Dill Mill Gayye (Indian, Hindi Serial)

Maybe it is a bit silly to write about 'Dill Mill Gayye' after all these years. ('Dill Mill Gayye' is a romantic comedy, medial drama that aired on Star One from 2007-2010.).

But I just couldn't not write about this serial. I really wanted to write about Dill Mill Gayye. To share this with those who never knew about this serial, and to those who knew this and loved this, to relive their happy memories with this article about it.

'Dill Mill Gayye' was like the start of really hard core romance only TV shows in Indian Television, I think. Before it, there were family dramas in which romance was only a part of. So when 'Dill Mill Gayye' came, it was a sensation. I remember that I used to watch even the reruns of each episode because I loved it so much. And not just me, my classmates and friends also were crazy about this serial, and many were in love with the hero. It was at a time 'the big thing'.... 

So to remember all those memories, I write this section of my blog.. 

(I know that I usually write about Korean Dramas, and other Asian movies. So this will be a bit off the track. But if I don't write about 'Dill Mill Gayye' in 'Lilac Reel' it will be a crime.)

Although I admit that the serial became a bit too draggy and boring towards the end with useless story plots. 

Yes, 'Dill Mill Gayye' had flaws. It was too melodramatic at times, and brought in unnecessary plots just to extend the story a bit more. But I won't talk about it's flaws now. Because when I think back all I can feel is love towards the serial. 

But the first one year of the airing was like totally so rocking that most of us didn't even want to miss one single episode. At that time, the plot was really good, and was unlike anything we have seen before. And romance was too deep and gripping that it was hard not to fall in love with it. 

It was romance at it's best. It just tells the story of two people who are a bit incompatible together, but really does love each other. The characterisation of Arman and Riddhima, the leads were actually good. I was too young to realise that at that time in 2007, but now when I re-watch the clips of 'Dill Mill Gayye', the characterisation of Arman and Riddhima - the speciality of it hits me. It's their characters that set this serial apart, and rise it from the usual mediocre. That's why I selected to write about 'Dill Mill Gayye' above any other romantic comedy in Indian Television. 

'Dr. Arman' is a character many girls fell in love with. Maybe because he is just too handsome and cool. But if we follow the character of Arman through out, there is more to him than just cool and handsome. There is a side of him that is too childish that it can drive any girl in love with him crazy and angry. He will hurt himself thoughtlessly. Pull pranks that might not be that laughable for someone who loves him... 

So ya, Riddima had reasons to refuse his love....

But of course, nobody cared about her reasons, because the show totally ran on the 'viewer's sympathy' Arman got from Riddhima's constant rejection and fights between them... Some times we all just really hated Riddhima for she constantly rejects Arman and try to deny her feelings for him. 

But now if we analyse Riddhima's character, I feel that it is just because Riddima loves Arman that she tries to reject him. And it she is just too insecure... Well, she has a point. Arman is totally popular guy type and have dated a lot of hot girls before, and she being a normal and reserved girl, she can have doubts about his love. She is scared to lose him, so she thinks its better to not even start. 

The fights were a bit thrilling. Sometimes the fights between them turn so viscous and they hurt each other so badly that those scenes gets punched in to the hearts of the viewers. I think I remember the fights scenes more than the lovey-dovey scenes, because it's the fights and hurting that indicate deep love instead of happiness and love. And those fights makes 'Dill Mill Gayye' as the most romantic show ever in Indian
Television. 

It was also a show that first brought out the youth. The bunch of youngsters were really fun and refreshing to watch on screen. Also it brought about the concept of a few bunch of friends and more than one couple to Indian Television, which later caught on like wildfire that more youth shows of this type began to air and got success. Just the energy of the young was really a thing to keep us watching it. 

Plus it was over the top humorous. The main contribution of it being Arman and Riddima's bickering and pranks and funny fights. There was Dr. Athul too, to make funny things and make us laugh. 

All the characters were so loveable and funny... All the characters stay close to your heart. 

