THE CHANDRA NANDINI PR CAMPAIGN
Well, folks, I have finally managed to watch all the videos that Anjali and the others have so thoughtfully dug up for us, as also the solid and sensible India Today print interview with Rajat. So I have done my homework😉, and am ready to add my tuppenceworth to the comments here on this unprecedentedly high voltage PR campaign mounted by Ekta for her newest baby.
In all of this footage, and after straining my ears at times to make out the audio struggling to make itself heard against a deafening background medley of noise, I would put down the four points that, for me, stood out in bold relief.
1) Ekta's unquestioning and very strong support for Rajat, both as an actor - which is but natural seeing how good he is - and as a person, which is, to my mind, rare and thus special.
It was not merely that she described him in glowing terms as a wonderful human being, and as being both her blue eyed boy, and the blue eyed boy of the whole TV industry ( a pardonable exaggeration!). It was also that she acted as a shield for him during the press conference after the official launch, and herself tackled, with characteristic aplomb, all the sticky questions, especially the one about Santram Varma, as also the one about Rajat not being accessible to the media. He could not have done this with the same careless and effective air of authority, and so she saved him a lot of hassles.
All this is, as far as I am aware, quite unprecedented for Ekta. Even at the Jodha Akbar launch, she did not do anything like as much, either for the show or for him, though that time it was almost like a fresh start for him, and a major show for her. Couple this with the fact that she had booked him for this role even before Jodha Akbar ended, and one gets a good idea of how high she rates him.
This is an excellent augury for Rajat's future career, for Ekta might be demanding and difficult at times, but she has a lot to offer a young actor, and it should be a huge advantage for Rajat that he stands so high in her esteem.
2) Shweta and Rajat should get on extremely well during the making of this show, and this too should be a major plus for our boy. Aloof he might be, focussing only on his role and his lines, but it helps any actor to give of his best if he has a supportive and friendly co-star. He will have no friction and petty irritations nagging away at his consciousness, distracting him from his work and spoiling his mood.
I noted that all the time he was speaking during their joint interview to SBS, she held the mike for him. It was an easy, friendly gesture, and he accepted it with similar ease. Also, when he said that to be praised by a National Award winner was an honour for him, she patted his arm in a chummy manner that was natural and devoid of self-consciousness. I have not watched many such interviews, but it seemed to me that such unaffected camaraderie between the two lead actors must be uncommon.
Besides, Shweta is no simpering, foolish, gushing female lead, but a self possessed and very articulate young lady. I am sure she can carry off her role well, for she must have been a really good performer to have won that National Award, and acting is like cycling, one does not forget it even after a long gap.
Both these aspects, taken together, promise well for their scenes together, both romantic and otherwise. Which should be a relief for us!😉
Also, because Rajat and Shweta are so obviously friendly towards each other, the media will have no chance to set her against Rajat and publish "scoops". They angled for just this sort of playing her against him after the Delhi interview, with her
gol guppa session, but that line has now been scotched.
3) Rajat has matured as well. The old soreness at the media having unnecessarily badmouthed him in the past still rankles, and surfaces in every interview, but it is now muted. He was throughout very forthcoming about how he plans to tackle his role, especially the love story. He sought the
dua of not just the viewers but the press as well. He stressed the
jeena yahan, marna yahan line repeatedly. He mentioned his family - his parents and his wife - which made him sound human and "normal", and he even noted that he owed his success to his wife, who was the woman behind him, which is something that should have gone down very well with all those listening to him.
So much so that the media, even SBS, was forced into at least an appearance of civility and positivity towards their erstwhile bete noire. Ekta must have taken some corrective action after the Delhi session, and it has clearly paid off.
4) Ekta had a good bit to say about Chanakya and his importance, for her
per se, and for this show as well. This too was encouraging, and we can hope that even if not as central a character as he was in the 1990
Chanakya or, to a considerable extent, also in the 2012
Chandragupta Maurya, this Chanakya too will be able to hold his own against the lead pair, as the third angle of a triangle. Probably fighting against Nandini for ownership rights to Chandragupta's soul!😉
Incidentally, I loved it when Ekta described the foreign invasions of India as terrorism. I have never heard this said before, but it is spot on.
That is it, folks. It seems that Rajat will surface in episode 4, so the first 3 will probably cover the
Chanakyasabadam,his famous, Draupadi-like oath not to knot his hair till Dhananand had been dethroned, his discovery of the young Chandragupta and his taking him under his wing, plus the early campaigns of Chandragupta.
The fourth episode will probably cover the final stage of the campaign, culminating in the overthrow of the Nanda empire and the killing of Dhananand and his eight sons. It will thus see the entry of the grown up Chandragupta. In Jodha Akbar, both the leads surfaced in the very first episode itself. Let us see what actually happens.
Shyamala/Aunty/Akka/Di
Edited by sashashyam - 9 years ago
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