Screenindia: Dekha ek khwab -Review

Dekha Ek Khwaab

Monday to Thursday, 8.45 pm, Sony

Cast: Aroona Irani, Shahbaz Khan, Priyal Gor

Rating: **1/2

Priyal Gor as the innocent, dewy fresh Moniya is a pleasure to watch

Inspired by the Princess Diary, Dekha Ek Khwaab is a fairy tale set in contemporary times. The oldest heiress of a royal family, Rajkumari Maanyata, has been missing for 16 years. She was apparently kidnapped at the age of three. Her grandmother and her mother hope she will return one day to reclaim her right while her father, for some strange reason, would rather assume she is dead and move ahead. He would rather let his younger daughter, Rajkumari Jayanandini lay claim to the royal treasure and Prince Udaybeer, who her sister was engaged to in childhood. Meanwhile, the grandmother has arranged Jaya's wedding to Jagat, a wealthy hotelier, a match neither his father is happy about nor the daughter. Worse still, Jaya harbours a crush on Uday (who takes advantage of the situation as he constantly makes her realise she is getting married to the wrong guy!) and resents the fact that he is "reserved" for her missing sister. On the other hand, unaware of her royal lineage, Maanyata lives as Moniya with her father in a chawl and works as a sweeper in a mall. She strikes friendship with one of her colleagues, Akash and gradually falls in love with him. Moniya is a simple, sweet girl with big dreams and lives with a hope for a better future that seems to be just around the corner.

Produced by brother-sister duo, Shristhi Arya and Goldie Behl, Dekha Ek Khwaab has a nice, fairy tale touch to it. Though all the characters are dressed in their best finery, we love the way it is set in contemporary times, where words like riyasat, rajkumari and mahasabha go hand in hand with short dresses (Jaya is often dressed in those!) and discotheques…So far, the going has been good and the casting is near perfect. Priyal Gor as the innocent, dewy fresh Moniya is a pleasure to watch. Her modest lifestyle is in deep contrast to her big dreams and that makes her endearing to watch. Arooni Irani as the royal grandmother, Shahbaz Khan as the father and Abhishek Rawat as the good-hearted Akash are aptly cast while someone better needed to fit Jaya's killer high heels.

We know Moniya is poised for exciting times ahead as she waits to be found by her real family. Her metamorphosis from a simple girl to a princess is surely going to be a high point in the show. What happens after that will ultimately decide the fate of Dekha Ek Khwaab, which has the additional responsibility of keeping Sony's fortunes alive in the TRP stakes!

Verdict: If you believe in fairy tales, this one might be just for you.

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