Historical fiction these days are getting a dose of daily TV serials. This is the reason why there is so much masala in almost all the historical serials including Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat. While the twists and turns weren’t enough, we now have bride-swap in Ashoka serial just like the saas-bahu serials.
Ashoka’s mother Rani Dharma in the serial is keen on swapping Devi with Kaurwaki. After all, Devi was Ashoka’s first wife.
Ashoka Serial Kept on Ignoring Devi and Focussed only on Kaurwaki
According to almost all the texts, the first wife of Samrat Ashoka was Maharani Devi. However, in spite of knowing the facts, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat serial focussed on the love story of Ashoka and Kaurwaki first. Worst, the serial showed them as childhood lovers. But, now that they cannot turn the fact that Devi was Ashoka’s first wife, they decided to add a new plot of bride swapping.
With no other plot of changing things, the serial thought of implanting an idea of bride swap in Rani Dharma’s mind as she knows marriage with Kaurwaki will only bring destruction to Ashoka and the entire family. Nothing of which is true historically. But now that the serial kept on focussing Kaurwaki, the serial has nothing in store except showing that Devi marries Ashoka either accidently or under some pressure.
How Soap Drama Enters Historical Fiction
Introducing a certain level of drama, twists, and turns is quite intriguing in historical fiction as it give the writers a certain liberty, however, that doesn’t mean the writer can have the authorization to change the timeline and show anything he wants. For instance, Ashoka married Devi when he was 18 and here he is 24, unmarried and romancing Kaurwaki. Worst, he has no feelings for Devi.
Also, his and Kaurwaki’s love story is portrayed as something very legendary. On the contrary, nothing much is known about their so called romance which is shown in the popular culture.
Lastly, introducing these contemporary serial plots like bride swap (which is quite common in saas-bahu serial) in Ashoka serial is quite annoying. It simply insults historical characters not just Maharani Devi but also Rani Dharma.
Do Not Miss Reading:
5 Things Wrongly Shown About Maharani Devi in Ashoka Serial
Who Was the Real Love of Samrat Ashoka – Devi or Kaurwaki?
