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Saath Nibhana Saathiya: Will Rashi mend her ways after the kidnapping incident?

By Almas Mirza

Saath Nibhana Saathiya has been on the top of the charts for quite some time now, not to forget the neck-to-neck competition it gave to Kaun Banega Crorepati.

Although the storyline might appear unrealistic, the audiences seem to enjoy the out of the away drama depicted by Rashi and Urmila and also the dictatorial control of Kokila over the Modi family. It's funny how she has a greater say in the family as compared to her jethani Hetal.

What is strikingly visible is that the females (especially Kokila) have an upper hand in the house, with the males hardly even speaking in important matters.

The current track shows that Rashi is actually kidnapped while she was trying to fool the Modis about her kidnapping incident and has landed herself in a soup. Her sister Gopi has come to her rescue standing up for her as always.

We hear she will be the one who will go to the kidnappers with the ransom money all alone, risking her life. However Aham follows her secretly to be her saviour in case she needs help. (We know Aham has developed a liking towards Gopi!)

Unfortunately she will meet with an accident at the place when a huge slab collapses over her, but Aham will be present to save her from the trouble. What remains to think about is , whether Rashi will come to a realisation and mend her ways after this incident. All the time she has been competing with Gopi and plotting against her to have an upper hand in the Modi family. But it is Gopi who has always stood by her, helped her, saved her, and this time she even risked her life for her.

After all, the repeated failure of Rashi's plots against naive Gopi is what the audience loves to watch (a classic example of victory of good over bad!). What will happen when Rashi loses her grey shades? Will the show still continue on the top?

Are you regretting what you did? Rashi replies vehemently, "Absolutely. I am feeling so bad about everything that I even tried to commit suicide. My life is in shambles and I just want to go back to the Modi family. I want to convince them that I realise what I did was terribly wrong and I will never repeat it."

How will you make amends?
"Say sorry, talk to them, and if that doesn't work, make a big drama and convince them. I am ready to resort to anything as long as it gets me their forgiveness."

You were never fond of Jigar so now why are you determined about patching up with him?
"I like Jigar a lot which is why I was trying to get him to stand on his own feet. He is a sweet guy and perhaps now I realise his value more than ever. He is my husband after all. I want to be with my family."

Is money important to you or have you realised the value of relationships?
"Well money is important but I now know that relationships come first."

Your mother has been instigating you to try various schemes and she has influenced you a lot. Do you think she is right in handling the situation her way?
"My mother has been my saviour many times. Though I realise sometimes that she is wrong, I feel she provides me the means to an end. She gets things done so I don't mind listening to her."

Do you have any plans in store to outsmart Koki?
"My only focus is to return to the Modi family. Koki and Gopi are further away from my mind. I want to return to the family fold."

Sleeper hits


Some shows promise little but deliver beyond expectations. Saath Nibhana Saathiya is one of the most unexpected successes of past one year. Launched in early 2010, it started on a low key but within six months it made it to the list of top five shows and subsequently went on to beat prime time star performers like Balika Vadhu, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Uttaran and Pavitra Rishta for the number one slot with 6 TVR in December last year.

Since then it has consistently ruled general entertainment space with rock-solid ratings. In week 50 - December 4 to 10 - it scaled a new high of 7.58 TVR, highest for a fiction show in 2011. So what makes a 7 pm saas-bahu show of kitchen politics rule over prime time shows? "It's the story, the characters and the drama woven around small, every day life incidents that has kept viewers hooked on to the show," says Saathiya producer Rashmi Sharma. She admits that Saathiya is a saas-bahu show. "It was always intended to be a massy show. But its story, backdrop and characters are highly relatable." she adds.

Jia Manek who plays Gopi doesn't deny that kitchen politics rules in the show. "But it's different from the regular saas-bahu shows. People wouldn't have tuned in had we followed the Kyunki and Kahani route," says Jia. Elaborating further, she states, "Whether in her maternal home or in her sasural, Gopi has always lived in obligation and been treated like a maid. So the sympathy factor is really working for the show as Saathiya is essentially a Cinderella story."

Another show that has scored on the charts is Diya Aur Bati Hum. It was launched at a time when the 8.30 to 10 pm band was hit badly by Kaun Banega Crorepati's aam aadmi wave. However, Diya Aur Baati Hum defied the trend and doubled its ratings from 1.8 to 4.21 in two months. Post-KBC it started doing even better. Currently it is the No.2 show in GEC space with 5-plus TVR. What explains the show's sudden success which deals with marriage between a sweet shop owner and a well-educated and career-oriented girl?

Producer Sumeet Mittal says one of the reasons is its two lead characters. "Sooraj is not educated enough but he is a dream husband any girl would fall for. On the other hand, Sandhya is an educated and cultured girl. It's a case of right characters in wrong situations. Apart from characters, the story itself is very interesting," he explains. Anas Rashid who plays Sooraj says Diya Aur Baati Hum is a realistic show. "The characters, situations and dialogues are real and there is nothing fake about it unlike other shows," he adds. Debutant Deepika Singh who plays Sandhya feels the show depicts small town life realistically. "Every character has a view point and there are no negative characters in the show," she adds. According to Anas, the high point of the show will come when Sandhya's true identity is revealed. "The family will be shocked to learn that she is a well-educated girl wanting to be a civil servant. So there is lot of drama and twists and turns on the cards as relationships will be redefined," he reveals. In other words, the trump cards are yet to be opened as the real story has not begun. Saathiya also followed the same formula.

While Saathiya continues to rock on the back of Gopi's plight, it is said to be an underdog and a freak success which doesn't command place of pride in Star Plus' 'Rishta wohi, soch nayi' brand promise. The channel loves its success but finds it difficult to acknowledge with pride. The show's unexpected success has foxed the industry so much so that most people, including the channel, cannot fathom any plausible reason. However, senior TV analyst and ex-programmer Sanjay Upadhyay is of the view that Saathiya may be a saa-bahu show but its story, making and characters are credible. "It is a massy show but it is well rooted and hence connects well with viewers," he says.

As for Diya Aur Baati Hum, at least the thought is progressive even if it deals with saas bahu issues. Producer Rajan Shahi credits the show's success to its makers Shashi and Sumeet Mittal. "They understand mass audience. The USP of the show is the makers' honesty and conviction. What works in a daily is strong characterisation and Diya Aur Baati Hum has that," he says.