For decades, marriage has been viewed as a choice between parents’ pasand and couples’ pasand. COLORS and Rajshri Productions (P) Ltd. bring a third contemporary route with ‘Manpasand Ki Shaadi,’ where both meet on equal ground. Here, families stand by the couple from the very first meeting to every milestone after the ‘yes.’ Starring Esha Suryawanshi as Aarohi and Akshun Mahajan as Abhishek, this Rajshri Productions (P) Ltd. drama airs every Monday to Friday at 10 PM, only on COLORS.
1. Tell us about the show
A. While the world is obsessed with the binary of love marriage vs. arranged marriage, this show introduces a refreshing, third kind: the manpasand marriage — a match made by choice, compatibility, and consent, with the family still in the frame. Wrapped in the iconic Rajshri universe of pyaar, pariwaar, parampara, this show brings Sooraj Barjatya’s cinematic legacy to television. Set in Indore, Manpasand Ki Shaadi follows Aarohi, a well-educated marathi mulgi from a humble cowshed — running family where women are encouraged to dream and Abhishek, the entitled heir to a masala empire, raised in a patriarchal home . Their match is not made by elders, nor is it an act of rebellion. It’s a conscious choice by two people who decide to love and navigate the chaos that follows together. This isn’t just about choosing the one. It’s about knowing them, convincing families, and building a marriage that respects both personal freedom and family bonds. The idea is not to rebel against tradition but to redefine it. Manpasand Ki Shaadi combines mutual respect between generations, personal preference without conflict, and love that includes but isn’t dictated by family. The story sways between the hopes and storms of making a manpasand marriage work, while asking — does choosing your ‘manpasand’ come at a price too heavy for the heart to bear?
2. Tell us about your character.A. Abhishek Dewaan is the kind of guy who walks into a room like it’s a movie set and for most of his life, the world has played along. He’s 24, heir to Indore’s biggest masala empire, raised in a patriarchal home where tradition reigns. He’s charming, spoiled, full of swag and his heart is in the right place. He’s the Rajshri hero for a new generation. My character is like Prem but with a modern spin; he even gets the Sooraj Barjatya-style treatment in the show: signature background score, slo-mo entries, and that unmistakable hero glow. And just like the classic Rajshri men before him, he’s a green flag in the making, but you just must stick around to watch him earn it. Because beneath that confidence is a boy who’s never faced failure, heartbreak, or even real-world consequences. But then comes Aarohi. She sees the bubble he lives in and slowly, she starts to burst it. For the first time, Abhishek is forced to ask what if being cool is about being worthy? His journey is full of friction, awkward realisations, and emotional rewiring. Watching him evolve from entitled to emotionally available, from self-absorbed to self-aware, is what makes him such a compelling character. He starts off as the guy you roll your eyes at but by the end, you just might fall for him.
