As we celebrate the anniversary of Saraswatichandra, a show that started with a bang,
and became a part of our hearts and our life, epitomising true love,
any tribute to the show cannot be complete without showing our love,
admiration and adoration for Gautam and Jennifer,
who for the last one year have been Saras and Kumud for us.
The beautiful tributes to the lovers was written by Happychappy, and the winsome pictures
were provided by Twila...
Let us relive the past year with appreciating all that was special and unique about this show
Here are some of the most enticing things about this show, as shared by Shrija...
1. Kuch na kahe...(meeting after parting)
When dreams woven and promises made lay smashed yet there is no scope of reparation practicable, how can there be when one is deemed inert in a deep abyss of marital hell while the other, too innocent and helpless yet the prime mover of the Domino effect that has landed them, two souls set ablaze amidst a sea of inferno of their own making, face to face on this fateful night! When her verbal utterance hit him numb, showed him the extent of havoc in full view which even in his wildest of nightmares, he wouldn't have possibly envisaged, the current status of the soul he broke in a momentary lapse in judgment. When all she could do was stare at the brutality of destiny and lament ;her optimism that had been striving valiantly against each blow -- blow after blow, took the fatal blow! It was destined to succumb. We saw its enthusiasm, its devotions, its endurance; that night we saw its end.
2. Jasbaaton ka yeh toofan, ab dum nahi kar sakta Kumud...and the jubilant rain dance
He's not planning on the avowal; he witnesses Kumud's gesture of caring and tending to his wounds; it's when he realizes he's been fighting a battle that's been lost' long long ago and that it's time to surrender and proclaim his sentiments towards her. He is liberated instantaneously of all his self imposed shackles; that to get lost in love, in her love is the right thing to do as their togetherness is a result of Divine preordainment. What follows after that is a sheer delight to behold; Kumud dancing unrestrained with Saras watching from afar when even the rain gods come down to grace the occasion of two hearts becoming one!
3. Koi Hume alag nahi kar sakta...
He loves her infinitely, unconditionally, immeasurably, irreversibly. He emphasizes on how her "ehsaas" has been etched in his soul irrevocably; how nobody has the right to separate their oneness, that's a given; to his perturbed lover lost in a state of severe emotional turmoil. When Kumud touched his face reassuringly after re-declaring his love with steadfast resolve, "he felt now that he was not simply close to her but that he did not know where he ended and she began"
4. Kuch na kahe...the proposal and the hug
Ahh..the most exquisite moment, the freshest blossom-time of passion,--when each is sure of the other's love, but no formal declaration has been made, and all is mutual divination. The avowal of love is at its pristine best, no unnecessary stammering involved, just straight-forward admittance of love. Now he would not really 'let' Kumud Sundari to run away right after you tease her into expressing her love, would he?! He hugs her wholeheartedly, his face reflecting unperturbed joy of embracing the one who helped rediscover his life, is now invariably etched in his being forever. Kumud displaying myriad of emotions- going from the initial nervousness of hugging the man she loves for the first time to sheer exhilaration culminating in pure bliss. The dramatic chiaroscuro, simple yet powerful and uncomplicated dialogue between the two, the mesmerizing SC instrumental anthem playing in the background enhanced the beauty of the scene in addition to brilliant virtuosos at play- Gautam Rode and Jennifer Winget.
5. Kumud se shuru, Kumud pe Khatam - The Public Proposal
The writers of this episode deserve a million rounds of applause for penning down some of the best lines spoken in the show."I never knew when she made me embrace my life", "I want to live my life with Kumud!", "I want to start and culminate in Kumud!", "I could never leave after setting my eyes on her!" What more does a girl need to hear than getting exalted in front of the whole family by the man you love so deep?
Today they are married after a year of trials and travails,
and it was a year where we witnessed a beautiful love story touchingly told,
a story that made us laugh, cry, smile,
and a story that made us experience love in all its splendor and glory.
But it was not all glory, the show got its share of bashing too...
Gautam Rode
Gautam plays the title role in Saraswatichandra and has won the hearts of young and old with his amazing talent and incredibly expressive face... When the show started he may have been a relatively unknown actor, but wow, has that changed! The journey of Saras from lonely, unloved and self-contained young man to the complete man - cum - romantic hero may have deviated from the flawed hero of the original novel, but Gautam's straight-from-the-heart acting has garnered him an ever-growing band of loyal viewers. From the moment Saras first appeared in Ratnanagari with his "little boy lost inside a grown man" look, he had us hooked, and GR has disarmed us with the range of expressions that he summons up effortlessly. When we lose track of the fact that he's only an actor playing a role, and relate to Saras as if he were a real person, it's more than clear that Gautam Rode is as good as it gets.
