Do read, you won't be disappointed.;)

Hey there! I've been a silent of reader of the forums for years now, which I probably should not accept and my affair with the online forums began way back when Sharad Malhotra was an actor. Which makes me realize, damn I am old. I did not think it was worth commenting anything anywhere, but it was always fun to be an outsider and read perspectives of others...so much fun, that I always felt part of the discussion. Naa ho kar bhi, main wahan thi.😲 I lost interest in Indian dramas for a few yrs, though I always subconsciously knew what was on TV, courtesy my mom and Dish Network. Alas, the bug caught on me though, and I have been watching Madhubala now for a few days playing catch up.

I recall seeing Vivan in some comic/vampire show, and so it was a bit hard for me to take him seriously in Madhubala. Every time I tried watching him in Madhubala, I would think to myself that any minute his fangs would creep out. Dhrashti...I had not seen much of either, except glimpses in her old show which did not interest me. But please continue on reading, because long story short, I actually do like these two in Madhubala! I do not know if many of y'all watched Laagi Tujhse Lagan, which probably was one of my favorite shows from recent time...but due to stark parallels between characters and the plot, this show grew on me! I'm in no way comparing the two shows, because the shows are different entities but the larger than life hero's story certainly lured me to MB.

I've so much to pen down, but the thoughts are all scattered everywhere, and I am not sure what I really want to discuss...Err...Lets just start with character growth? The makers have handled RK so delicately (reminds me of RK's delicate dialogue, haha), but the main aspect of his personality has still been retained. Usually what we see happening in many shows is where the "hero" or the "heroine" morph so bloody much that after a point, it's so hard to relate to them in any manner. RK has transformed surely, however that darkness and that demeanor of his is still in tact. You know, no matter how good or bad an actor may be, if he or she is not able to modulate his/her voice appropriately then the audience cannot be moved. It's simply mesmerizing to watch RK speak across situations. I am gonna go off on a tangent...for example, just take Sonam Kapoor for instance. She's pretty to look at and she's expressive but as soon as she opens her mouth, you cannot take her seriously because she has the same tonal quality throughout. Vivian plays with his voice, and he makes RK just that much more fun. His one-liners or simply his "biwiii" is credible!

Dhrashti emotes with her eyes..I tried doing that when I used to watch Tyra Banks back in the day, and it ain't as easy as it looks. At first she emoted coldness from her eyes toward RK, then she emoted care for him, now she's emoting genuine concern/daziness for him. I would definitely applaud the script writers for handling the two poles apart characters so well while having them progress in a dark-tragic-tale.

I know the post is so scattered and I very well know that since I have posted with a new ID that no one will even care to read this.:( Wish I could post with my original ID, but I do not even recall the password for it. It's been a couple of yrs since I have logged on IF. Or more. I used to make AVIS back in the day courtesy Photoshop and this show has tempted me so much, but I really do not want to fall into the traps of forums again. LOL. They can suck the life outta you.:P I just wanted a vessel to share my thoughts, and so I have done...I genuinely do not care for what will happen next in the story because the premise of the show already lets me know that it's a great tragedy. Plus, cmon I have seen enough Indian shows to know how the story rolls. But what I am interested in is the progression and development of the story and characters, which the makers have handled well.

PS: The Friday's Pareshaani filled episode was pleasant to watch. Dare I say, I liked Dhrashti and Vivian better than the HAWT *cough* SRK-Kat. A lot more, in fact. I am glad the song "saans" was not featured on the two, Pareshaan's composition suited them way more. The Psychiatrist line was awesome-sauce. With that said, here are a few pics, because let's face it no one reads such long rants without caps. I would have personally made avis, but for that I need lots of motivation which I cannot seem to hunt. And if I do find me some motivation magically, I shall use that first to STU-DIE for my upcoming finals. 😆

Hey,

Hey welcome to the forum. Hats off to mb for making a silent reader come out in the open.

LOL that's a nice rambling gush...made for a pleasant read :-)

I totally agree about the LTL parallels...I'm a die-hard LTL fan too and those similarities sort of drew me in when I actually started watching this show seriously a month back...didn't really feel interested before that although I knew what was happening on and off in passing.

LTL was epic and very hard to match...most of all for Mishal Raheja's superlative acting which still leaves me in awe till this day

What Madhubala has done very well surprisingly as you also pointed out is that it gave us character EVOLUTION...something 99% of shows on Indian TV bungle up...RK is a very interesting and layered character and Vivian does a good job with the voice modulation thus adding to those zinger dialogues that RK gets to deliver.

And totally agree about Drashti emoting well through her eyes as well...be it the scenes when she's clashing with RK or the recent scenes where her eyes convey that soft warmth as Madhu realizes her love for RK.

