Why I am afraid the saas-bahu sagas my to-be mother-in-law watches on TV will make my life miserable

I love watching television and so does my to-be mother-in-law. I was glad that we had at least one thing in common. But, my happiness was short lived, because I soon realized that there was a humongous difference between the kind of content we preferred.

I spend most of my weekends binge watching the gory battle scenes from Game of Thrones, while my would-be mommy-in-law is in love with the saas-bahu soaps.

From Sasural Simar Ka to Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, she is familiar with almost every Hindi soap, which is telecasted on Indian television.

Now, to each her own--right? You must be wondering why a matter so trivial as this is bothering me. Well, because I am not one bit like the dutiful daughter-in-law these sagas glorify.

There are hundreds of daily soaps out there with different plots, but all of them have one thing in common: a submissive, compliant, and obedient bahu rani. One that wakes up at sunrise, cooks scrumptious breakfast for a thousand-member clan, excels at the family business, and serves dinner to the entire family before eating herself.

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Many would see no fault with this pious lifestyle but seriously--how the hell is something like this a remote possibility in real life?

I get shit scared every time I see my mommy-in-law smiling at the bahu, who is nothing short of a Wonder Woman, multi-tasking at the speed of light!

I am as domesticated as a monkey and absolutely no match for these fictitious bahus. But, the problem is most women adore these on-screen personas and want a wife like Simar or Anandi for their sons.

Most families want their bahus to replicate these on-screen deities, probably forgetting that the actress essaying the role of an obedient bahu rani is being paid millions to fake-cook delicacies.

Of course, it's imperative for a family to bond and take equal responsibility for household chores. But, dialogues like 'jis saas ki bahu hoti hai wo ghar ka kaam nahi karti' give me nightmares.

I sincerely hope that my future mother-in-law understands the difference between fact and fiction and doesn't force me to channel my inner Akshara.