Jassi bids adieu

It was with a great sense of dj vu that I watched the last episode of Sony's big ticket show Jassi Jaise Koi Nahin. All said and done, the primetime soap adapted from the South American telenovella format of Betty La Fea, did fantastically well not just for the channel but also defined a paradigm shift in terms of programming on the general entertainment channels.

In the final episode, one got a behind-the-scenes peek into how the actors literally lived the 'characters' in the serial. For Apoorva Agnihotri, (Armaan Suri) it was obviously one of the biggest breaks on the small screen, and obviously for Jassi aka Mona Singh it was an opportunity that most actors aspire for but can never really get.

Though not an original story, I would say it was adapted well to suit Indian audiences. The only thing where the serial came in for flak was towards the end, when the story was stretched too far and too long into the realms of the ridiculous.

Going back in time, trying to really analyse the success story that was Jassi. I think the serial came at a time when television seemed to be at the mercy of saas-bahus.

A rather bold step on the part of the channel to move away from the predictable and bring in a story that was not just different, but also aspirational. Somewhere, there's a Jassi in every woman, who wants to be known and recognised for what she stands for and believes in and not for what she looks like. But then every woman also wants to look beautiful and dream of a prince charming like Armaan to sweep her off her feet. The show also made people think and question themselves. Don't we sometimes pre-judge people (and especially women) on the basis of their looks? The show also gave us hope and belief - that even you can make it - no matter what.

*****