Musings ... and POW

Made the mistake of watching DBO first episode ... seriously, Gul has completely lost it!!! Such a ripoff of IPK that it's not even funny! I caught it because I rather liked Omkara's character in IB, whatever little I saw (I found it unwatchable despite actually trying, as I liked Nakul from PKDH) ... but again, Gul maata and her tiny brain which has just one storyline which she repeats ad nauseum in all her shows!  First episode itself was such a rehash of first episode of IPK that I gave up on the show then and there. The only scene I liked was the phone conversation between Shrenu and Anika ... because that was actually something new, and not copied ... and both the actresses were okay ... they were a bit serious in the scene, which they can manage ... they are both terrible when it comes to trying comic stuff ... I say trying, because neither of them can manage it without going unbearably OTT! Makes me appreciate Sanaya and her comic timing even more ... were her lines and scenes actually better, or did she just manage to make them better because of her acting? No wonder there has never been another Khushi since IPK! None of these actresses can manage it ... and Indian TV comedy writing is anyway terrible. 

The actors are all hamming big time, except Rahul Dev, who was very good, experience shows! ... and Omkara (don't know the actor's name). Shrenu needs to calm down, as does her mother and chachi ... especially chachi ... that woman was AWFUL!!! Gul is still trying unsuccessfully to find another Khushi ... none of her subsequent actresses have managed to carry off that craziness nearly as well!!! And she's also trying to find another Mami ...  again unsuccessfully. Seeing these clones reminds me why IPK was such a craze ... not just the leads, but even the side characters were so good ... they had their OTT quirks, but they managed to keep them real. First Anika, and now Shrenu ... they are both terrible when trying the OTT cute bubbly stuff. 

Ah well ... the wait for Sanaya continues ... in the meantime, POW is my saviour ... what a fab show. It's become even better since Siddhant entered, and the last two weeks have been amazing ... I wait for the next episode literally from the second the last one gets over ... and have been re-watching some of the episodes to savour the full flavour. Again, I wish San gets to act in a show like this ... even a small role in such a good show will be more than good enough. I have been loving Nazneen the last few weeks ... not surprising, Sandhya was in another favourite show of mine many years ago, Koshish, and she was very good there too, though the show stealer in that one was Varun Badola. She has been fabulous in the entire Karachi track ... and I love her scenes and her equation with Imaan. 

Vikram, Shobha and Sid ... dreams and delusions

POW - Shobha still lives in the delusion that Sid is alive, he visits her every day ... though only when she is alone, of course. And it takes a long while for it to sink in that this is just a dream, a delusion. Sid is dead ... killed by Sartaj. He confessed it himself.

A long flashback about the trio ... the loving di, the funloving younger brother Siddhant, and the always stern Vikram ... rare softness in him as his love story with Shobha surfaces. And when they were called to duty in Kargil, Shobha extracted a promise from Vikram that he would return with Sid. A promise that Vikram could not keep. But then she knew that she would always be his second wife - for Vikram, desh and duty always came first.
Kargil memories - Siddhanth thought it was a trap, and asked for a bigger regiment, but Vikram insisted only a recce. Was that the mistake that Shobha holds against Vikram?

Finally Shobha accepts the reality ... but she wants to meet Sartaj and Imaan herself. Will she forgive them?

Kuch Rang Pyar Ke - had stopped watching this, but just started again after the leap - will see if it holds my interest. Shaheer has improved a lot,  Erica is better than earlier, but her voice is so flat! No voice modulation or expression at all! Will be interesting to see Dev's new equation with Ishwari, and whether self-realisation has struck at all, that she is the chief reason for driving Dev away from her ... or will she still blame Sona?

Still waiting for news of Sanaya - she was absent for Mohit's birthday segment, which was also their anniversary segment, though she called in on the phone to say hello. So what made her miss the segment? Is she back to work? Fingers crossed!!!!

The truth ... and POW no. 3

The blast was averted ... but of course ... and it's time for the next chapter of the story. The truth of the 17 years of imprisonment, and the guilt behind the release. The third POW ... Vikram's brother-in-law, Siddhant Thakur ... whom Imaan and Sartaj think they killed during the torturous games played by their captors.

