Love holds no boundaries and the story of Viplav and Dhaani in Ishq Ka Rang Safed is one such example. Set amidst the ancient city of Benaras, home to one of the largest widow population in the world, Ishq Ka Rang Safed hopes to break the taboo that still haunts many parts of India.

The story of Ishq Ka Rang Safed is about a young ambitious man named Viplav who falls for a young widow named Dhaani and puts off his plans of pursuing law in a foreign land in pursuit of love. As simple as the idea of love looks to Viplav at the beginning, he soon realizes that it would be an uphill task.

The show hopes to bring out the issue of widowhood out in the open by addressing the hardships that widows have to go through everyday in order to make a place for themselves in a society that no longer accepts them as their own.

Here is a look at some of the most spectacular movies that have over the years dealt with the subject that has been for long swept under the rug.

Prem Rog: The Rishi Kapoor starred movie spoke about how a young girl, still in her teenage is unable to start her life afresh due to societal differences. At a time when widows were ostracized from society, the movie came as a breath of fresh air.

Dor: A phenomenal movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor starring Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia. The story is about a woman in search for pardon for her husband accused of murder from the now widowed Meera. She travels to a small town in Rajasthan and the eventual bond of friendship that forms between the two. Meera who is grief stricken after the knowledge of the sudden death of her husband finds herself amidst accusations of being the one bringing bad luck to the family. It’s with the help Zeenat that she finds the courage to break out of the clutches of society to build a new life for self. 

Water: Set in the year 1938, Deepa Mehta’s Water explores the lives of widows in an ashram in Varanasi. At a time when child marriage was a common practice and widows were expected to spend a life in poverty, the movie sets forth an example of hope in a time of despair. The movie explores the relationship between the widows in an ashram and their desire to break free of the cultural barriers. A grasping tale of freedom, love and desire, Water truly expresses the significance of the white color in its very true form.

Choker Bali: Choker Bali received much acclaim for its phenomenal characterization of passion amidst grief. The protagonist in the movie loses her husband soon after her marriage and falls in love with a married man and gets pregnant with his child. Soon after, she realizes that the man she is love with is actually not concerned with anyone but himself. From there on her struggle to come to terms with her current reality sets in motion. The movie expresses the true human character and the impositions that are forced by cultural orthodoxy on women that have lost their husbands.

 While these are just few movies that have tried to break the mould, we hope that with the show-Ishq Ka Rang Safed, we can address this issue on a larger scale and look at the struggles faced my widows from a newer perspective.

Don’t forget to catch Ishq Ka Rang Safed which airs coming Monday, 10 PM