More than anything, the WRITING in this show has delivered a lot more than I can say for most shows these days that claim to be doing "angsty" love stories but end up being so one-dimensional...there is genuinely good writing in MB.


I'm not sure how long this run will last though given the amazing track record of Indian TV...lol...but it's good going for now.

I also agree with you about DD-VD doing a much better job of the phone booth scene than the SRK-Kat version from the movies...

Have to give the team of this show kudos for how well they shoot their song sequences...well choreographed, well enacted and well directed...a complete team effort👏

Most shows scrimp on song sequences and don't bother with much other than 2-3 standard poses...but in the Pareshaan episode, the makers of MB actually tried to tell a story through the song sequence, lovely use of symbolism throughout as well and they created a lovely atmosphere overall...made for a pleasant watch :-)

Originally posted by: Siri22

Hey,

Welcome to the forum. Although you mentioned you're not new. I loved your post and pics. Do continue posting more. We discuss at length in Episode Discussion thread. Do let us know your thoughts.

I have never seen any of DD or VD's work before this is a first for me and I'm just loving Hotty (alias RK 😆).

Loving the way he delivers his dialogues. Even the writer agreed that VD makes his dialogues better or something like that sorry don't remember exactly what he said.Agree DD is great with her eyes. I especially liked her in yday's scene when she was caressing his cheek and he woke up. I loved her expressions being caught there.

And a ? what makes you think it'll be a tragedy. Please no.

Originally posted by: parheezGM

Hey welcome to the forum. Hats off to mb for making a silent reader come out in the open.

I've seen vivian's last show and he couldn't act for nuts!! So I am pleasantly surprised to see him do so well here. His dialogues and how his character gradually unravels is interesting to watch.

The serial which started off as regressive is now pretty interesting to watch na?

Drashti has always been a good actor even when she was a scattered brain doctor in dmg or a simple village damsel in Geet... But in MB and as mb she has tried to break her geet mould and to some extent she is successful.

But as. All serials go I'm expecting this one to have its downslide too. So seasoned I have now become with this inevitable fate, I see all serials with a cynical eye. I am enjoying mb but I'm not addicted to it in anyway.

MB will become a star and hopefully a bigger one than rk and that will bring such complex emotions to the fore... Especially for a guy who is as proud as rk. So I am interested to see how well that track works.

Originally posted by: AreYaar

LOL that's a nice rambling gush...made for a pleasant read :-)

I totally agree about the LTL parallels...I'm a die-hard LTL fan too and those similarities sort of drew me in when I actually started watching this show seriously a month back...didn't really feel interested before that although I knew what was happening on and off in passing.

LTL was epic and very hard to match...most of all for Mishal Raheja's superlative acting which still leaves me in awe till this day

What Madhubala has done very well surprisingly as you also pointed out is that it gave us character EVOLUTION...something 99% of shows on Indian TV bungle up...RK is a very interesting and layered character and Vivian does a good job with the voice modulation thus adding to those zinger dialogues that RK gets to deliver.

And totally agree about Drashti emoting well through her eyes as well...be it the scenes when she's clashing with RK or the recent scenes where her eyes convey that soft warmth as Madhu realizes her love for RK.

More than anything, the WRITING in this show has delivered a lot more than I can say for most shows these days that claim to be doing "angsty" love stories but end up being so one-dimensional...there is genuinely good writing in MB.


I'm not sure how long this run will last though given the amazing track record of Indian TV...lol...but it's good going for now.

I also agree with you about DD-VD doing a much better job of the phone booth scene than the SRK-Kat version from the movies...

Have to give the team of this show kudos for how well they shoot their song sequences...well choreographed, well enacted and well directed...a complete team effort👏

Most shows scrimp on song sequences and don't bother with much other than 2-3 standard poses...but in the Pareshaan episode, the makers of MB actually tried to tell a story through the song sequence, lovely use of symbolism throughout as well and they created a lovely atmosphere overall...made for a pleasant watch :-)

Originally posted by: kitkataha

Haha, thanks! Great, so it was not just me who noticed the parallels between the story and characters within the two shows. I can rant on and on about LTL too, kabhi fursat mein I will go back on that forum to unleash my thoughts. 😆 You know, at first, I would always, always pretend Mashal was the hero instead of Vivian, or I would hope so at least. I do not know if your're familiar with Manoj from Kasauti (his current show is too much of a dhabba to even refer him by that), but I could picture him perform just as well too as RK. But, Vivian grew on me as RK (like a rash! 😆)...mainly from the studio's night out scenes. Lol. I actually am a new watcher of the show because I caught up with it too late, so I have been playing catch up. Oh wow you're a Manoj Bohra fan too? I think I like you already😆...I'm a big MB (Manoj Bohra) fan too...back when his name was still Manoj and not Karanvir as it supposedly is now and yes word on the dhabba of a show he decided to take up recently...blahh...to me he'll always be epic as KZK ka Prem/UD.

Sometimes I think I like RK also cuz it does have that eccentric element similar to UD's character in KZK...the FLAIR so to speak😆

Mishal would have been GENIUS in this role...he could have brought all the more nuance to it...but Vivian is doing a good job too I guess.

Oh I'm a new watcher too...lol...I actually started watching on a lark and yes ditto me too...the studio night out scenes were what really hooked me...I kinda zoned out in b/w for the entire melodramatic ganpati visarjan/gunshot track but I feel the show has really picked up after that...in the hospital scenes when RK wakes up and his equation with Madhu has by then shifted...I really liked how that new dynamic was brought in b/w them...the Mr. India scenes etc.😆...they've done a surprisingly good job of showing a nuanced evolution of the dynamic b/w them as it moves towards a strange sort of affection/deeper bonding even as they continue to retain their core traits and keep on clashing...it's a fine balance to maintain and I'm also watching as long as they can keep that balance😆

The story picked up immensely since Deepali's entrance, and the layers of the two characters also started to peel off from thereon. I just love how the two can be so vulnerable in front of each other, yet the next minute they go back to being who they essentially are. In RK's case, he's this tragic larger-than-life superstar. In Madhu's case, she's a human being (in contrast to animal like or so the makers claimed RK to be). @bold: Me too :-) I'd say the writers have done a pretty good job of showing that BOND b/w these two characters...what binds them together...be it in the worst of times or the best of times...be it hatred and hurt or love and happiness...they cover an entire spectrum but something always inexplicably binds them together...they are kindred souls almost despite being so diametrially different...the analogy of a moth and a flame would be quite apt too as is for any intense love story I guess...they strangely understand each other on a very raw and instinctual level even as they clash otherwise...I especially have liked how they've shown RK's perceptiveness regarding Madhu in the time of the entire Mr. India arc/scenes...when he gets her to watch the movie with him...one of my fav. scenes😆

You're very right about the "angsty" and "hot" and "wet" romance/sexual frustration that's delivered on tv these days. The show does definitely approach similar styles to other shows such as the pin up to the walls or rona dhona of saas bahu, but the treatment of that is sensible and different. RK does it to play games with Madhu, though I am not sure if he will continue to do it anymore. Bechaara, khud darr gaya Madhu ki uncontrolled desires dekh kar. Haha. The jump in Friday's episode was good. From his dream - like to state to a completely shocked state...it was pretty funny actually. lol. Deepali's entrance deffo has brought in a new tadka, a new antagonist/catalyst for RK-Madhu's equation...no matter how much we all may find her annoying otherwise...she is responsible for most of the growth in RK-Madhu's relationship...right from RK moving Madhu into his bedroom as a shield against Dips😆...she's also helped bring in some backstory for RK so that always helps a story.

These ppl are currently trying to balance the love story formula with the saas-bahu stuff and I think what's working for them is a character like RK who entertains even in the middle of all the typical saas-bahu rona-dhona...kinda like Prem/UD used to in KZK 😆

But RK's dialogues are seriously EPIC...the dialogue writer is having a whale of a time writing these I'm sure😆

I genuinely like the direction and script of the show. The script is very nunanced and as you pointed out the symbolism is effective too. I can't believe the showmakers are putting their head to use...😆 That's almost an alien concept nowadays. LMAO so very true...it continues to surprise me every day they show a good episode...and I'm thinking wow these ppl actually put in the EFFORT? It seems like too much to ask from Indian TV these days that ppl will BOTHER with putting thought into their scripting, the characters...

All good things do come to an end, and given the MINDBLOWING (as RK would say) track record of Indian TV, I am sure the end is near. But, for now, I am taking it on day to day basis. LOL oh spoken like a true veteran of Indian TV...guess we've all been here long enough to learn to take these things on a day to day basis and then move on once they go down the drain inevitably...😆

welcome to the forum dear...
awesome post..

enjoyed ur rambling post!!! i have not many of the serials u and other ppl n d post have mentioned. i have just seen DD''s earlier serial n becoz of her i started to watch this serial. when d story slumped after a filmy start (mukund track...ugh.. horrible)i thought i'll give it a miss. but RK n his oneliners kept me hooked. i like the way d makers are trying to keep the story line interested (if only they cd stop celebrating all festivals!) with novel twists. for ex i didn't expect the sudden marriage track.

i love d way VD has evolved as actor. i never knew him as great actor n was little doubtful. but now his chr is one i look forward to watch in the show. DD has never disappointed me, but madhu has chr is gaining layers only now and that too with RK.