The songs in 'Dill Mill Gayye' are worth mentioning, or in fact we can say, writhing about will be incomplete without the songs. I think 'Dill Mill Gayye' was the first Indian TV serial to have a bunch of songs of it's own, and not just borrowed music. When ever those songs played we got lost in them. They complimented so well with the love scene one the screen. And even now, I think those songs can't leave out heart. 

If that 'ishq leta hai...', or 'asmani rang ho...' starts getting played somewhere, it feels like romance is in the air and it is filling in our heart like mist and dew drops. These both songs are just too romantic. Feels like romance melted down and mixed with something sweet... 

Words can't explain it... Just too awesome.

Characters :

 (Note: This article covers only fairly up to first half of the show, and so I have excluded the characters that came in the later half, including Sid, Abhimanyu, and Nikita)

Dr. Arman Malik : The handsome, naughty boy who is just too popular with everyone. He likes to pull pranks and lot and thinks he is too smart. Always is happy. He is also a bit or a playboy, maybe because he has not met some one he cares for yet. Everyone likes him. The patients and doctors alike. 

But maybe he can be a bit too careless and childish that it can end up hurting someone who cares for him. He is someone who can hurt himself to prove his point, and doesn't think much like the consequences or how it will affect someone who loves him. But once he falls in love with Riddhima, his love is deep and sincere, and gets hurt deeply by Riddhima's sharp words against him. 

Dr. Riddhima Gupta : A not so simple but reserved girl. She wears salwar kameez, and believes in Indian traditional values and all, but can be a bit smart and prankster and slightly naughty when wanted. More over, she is self sufficient and mentally strong. But she also is adamant, a bit egoistic and proud. 

Her pet name is 'Ridz', but Arman call her 'Basket', referring to their first meeting in a basketball court.  

Maybe it is because that Arman and Riddhima are a bit too different that she is scared to admit her feelings for him and just constantly hurt him. (Well sometimes it's Arman's fault too...). 

Riddhima is the daugher of Dr. Shashak Gupta, the Director of Sanjeevni Hospital. 

Dr. Anjali Gupta : Riddhima's elder sister but in the same batch as Riddhima. She is a moden girl. Smart and intelligent. She might not be a caring as Riddhima though. A bit selfish at times, but not really a bad person. She does care for her little sister a lot. 

Dr. Athul Joshi : An innocent and cute boy from a village.  Dr. Athul loves plants so much that he not only grows them with care, but also will talk to a plant and pet them. He gets a crush on Anjali and goes around telling he likes her, but Anjali just ignores him. 

Dr. Sapna : A fellow intern. Her mother wants her to marry as soon as possible, and she became a doctor to avoid marriage. She gets a crush on senior doctor Dr. Shubanker, but then meets her soulmate in someone else and marry him and leave the hospital. 

Dr. Muskan Chadda : A smart and talkative Punjabi girl, who joins the intern team halfway through. Her life's mission might be to talk non-stop, and to fight with her arch enemy Dr.Rahul.
She has a scooter which she has named 'Dhanno'. 

She first takes up a crush on Arman, but soon falls for her enemy Rahul.

Dr. Rahul Gerewal : Another intern who joins half way through the internship. He is a childhood enemy (like the term 'childhood friend') of Arman. He is a cool guy as Arman, but never a playboy or immature. He is always caring and composed and mature, and he lose himself only when fighting with his arch-enemy Muskan Chadda. 

He first has a crush on Riddhima, but soon realise that he cares for Muskan more than he had realised and falls in love with her. 

Dr. Shubhankar : The Senior cardiac surgeon in Sanjeevani. A widower and has a daughter. He is a really polite and good at heart person. Good friends with Dr. Keerthi, and later falls in love with her and marry her. 

Dr. Keerthi : The strict and slightly scary senior doctor who is in charge of all the interns. But despite her being strict she just do that out of duty and care for the interns. She is a good person and a really good mentor. She likes her friend Dr. Shubhanker, and later marry him. 

Dr. Shashank  Gupta : Riddhima and Anjali's father and the head of Sanjeevni. A strong and responsible personality. He doesn't really much like the childish and irresponsible Arman much, though...

