Hindi TV Serial - Saas Bina Sasural - A fairly new serial on Sony TV about a girl's marriage into a all male household

A lot of serials are made on the concept of the conflict within a household once new daughter-in-laws enter the house, especially the conflict between the saas of the house and the daughter-in-law; so when a serial came in with the tagline that what happens when there is no mother-in-law in the house or even when there is no single girl in the house.
This is the story of Taanya (who is also known as 'Toasty', played by Aishwarya Sakhuja), who is a beautiful and intelligent modern girl. She is in love with a young man named Tej (Ravi Dube as Tejprakash Chaturvedi). They are sure that they want to marry, but Tej has a secret, his family consists entirely of men, with not a single women in the house. This can cause a lot of problem for any girl's family given the fact that a house with only men could be considered uncouth and not fit for a girl.
However, Toasty is determined to make a good wife and daughter-in-law and moves into the house, with the house filled with characters who seem strange to her. There is the grandfather and head of the family who is very favorable to Taanya, and then other people in the house, with most of them elder to Tej. They are all living their own lives, work for the same shop that they own. And it is difficult for them to adjust to a newcomer in the house who can change a lot of the way stuff happens in the house; and slowly Toasty is learning more about what happens in the house.
She has a lot of support from Tej, but in some cases, it is difficult for Tej to also do anything when his elders put pressure on him to get Toasty to modify something or the other - she is turn is very gentle and is trying her best to ensure that things happen well.

Hindi TV Serial - Geet - Hui Sabse Parai - The budding love story between Maan and Geet

Geet - Hui Sabse Parai takes the story of a small town girl who is tricked by a NRI. Geet is the young and bubbly girl from a Punjabi family belonging to Hoshiarpur, who was married off to a very eligible NRI Dev from Canada, a dream prospect that her parents and family were so happy about. However, like it has been reported so many times in the recent past, this was a deceitful alliance, with the groom ditching her. It was a huge shock, and then Geet broke off with her family in order to go to the city.
Now, in the present, Geet is working with Maan, a successful but arrogant businessman. Geet was hired by Maan's grand-mother, and started working with her in terms of taking care of her, something that Maan was somewhat skeptical of since he really does not believe too much in the capabilities of Geet. His office has its own sense of politics, with many of the office colleagues being bitchy towards Geet.
However, they start moving somewhat towards each other when they meet again in a dargah, and Maan's feeling of concern towards her is shown much further when she is coopted along with a more senior colleague for a presentation towards a very difficult client, and when the client turns hostile towards Geet, Maan terminates the relationship with the client because he did not really like the way that the client behaved towards Geet.
Geet also is very apprehensive of the feelings that she is starting to feel towards Maan, and tries to run away from these feelings by maintaining a distance towards Maan. What makes it more complicated is that the person who deceived Geet, Dev, is the younger brother of Geet, and is making an entry into the serial again.
Characters:
Geet: Drashti Dhami
Maan: Gurmeet Choudhary
Dev: Abhinav Shukhla

Hindi TV Serial - Maan Rahe Tera Pitaah - New Serial on Sony TV - focusing on the plight of a girl trying to save her father

Maan Rahe Tera Pitah is part of the new set of serials that have been launched by Sony TV in an effort to catch up with the rest of the channels in the Hindi serial space, promising to be a heavy emotional drama. The serial is about the love between a father and daughter, especially when the daughter has to hold up the pride and image of her father, and protect him from the people all around him. The serial started on June 1, 2010 and was written by Anand Vardhan & Siddharth Tewary, with direction by Rajesh Ram Singh. The serial stars the following:
Archana Taide ... Anmol (the main protagonist), the daughter who struggles to maintain the pride of her father
Pramod Moutho ... Durgaprasad (who lost his wife in a mining accident and is now treated as a mad man)
Varun Badola ... Kaliprasad (Anmol's chacha who is a MLA), the all powerful local MLA
The serial is set in a coal mining region of Brahmapur (Chattisgarh), where the local population depends on the coal mines, the main character of Durgaprasad lost his wife many years back in an accident at the coal mines and ever since then, the local people assume that he has lost his senses and is now mad. His daughter Anmol was very young when she lost her mother, and now that she is older, she wants to ensure that her father continues to be treated with respect, even though his family members also consider him mad. Durgaprasad wants to shut down the coal mines since they are a danger to the locals, but it is considered that he is doing so out of revenge.
Further, Anmol's uncle and Durgaprasad's brother Kaliprasad is the local MLA, all powerful, and who pretends to sympathize with Durgaprasad, but in reality, Kaliprasad is a hard core politician, capable of playing all the political games that they want to play.