Jennifer Winget
Jennifer is probably not the most classical beauty ever seen on Indian TV, but Mr.Bhansali surely knew what he was doing when he cast "Jen" as Kumudsundari... Not only is Kumud the object of Saras' affections, she is also a headstrong, even heroic, figure who thinks and acts far ahead of her family and her small-town circumstances; in other words, she is not a bimbo! Jennifer is a perfect fit for Kumud, and is definitely one of the best things about Saraswatichandra... Her immense acting talent is especially evident in the emotional high points of the show, and Jennifer has earned our love and respect many times over with faultless performances. She has brought intelligence, beauty and grace as well as an unique directness and a lively charm to her portrayal of Kumud. We cannot imagine anyone else playing Kumud, and that says it all!
The Talented Ensemble Cast
The extremely talented supporting cast is one of the unsung highlights of this show. Be it Yatin Karyekar who originally played Vidyachatur, Ragini Shah who's earned a special place in our hearts with her tour-de-force Dugba, Rajesh Zaveri who plays Kumud's irrepressible Dadaji, or Sai Ballal as the idealist politician who is also a dysfunctional parent, the formidable ensemble cast is a major ingredient in this show's heart-warming appeal. Ali Raza Namdar who took over the mantle of VC midway through the year has also left his mark, though with a less meaty role. While Lakshminandan Vyas may not win any prizes in the Best Dad stakes, Chetan Pandit definitely figures high up on our list of SC favourites... A very special mention to Anshul Trivedi who brought a zany edginess to Pramaad, kept us guessing if the black sheep was really turning into a good boy, and at all times held his own against Gautam and Jennifer. Varun Kapoor and Vinita Joshi both bring a special vim and cuteness to their roles of well-loved younger siblings. Aniruddh Singh's Sunny has not been seen for a few months now, but has left such an impact that most viewers would love to see him again!
The Dream Team
Arvind Babbal, Utkarsh Naithani & Saba Mumtaz were the Dream Team of director and writers who brought Mr. Bhansali's vision of Saraswatichandra to life on our TV screens. They captured our imaginations so completely that many of us haven't been able to escape the addiction that SC developed into. Come rain or shine, massacre of plot and character by their successors, nothing could fully break the spell this team cast on us in the first three months. Every scene was so beautifully crafted, and the story and screenplay shone with so much subtlety and thoughtfulness, that it's no wonder we fell in love with Saras and Kumud almost from Day One.
Chemistry in the Family!
Much has been said about the chemistry between Saras and Kumud; they may even have won an award or two for favourite Jodi, but what's also special is the palpable chemistry between them and other members of the Desai parivaar, especially the bond between Saras and his Mai, which has often reduced us to tears. Saras and Kumud also share many precious moments with Vidyachatur, and with Dadaji. Danny is Saras' little brother that he calls 'beta' and the two of them are so close they'd do anything to keep each other happy... Our connect with the "realness" of these relationships has been aided by some top-class writing and abetted by acting of a matching calibre.
A Visual Delight
The sets of Saraswatichandra are a treat for sore eyes, with large roomy interiors and that subtle earthy-ethnic style that is Mr.Bhansali's hallmark. This style is also carried into the costumes, and every aspect of decor, makeup and accessories for Kumud and other ladies of the Desai parivaar, each of whom has her own signature style of dressing. Lagging not far behind are the Desai men, especially Dadaji and Vidyachatur who wear Gujarati togs with elan. When the haveli was dressed up for Saras & Kumud's wedding, it looked like a palace, but without any trace of garishness.
Rarely has a title song captured so much of the soul of a show, and become such a sentimental favourite of so many viewers! "Rahe Na Kuch Bhi Darmiyaan..." will stay with us long after this show has ended (not that we want to think of that yet!) Thanks to Shreya Ghoshal and Javed Ali. Other music themes in the show have also been a pleasure to listen to, and an integral part of our Saraswatichandra experience.
Props - these are a few of our favourite things!
This show has been home to a most remarkable collection of creative props used to symbolise the love between Saras & Kumud, from the sketch that Kumud drew before she had even seen Saras, to the pearl that was the subject of many a lovers' tiff before he presented it to her on their wedding day in the most romantic way possible! - The golden kite that played a key role when Saras first saw Kumud's face, the misshapen matka he made when she was teaching him pottery, the smiley he drew on her palm to cheer her up at Pramaad's house, his mother's paayal that she wore when he was escorting her back to Pramaad's house - all of them were unique markers of twists and turns in this very special love story. Oops... how could we leave out Kumud's famous kamarband which lured sanyasi Saras all the way from Dubai to Ratnanagari? That charmed piece of jewellery became an embodiment of their "ehsaas", and of course "ehsaas" went on to acquire a life of its own as a magic word guaranteed to send every true-blue SC fan into fits of giggles.
