Papa's girl, is that you? Article

Papa's girl, is that you?
Kshama Rao
Posted online: Jul 15, 2010 at 1544 hrs



Zee TV's latest beti in Mera Naam Karegi Roshan is all set to take over age-old customs like only sons being given the right to perform the last rites of their parents
A dying father wishes in his will that his daughter should perform his last rites. Interestingly, he doesn't want either of his two sons to carry out their duties. And with this premise, Zee TV's newest baby, Mera Naam Karegi Roshan went on air on July 12. The show, jointly produced by Hats Off Productions (JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia) and Rahil Qaazi (who is also the writer and creative director), claims the latter is "neither preachy nor trying to pass any strong social message. Yes, it does look at the various traditions that people have been following over the years. Actually it's not written anywhere that only sons should perform the last rites of their parents, but we have been following this tradition over the ages."

There is an interesting story why Qaazi thought of this concept. Once, his mother told him that the house they live in belongs to him, prompting his sister to ask, 'What about me?' The mother replied that she had her sasural, to which the daughter said, 'No, that house belongs to my in-laws.' "It got me thinking. A girl who has grown up in a house can't call it her own and the house she is married into is not hers either, so where does she go? My mother clearly favours me and she makes no bones about it. Since childhood, she has loved me a little more than my sister and when I asked her why it is so, she says, 'I can't help it. It's the way I'm conditioned.'"

The makers had pencilled in Farooque Shaikh for the father's role, but since he had to go abroad for an international award, they roped in Vikram Gokhale. Also, since the serial was being shot in Ayodhya, Gokhale, who usually doesn't work beyond eight hours, was willing to shoot from 4 in the morning to late nights in 48-49 degrees. In keeping with his character, Gokhale says that he has never differentiated between his two daughters. "Women not only deliver babies but also fly aircrafts today. They have always been and are superior to men. Personally, I strongly believe that," says the veteran, who is addressed as 'Baba' on the sets. He adds, "What's wrong if a girl lights the funeral pyre of her dead parents? Isn't she part of the family she is born into? Is she any different from her brothers? She is a human being too."

The screen daughter, played by Sana Amin Sheikh, meanwhile feels that if some traditions have been followed over the years, "then there is no harm in letting them be. I might want to take on my father's name after marriage but I would do that without hurting any one's sentiments. But that's my personal opinion." Sana plays Reeth, a vulnerable, meek daughter of the family who has been pushed into certain situations purely because of her father's dying wish.

The makers cast Sana because she had to portray the role of a timid girl as compared to her tyrannical elder brother played by Yashpal Sharma. The theatre and film actor (Lagaan, Gangaajal, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan) didn't really want to do television "because a daily soap is like a factory, episodes chhapte rehte hain", but one look at the script and he was willing to make it his own. "I play an arrogant, aggressive, attitude- wala, raja type ka insaan. His ambition is to rule his father's world but simply can't till the old man is alive. He is not just dark but has a comic, humorous touch to him, especially when it comes to his relationship with his wife, Jasoda."

And last but not the least, the pretty Lubna Salim (last seen in Hats Off's Baa Bahoo Aur Baby as Leela bhabhi) is Jasoda, the negative older daughter-in-law, who is clad in gold "because she thinks gold is a better investment than diamonds. She's a Shah Rukh Khan fan, flaunts a gold-encased mobile-phone which remains snug in a pocket around her waist. She is hand-in-glove with her husband. They share a saucy, spicy chemistry. Yashpal and I have worked with each other in three plays, so it was easy."

Salim says it's been worth her while to play Jasoda "in 49 degrees temperature, in a month-long schedule in Ayodhya. I believe in this character completely. She is a vamp but not like the ones you see on TV today. It's a full-on masala character and I totally love that." Well, only time will tell if Mera Naam Karegi Roshan proves to be different from other television shows.

thanks like some of the views here especially the one with the home

great article...i like the fact that the father has a very close relationship with his daughter and is not sexist...that is so rare...