Hindi TV Serial - Baat Hamari Pakki Hain - A new serial on Sony TV about the search for a groom

The search for a groom is one of the biggest events in the life of a girl in rural and semi-urban India (now becoming less so in urban India, especially the metros). It can be humiliating for a girl to go through this hunt, especially since she is supposed to remain submissive and quiet during this entire process, and when she gets blamed for not finding an eligible groom (even though there can be many different reasons). A lot of modern girls would find the concepts shown in this serial as something that they could not accept, especially the thought of being subjected to medical tests to determine that they are fertile, being paraded in front of a series of boys, and so on.
The serial is a fairly new serial, started on Sony Entertainment Television on May 31, 2010. The story tells the story of the hunt for a groom for Sachi, whose parents are no longer alive, and she lives with her Mama and Mami (maternal uncle and aunt). The quest of her aunt is to get Sachi married off, and it seems like that this is the only quest that the household now has, and Sachi does whatever she is told to do, being a dutiful girl (no matter what the humiliation that she has to face, especially when the relationship is not happening and she gets the blame for that). The story is set in a small hill station, Mount Abu, in the state of Rajasthan.
What will happen to Sachi ? Will the quest for marriage finally result in her getting a groom ? Will Shravan be the one who will bring her a happy relationship, or is she not destined for any happiness ?

Behnein, Star Plus’s new evening show - 4 daughters

Behnein, Star Plus’s new evening show began with a lot of pomp and grandeur. The occasion for all the celebrations is the Sangeet ceremony of the eldest daughter of X family, Purva (Alisha Khan). We are introduced one by one to the four daughters of the house-Purva, Smriti, Akashi and Anokhi. Their parents Sevantilal and Y shown to be extremely loving parents who look upon their daughters not as burdens but as treasures that they have nurtured with a lot of care and thought. The heartening aspect of this family was the bonding that was depicted between parents and kids. It came across as very real and warm.

Each daughter is shown to be unique in a particular way and this adds to the drama of the show. Purva the eldest child is shown to be very loving and respectful. She is excited at the prospect of getting married to her best friend Amar. She is a cleanliness freak and is forever trying to reduce the clutter around her. The most important thing in her life is a silver pendant gifted by her parents and she always kisses it before anything important because to her the locket stands for their love and blessings. Smriti the middle child is a complete contrast to all her sisters. She is nervous, lack confidence and has a weak physical and immunological constitution. Her husband Mihir is totally devoted to her but her mothe-in-law and sister-in-law hold her in contempt.

The second youngest daughter is Akashi (Adaa Khan) and is the most beautiful among all siblings. She has tremendous love and respect for all her siblings and is not scared to speak her mind. Anokhi (Ojaswi Oberoi) is the youngest child. Vibrant and fun loving, she is passionate about dancing. She shares a great rapport with Amar and also learns dance from him. Apart from the siblings, the other important character of the Shastri household is Neema Fai (Ketaki Dave), elder sister to Sevantilal. Sevantilal respects her immensely but is unaware of her real side. Besides being vindictive, she is also very authoritative and has the last word about any decision. The four sister are immensely scared of her.

The Sangeet ceremony beings on a happy note but ends disastrously as Purva’s parents die in a fire. Shattered and heart broken, the sisters get their first dose of reality when Neema Fai forbids them from performing the last rites of their parents. The siblings however chose to assert themselves and perform the last rites. This angers Neema Fai who tells them not to go against her commands any more as she now controls the property. Now it will be up to the siblings to face the trials and tribulations that will face them successfully and hold on to their bond of sisterly love.

Is Suryakamal Preeti’s Mr. Right? - Do Hanso Ka Joda on NDTV Imagine

Do opposites really attract or is it a myth that has been propagated by society so as to keep diverse personalities together? In the natural world, we all know that like poles repel and unlike poles attract each other. But is it fair to assume the same of human emotions? NDTV Imagine’s Do Hanso Ja Joda is attempting to answer this very pertinent question. Preeti (Shubhangi Atre) is a girl full of dreams. Pampered and loved by one and all in her family, she has grown up nurturing dreams of her perfect man. In her dreams her “Mr.Right” is a combination of all the leading heroes of Hindi cinema, be it Shahid Kapoor, Ranbeer Kapoor or Salman Khan. However her dreams come crashing down upon her when her mother chooses Suryakamal (Shaleen Bhanot) as her future son-in-law.