And not the best...
Multi-tasking Vamp
Soni Singh played Kalika as well as anyone possibly could, but the character was fatally flawed at birth, with the writers choosing to place her as a scheming and thieving maid (cum mistress) in the Dharmadhikari household before unbelievably and incredibly elevating her to the scheming, thieving and gambling bahu of the Vyas family! In the absence of any other antagonist on the scene, Kalika worked overtime hatching silly plans that flopped spectacularly while we waited for someone to creatively put us out of our misery. Her garish costumes paired with the overdone makeup and mismatched lipstick did nothing to make her presence bearable!
Designer Sari Bhandar
Monica Bedi plays Gumaan, the hottest step-mom ever seen on Indian TV, and her OTTness did fetch her some fans who rated her a more effective vamp than Kalika, but sad to say, her saris notched up far more fans than her style of acting. Mrs. Lakshminandan Vyas has many things going for her, but Monica's histrionics is definitely not one of them... Perhaps the nakhras were written in for the ex-nachaniya character of Gumaan, but sometimes the result was unscripted comedy
Where did it go? I just don't know...
The Editing department has recently come in for a fair bit of criticism from viewers because we thought we could see someone riding roughshod over the most precious romantic scenes. It has also been puzzling to see the use of body doubles for the leads in fairly important scenes. For viewers who still see Saraswatichandra as the ultimate love story, skimping on the romance is one betrayal too far! (And no, we didn't take kindly to the signature music being used for anyone other than the leads. )
Off with his head!
Frequent chopping and changing of the writers sometimes left an uneasy feeling that we viewers knew more about the history of the show than those in charge?! Also short-termism lends itself to taking the easy way out of complex story situations - most recently illustrated by the accident that wipes away all of Lakshminandan's misdoings, and the sight of a repentant Saras when he is actually the wronged party! Tragically, the many cooks stirring this broth also made some of characters lose their original strong flavours, especially Vidyachatur and Guniyal.
Misuse of Krishna and Meera symbolism
The entire "Kusum's obsession with Saras" track was difficult enough to watch without attempts to draw invalid parallels to Meera's devotion for Krishna! That morpankh is not one of our favourite memories... Equally unpalatable was Saubhagyavati comparing her alcoholic son to Kanha!
Missing persons...
The writers in their wisdom have acquainted us with some lovely characters, only to then arbitrarily banish them from the show, leaving us a confused lot! Saras-Kumud's lively little sis Kumari, and Sunny who was Saras' utterly charming bachpan ka dost are dearly missed. Kumud's Cacofonix Kaka and his wife Chandrika Kaki also find their places on this list.
Saras in disguise
These were really bad jokes that the writers played on us!! It's one thing for an actor to meld into his role so well that viewers cannot distinguish between the two, and a completely different matter when the writers start attributing the actor's abilities to the character itself! Gautam Rode could brilliantly pull off both the loud Kartar Singh and the drag queen Chandri, but they were so not Saras...
Kumud's sasuraal-wala wardrobe
We never did figure out if those synthetic sarees and that infamous stranglehold necklace were just an accident, or if they held deeper messages about her "trophy bahu" status in the Dharmadhikari household. Needless to say, some of those outfits still feature in our SC gallery of nightmares!
that were power packed, yet gentle and elegant. Santhi brings for us memories of
the words that were simple yet had immense depth.
THE GHOSTS OF THE PAST !!
THE DAWN OF UTTARAYAN !! ❤️
SHAPING A FUTURE TOGETHER !!
AND THE RAIN DANCE !! 😳❤️
SHE DANCES WITH JOYOUS ABANDON
THE SUBLIME LOVE !!
THE GENDAA PHOOL NIGHT !! ❤️😳
THE KARVAA CHAUTH FAST !! 😳❤️
The journey that began so beautifully continued on paths that were rocky
the young lovers braved many a storm, mostly of their own creation...
The pictures took us back to the beginning that was enticing, enchanting and exciting...
And now, Nikki's sweet melodious voice, a song that is timeless, for a saga that has lived
many lifetimes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVCK3o1XUx4
[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=LVCK3o1XUx4[/YOUTUBE]
Twila's picture story will continue on subsequent pages...
For contest results that have kept us all on tenterhooks through the week
Please scroll down...
all the beautiful pictures are provided by ... Twila
For all the awesome posters credit goes to... -Pro-
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