What went wrong in Naamkarann - TOI

Mahesh Bhatt's Naamkaran on Star Plus began with a bang. The show first aired on September 12, and won applause for its progressive content on TV and brilliant performances. It was reported that the human drama is inspired from Mahesh Bhatt's Bollywood film Zakhm made in 1998. However, the news of its going off air has come as a surprise to many. Yes, you heard it right. The show did start on a positive note, but now it seems that the low TRPs have led the channel to pull a plug on it, within a month of its launch. So, what went wrong with Naamkaran? Read further to know:



1) The presentation: Even though the complex love story had enough scope, it was the presentation that went wrong at many levels. With its retro setting and exaggerated dialogues, the show soon lost its ability to convince the viewers with its make believe world. Hence, the makers decided to take the soap off air than change the plot to cater to a wider audience. Moreover, the rating pressure would have only made them add incoherent elements to the story line.

2) Weak characters: The show has some of the most terrific actors such as Viraf Patel and Barkha Bisht, but they obviously cannot do justice to parts that are not developed fully. Especially, Barkha Bisht's character does not pan out the way it should have. Despite her bold choices, she remains, more or less, a meek and a submissive woman.

3) Arsheen Naamdar's role: Mahesh Bhatt touted her as the next best thing in the industry. There is no challenging when it comes to her talent. However, the role itself requires her to mouth dialogues and project maturity beyond her age. The anger and understanding she has of relationships is hard to believe and seems not very real. In the show, she talks about 'najaayaz' (illegitimate) relationships and stamps them with approval, not quite something you would expect from a 10-year-old.

4) Sayantani Ghosh: Probably the only one from the list of actors who needs to get her act together. She plays the role of Neela on the show, who is the second wife of Ashish (Viraf Patel). She clearly overdoes her part and conveniently plays the second fiddle. It is a character that failed to impress the viewers.

5) Reema Lagoo: The veteran actor got back to the small screen after a long break with Naamkaran. While she plays the goody two shoes in most of her films, her character of Dayavanti Mehta (Ashish's mother and Avni's grandmother) isn't something one would relate her to. Playing the usual tricks of a mother, she exerts humongous influence in the life of her son, and is shown as conservative and anti-Muslim. In terms of her looks or demeanor, there is nothing new that she could add to the role.