Suryakamal is a very ordinary middle class boy whose feet are firmly planted on terra firma. He is the caring son to his scheming step mother and the protective brother to his step siblings. He is dutiful, sincere and soft spoken. Such a man is a far cry from the kind of man Preeti would have liked to marry. She would gladly settle for Rishi (Ali Merchant) who is dashing, free spirited and carefree. However Preeti’s mother selects Suryakamal as her future son-in-law. Upon being questioned by her husband as to why she picked Suryakamal over Rishi, she said that it was Suryakamal’s simplicity that won her over. She is aware that her daughter and Suryakamal are as different as chalk and cheese but she firmly believes that the two will be happy together. She tells her husband that were Preeti and Rishi to marry, their union would fall apart at the slightest test, given that both of them are so flighty.

Preeti however is heartbroken over her mother’s choice. In Suryakamal she sees a person who epitomises everything that she did not want her husband to be. His ordinary looks, his down to earth demeanour, his apparent lack of charm, all of it puts a dampener on her spirits. Her aunt gleeful about the fact that an eligible bachelor has been turned down by Snehalata, tries to fix up a match between her daughter (Sumi, Preeti’s first cousin) and Rishi. Sumi is unlike her Preeti and is a practical and level headed girl. Her cousin’s downcast face troubles her a lot and she tries to find a solution to the problem. Are Suryakamal and Preeti and Rishi and Sumi polar opposites? Whether the ‘twain’ can meet and build a happy and productive life together; whether Snehlata is right in her assessment, remains to be seen.

Basera on NDTV Imagine - tale of parents being deserted by their families

A lot of people would have seen the movie called 'Baghban' starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, as a couple whose children eventually go tired of supporting them after Amitabh retires and with whom they are no longer comfortable. The new serial 'Basera' on NDTV Imagine also goes down this path. Ram Kapoor, fresh from his role as the host on Rakhi Ka Swayamwar, is the head of one family with loving children. The serial is about 4 such families, these being the Sanghvis, the Parikhs, the Deshmukhs, and the Manchandas.
The parents in all these families have done a lot for their children, given that whatever they could, all in the expectation that when they are older, their children will take care of them. In all this, they have not made adequate provisions for their own life when they are much older. So, what happens when their children do not live up to this faith, when they desert them and see their parents as burden upon them. When life deals them such harsh lessons, these 4 friends and their wives provide a lot of support to each other, and enable them to be strong in such adverse times.



Videos of the serial on Youtube:

Basera - August 31st - Part 1 (link)



Basera - August 31st - Part 2 (link)



Basera - August 31st - Part 3 (link)

New serial on Zee TV - 12/24 Karol Bagh

…‘12/24 Karol Bagh’, ‘An Address Not Too Far From Our Own Lives’…

Hindustan badal raha hain aur ‘Hindustan ka no.1 Network’ leke aaya hain aapke saamne iss badalav se uthnewaale kaii sawaal jo hum aam zindagi mein kafi hadtak sunte aaye hain, jaise… –‘Shaadi ya career?’ ‘Apne se chote umar ke ladke se pyar?’ ‘Pitaji ka business ya naukari?’…
…A lot of similar questions are beautifully raised in this story of a family which though sometimes doesn’t understand each others’ needs and dreams, believes in staying together with perfect love and compassion. ‘12/24 Karol Bagh’ will narrate the lives of four siblings who are facing different kinds of dilemmas in their day-to day lives as they struggle to survive, find love and then to keep relationships together. The show debuts on Zee TV on August 31st, Monday – Thursday at 10 p.m.
The show will see the sights of hubbub lanes and by-lanes of Karol Bagh and Lajpat Nagar, the lip-smacking food corners in Bengali market, the vastness of Pragati Maidan, picturesque India Gate and Parliament House, Delhi University and many such frames that essentially collaborate the essence of Delhi and also form an important part of any middle-class family that resides in the Capital.





‘12/ 24 Karol Bagh’ is the first ever show on Indian Television to be shot completely in Delhi. So far, channels have only portrayed families residing in different parts of the country while the shows are pre-dominantly shot in Mumbai. To maintain the authentic flavour of the Capital, Zee TV decided to station the entire production unit in Delhi. Besides maintaining the regional feel, the motive for Zee TV to bring its newest show to the Capital is to expand the boundaries of the Indian television industry outside Mumbai.

After having delivered great concepts like ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiyan Hi Kijo’, ‘Aap Ki Antara’ and ‘Dance India Dance’, ‘12/24 Karol Bagh’ is another fresh offering from Zee TV’s Creative team. The show is being produced by ‘Sunshine Productions’.

