OUT OF THE BOX --kasturi-article

Page

Mysticparadox

@MysticParadox

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 18 years ago

OUT OF THE BOX

Time warp trip

Rate-o-metre *Switch it off; ** Keep surfing; *** Until the break; **** Cosy up; ***** Get the fries

Piyush Roy

Kasturi
Monday - Thursday: 9.30 pm, Star Plus
Rate * 1/2
Who's in it? Veteran actors S M Zaheer and Rupa Ganguly, Nikhil Arya, Naman Shaw and newcomer Shubhangi Atre. The story so far: Kasturi hails from a middle-class business family in Delhi's Chandni Chowk, which is as traditional as regressive could permit. So the soap's drama thrives on plot twists like the family patriarch (Zaheer as dadaji) threatening to keep his granddaughter out of the house forever for daring to do what her dadi and mother never dreamt of, that is, get a job and a life. That's the take off track of this latest beti driven sob soap to hit telly space, adding to the spurt in moralising TV soaps out to correct gender imbalances in patriarchal north Indian family set-ups.

< = src="http://banners.expressindia.com/banner/eiintel.js"> < = src="http://banners.expressindia.com/adsnew/adjs.php?para=no&n=266782516&what=zone:470&target=_blank&exclude=," =text/> ord=Math.random(); ord=ord*10000000000000000000; doc ument.write(''); < = src="http://ad.in.doubleclick.net/adj/N3892.N3892.indianexpress/B2281297.3;sz=300x250;ord=889957164216179700?"> < src="http://m1.2mdn.net/879366/flashwrite_1_2.js"> dcmaxversion = 9 dcminversion = 6 Do On Error Resume Next plugin = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & dcmaxversion & ""))) If plugin = true Then Exit Do dcmaxversion = dcmaxversion - 1 Loop While dcmaxversion >= dcminversion

Kasturi comes as Balaji Telefilms' answer to the Betiyaans (Zee TV), Kaajals (Sony) and Paraya Dhans (Star Plus) of the world. She is as good and simple as the suffering good girls on soaps can be, has an understanding boyfriend (as of now) and the support of cheerfully predictable siblings. And while Kasturi's dithering pa oscillates between extreme emotions (no wonder he suffers from a heart ailment), there's the mandatory bunch of jealous relatives of the female ilk to add to the misery and episodes of her life story. Not discounting a villainous nerd of a boss (Arya) in fake designer attire and another embarrassment of an actor, supposedly playing a rock star, who contribute to Kasturi's professional miseries. What's hot? Rupa Ganguly who's an absolute natural, though we do miss the fire of her earlier TV innings (Ganadevta and Mahabharata). One can hope that her level-headed character geta to show some histrionics too and isn't relegated to being just another mother of the heroine prop. Kasturi's beau, Ekta Kapoor's latest blue-eyed boy Naman Shaw, is pleasant to watch. What's not? The story, its evolving twists and its lifeless lead actor. Atre as Kasturi is wooden enough to put an entire forest to shame. It's a pity to see an actor of Zaheer's calibre and struggling to remain loyal to the monotony of his dadaji act. The rest of the cast isn't worth anything. Should you be watching it? May be if you are desperately ganging for a time warp trip.