Nurse Padma : Riddhima's birth mother about whom Riddhima doesn't know about. 

Mini : A little girl who is Arman's patient. She helps him realise his feelings for Riddhima and gives him love advises. 

Story line :

The story starts when Riddhima goes for jogging on the day she is supposed to begin her intership in her dad's hospital. While jogging a basket ball hits her, and she turns to see Armaan playing basket ball with a few boys. Arman ask for the ball, and they have a small basketball match to win the ball, and Riddima leaves without even telling him her name. 

Later that day Arman comes to hospital and see that Riddhima is there as a doctor and pull a prank on her by putting katchup on him and pretending that he is hurt. Riddima who runs to find a senior doctor and returns to see that she was just made fool of by him gets really mad at him and fight with him. This starts a really funny fight ride relationship between Arman and Riddhima. Riddhima gets too irritated by Arman's pranks and the way he keeps calling her 'Basket' instead of her name.

Like this the five - Dr. Arman, Dr. Riddhima, Dr. Anjali, Dr. Athul, and Dr. Sapna starts their work as inters at the hospital 'Sanjeevni'. 

One night when the inters have gone to a medical camp, they send Riddhima to the forest after a truth or dare game, and when she doesn't return, others send Arman to fetch her. These two finds each other and starts fighting, but then gets lost in the forest and can't find their way back. They stay in a small shed in the forest and there for the first time, Arman finds himself attracted to Riddhima. He can't stop looking at her while she is drying her hair... 

After getting out from the forest, and getting back to other, while going in the bus also Arman can't stop looking at Riddhima while she sleeps on the bus. Arman tries to get rid of these feelings by saying 'no way. You have just gone mad.' and all, but yet again can't resist his attraction towards Riddhima. 

While in this state, Anjali notice him and thinking that Arman possibly can't be serious about her sister, she tells him that he can never make Riddhima fall for him, so it's impossible. Arman makes a bet with Anjali and says he will make Riddhima like him. 

Arman's patient Mini, an 8 year old girl, tries to help him out in every way, by scolding him and telling him he doesn't know how to love and all. She tells him to open up about his feelings, and Arman tries to tell Riddhima about his feelings. 

But when he blurts out that he is in love, she just laughs at him and ask him how many times have this problem occurred because of his playboy track record. And when Arman tries to take her out on a date, Riddhima pulls a prank and send Arman's ex-girlfriends (in plural) to the date instead, which gets Arman in to trouble. 

Soon Riddhima finds out that she is not the real daughter of Dr. Shashak, and that Dr. Shashank had adopted the illegitimate kid of his best friend Padma. Arman who finds out this secret before Riddhima, and who had tried to keep this a secret from her, goes and finds Riddhima crying somewhere, and try to console her. She hugs him and cry telling how she is not her dad's real daughter. Arman said "I know", and she looks up at him and ask, "You knew?" and gets angry with him for not telling her if he knew. 

But one day Arman rescues Riddhima from a stalker, and she starts to feel different about him. 

One day, Arman's little friend and patient Mini's condition is worsened, and Arman is worried sick about the little girl and refuse to leave from her side. Riddhima feels sorry for him and takes care of Arman, and stay with him.

So after that day, Arman starts to express his feelings, by asking what will she do if he tells her that he likes her, and when she starts to answer, he says I said 'if I tell that', and makes her confused a bit at first and all. 

But then a trip to the Sanjeevni Orphanage at Lonavala, makes Arman and Riddhima come closer. 

After that they get a lot more romantic moment and, finally Riddhima falls for Arman and goes to him when he is waiting for her in the basketball court and they hug and starts their relationship...

Anjali notice the change between then and gets worried because she had made the bet, and tells Arman that she take back the bet, and to not play with her sister's feelings. Riddhima overhears this and gets heartbroken and angry. She doesn't listen to any thing Arman has to say and believes that he came closer to her just because of the bet, and breaks up with him. 