Akash Chawla, Marketing Head, Zee TV said, “We realize that India is changing but there are certain topics that are still not discussed openly though they are thoughts that we internally assimilate. We wanted to depict a simple life of a family that resides in Delhi and yet make their story special, encompassing different nuances of their day-to-day existence. We would also want to give our audiences a voice while we probe them with different questions and hence the campaign for this show is truly interactive in nature. We believe in getting our viewers completely involved in our shows and hence had proposed viewers’ participation at the recently held wedding sequence in ‘Pavitra Rishta’ which also had met with a great success.”
Mr. Chawla, further added, “Having shot in Delhi, which is also the hometown of most of the actors and technicians on the show, gives ‘12/24 Karol Bagh’, an ultimate edge with the language and the background portrayed in an authentic manner. Above all, this endeavor is to make Delhi participate in the mainstream television industry. Through its various shows, Zee TV has brought in flavour of the nation’s cultural diversity by narrating life stories of real people across the country. For instance, while ‘Pavitra Rishta’ is the story of a typical middle-class Maharashtrian family in Mumbai, ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’, represents an extremely poor household residing in a village of Bihar. Our attempt is to create content that families can view and relish together.”

Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur - Historical Saga on Sony TV

From time to time, the channels make shows that deal with historical figures, such as serials on Rani Jhansi, Prithviraj Chauhan; as a part of this, there are also shows with a religious fervor such as the serials on Sai Baba. The story of Rani Padmini, and her Jauhar (self sacrifice in a fire) rather than be dishonored by Alauddin Khilji (the Sultan of Delhi) is a part of the history of India, and the tales of her beauty and valor are incredible. So, the serial takes the story of her life (read an article on Wikipedia about her story). The few reactions that I have got from people about the serial (not too many people continue to see the serial after some time) are that they expected more drama, and that the serial seemed to have very colorful costumes, but was lacking in something.



The serial is about the story of Rani Padmini and Prince Ratan Singh of Chittod. King Ratan Singh is already married to Nagmati, but falls in love with Padmini, the daughter of the king of Singhaldweep. He appeals to her parents to let him marry her, even without the permission of his parents, and they finally agree. After some drama where Padmini is kidnapped and then rescued by Ratan Singh, she enters the Chittod royal palace against the wishes of Nagmati, and has to face some rivalry from her.

Cast:

Tejaswini Lonari...Rani Padmini
Rohit Bakshi...King Ratnasen
Mukesh Rishi...Allah-ud-din Khilji

Videos of the serial "Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur"

Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 1



Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 2



Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 3



Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 4

Jyoti about to get married to Pankaj - NDTV Imagine

Jyoti is about to get married to Pankaj, and the serial has showcasing this for quite some time. After Jyoti left her house after feeling that no one in the house wanted her there (and her own step-mother, whom she loved as a mother also seemed to hate her as opposed to her other sister Susham), she went to the Kendra and stayed there for support. This was also the time when she tried to commit suicide after being in depression for some time. She was still very cut off from her family and not in contact.
At the same time, Sushma and Brij were trying to make the most of the situation, with Susham assuring her mother that things will be fine, and at the same time, trying to take Jyoti's position in the dance show. However, things are not totally well between Sushma and Brij, with Sushma seeing the harsher side of Brij, and starting to get scared of his temper, as was seen recently when the club manager was criticizing Sushma for not smiling while giving her performance, and Brij looking on with anger.
Jyoti in the meantime, has agreed to marry Pankaj who plays a blind but loving man in the serial. Even after she is asked repeatedly, she is firm on her determination to marry Pankaj, and things are peaking for the various functions that happen at this stage. Jyoti showed the Mehndi ceremony, and Pankaj was able to understand the various items drawn on Jyoti's hand even though he was blind, something that impressed Jyoti a lot. At the same time, the problems in her house because of lack of an earning member are growing.

Video of Jyoti serial on 17 June 2009

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

Na Aana Iss Des Laado on Colors TV

As you see shows moving away from the Saas Bahu, a lot of the shows are moving towards stories based on social problems, whether they be about class differences such as in Uttaran, or about underage marriage as in Ballika Vadhu, or about female infanticide, such as in 'Na Aana Is Desh Ladoo' on Colors TV. The show deals with the concept of female infanticide and repression of women in a village. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprising), the repression of women is fully supported by another strong woman, Ammaji. Ammaji is the one who decides that a woman has asserted herself too much and needs to be pushed into a small closed and suffocating room, it is Ammaji who decrees that newly born girls would be killed by drowning them in milk, and many other such acts.



However, Ammaji is slowly starting to meet resistance. The daughter of a new doctor in the village, Sia, is slowly starting to rebel against the practices implemented by Ammaji that are very anti-women. In a twist, Sia falls in love with Ammaji's own son Raghav (who has also rebelled against the family - however, we were long speculating that Sia would in fact fall for one of Ammaji's family members and would have to withstand Ammaji's pressures and methods), and finally after some long thought and a lot of drama, decided that she would get married to Raghav.
Against all expectations, Ammaji seems to welcome the marriage, however, you cannot expect this welcome to continue, and so it would be. There will be happenings where Sia will come under a lot of pressure, and Ammaji would seem to gain the upper hand.

Video of Na Aana Is Desh Ladoo on 10 June 2009 on Youtube









More videos of Na Aana Iss Desh Ladoo on Youtube (click here)

Uttaran - the departure and re-arrival of Tapasya

Uttaran had a major scene ongoing for the past 2 weeks. The adored and pampered daughter of the house, Tapasya had been getting very jealous over the treatment that her parents had been according to Ichcha. Ever since the confrontation where Jogi Thakur was discovered to have been in the car when Damini's husband was killed in an accident many years back, Jogi Thakur (Ayub Khan) and his wife Divya have taken on much more responsibility for Damini and Ichcha and have got Ichcha admitted to the same school as Tapasya. Initially, Tapasya is happy, but as she sees that her parents are sharing their love now with Ichcha and her young mind is unable to understand that this does not mean that they love Tapasya less, she starts to hate Ichcha for taking the love of her parents.
In all this, Mausiji also keeps on provoking Tapasya, to the extent that Tapasya is now looking for a way to get Ichcha out of the house. She gets an opportunity when they go to the zoo for a school trip, and is there that Tapasya leaves Ichcha behind deliberately. Ichcha gets left behind, and wanders through the night, scared and dehydrated, entering the forest. She gets found over in the morning, and is then brought home. Then, even though Ichcha does not take Tapasya's name, Jogi Thakur starts believing that Tapasya is behind this, and Tapasya admits this when she is questioned.
Jogi Thakur is very angry at this, and decides that Tapasya has done something extraordinary for which she needs to be held responsible, and decides to send her to boarding school, so that she gets out of her current spoilt behavior. At the same time, he gives a harsh warning to Mausiji to not interfere any more and poison Tapasya's mind even more. Tapasya does not like going to boarding school, but is taken and is not liking the place. Eventually, she gets gets sick and is brought home.

Bandini - the serial by Balaji Telefilms on NDTV Imagine

Bandini is a brand new serial on NDTV Imagine, scripted by Ekta Kapoor (Balaji Telefilms). Ever since television channels starting giving up on traditional saas-bahu serials, Balaji has changed track to some degree and now focuses on different serials. Bandini is a different type of serial, but there are some commonalities that one can still see - the portrayal of a bitchy elder relation (in this case, the elder sister-in-law who treats the young bride as a maid brings back some of the character traits seen in the earlier serials). Bandini is supposed to be based on the Gujarati novel Retpankhi, written by Varsha Adalja in 1972.



Bandini is the story of a young illiterate lower caste girl 18 year girl called Santu (played by Aasiya Kazi) who lives in a fictional village called Dharampur, near Surat, in Gujarat state, western India. This is a belt that is the center of the diamond exporting industry, and the village's richest man and the 'malik' is played Ronit Roy, who plays the role of Dharamraj Mahiyavanshi. He is a good man, middle aged (51 years old) who is a widower. He has multiple sons and daughters, some adult, and some teenagers. He also runs an empire with more than 2000 workers employed by him, and has tended to become egoistical with age.
Dharamraj's first wife Subadra died 7 yrs ago. He has three sons, Hiten (23 years old), Maulik (19 years old) and Suraj (7 years old), and two daughters (Kadambarai alias Kaddu, 20 years old) and Birwa (14 years old). The children have been care for by Dharamaraj's unmarried elder sister, Tarulata, who is very aware of caste and class, and uses that as a basis to essentially hate Santo.
However, for Santu, her life takes a drastic turn, when in a sequence of events, an office boy Mahesh is supposed to marry Khemi, Santo's sister (so that Santo's father cannot leave the factory). However, Khemi's horoscope has a problem, and then Santo is set to marry Mahesh. However, Dharamraj's rivals arrange to make Mahesh run away, and in order to pacify the agitated workers, Dharamraj decides to marry Santo, as a marriage of convenience. Also, his priest tells him that Santo is a good choice in terms of horoscope. And thus starts Santo's life change. She is now part of a rich household, married to a much older man, who really does not care for her and who still is devoted to his dead wife.
Santo tries to do good all around, helping out in a situation where the family and the factory desperately needs a new contract, helping in the process to also bring back the disgraced son Hiten who turns out good in the end. She is now in a new issue where the daughter of the house is romantically involved with the son of the rival (who wants to use her to settle scores), and when she is set to be engaged to the son of old family friends (and the son of that family was in love with Santo earlier). Such a combination of events can only be spun by Ekta Kapoor.

Videos of Bandini 4th June on Youtube:

Part 1


Part2


Part3


Part 4

Kitni Mohabbat Hain on NDTV Imagine

Balaji Telefilms (Ekta Kapoor) have been known in the past to focus on massively emotional family dramas, typically involving saas-bahus with each character having some personality streak (either a villain, or sweeter than anybody in the world). Now that those serials were starting to lose their charm (and their TRP's), it is no wonder that Balaji has changed and is starting to make different type of serials.
'Kitni Mohabbat Hain' does not have an entirely new story, but it has a fresh look, and the characters playing the main role of Arjun Punj (Karan Kundra) and Arohi Sharma (Kritika Kamra) seem to be able to emote okay so far.



The story is not very different. Arjun, the son of a rich man, DK, is very arrogant, and not trusting towards woman at all (since he believes that his mother left him when he was a young child). It is then that Arohi enters his life (she is forced to start working when her father is forced to quit his job) in the role of Arjun's personal assistant at work. It is quite clear to her that Arjun is arrogant, but she falls for him; however, this is only temporary. Soon Arjun makes it clear to Arohi that he is getting engaged to somebody else, and then humiliates Arohi at the engagement party.
Arohi is shell-shocked, and decides to try and become somebody, bigger than Arjun, and decides to move to Bombay to further her ambition. In the meantime, Arjun's mother reveals the truth to Arjun, causing Arjun's world to crumble. He realizes that whatever he believed in was a lie, and also realizes that he truly loves Arohi, and decides to support her in whatever she wants to become.
Arjun follows Arohi to Mumbai, and supports her in many ways (including some idiotic scenes in which Arjun takes off his gold chain in the rain so that people waiting for the bus in rain leave the shelter after the chain, giving space to Arohi and her sisters). At the same time, whatever he does is done in such a way that it seems to Arohi that Arjun is still mocking her, giving her the courage (out of hate) to keep on going on for what she wants. She wants to become a singer, and has just won a contest for a recording.

Videos of Kitani Mohabbat hain on 4th June, 2009 on Youtube

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Update on Ratan Rajpoot - Laali of Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo

Laali has firm belief in Buddhism and blindly follows numerology. She practices Buddhism during her breaks on the sets and wishes to soon visit the newly opened Global Pagoda at Gorai near Borivali. Unlike others who start to follow Buddhism to get rid of existing troubles, Ratan started chanting mantras because she liked the sound of it.
Says Ratan, “I had heard a friend chant during my theatre days and I loved the resonance that resounds with it. On further enquiring my friend told me that she follows Buddhism and is very satisfied and happy with herself eversince she started following the religion. She also told me about the positivity it generated within. Those days I was in Delhi and was doing very well in theatre but was very dissatisfied as I had no exact aim in life. I just couldn’t conclude on any decision and was contemplating to go back to my home town. When I heard of Buddhism, I followed my instincts and started practicing it. It’s been two years now and I could actually see the difference that it has made to me. I became extremely positive and today I am playing the leading role on one of the best shows on television. I am extremely happy with the way things are happening around. It’s the internal happiness that matters the most. The best thing about being a Buddhist is that it doesn’t ask for any alteration in your lifestyle. Also even though I am away from my family I have about 20-25 families in Mumbai through the Buddhist communities. Tisca Chopra is one of my closest friend who also follow Buddhism.” Besides, Ratan has changed the way she spells her last name as suggested by her numerologist.


Our poor Ratan Rajpoot aka Laali of Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo is getting used to the poverty that the show has mercilessly bestowed on her. Not only on the sets, but even at her friends’ house parties, Ratan doesn’t think twice before sitting on the floor. It so happens on the sets that during breaks when others actors plunge themselves on couches, she finds herself sitting on the floor. Tough others do give her a second look to ensure she is fine, she enjoys her carefree attitude. This doesn’t end here; Ratan often does her own household chores and saves money by taking an auto instead of her own car/cab most of the times. She refuses to go to swanky restaurants and avoids eating heavily priced grubs.
When someone questions her over this, Ratan says this helps her to be in her character. Ratan says, “Yes sitting on the floor during breaks is out of the habit on the show and does help me stay connected with the character. But the other savings is out of the realisation that there is immense poverty in the country which I myself experienced during my stay at Wai while shooting the village sequences. There were people who offered me to sell their meals to make money. The reality was hard-hitting and I have decided I will not disrespect money by splurging it every way possible. I will save up and try and live a modest life as much as possible. Yes I still spend a lot on beauty treatments as its inevitable in my career but I have cut down on my other expenses.”

Jyoti - the story of a determined and loving girl

NDTV Imagine has been coming out with a number of new shows in order to try and make a mark for itself, and many of these shows are not the saas-bahu or immense wealth shows. Instead, many of these shows are focused on the troubles, aspirations and life of people who are not middle class, or are fairly poor.
Jyoti is one show where it was clear that the focus of the show would be on the struggles of a girl making her own way in life while shouldering the burden of her family. Even the promos of the show showed the same focus. Jyoti is essentially the story of a hard-working and determined girl who keeps on fighting life and carrying on even if life keeps on dealing her hard bows.
Jyoti belongs to a family that is fairly poor, where the father of the family is now disabled and unable to work; as a result she works to maintain her family and ensure that they have a proper education, and even with their limited means, they are able to get on with life. Her mother, whom she considers as her mother, is actually her step-mother and also her real mother's sister who got married to her father after the death of her mother when he already had 2 kids.
Jyoti is the money-getter of the house, and deserving of respect, but her world slowly starts crashing down. First, she is in love with a person, but then discovers that her sister Sushma gets married to this person, Brij. Then her brother shows that he is studying for engineering, but actually does not do so, instead using that money to woo a rich girl. And then her step-mother, whom she considers her real mother, has been making various excuses so that Jyoti's marriage is avoided since the money she gets to the house is needed for running the house.
One day, everything comes crashing down on Jyoti when she returns to the house and discovers that seemingly, she is tolerated in the house because she is the golden goose, but otherwise no one really loves her or respects her. This shocks her and she leaves the house.

Videos of the pivotal episode of Jyoti:

Pavitra Rishta - A story that celebrates the Mother – Daughter bonding

Few thoughts which crosses every mother’s mind who is looking for a prospective groom for her daughter. Who will make a great life partner for my daughter, the one who will stand by her, love her and take care of her selflessly or the one who stands true on all my superficial expectations which is considered right by the society? Should she believe in her own instincts while choosing her life partner or rely on our prudence?
These are some of the questions that will compel the viewers to ponder over while watching Zee TV’s latest show, ‘Pavitra Risshta’. The lead protagonist, Archana, who is trapped by her own destiny, is a relatively fresh face, Ankita Lokhande. The show debuts on June 1st 2009 Monday to Friday at 9 pm and is being produced by Balaji Telefilms.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Nitin Vaidya, COO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. and Business Head, Zee TV said, “We have always believed in subjects that establish a strong connect with the viewers, be it with ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’, ‘Choti Bahu’, ‘Betiyaan’, etc. all deal with pertinent issues.”
Adding further, Nitin said, “In ‘Pavitra Risshta’ we are talking about the strong emotional bond that every daughter shares with her mother. This interesting saga brings in the flavor of the mother-daughter relationship and a mother’s search for a desirable match for her daughter. The hitch lies when instead of the prince charming, destiny presents a doormat? The most desirable match turns out to be the most abhorred one. What takes precedence- the man’s selfless love for the lady in question or his social status? Should she continue to lead the rest of her life under the guise of being happy or should she walk out of the so called pious relationship.
This show has been shot in a modest environment sans any glamour and grandeur. It essays a middle class household’s routine and lifestyle. The practical nuances of the story will be felt and lived by everyone who watches the show. The various degrees of emotions that has been touched upon in this subject is something that every mother and daughter has gone through in their lives at some point or the other.” The show has some established actors like Savita Prabhune (mother), Ajay Rohila (father), etc.

About the show -
‘Pavitra Risshta’ focuses on the life of Archana who belongs to a middle class Maharashtrian family, based in Mumbai. Being the eldest daughter of her family, Archana chose to take responsibilities of her siblings rather than focusing on education. As Archana grows up to a marriageable age, her Mom realizes that her daughter was devoid of all the good things in life during her growing up years. Hence, the mother vows to get her married to a well educated and sophisticated guy. But destiny has something else planned for Archana.