A rather gory episode ... the scenes of torture were difficult to watch.

Will the action shift to Pakistan? Or will the third POW make his entry in India, along with his associates?

http://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/tv-news/sahil-salathia-and-parul-gulati-enter-pow-bandi-yuddh-ke-170117

The army-based thriller P.O.W-Bandi Yuddh Ke (Nikkhil Advani), a game changer in terms of shows in India is slowly and steadily picking up in numbers.

And not to forget the action packed drama is also keeping audience hooked.

Earlier in the day, we reported about Bollywood actor Anurag Sinha making an entry as the third prisoner of war (POW) Siddhant Thakur.

Now we have names of two other popular actors who will pave their way into the Star Plus project.

Everest star Sahil Salathia, who is not just drop dead good looking but also immensely talented will play a Pakistani Hussain, who will work closely with the ISI agent Lala (Denzil Smith). He will go on to be the main antagonist in the show.

Along with him, pretty actress Parul Gulati will enact the role of Afreen, who would also be a close associate of Lala.

Shared a source, “With the revelation of Siddhant being alive and living with a new identity Sadiq, his tale of rising from death would be revealed. Viewers will be seen that Siddhant would fall in love with Afreen and thus get close to Lala’s fanily. Lala’s close subordinate Hussain, who would be the entire community’s pet will also become his good friend.”

Hussain and Afreen also go on to play an important part in Siddhant’s life.

We tried reaching the actors but could not connect with them.

Sources maintain that the coming days will see a lot of exciting time ahead.

P.O.W stars Satyadeep Misra Purab Kohli, Sandhya Mridul and Amrita Puri in the lead roles.

Poised for the Blast

Cliffhanger!!!

Final goodbyes ... a relief to get those final phone calls ... or worsening worry and tension at the finality of the goodbyes? A seventeen year drought ended in welcome return ... but the warmth and gladness of that return so shortlived? Leading in turn to another goodbye ... and maybe a final one this time.

The treacherous maali uncovered ... the bomb found ... CC footage showed why exactly that spot in the parking lot was chosen ... but will it be too late?

As the plant is brought out,  Lala presses the button.
Thank God the next episode is tomorrow and not Monday. 

Deceit discovered and Bomb missing

POW - this week has been tense and well paced ... Sartaj and  Imaan come to blows, Imaan shaken by Salim's death, decides to give up and confess all to Vikram Singh ... Sartaj, equally shaken by Harleen's near-death experience, decides otherwise. And so they fight ... and then come to their senses ... what are they doing? They are on the same side now, they have to be.

Meeting with Vikram Singh, who is understandably suspicious, but he always knew they were up to something. Am glad he had his wits about him enough to order immediate protection for the families ... considering family safety was the sole motivation for their actions, and that Imaan had already suffered a bereavement, that was very timely ... and useful, as it turned out, as two more moles were uncovered - the two men trailing Sartaj, and Avi trailing Imaan.

Avi's treachery was a shocker ... I did not suspect him.

Duggal of the NSC is more skeptical, till he is convinced by the physical presence of Sartaj and Imaan and their confession. And now the race to find the bomb ... of course it wasn't where Sartaj had left it, that would have been too easy ... but where is it?!

Kirti comes clean to Sartaj's family ... it was 'nothing personal'. The shock on Harleen's, Veera's and Satpal's faces as they saw her deliberately shoot the second man showed that her confession was not necessary ... they had already realised the truth, or rather, that she was not what she had professed to be. Her confession was merely a clarification as to her real motives ... and also a reassurance of sorts ... although she still doesn't ... or won't ... reassure Harleen about Sartaj's safety.

Duggal informs the Defence Minister that they can do nothing but try to find the bomb as quietly and discreetly as possible. They don't want to evacuate and trigger Lala's suspicions, as he can detonate the bomb any time.

Precap  - Imaan and Sartaj tell their families to be ready for the worst. Vikram discovers his wife and son are involved in the bouquet presentation to the Minister, so they will be in the NSC headquarters. 

Happy New Year!

The first post of 2017 ... hopefully this will be the first of many, and we will get some decent shows this year which will inspire me to write on them. And of course, hoping for some news on Sanaya's return ... this has been the longest wait for her ever, not counting JDJ, where we didn't get to see her acting. Am really waiting to see Sanaya in a new character now ... her ability to breathe life into her characters and connect them to her audience, is what made me her fan in the first place, and it's been way too long since I saw that ability and magic.

Not watching much TV these days ... watched Dangal yesterday and enjoyed it. I didn't find it to be the best film out of Bollywood as many extravagant claims are being made, maybe I had heard so much hype before I finally watched it ... but it is a very good film, with multiple messages at different levels,  and I loved the humorous voiceover from the longsuffering cousin of the Phogat sisters. The script and story is the king, the story is the usual sports story of the underdog making it big, but what made it different in this case was the underdog being the father of the champions, bringing another message into the mix. Quite timely, considering the only Olympic medals won at at the last Games for India were from girls ... and the recent horrors of the NYE molestations in Bengaluru.
The acting of all the actors is stellar .. hats off to the casting director of the movie.

*Edited - and how could I forget to  mention the girls ... Geeta and Babita! The youngsters were brilliant ... though I found the turnaround in attitude overnight a bit rushed ... but the initial reluctance, the pranks to try to get out of the punishing training for a sport they were not really interested in, but were too scared in a male-dominated society to say so, where father's word was law, and mother had not much say in the matter ... to the wholehearted acceptance of the sport and the eagerness to continue ... the thirst to win ...
And oh yes ... the older girls are so pretty! Especially the older Geeta! Lovely girl with gorgeous dimples and the cutest smile.

POW continues to impress and intrigue. Again the acting is stellar, and the story is fast-paced and gripping, with shocking twists and turns keeping the interest strong. I am so annoyed that it's not showing on TV here! So will Imaan and Sartaj confess all to Vikram? How will Lala react to news of their betrayal? And what price will they have to pay? 

POW and Sanaya

After the disappointing news of Meenu Mausi being 'indefinitely on hold', whatever that means, there is really a dearth of good TV shows to watch. I don't blame Star Plus for putting all new shows on hold, given that their current prime time shows are all struggling badly, and the only ones keeping their ratings somewhat respectable are the old ones like YHM and Saathiya. But seriously, their programming team needs to be fired ... who the hell took the bright decision to have three Ekta shows one after the other at prime time? And not only that, who decided to rush such a tired show like Pardes on air, with its typical FL, and even more typical vamps, all  of whom are not only tried and tested Ekta actors, but also seem to be doing exactly the same roles they have done in the past. The whole show looks stale ... doesn't help that the actors are also quite bad. I thought DD was a better actress ... Arjun's acting, or lack of it, doesn't surprise me.

Anyway ... seems Sanaya is on the lookout for new shows ... TC carried an article on a potential show on Sony, with the lead character a mentally/physically challenged girl. If this works out, then it will be a dream role for Sanaya ... her dream has been to play a mentally/physically challenged character like Rani in Black. A challenge for any actor. By the genre though, I hope it will be a finite show ... can't see such a show being dragged for too long.

http://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/tv-news/sanaya-irani-talks-complex-role-yash-patnaik-s-next-sony-tv-161205

Loyal fans of Sanaya Irani were in for a disappointment when her upcoming show titled Meenu Mausi got shelved indefinitely!! 

Seems like they say, after all the disappointment comes the ray of hope!! 

Well, there’s some good news as Sanaya who is a very efficient performer has been showered with more options ever since the news of Meenu Mausi’s development flashed all around. 

Wow!! This is indeed good, isn’t it? 

We hear that Sanaya is presently in talks for a role that will require her to be at the top of her performance. If things fall in place, it might turn out to be one of Sanaya’s best-ever roles, is what we hear!! 

So what’s the show and role all about?

