First Take on Star Plus' 'Jeet'

Years ago, Campus on Zee TV, a show on the lives of college students had won over the hearts of the audience. The show was refreshing solely because it portrayed the lives of students - their bravado, idiosyncrasies, foolhardiness and their struggle through the adolescent years.

After a long lull, on 10 October, another college-based hour long weekly Jeet launches on Star Plus in the 9:30 pm slot.

While Jeet takes us through life in a college, the channel claims that its treatment is a trifle different. Campus stories have always been identified with students' lives, college politics, rave parties, influx of drugs and booze in the campus among other things. But this serial takes a peek into the lives of the professors. Finally, somebody has realised professors are humans too!

The show is a breather - at least it digresses from the saas-bahu plots that Star seems to have an overdose of right now.

Jeet is the story of a bunch of conservative teachers, declining college values and one professor Vikram Mall (Ankur Nayyar), with eccentric views who tries to change it. It is also the story of the young English Literature teacher Janaki Sehgal (Aparnaa Tilak) and her strife to run her family after her father's death. Finally, it is the story of this couple, who are destined to fall in love.

While Jeet conforms to the usual formula of undying love, strong principles and struggle to excel, the channel has to be commended for taking a chance with a deviant theme of campus issues, nevertheless.

The serial starts with a couple of in-your-face shots, as this stylish, boyish proffy Mall, walks into a campus, with a bag slung across his right shoulder. At the same time, teachers of the college - including the principal Dr Venugopal (Arun Govil), the social studies teacher (Mrinal Kulkarni), vice principal Dr Rekhari and English teacher Sehgal - are fervently discussing the students' behaviour. It seems they have gone a bit out of control.

Even as they are thinking of ways to control the students, a fire alarm goes off, causing pandemonium in the campus. All the kids rush out of their respective classrooms, only to realize there is no fire - that it was just another prank played by some students.

Principal Venugopal rushes out and reprimands the students in a grave tone. He asks the erring kids to see him in his office and admit their mistake, lest the entire college be punished. Saying so, he walks off in a huff.

Is that the way to handle adolescent brats? Of course not, and our hero Mall, who was hiding behind a bush and eavesdropping all the while, knows better. So, Mall turns into a private detective and spies around the college common rooms to find the real culprits - two boys and one girl. When he does, he enters their classroom, locks the door and sets the teacher's desk on fire. He threatens them till the three kids confess. So here's introducing "Mall, Vikram Mall", as the maverick professor keeps referring to himself.

The next few scenes unravel various aspects of Mall - one learns that he is the college's alumnus, who has returned after having a successful career elsewhere, and there are hints of certain tragic incidents in his life.

The characters in the show are stereotypes. Mall is the hero, the clean-shaven, dashing, mischievous yet polite gentleman, who has rebellious methods of taming the students. English teacher Sehgal is the heroine - she is goodhearted but misunderstands Mall and therefore acts haughty. Dr Rekhari is the conformist vice principal who hates Mall for his dynamism. As for Venugopal, he is the fair principal, who always has the best intentions for his students.

As for the sets, the campus, the college premises as well as the classrooms are squeaky clean. Not one bench seems to be scratched, not one window pane cracked! Now that seems highly improbable - may be that's why the staff throws a tantrum when Mall sets a bench on fire and in another incidents breaks the pane of the science lab to save a student from committing suicide.

The acting is mediocre but floats through, thanks to the unconventional storyline. Pawan Malhotra as a conniving vice principal is rather convincing, Nayyar as Mall tries hard to put up the fresh and untouched-by-politics act; Tilak plays her part, looking rude at one time and unsure at the others and Mrinal Kulkarni is pleasing as the understated, practical Social Studies teacher. Govil does his usual Ram act as the maryada-purush principal.

To sum it up, the Shristi Arya and Goldie Behl-produced Jeet has its downs, but it has its ups too. While a major down is obviously the stereotypical characters with no dimensions whatsoever, the ups include the plot itself which seems rather unusual and the freshness of the entire serial.