Pehredaar Piya Ki: 18-yr-old woman married to boy of nine? Trust Indian TV to constantly baffle

In a strange arrangement, the promo of Sony Entertainment Television’s upcoming serial Pehredaar Piya Ki shows the story of an 18-year-old woman and a 9-year-old kid, apparently married to each other. The kid is shown putting sindoor (vermillion) in the woman’s maang, which basically is the Indian symbol of the relationship between a husband and wife. [caption id=“attachment_3739769” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  A still from the promo. YouTube screengrab.[/caption] If this wasn’t enough amusement already, the woman also owns a gun. She is actually the protector of the little child, who happens to be her husband. It seems like some evil forces are after the child and the woman is shielding the child from danger. The child, on the other hand, seems blissfully unaware of the situation. Needless to say, people have reacted. Shock, confusion, disgust, outrage, annoyance — the comment section of the promo is filled with people who are obviously brimming with emotions after being exposed to this sorcery. The promo is odd. It has us confused. Why did the channel have to get the woman married to a kid in order for her to protect him? We possibly can not be the only ones thinking of pedophilia here. Even if there is no romantic angle between the two characters, why is the child, who clearly has not reached the age where he can differentiate from right to plain stupid, being made to play such a character? Whatever the reasons are, we are not writing the show off yet. The promo clearly states that the show does not promote child marriage in any sense, which is a relief. Indian television has had shows with married child couples, and it will be unfair to treat this show differently, based on the promo. For all you know, the promo might be a sensationalised version of a not-so-complicated story. The makers could be hoping to rake in big TRPs with a promo like this. Therefore, waiting for the show to air and watching it before jumping to conclusions seems like the safest best. Watch the promo here:  

If that didn’t baffle you enough, here’s a Karwachauth promo: