Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai' review: Fresh content, perfect casting!!

Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai' review: Fresh content, perfect casting

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Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai

& TV

Monday - Friday, 8 pm

With an ensemble cast of talented actors like Deepti Naval, Zarina Wahab and Pallavi Joshi acting in Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai, it was a show I was looking forward to. Having watched it for over a week I must say the show has all the makings of a winner. And Deepti and Zarina as well as Amrita Rao who is making her fiction TV debut have just made a fleeting appearance!

What is it about:

A story of rivalry between two sisters Ketaki and Kalyani who are accomplished singers. The show starts with everyone talking about how the sisters can't see eye to eye at a felicitation ceremony and after a glimpse of them (Deepti and Zarina), the show goes into flashback mode when their mother Devika is interviewed by a news channel. Set in a village Nagothane near Pune the show is about a lower middle class family that is struggling to make ends meet. Rajaram the head of the family is into classical music and owns a theatre Rangsangeet. He teaches singing to his two daughters whoa already show a lot of promise. Unfortunately, with commercialisation creeping in the form of filmi music, Rajaram finds it difficult to sustain his theatre group. Devika is a traditional housewife and is his pillar of strength. He has a cousin brother Anant (Sharad Phonkse) who initially tries to get him to sell his company in the wake of it suffering losses, but when he refuses is bent on destroying him.

What is hot:

The authentic detailing of the story that is set in rural Maharashtra in 1974 is a good place to start from. And, whatever I have seen so far the casting is bang-on. Since it is based in a Maharasthrian household, a lot of Marathi theatre and TV actors have been roped in, which makes for a good watch. Pallavi who returns to TV after a long gap owns Devika, both as the old woman and her younger version. Sweet and smiling despite all the hardships she faces, Pallavi makes Devika endearing. Aaji played by Suhita Thatte is somebody you will find in every household. A little temperamental, she is alternatively nice and a bit harsh to her daughter-in-law. At heart she is a good woman who knows the family is suffering because of her son's stubbornness to retain his theatre group despite the financial burden and tries to help in her own way. The daughters Ketaki and Kalyani played by Mehnaaz and Jannat are a delight to watch. The siblings are close but have their usual tiffs. They also have a brother Kanishka (cutely played by Ayaan Jain). Ketaki, the elder one is sensitive and mature for her age while Kalyani is playful but a little selfish. Both the girls have played their parts extremely well. Rajaram essayed by Bhanu Uday seemed a bit of a miscast and paled before Pallavi, but the last couple of episodes where he dressed as woman sings and dances to impress a music baron and save his theatre group was heart-rending. The gamut of expressions he shows - anger, vulnerability and determination to not show his family the pain he is going through when the baron dismisses him - was good. Anant Jog and Ponkshe playing the antagonists prove yet again what good acting is all about.

What is not:

So far so good. And if it continues at the same pace considering it is a finite series then no complaints.

Verdict: Definitely a refreshing change from the naagins and daayans who are ruling the roost. Plus, it's a realistic story with natural acting from majority of the cast and last, but not the least, music being the mainstay, an opportunity to hear some good retro music.

Rating: ***