1. The "Daya Ben" Void The most glaring issue with the romantic storylines today is the absence of Daya Ben. While the show tries to write around it, the core romantic tension of the show—Jethalal’s chaotic life being soothed by his wife—is missing. Without Daya, Jethalal’s character arc feels incomplete, and the romantic energy of the society feels halved.
2. The Stagnation of Younger Couples Characters like Dr. Hathi and Komal, or Sodhi and Roshan, have fallen into repetitive loops. Earlier, we saw distinct moments of romance—Sodhi missing his wife, or Komal worrying about Dr. Hathi’s diet. Now, these relationships often feel like background noise, used only to deliver punchlines rather than advance emotional bonds.
3. Teasing the "Tapu-Sonu" Angle For years, the show teased a romantic future between Tipendra (Tapu) and Sonu. It was a sweet, innocent puppy-love subplot that the audience grew up watching. However, due to frequent casting changes and the show’s unwillingness to age the characters, this storyline has been dragged out indefinitely. It has moved from "cute anticipation" to "narrative stagnation." taarak mehta ka ooltah chashmah anjali sex image
One of the show’s longest-running teases is the potential romance among the children of Tapu Sena. Sonu (the intelligent, responsible girl) and Tapu (the mischievous leader) share a sweet, innocent bond. Over the years, writers have flirted with making them a couple—only to pull back to maintain the “family” vibe.
Similarly, Gogi’s crush on Sonu and Pinku’s admiration for various girls are played for light pre-teen comedy. These storylines are deliberately kept platonic because TMKOC’s core audience prefers innocence over teenage drama. Still, the “Tapu-Sonu jodi” remains a fan-favorite wish. The most defining and controversial aspect of TMKOC’s
The most defining and controversial aspect of TMKOC’s romantic landscape is the show’s steadfast refusal to age its child characters or introduce teenage romance. For 16+ years, Tapu, Sonu, Goli, Gogi, and Pinku have remained stuck in the same school grade.
Why the denial? The makers have been explicit: TMKOC is a "family show" that wants to avoid the clichés of young love. They fear that introducing a romantic angle between Tapu (Jethalal’s son) and Sonu (Bhide’s daughter) would alienate the core audience of children and conservative families. However, this creates a bizarre reality where characters who should be in their late 20s are still playing with toy cars and asking their parents for pocket money. Jethalal’s character arc feels incomplete
While there are no romantic storylines for the youth, the show teases the audience mercilessly with adult relationships that are deliberately frozen in time.