionate, curious and childlike. They also both fall in love with forbidden men. Ariel is mesmerised by the human world and Eric. Similarly, Khushi is drawn into Arnav's world, i want to emphasise that she is not in love with his rich, material lifestyle but with Arnav himself and everything that comes with him like his intensity, his protectiveness, his mystery, his love and passion, her draw towards him also bleeds into her attatchment to his family.
A darker take on this tale would have been if Arnav hadn't offcially remarried Khushi with all the correct rituals, this would have reflected the original dark story told by Hans Christian Andersen, in which the little mermaid sacrifices her voice forever, endures intense pain and eventually dies as the prince marries someone else (this is a very summarised version of the story but the proper story is so morbid and tragic!).
So symbolically, instead of losing her voice, Khushi would have sacrificed her personal values and beliefs (the importance of marriage) which are so intrinsic to her being, it would have eaten away at her self worth and greatly impacted her mental health negatively. It would have been a slow death of the heart and soul for her,which, like the original little mermaid, she would have endured to be with the man she loves.
(I'm glad the show followed the happy Disney version instead which was a lot less depressing and Ariel deserved her happily ever after, so did Khushi! )
Forgive my bluntness but Arnav is the beast (from Beauty and the Beast), plain and simple. Khushi even refers to him as the 'rajkumar and the shaitaan' perfectly capturing his dual nature. Much like the beast, he is wrathful, aggressive, callous (at times) and arrogant. Arnav also forces Khushi into living with him just like how the beast captures Belle in his castle.
It's so satisfying to see him eventually soften up and reveal his human princely self (it's so cheesy but listen to 'something there' and think of Arnav!). Interestingly both the beast and Arnav, have gift giving as a love language, the beast gifts Belle his library and Arnav is shown to gift Khushi many things over the course of the show.
IPKKND is not another cinderella story but it is a beautiful meeting of The little mermaid and Beauty and the beast. Interestingly, you can see elements of both fairytales in the show when the perspectives between Arnav and Khushi change because both have vastly different narratives and points of views. Khushi has her curious way of seeing the world, full of wonder and intrigue and Arnav is all broody in his massive mansion!
This parallel between the two is also reflected in their body language and also I n the manner they love each other, Arnav is posessive and protective, very mature and weathered. He is darker in nature which contrasts to Khushi as it’s her very first love. She is seen to frequently daydream and fill in the blanks with her imagination. She is more tentative in her approach towards him, investigative like a child exploring a new place for the very first time, (or like Ariel exploring the sea for human treasures!) equally afraid and excited.
So if Khushi is Ariel, Arnav is the beast and Payal is Cinderella… what does that make Shyam?
Well of course it would make him a mix Hans from frozen and Scar from the lion king! Shyam in the beginning is portrayed exactly the way Hans is, a charming nice prince donning a false mask by the end his madness is reminiscent of Scar's. In fact the way Scar snaps at the end of the movie is very similar to how Shyam reacts when he finally confesses his sins.
These were just my random musings and purely based on my opinions, I could be totally off! so feel free to agree or disagree with me, i would love to hear your thoughts. Take care!
Love, Honey xx