Our credible source informs us that Yash Patnaik’s Beyond Dreams is presently working on a show for Sony TV. Tentatively titled Behane, the show will depict the journey of a girl who would be suffering from a health ailment, similar to the hyperactivity syndrome. 

Interesting, right? 

Our source further tells us, “The channel and makers have been very keen on casting Sanaya for the lead role of Kavya, the girl with the health problem. Talks are presently happening with Sanaya Irani.”

The show will in all likelihood go on floor in January 2017. 

We reached out to Producer Yash Patnaik and even dropped a text message, but did not get any revert. As we know, Beyond Dreams has the entertaining saga Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi airing on Sony TV presently. 

We buzzed Sanaya too but she chose not to respond. 

Our efforts to talk to the channel spokesperson were also futile. 

Do you think Sanaya will do a swell job in the role? Drop your comments here..

No further news on this though ... and all media still report MM as being on hold or postponed ... so we just have to wait.

POW is gripping ... a show well worth watching. The acting is STELLAR. I am head over heels in love with Imaan with his wise, sad, kind eyes ... and with Harleen and her gritty strength. The only complaint I have right now is with the rather ghissi piti letter going astray track. Thankfully it has already been found by the senior Mrs. Khan ... now what she does with it, when she finds her own sikka is khota, when she has been rather anti her daughter-in-law all this while, will be interesting. She was upset about Nazneen linking up with Salim while Imaan was missing for 17 long years, but now she has to swallow the fact that her son was unfaithful to his wife when she was pregnant with his baby.  

On the other side, Sartaj is also unfaithful to Harleen, when she has been solidly faithful to his memory and to his family. And his father dumps the DIL  for the son ... blood is thicker than water, after all. But bless her devar and his wife ... they are made of more solid stuff.

The writer of the show is supposedly on the POW forum ... if genuine. He confirmed what I'd read somewhere ... channel  is solidly behind the show, and there will be no changes based on TRP whims. So definitely a show worth sticking to till the end. 

Have I mentioned the acting? Not only the leads ... the last few episodes have shown the supporting cast rise to the occasion ... each of them is solid gold. Sartaj's younger brother Satpal and his wife Veera are wonderful characters. Loving the show! 

Three new shows

Three new shows launched on 7th November, all different genres.

POW - Bandhi Yudhh Ke - looks very promising, but wouldn't you know it, it's not being aired here. Internet links zindabad ... I caught the first episode and it got me hooked.

http://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/features/5-reasons-why-star-plus-pow-bandi-yuddh-ke-looks-must-watch-161107

Related article, but more generic -interesting that TV honchos actually do know the content they are putting out is puerile, but are held hostage by TRPs. Makes me like SP and Sony even more, that they are making repeated attempts to break free of the usual saas bahu crap, as well as the supernatural nonsense that has taken over the idiot box recently.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/foreign-shows-the-only-panacea-for-hindi-entertainment-tv-channels/story-Xwndm8DcWtwrvRproSEwON.html

Coming to the first episode ... gripping, interesting ... the two levels of story skilfully woven together ... the 'escape' of the two POWs, contrasting with the way their wives and families have moved ahead in their lives, if not moved on. Acting of the two leading ladies is stellar ... to be expected, Sandhya Mridul Singh is well known, and Amrita Puri is very good too.

Shani - I usually like mythologicals ... the recent SKR was an exception. So far Shani seems to be another one I will follow at least off and on ... the VFX are very good, the acting is decent, though not brilliant, and the story has me intrigued, as I did know about parts of the Suryadev-Sandhya-Chhaya story, but not much about Shani dev. Will follow this as fortunately here it airs at 9.30 and won't clash with Sanaya's new show if that takes the 9 pm slot, as expected.

Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil - I guess for every unusual show, SP has to put on a regular saas bahu fare ... this one is a typical Ekta show, with typical characters in a modern setting, following SP Nayi Soch of a daughter looking after her parents ... the characters are all cardboard cutouts so far, clones of earlier EK shows I have watched, and acting is similar. So I guess it will find favour with TRP junta ... I will probably catch this once in a way while channel surfing.