Review: 'Naamkarann' is beautiful, hard-hitting and an absolute treat!

Timings: Monday to Sautrday, 9 pm to 9:30 pm on Star Plus

Produced By: Dhaval and Guruodev Productions Pvt. Ltd

Directed By: Mahesh Bhatt, Loknath Pandey and Subratho Sengupta

Cast: Reema Lagoo, Viraf Phiroz Patel, Barkha Bisht Sengupta, Sayantani Ghosh and Arsheen Naamdar among others.

One of the most ambitious and anticipated projects of all time, the mega Mahesh Bhatt venture; 'Naamkarann' finally went on-air on 12^th  September 2016.

The show had already been a newsmaker, be it it's casting news or the intimate scene of the lead pair, Viraf Phiroz Patel and Barkha Bisht Sengupta that went viral a few days ago.

Now that the show completed a week of telecast, it gives us the perfect canvas to analyse the ups and downs of the show.

So, here we go...

The Story So Far..

The debut episode of 'Naamkarann' will go down as one of the most explosive openers in television soap history. Why do we say that?

In a span of 45 minutes, we were introduced to practically every possible aspect that is associated with the show's crux. A quiet, calm and docile woman, Asha aka Ashudi (Barkha Bisht) resides in a little house with her sweet and adorable daughter, Avni (Arsheen Naamdar) where her father, Ashish (Viraf Phiroz Patel) loves them both immensely.

However, directly with the first frame of the show, we are notified about the actual concept of the show, where little Avni is mad at her mother and father, as her father is never there for her on a frequent basis, where they also miss out on the tiny loving moments.

A mad Avni has a confrontation with her dad, who tries to console her by trying to 'explain his plight', Avni is adamant that his father should be present at the upcoming Annual Sports Day. However, after a lot of nok-jhoks, Ashish agrees to come on Sports Day, where Avni couldn't be happier. She even puts a bet with her rival at school, who teases her for the continued absence of her father; where the bet says if Avni loses the race and her father doesn't appear on D-Day, she will have to give away her dollhouse to her.

In the next frame, we are shown the exact reason why Ashish has kept his wife, Asha and daughter, Avni a secret from his family and society for 11 years. And that is an over-possessive, autocratic and strict mother, Dayaben Mehta (Reema Lagoo). She plays a mother who is extremely particular about certain things and beliefs and cannot tolerate going against them.

While Ashish tries to balance his secret life along with his actual family life, we are introduced to another important character in the form of Hemantbhai (Atul Srivastava), whom Dayaben respects immensely and considers him an elder brother. Hemant Bhai is currently admitted to the hospital where he is visited by Ashish and Dayaben, which also marks the entry of the beautiful and bubbly, Neela (Sayantani Ghosh), daughter of Hemant Bhai. As one could predict, there are love sparks for Neela towards Ashish, where Ashish doesn't feel the same. And there is a major shocker, where Hemant Bhai upfront asks Dayaben for the marital union of Neela and Ashish.

Ashish is in a jeopardy of thoughts, where he cannot disclose about Asha and Avni; and even cannot go against his mother. In a matter of time, Ashish doesn't AGREES nor DISAGREES to the marriage proposal and leaves for his shoot in Kashmir.

The next thing we know is Ashish getting a call from his brother-in-law, actor Raanveer Chahal's character. And that call is about informing Ashish that his mother, Dayaben has brought Neela to their house and welcomed her as her future bride. This gets Ashish shocked, furious and irritated where his actions lead him to a short stay in the jail. However, even post getting released, he gets a call from his mother who informs about the same and not listening to a single thing, Ashish has to say. Ashish gets even more furious and ends up removing his anger by kicking the table nearby. Meanwhile, Avni is waiting for the time, when his loving father would come to see her and cheer her at the sports day.

Will Ashish be able to tell the truth to his mother? Will Avni and Asha get their identity? Only time will tell..

The Absolute Highs..

Amidst a well-crafted and well-written show, there were some absolute high points in the show which made us go WOW and AMAZED.

The first high point was the revelation of Asha being a Muslim and reading namaz, where we immediately understand that it is this reason that Asha and Avni haven't got their identity and have their naamkarann' waiting for 11 years. As Ashish is shown as a Gujarati, belonging to a Hindu family; where getting married to a Muslim is the ultimate taboo.

The most adorable moments come when little Avni bonds with his overweight, cute best-friend, Ali. The best friend duo fight, make-up, support and care for each other in the most endearing and innocent ways.
The most talked about scene in recent history was the intimate scene of Viraf and Barkha. And we are not surprised that it certainly is one of the highlight moments in the story. Totally axing the thought of vulgarity, the scene is beautifully and aesthetically shot where you can adore the love story of a deeply-in-love couple.
The hospital sequence between Sayantani Ghosh and Viraf was absolutely one of the best-acted scenes on Indian television in recent times. The cinematography of the scene and the brilliance of Sayantani makes the scene memorable.
This high-point was in fact, a part of the promos too, where the mature side of little Avni is portrayed. She may be mad and questioning about her father, but it is also evident that the sweet little girl has matured earlier than her age, owing to the forced circumstances. She understands the plight of the situation and ends up consoling her own mother and putting her to sleep. This scene will give you goosebumps and will leave you with tears in your eyes.

The Little Lows..

The show is a brilliantly written and finely acted one, where there are barely a few low points. One of them is the pace of the show which seems a little slow at times. Also, as much as we understand that the show tackles a serious topic, at times, the show gets too intense to digest. With barely any fun moments, the show will need to capitalise on the fact of balancing all the emotions equally.

The Performances

Child actress, Arsheen Naamdar aka Avni is undoubtedly the star of the show, literally. In spite of being so young, she emotes in the most perfect way, be it getting sad, angry or happy. You can already witness her acting prowess and keep adoring it.

Barkha Bisht is the heart and soul of the show, where her off-screen image may be that of a sexy and hot lady, but she plays Asha with perfection. One of the toughest things in acting is to underplay a character and Barkha as Asha excels at it. She is sweet, calm, tolerant, docile and loving.

Viraf Phiroz Patel has an enigmatic screen presence, where his dialogue delivery and the tone of voice perfectly complement his character.

Sayantani Ghosh, as we know has been in the industry for several years and been a part of several shows. However, we can safely say that her portrayal of Neela is one of the best acting performances in Indian television ever. The hospital scene, we mentioned above, is a perfect example of it. The way Sayantani manages to switch emotions in a single scene is commendable.

Reema Lagoo makes her comeback after a long time and it was surely worth the wait. The veteran actress that she is, it goes without saying that her performance is flawless. Playing an over-possessive and autocratic mother, Reema Lagoo is fantastic and one actually ends up obeying her demands.

Apart from these five principal characters, the show boasts an enviable supporting cast, which includes the likes of actors, Puru Chibber, Atul Srivastava and Raanveer Chahal among others. Every actor does their job brilliantly and contributes to the cause.

The Verdict

'Naamkarann' may be a really ambitious project, but the crux of the show is what makes it a worthy watch in itself. Thanks to the exposure of internet and other sources, this topic is no more a taboo to discuss. However, when it comes to it actually being present in the society, it is totally there at an alarming rate.

The show is quintessentially Mahesh Bhatt itself and we are not complaining. The flavour of the films, Mahesh Bhatt has given us is totally evident in this show making it a compelling watch. The show may need a brisker pace with a little more of light-hearted moments in the future, but it doesn't take away the fact, that 'Naamkarann' has all the ingredients to be a masterpiece.

Rating- ***1/2 (3.5/5)