Ghulaam: The new Life OK show is old wine in a new bottle with additives
Ghulaam is the latest offering by Life OK and the first two episode tell us that it's based around the same done to death subject of debauchery and women suppression in the hinterlands of India. But yes, as promised by the makers, the show's treatment is different as the cruelty subjected to women will make you wince. The story revolves around Berahampur, a village near the Haryana-Delhi border, where women are treated as mere commodities. Ghulaam marks the comeback of popular actors like Param Singh, Vikas Manaktala and Niti Taylor.
The show starts with a soon-to- be- married couple Rashmi (Sareeka Dhillon) and Raghav (Indraneil Sengupta) discussing their marriage plans during a train journey. Their love story takes an unfortunate turn when Rashmi gets abducted in the middle of the night and is brought to Berahampur to be forcibly married to Veer(Vikas Manaktala). But Veer and his father are unaware of the fact that Rashmi's fianc Raghav is an STS officer who'll go to any extent to save his love. He enters Berahampur along with four other commandos with a mission to rescue his fiance. Indraneil was quite impressive in a cameo, as suddenly he brings a ray of hope for Rashmi who is stuck in a fort like place amidst strangers, with no access to any means of communication. Raghav and his friends manages to kill around 400 of Veer's people but a single Rangeela (Param Singh) manages to bring him and his friends down in a matter of minutes. The show has aired two episodes and despite being set in present days, showcases the sad state of women in the fictitious city of Berahampur. We present few highlights from the show.
Vikas Manaktala as Veer
Vikas, who was last seen on Main Naa Bhoolungi plays a character that you will love to hate. He makes quite an impressive entry on the show displaying his six-pack abs and ripped muscles. With some serious acting chops Vikas seems to have imbibed the character of Veer and will make you cringe with his tormentor side.
Param Singh as Rangeela
Param Singh, who gained popularity for his role as Randhir Singh Shekhawat in Sadda Haq, plays Rangeela, a slave to Veer in the show. Just like his name, he makes a colourful entry swaying on the beats of Bol Bam chants and saffron colour smeared on his face. His character is quite restrained around his master, but takes a 360 degree turn when with everyone else. He managed to do his job well, without flexing his muscles. Param looked quite convincing when Veer humiliates him by trapping him with a noose made out of dupatta that made it look like a dog collar, signifying his status of a slave.
Niti Taylor
Niti Taylor, who rose to fame with MTV Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan failed to impress. She plays a shy and demure girl, who can cry at the drop of a hat. We hope her character grows with time, otherwise it would be really irritating to see her wailing in every episode, as we all know that she is the one, who will be abducted next to be married to Veer.
Sareeka Dhillon in a still from the show.
The first episode had quite a few scenes where the makers could have used better graphics. When Rashmi is abducted and is taken in jeep to Berahampur, it clearly shows that there is something wrong with the scene. The rays of sun are falling on her right cheek, but sun is shown rising behind her.
Done to death topic of women suppression
The show's main focus is oppression of women, which is not new on the small screen. Earlier shows like Na Aana Is Des Laado, Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak? and Balika Vadhu dealt with the same topic. But what goes in their favour is the brutality shown towards women, which you might have not seen in other shows till now. Those shows didn't shown women being forcibly tattooed a name of his husband whom she doesn't even know or being fed burning coal as she defied a man. The atrocities done on the women takes the show to a different level, as it has the power to make your blood boil.
The show is just two episodes old so it's too early to comment on how it would do, but such shows have worked in the past and this might be yet another show that will be successful despite its regressive content.
Credits : India Today
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