Arman tries to explain it to her constantly, but she just refuses to listen to him. 

Then Arman just gets angry, and wishes if he had not fallen in love, and takes decision to forget about Riddhima.

A few time after that he takes that decision, he gets in a small accident and hurts himself. Then Riddhima gets really worried and panicked. Seeing this Arman feels that Riddhima really loves him, and try to make her confess her feelings. But she just constantly deny her feelings and feels that she shouldn't fall for him again because he had hurt her once. 

But on a 'holi' celebration, Riddhima gets accidentally drunk and tells Arman that she loves him a lot. This gets Arman really happy, and he is over the clouds by the next morning, but when he goes to hospital, he finds out that when Riddhima was sober again, she has totally forgot what she told the day before. He goes to her to ask about what she said the day before, and she tell him that whatever that she told when she was drunk held no meaning and there is no way that she will like him and says a lot more bitter words to Arman.

Related to the Valentines day celebration the hospital is organising a few plays on the epic love stories, and Arman and Riddhima gets selected to play as Heer-Rancha, and while practising Arman can feel that Riddhima loves him, but is not expressing that. On valentines day, Arman is toally blown over to see Riddhima dressed beautifully as Heer, and they have a really good chemistry on stage while playing the play. One one scene while Ranja tells he loves Heer, Riddhima accidenltly calls Arman "Arman" instated of Ranja, which gets noticed by Arman. Riddhima quickly covers her mistake, though... 

After the last scene, where both Heer and Ranja dies hugging ends, and curtain falls, Riddhima is unable to hold back her emotions and looks at Arman with love filled eyes and touches his face. But once light comes back on in stage, she jumps away from him and leave him. 

Getting cut off like this again, just makes Arman lose his temper and he goes and finds Riddhima in the backstage and ask her if she does feel something for him or not, when she refuses to talk and tell him to leave her, he insist for her to answer him. But Riddhima cruelly tells him that she doesn't like him that way and that her heart that once was broken by him can't love him again, and that she totally doesn't love him. This makes Arman really angry and he tells her that if she regrets saying this some day and come back to correct her mistake, he won't be there waiting fro her, because from that day onwards he is stopping to love her. From that day onwards the problem named Riddhima is out from his life. He walks off angrily... 

After that day Arman goes on to his usual self and begins pranks and stuff like usually. Just that his pranks' intensity have increased tremendously. He just treats Riddhima as nothing much of importance and makes fun of her all the time. So Riddhima doesn't sit and bear with it and fight back... and they end up fighting and pulling pranks at each other more than usual. 

And one day they end up in a mode trying to get the other one angry by playing some prank while trying to stay calm them self. They each pulls a prank and ask the other "Did you get angry?" and this goes on. 

at this time, Riddhima receives a bouquet in her locker, and ask Arman if he put it there as a prank, and Arman says he didn't and ask why, and Riddhima show that the bouquet has the name card of her old stalker Vivek, from whom Arman had saved her months back. Riddhima is terrified to see this, and also Arman gets worried, but since he is fighting with her, he doesn't react anything and just goes away... But that evening Arman feels that Riddhima is missing and gets really worried, and goes to search for her. When he finds her in terrace, he see that she is crying and looking tattered, he gets too worried and goes and ask her, what is wrong, what did Vivake do, how dare he touch you... And then when Arman see her tears he hugs her tight. They stand like that for a while when Riddhima whispers in Arman's ears, "Did you get angry now?" and laugh, and Arman learns with a shock that the whole thing was a prank to get him. 

This really gets Arman angry. More than angry, he is really disappointed in her... He looks at her as if she is just too disgusting, and ask in a loathing voice, "You can stoop this low?" 

Riddhima feels guilty about what she did, and that night she feels she should apologize, but at that time, someone comes in to her room through the window and attacks her and try to rape her, when she struggles and is about to give up, the person hiss at her "Did you get angry now?", and she discovers that it is Arman. Arman gets up from her at once, and goes way. 

The whole incidents puts them in anger and resentment and hatred for each other.

At this this time they both are forced to go to Sanjeevni Orphanage at Lonavla together. They start off in Arman's car, but Arman lose his way in a bad weather, and they end up in a barren road. Arman tells her that they should stop and spend the night in car, and then find the route the next morning. He leaves Riddhima in car and steps out. After a while, Arman see that Riddhima who is sleeping in car is feeling cold, and he fetches a blanket from the bunk and puts it on Riddhima. But watching her sleeping face revoke him love, and he touches her face, she wakes up and see him close and jumps away from him and then accuse him that he was about to take advantage of her and he just want to touch her physically, and that maybe he faked losing the way to the Orphanage just as to get a chance to touch her. This just cuts through the alredy injured heart of Arman, and he is just too tired to get angry with her... He tells her that whatever he does, she just misunderstands him and hurts him, so he is going to stop everything with her and she can do whatever and he doesn't care...

After coming back to Sanjeevni, they see that two new inters have joined the team. They are Rahul and Muskan, and these two like to fight as much as Arman and Riddhima. Rahul and Muskan are arch enemies, and pull each others hair if they talk for even a second. 

But these gets on well with all others. As Arman and Rahul are childhood enemies and have met each other after along time, they argue and challenge each other like old times, and Arman and Rahul want to have a bike race. Since they are planning a really dangerous bike race, Athul ask Riddhima to stop Arman. But she doesn't listen to Athul. While the bike race is going on Arman thinks about Riddhima and gets distracted and have a serious accident. 

Riddhima gets panicked and when Arman wakes up he see her deep in worry and stress, he again try to make her confess that she likes him. But she keeps avoiding the topic. But soon enough, she can't handle it any more and cry and say, "I hate you", he replays, "I love you..." to her, and she finally says "I love you to him" and they become a couple. But Riddhima says they shouldn't let the others know that they are dating...

Arman and Riddhima have a few happy romantic days, in which Arman gives Riddhima a golden bangle his mother gave for his future wife, and they spend the valentines day together and all...

But Rahul's interest in Riddhima and Muskan's Interest in Arman is making it hard for Arman and Riddhima to not fight. 

Plus, once when Arman ask Riddhima for a kiss, she tells that boys just wants physical things, this really hurts Arman, and he tells her that that hurt. 

When Arman does something daring and dangerous to save everyone from a situation, Riddhima gets angry and scolds him telling him that he has to think he is not alone and is attached to her life now, and stop doing dangerous things selfishly. They starts fighting on this matter...

At this time, Muscan needs a help, and to stop her family making her marry off to someone, Arman goes to Muscan's home as her boyfriend, without telling Riddhima. 

Riddhima later finds out about this and fights with Arman again... Arman says that he is tired of changing himself trying to make himself worthy for her, because whatever he does she always finds a fault in him. And they fight over this matter and breaks up. 

After that they try to go to their normal lives, but they both love each other deep inside. And they can't help hide their basic instinct to fight and ends up fighting and pulling pranks anyway... 

At one point Arman again try to make Riddhima understand that she loves him by pulling a prank of pretending that he hurt himself, and when Riddhima finds out that this was just a prank, she slaps him. He gets angry and catches hold of her wrist tightly, and the bangle that Arman had given her breaks and falls... Riddhima tells him, "maybe even god doesn't want our relationship to exist", and goes off. Arman can't take it any more and he hurts himself for real by smashing his hand to a mirror, and writes the letter 'R' with blood...

He then leaves Snajeevni.

Riddhima goes to search for him, and finds him at his home town, and he has become a boxer. She try to convince him to come back, he refuses. That night they both stay at a guest house, where Arman looking at sleeping face of Ridhima again feels something for her and try to touch her. She jumps away and says she is still not sure what is between them. He ask her if she is not sure, then why did she come searching for her. She says that is because above everything they are friends. He says he has a lot of friends and doesn't need one more "friend". But he returns with Riddhima back to Sanjeevni. 

After that they keep fighting and pulling pranks and all, but one day when Arman gets fed up and leaves again, Riddhima really just miss him, and goes to the village he went to and finds him and tells him that she loves him. This time they gets together for real, and strongly... 

