Despite majority of her family being outraged at the so called 'break in tradition', Tilakam, an upper caste girl managed to stand up for her love and live a happy life. She married a dalit boy, Kathir with the support of her progressive thinking father, who defended her choice against the rest of their family as well as society. They have been together for more than 11 years!
However, Tilakam and Kathir’s love story still hasn’t been able to inspire us from breaking free from the shackles of societal barriers when it comes to love. Inter-caste marriages are still considered to be a taboo in the country, not only in rural parts of the country but also in urban India. In times when the country is going through modernization and youngsters go to colleges and make friends with the people of different communities, we still have an old- school outlook towards love and marriage. Love on the Run on MTV will be dealing with the issue of inter- caste marriage in the upcoming episode through the love story of a Dalit boy, Naren and a Rajput girl, Rachita.
Naren, played by Manraj Singh and Rachita, played by Rashi Mal are madly in love with each other. However, due to cultural disparity, Rachita and Naren face repercussions from their families. But little do they know that they would have to be on the run for falling in love. However, being from a higher caste, the social stigma and pressure doesn’t stop Rachita from loving, Naren.
Commenting on being a part of the show, Rashi Mal said, “Rejecting someone on the basis of their caste, in your personal or professional life, is simply denying yourself the oppurtunty to find a person best suited for you or for the job. Caste has no place when it comes to love or merit. This is a very important and relevant story especially in the wake of the recent Dalit protests. It is important that such stories be told because cinema/art is always the harbinger for change. It has the ability to make people think and influence the decisions they make in life. That is why I was really happy to be a part of this story of Love on the Run.”
Will their love see the light of day?