MBEIEJ has been promoted on a grand scale, rarely seen in TV land before. The Channel, PH and actors went to town talking about how this was their tribute to 100 yrs of Hindi cinema. I thought oh, a new marketing gimmick, how nice. They spoke of how "hatke" this show is going to be and guaranteed to deliver fresh content never seen before. I again thought, "here we go again"- another PH talking about "hatke" stuff. No big deal. They spoke of the lavish production values and grand scale on which the show is mounted- i was like, ok, this PH may be a little rich so we will at least see the leads wear some decent clothes and also they may have the means to sign on established actors like sushmita M, R zutshi etc.
All this publicity kept coming out strongly days ahead of the launch of the show to the extent I got a wee bit scared and put off by the thought they have set expectations so high, what if this turns out to be another damp squid!! i also had a doubt whether the show will be able to sustain audience interest given the leads are likely to enter only a few weeks later and l, like some others was watching for Drashti.
Then it was 8.30 PM on 28th May 2012 and the opening credits rolled. Watching on a 14 inch laptop using low quality live streaming, yet, when the music struck and the credit rolled saying "Colors and Nautanki Films present Dhrashti Dhami as MAdhubala" I jumped off my chair in sheer excitement with goose bumps on my arms and jaw dropping to the floor feeling the magic of being transported back into the 80s and 90s gabbar -khalnayak era!! The next hour saw me stuck to my chair, glued to the screen, slowly absorbing the fact that I was actually seeing someting "HATKE" on TV!!!
Much has been written about the opening episodes and episodes therafter-so i wont go into that.
All I would like to say is I dont know what the fate of the show is going to be-will it get good trps, will people like it, will it be able to maintain its pace, will it sustain its quality, how and what will unfold going forward, will the leads click, will they share a good chemistry blah blah blah. Whatever, the answers to these questions may be, one thing is for sure, this show is an honest attempt to bring "hatke" fare to Tv viewers. This show is for sure, a tribute to 100 yrs of hindi cinema and this show is definitely mounted on a grand scale and is larger than life.
This show must have become the buzzword in TV land after May 28th. I am quite sure, actors anywhere, would die to receive opening credits the kinds Drashti and Vivian have got in the show. Actors would kill to get the kind of publicity the channel and PH has generated for the show-add to that good content, superb production values, superior acting standards-it is mouth wateringly perfect!
The show reflects the hard work and thought put in by everyone. We hope this in turn brings in great success and high trps for the show. Even if that doesnt happen ( wonder how), the show will definitely be remembered as one that elevated quality and scale on Tv to a diff level! TRULY HATKE!!!
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