The main problem of Dill Mill Gayye was that they changed the actress playing 'Riddima' twice, and three girls played Riddhima. And for me, the first one stayed in my mind and I think the second one was worst, and third Riddhima was ok. Shilpa Anand who played Riddhima at first, had a nice energy, and acted well in naughty scenes. Though most people might have hated her because when she played Riddhima all Riddhima did was to hurt Arman. She had a lot of angry scenes, and scenes where she simply need to be plainly out right cruel to Arman.
But I think that there are a lot of people who feels Shilpa Anand is the real Riddhima.

Jennifer Winget who played the third Riddhima also did a really good job, and she did suit for the role of Riddhima well enough. She is a great actress. But she is a bit mature to be Riddhima, I think, and she didn't give much to the comic or funny scenes. Yet she had awesome chemistry with Karan (Arman), and that was a treat to watch. Well obviously they will have chemistry, coz they later fell in love with each other and got married, right??? :-)


Sukrithi Kandpal, was unfortunately not really good for the role of Riddhima. Though Sukirthi was good in 'Pyaar ki ek kahani' and all other series. The problem was not her acting. It was just that, she just didn't feel like Riddhima. It felt like it's someone else they are calling Riddhima all of a sudden. So, that was a bit of a let off.

Also, they dragged the story too long. They could have given the whole serial a happy ending with Arman and Riddhima getting engaged at their engagement, instead of bringing out a catastrophe at their engagement date, and pulling it out in to another season. With the entry of Sid and all... It just bland the whole feel of it. And totally affected viewers' love for the serial in a negative way. Pointless story tracks...

Anyway, I already said I won't talk much about the bad aspects of 'Dill Mill Gayye'. Let's come to the good points again...
The characters that came in and went off in certain parts of the serial, who were mere support actors, were actually a lot memorable in this show.

There is Mini, the young girl who calls Arman her 'boyfriend' and gives him all the love advise to impress Riddhima. She is too cute and too smart. Talks like an adult and acts as cupid. She is a character that we really won't forget.
Then there is the Theatre artist 'Nana', who is another or Arman's best friends, who calls Arman 'Apple', and helps him around always.
There is fat and funny Nurse Lovely, who has a crush on Athul.
All these small characters stay in in our mind as much as the main leads do.

In Dill Mill Gayye, not only Arman and Riddhima's love story was notable, but there is also a really cute love story of Muscan and Rahul. The two who likes to pull each others hair and curse each other, finally starts to care each other and gets flutters in heart at each others touch even while fighting... They were totally cute. I really wish if they had got a better happier ending, though...

And it was actually really funny and entertaining... The pranks and funny fights or Arman and Riddhima would make us laugh for hours.

Dill Mill Gayye was more of Arman's story than of Riddhima's story... Maybe it was the only Hindi TV show, or at least the first Hindi TV serial of romantic drama genre which was the story of a boy rather than of the girl. Usually it's always the girls' story in Indian Television serials. But Arman was the life and soul of 'Dill Mill Gayye'. Without him, it can't exist... It started and ended with him, and showed how he starts, struggles and finally gets his love.
The girls playing Riddhima changed, but the actor playing Arman was Karan Sing Grover from the first episode to the last one, throughout from 2007-2010. And for me, and I think that for may more out there, Karan Sing Grover will eternally Be Dr. Arman Malik, no matter how much years pass, or no matter how many roles he have played after that...
And we all loved Arman Malik to death, not just because he is handsome or cool, but for the love he felt for Riddhima, and for how much he got hurt. We laughed with Arman, and cried when he cried...
Arman is some one that we can never forget...

And Arman and Riddhima's love story is also something that we will never forget... And I hope that there are others that agree with me in this... I am sure that there are a lot of others who miss seeing them.
And even the thought of these characters just send us in a nostalgia, doesn't it??


My Rating of this Serial :9/10 (well I can't deny that there are also a lot of flaws in it. So just 9) 

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