Close up: MDTA

After setting up its prime time band in order with varied family dramas, Zee TV has now shifted its attention to the afternoon band with the new daily soap Meri Doli Tere Angna. Screen visits the sets of the serial...
eri Doli Tere Angna which is set in a Punjabi family is about an orphan girl Simran raised by her uncle and aunt who settles down for an arranged marriage with Ruhaan. But on the day of marriage her husband reveals that he was in love with another girl. Though shocked she remains undeterred and decides to fight the shadow of her husband's past which keeps revisiting her relationship with Ruhaan. Thus starts Simran's journey of trials and tribulations that tests her inner strength and resilience to make her marriage work and win over her husband's love. Haven't you heard or seen this story before? Doesn't it sound similar to the show's actor-turned-producer Rahul Bhatt's debut serial Heena? "Maybe," says Priyamvada Sawant who plays the protagonist Simran in Meri Doli Tere Angna when you visit the serial's sets at Future Studios. "But how many original stories are there and how original can one get," she counter questions. No matter the apparent similarity Priyamvada says Meri Doli... is quite different and the relationship conflicts and problems are of a different nature. "It is how you treat and unfold a story that makes all the difference," says the young and dusky actress who may not be a well-known face on TV but has been around. She wanted to do modelling and was studying for her PG diploma is advertising four years ago when she did her first serial. "My first show was Chaunsat Panne for Zee. I was very raw then. Not that I am very good at acting now but I am learning and improving with every show," she admits. Her modelling dream did come true though. And while doing commercials for products like Horlicks, Lizol, Lifebuoy and Wheel Active, Priyamvada got serials like Bhabhi, Antariksh and Shaadi Street(yet to come on air). But her hunt continued for lead roles. She was selected to play the main lead in Parivaar on Zee. But she rejected the offer because she wasn't happy with the pay packet. "The role was good but the money was not decent enough," says Priyamvada who is happy with the deal she has got for Meri Doli. "I accepted this show because the role is very good and the money part has also been taken care off." Elaborating on her role she says Simran is a simple and subdued next-door-girl who reacts to the situations and problems in her own way and tries to sail through life's journey. "She goes with the flow and tries to comprehend what happens next and reacts to the situation accordingly," she explains.

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If life is not a dream journey for Simran, neither is it for Ruhaan, played by Gaurav Khanna. It's also his first lead role. The Kanpur boy who came to Mumbai for doing his MBA in marketing started doing TV commercials for what he calls "pocket money". "My father insisted that I complete my education before getting into acting," says Gaurav. "Education is very important because it teaches you to be responsible in life and adapt to different situations easily." He even worked for a year in an IT firm. But since ads and ramp shows were happening simultaneously he didn't say no to acting in serials. "I got to play a young and flamboyant character in Siddhant which was produced by BAG Films," says Gaurav who loves watching comedy serials and films besides painting. "TV is one thing I can't live without," he laughs. He also can't live without acting. Since Siddhant was a good experience he didn't say no to a role in Bhabhi. Having done one project with BAG Film, which also produces Kumkum, it was not difficult to get a call from the production house for another project. Thus he landed a role in Kumkum's second-generation characters where he plays Kumkum's and Sumeet's youngest son Sharman. Though he says Sharman is a hit character with viewers, there is nothing like playing the lead in a serial. If Sharman is street-smart, mischievious and bit irresponsible, Ruhaan of Meri Doli is a serious, straightforward and a no-nonsense boy who is torn between his past and present. "Though he is calm and composed he is always in a dilemma because he clings on to his past. His past includes a former love as well as few other things," says Gaurav who wouldn't reveal anything more about the character and story. If Ruhaan lives in the past, so also Suhana who is Gaurav's past love but returns to give him all sorts of problems and refuses to go away from his life. "Suhana is an ordinary girl who was in love with Ruhaan but disappeared from his life, only to return and get inter-connected in his life again," says Mansi Deshmukh who plays Suhana. "There is some mystery to the character. Though the role is not negative, the character has varied shades." Meri Doli... is Rahul Bhatt's concept. "The story will revolve around the three main characters but there are some interesting supporting characters as well. After all, a daily can't work without an ensemble of characters that are woven well into the story," says the actor-turned-television-producer. Though Rahul began his acting career on television he finds television acting monotonous. "I have had enough of it. As an actor I am concentrating on films but I am also mesmerized by production. So I would like to create concepts and produce them for television," he adds. In fact, according to Rahul, the very concept of producer has changed. He is no more the man who arranges money and delivers episodes to channel. "Today the producer is a creative person who sits over story narration, script meetings, and development of plotlines and characters," he elaborates on his responsibilities as producer. And that is because the television scene has changed. "Weeklies had their own charm but dailies are in demand. Weeklies are special and leisurely, dailies are like everyday life, fast and demanding. You have to keep a disaster management strategy in place to meet any emergency. They are not only a huge responsibility but a big challenge too," he concludes.