New Serial on Zee TV: Aap Ki Antara

Zee TV is coming out with a new serial on May 1 at 8:30 PM, the current time slot of Maayka, which means that either Maayka will off air or move to a new time slot. Aapki Antara is produced by Drishtant Productions will be the tale of a special child who redeems lot of lives during her journey. The show has already has some controversy with the withdrawal of the earlier child artist who plays the lead, Apple Reetoria. She is now being replaced by another new find, Zaynah. Apparently, Apple's mother withdrew her from the show since she was not happy with the attitude of the production house, although the show's producers claimed that they wanted a 5 year old girl rather than a 4 year old girl.
The show is about the interactions of the kid while being part of a family that includes her parents and brother, and have various flavors of life as a part of that. It is not clear as of now whether Antara plays the role of a autistic kid, with the producers not confirming, just claiming that the girl would be special to her family. There are supposed to be more kids in the show, including a neighbor, but there would not be negative characters, and not too many characters overall in the show.
Here are some advertisements about the show:

'Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo' on Zee TV

Serials on most channels used to focus on the lives of the middle class and the rich, and it was not unknown to have serials where the people would deal in crores (sometimes hundreds of crores). However, a large percentage of India's population is not rich or well off, and it is only now that we are starting to see more serials that focus on the lives of the poor (Uttaran on Colors is one example). The serial 'Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo' on Zee TV is another example of such a serial, concentrating on the life of a young girl in a very poor backward family in Bihar who has been sold off (and does not yet recognize that).
Lali (Ratan Rajput) is the name of the young girl, who has given up the dreams that children normally have, instead she supports her father in trying to bring in some money to help the family. The family lives in a village called Koyna in Bihar. They come from a low cast background and by profession are rat killers or 'Musahars' who help the Zamindars to protect their land and homes from infestation. Lali has hopes of marrying a man who will loves her and will give her happiness, but her hopes are dashed when she is sold off.



Her parents are not eager to sell her off, but come under a lot of pressure from Balli (a broker who sells poor village girls to rich men) to sell off their daughter; they are able to resist for some time, but when her father Nanku is jailed while trying to arrange for some money, and money is needed to take care of her sick brother Munna and to arrange bail for Nanku, Lali's mother Majri finally gives in and agrees to sell Lali off. However, Lali thinks that she is getting married off to a man called Ganesiya, but is instead diverted to the man who had bought her.
Lali is now in a household run by the 50 year old strict man called Loha Singh (Sudesh Berry). The story will now work through the pain and problems faced by this young girl, and how she manages the challengers thrown up by life.
The series premiered on March 16, 2009, and will air every Monday - Friday at 9:30pm IST on Zee TV channel. This show is produced, written and directed by Kiran Bedi.

A video of the serial from Youtube:



More videos from Youtube (click here)

Uttaran on Colors

Uttaran was a different type of serial, very interesting, and yet very painful in parts. It takes us away from the usual television stories of either reality shows, or human drama, and moves to the story of what are the emotions and feelings of a poor girl and her mother (who works as a maid, and yet has a certain amount of self-respect). They work in a rich house, where the daughter of the house is the same age as that of the poor girl, and is also about the unlikely friendship that develops between the 2 girls, and the strain in this friendship that comes up. Uttaran in Hindi literally means the cast-off, and symbolizes how the poor get the cast-off items of the rich once they are done with them (and that happens in most households; if food is left over and no one is willing to eat, it goes to the maid; if a shoe or clothes are worn down, they can be handed over to the maid or some other domestic help). We just don't see too much about this on television.



The story is about the girl called Ichchha (meaning wish) (played by child artiste
Sparsh Khanchandani), whose mother, Damini (Vaishali Thakkar) works as the maid in the house of Jogi Thakur (Ayub Khan) and Divya (Pragati Mehra). The daughter of the house is called Tapasya (played by Ishita). Initially, Damini lived under a lot of conditions, but the lenient nature of Jogi Thakur and the friendship between Ichchha and Tapasya prevented Damini from being thrown out of the house (although the Mausiji living in the house, played by Pratima Kazmi, cannot stand Damini or her daughter and want her evicted).
Things reach a peak when it is revealed that Jogi Thakur was involved in the accident that killed Damini's husband, and she throws a lot of accusations at Jogi Thakur, but when she starts to leave the house, Divya falls down the stairs, and Damini stays to help her out. After this, both Jogi Thakur and Divya take a lot more care of Ichchha, something that causes a lot of jealousy in Tapasya, since she believes that her parents are not loving her anymore, and this feeling is strengthened by Mausiji, who poisons the young mind of Tapasya.

Videos of Uttaran on Youtube (link)

Ichchha going to school: