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Why Barun Sobti’s Arnav Singh Raizada still remains our gold standard for romance!

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Karina Michwal
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Waistcoats, ‘What the…’, and that intense gaze, here’s a look at everything that made Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon and ASR so iconic!

As a kid growing up in the 2000s, my idea of a perfect boyfriend was largely influenced by the fictional men my cousins swooned over. In the 2010s, after we became too cool for the likes of Rajs, Rahuls, and Prems, we found our muse in the brooding, waistcoat-wearing, slightly arrogant business tycoon Arnav Singh Raizada, played by the ever-charming Barun Sobti in ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?’ (IPKKND). Yes, long before Sobti mesmerised us with his gritty performances in Rakshak, Asur, or Kohrra, he was the man who single-handedly captured a million hearts, showcasing various shades as a worthy scion of the Raizada clan. After all, IPKKND wasn’t just any other show you watched with your mom-it was a daily appointment with a specific kind of depth that we hadn't seen on our TV screens before!

Arnav was the classic ‘Angry Young Man’ of Indian TV soaps but with a modern, corporate edge. He took pride in his no-nonsense, stoic attitude and had a ‘What the…’ for every situation. But what truly made the female fans go beserk were his tender sides- he could say a thousand words with just a twitch of his jaws, a charming smirk, or an intense gaze. Before him, soap opera leads were often too idealistic or melodramatic, but our Prince Raizada was different- he was flawed, he was arrogant, but he was also deeply and hopelessly in love, even when he was too stubborn to admit it!

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Indian soap operas are infamous for stretching plots endlessly to cash in on their success, with little concern for doing justice to character development or satisfying plot resolutions. However, IPKKND came as a refreshing departure from this tradition. The show had a concise story and offered proper arcs to all the key characters, doing wonders for the recall value of the show. It has been over a decade since IPKKND ended, but fan-edits around the soap opera keep popping up in our feeds from time to time. The kind of nuance and layers the writers offered to Arnav and Khushi Kumari Gupta’s (Sanaya Irani) love story would make it a rage even now. Way before we got hooked on enemies-to-lovers stories on Wattpad, the couple already nailed the grumpy billionaire meets bubbly chaotic queen trope with their slow-burn romance- something that also laid the foundation for the relationships we crave today. 

Arnav, in particular, shaped our idea of what a partner should look like. He wasn’t the nice guy next door but a fierce protector of his loved ones. Yes, he was cold, practical, and emotionally distant, but his evolution into a loving husband who would stand by you against the world set standards for an entire generation! Be it his quietly concerned “Tum theek ho?”, the fierce way he defended Khushi against his Daadi, or the tender hand-holding scenes synced perfectly with the title track- everything felt like pure magic! Not only this, the cultural impact of IPKKND was so massive that when Sobti decided to leave the show to pursue movies, the channel chose to end it rather than recast him!

As Sobti dominates the OTT space playing complex, weary, and brilliant men, deep down, a part of us will always see him through the lens of this show. He was the one who taught us that the best kind of love is the one that changes you for the better and eventually brings you home! So here’s to the man who made waistcoats iconic and brooding an art form- Barun, you’ll always be our Arnav Singh Raizada!

Which is your favourite Barun Sobti character? Tell us in the comments below!

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