Posted:
I am glad to know that you are making progress with Everest, my pet, but it deserves better than this temperate praise, Sandhya!
You say nothing about the truly delightful little asides - two of which I had mentioned, and also the conversation between Akash and the taxi driver - the naturalness of the interactions between Anjali and Akash, the subdued, mellifluous background music that never, as is invariably the case in most other serials, drowns out the words, the realism of the scenes between Col. Abhyankar and Anjali first, and then between him and Roongta/Arjun/Akash later.
Then there is the trick of going into silent mode during conversations - between Akash and his Shikamaa, between Akash and Anjali as she is holding forth spiritedly and he gazes at her vivid face in silent pleasure - it saves them having to think of snappy lines - and the silence as he shoots photos of her on that ridge.
Anjali may not be the greatest actress ever, but nor is anyone else on TV that I can think of. Why, the cardboard heroine in Ek Hasina Thi makes Anjali look like Sarah Bernhardt!
Anjali has a delightful smile, her character is simple, like a clear brook, and she does not need to act, just to be. I was pleased that they have tied up the scene where she chases and captures the eve-teaser (a ridiculously anodyne term if ever there was one!😡) - which was, as I realised even then, meant to show us how athletic she is - with her climbing up the water pipe to Col.Abhyankar's office, backpack and all, and then winning the 8 km race from the NIM to the town and back.
Milind Gunaji is perfectly cast as Col. Abhyankar. The skill of the director comes to the fore when, after listening to Arjun's impertinent and foolish comments on why he should lead their
Everest expedition, Abhyankar does not lose his cool and boot him out. Instead, his response is a classic of its kind, and it shuts Arjun up good and proper. And yet -and here is where the realism comes in - Abhyankar does not let this faux pas of Arjun's affect his attitude towards Arjun's training, and treats him with the same, conscientious attention and thoughtfulness that he would have given a favourite student.
Arjun has a very oddly shaped face, and a veneer of arrogance that is a cover for a deep seated well of guilt about a terrible incident in his recent past - but for that you have to come up to Episode 12.
These are the things that stand out and set Everest apart from the common junk that passes for TV entertainment. The undisciplined and loudmouthed biker gang is a tiresome cliche, the sole stereotyped element so far.
Come tonight, and you and I will both be back with the snivelling Salim, the weepy Jodha Begum, the Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah making hypocritical statements like Hum aapke jazbaat ki kadar karte hain.. or Aap hamari sab se azeez dost hain.. and so on, while continuing on his own path, and of course Nadira of the pouting lips and the purple dress, not to speak of the traditionally wheezy Fatima Bi. bent over double as is the rule for any grandmother in TV.
And the bulk of the habitues of Khushi's threads will revel in it because there is Jalal, at times, if they are lucky, in the hammam too!😉 Well, I can barely stand it now, Jalal or no Jalal, and at times he is the worst of the lot, raving and ranting, and babbling about his care for the mustaqbil of the son he plans to leave, if need be, in that hovel for his sari zindagi.
I am content with Everest for very many reasons. It will help me survive the other shows, for one thing! I have written to Ashutosh Gowarikar, whom I got to know at the time of his Jodhaa Akbar, to tell him so. I hope it does at least reasonably well.
Shyamala Aunty
PS: Did you ever see Rajat Kapoor, who has otherwise made a career of playing sleazy corporate tycoons, in Bheja Fry? Now that was a classic of the genre, and he was a perfect foil to Vinay Pathak's looniness.
You say nothing about the truly delightful little asides - two of which I had mentioned, and also the conversation between Akash and the taxi driver - the naturalness of the interactions between Anjali and Akash, the subdued, mellifluous background music that never, as is invariably the case in most other serials, drowns out the words, the realism of the scenes between Col. Abhyankar and Anjali first, and then between him and Roongta/Arjun/Akash later.
Then there is the trick of going into silent mode during conversations - between Akash and his Shikamaa, between Akash and Anjali as she is holding forth spiritedly and he gazes at her vivid face in silent pleasure - it saves them having to think of snappy lines - and the silence as he shoots photos of her on that ridge.
Anjali may not be the greatest actress ever, but nor is anyone else on TV that I can think of. Why, the cardboard heroine in Ek Hasina Thi makes Anjali look like Sarah Bernhardt!
Anjali has a delightful smile, her character is simple, like a clear brook, and she does not need to act, just to be. I was pleased that they have tied up the scene where she chases and captures the eve-teaser (a ridiculously anodyne term if ever there was one!😡) - which was, as I realised even then, meant to show us how athletic she is - with her climbing up the water pipe to Col.Abhyankar's office, backpack and all, and then winning the 8 km race from the NIM to the town and back.
Milind Gunaji is perfectly cast as Col. Abhyankar. The skill of the director comes to the fore when, after listening to Arjun's impertinent and foolish comments on why he should lead their
Everest expedition, Abhyankar does not lose his cool and boot him out. Instead, his response is a classic of its kind, and it shuts Arjun up good and proper. And yet -and here is where the realism comes in - Abhyankar does not let this faux pas of Arjun's affect his attitude towards Arjun's training, and treats him with the same, conscientious attention and thoughtfulness that he would have given a favourite student.
Arjun has a very oddly shaped face, and a veneer of arrogance that is a cover for a deep seated well of guilt about a terrible incident in his recent past - but for that you have to come up to Episode 12.
These are the things that stand out and set Everest apart from the common junk that passes for TV entertainment. The undisciplined and loudmouthed biker gang is a tiresome cliche, the sole stereotyped element so far.
Come tonight, and you and I will both be back with the snivelling Salim, the weepy Jodha Begum, the Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah making hypocritical statements like Hum aapke jazbaat ki kadar karte hain.. or Aap hamari sab se azeez dost hain.. and so on, while continuing on his own path, and of course Nadira of the pouting lips and the purple dress, not to speak of the traditionally wheezy Fatima Bi. bent over double as is the rule for any grandmother in TV.
And the bulk of the habitues of Khushi's threads will revel in it because there is Jalal, at times, if they are lucky, in the hammam too!😉 Well, I can barely stand it now, Jalal or no Jalal, and at times he is the worst of the lot, raving and ranting, and babbling about his care for the mustaqbil of the son he plans to leave, if need be, in that hovel for his sari zindagi.
I am content with Everest for very many reasons. It will help me survive the other shows, for one thing! I have written to Ashutosh Gowarikar, whom I got to know at the time of his Jodhaa Akbar, to tell him so. I hope it does at least reasonably well.
Shyamala Aunty
PS: Did you ever see Rajat Kapoor, who has otherwise made a career of playing sleazy corporate tycoons, in Bheja Fry? Now that was a classic of the genre, and he was a perfect foil to Vinay Pathak's looniness.
Originally posted by: Sandhya.A
Aunty
Watched the next 5 episodes.Uttarkashi is so beautiful. Brings back memories of my school days, but we don't have snow in our hill stations. No rivers either.Aakash is good. His warm and good hearted personna comes through well. But Anjali's expressions are so limited. I shouldn't complain that Paridhi is less talented than Rajat. She seems better than other tv heroines around. This Roogta guy is so horrible . I have an uneasy and creepy feeling whenever i see him after seeing him in Corporate.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
