Visiting 'Kurukshetra'
Chaya Unnikrishnan
Posted online: Friday, February 11, 2005 at 0000 hours IST
Krishna appears in his divine self in this afternoon soap. But the rest of the characters and the story has nothing to do with God. Intriguing, isn't it? Saarrthi aired on STAR Plus is a regular family drama with emotions, relationships, the works and yet it is different... It's a pleasant afternoon as we drive to MBC studios in Powai, a Mumbai suburb. A huge set for Saarrthi has been erected on the first floor. A lavish hall with two sofa sets, chairs and a table has been created. In the centre is a big idol of Krishna and a small temple has been built around it. As we enter the set, we see a young boy praying and a pretty girl beside him wants to know exactly what he is wishing for. "Bhagwan se jo mangte hai woh nahi batate samjhi," the boy reprimands and leaves... That's a promo being shot for Saarrthi aired on STAR Plus. The promo is only of a 30 second duration but the scene is being shot for over two hours. "It has to be perfect," informs the EP on the show. As the shooting is on, we speak to the producer Asit Modi who has attempted a family drama for the first time. Known for comedies like Hum Sab Ek Hai, Meri Biwi Wonderful and Yeh Duniya Hai Rangeen, Modi was forced to move from his favourite genre as "comedies were on the wane. Channels too were preferring serious sagas." Around that time Rajesh Joshi had quit Balaji Telefilms. Modi decided to approach Joshi and produce a family soap. "Since I have always been innovative I wanted to do something novel," informs Modi. "Indians love mythology combined with family drama. I was looking for some story which was based on mythology," he adds. Rajesh Joshi had directed a play Karmadhin written by Prakash Kapadia which was a family saga with a difference. It was a contemporary story set against the backdrop of Mahabharat. A tried and tested formula, anything based on Mahabharat has always been a hit. Modi decided that it was the right subject to be televised and approached STAR Plus. "On hearing the story, they approved and even slotted it," beams Modi who has hitherto been a regular on Sony. Aired at 2.30 pm on every week day, Saarrthi is currently getting a TRP of 3-3.5. "It may not be very great but looking at the time-slot - it's fourth in the series of daily soaps starting with Kumkum - it's not bad. You have to understand that by the time Saarrthi comes, the viewer is fatigued. Despite that, the soap is garnering 3 + which is commendable," reasons the producer. | | < = src="http://banners.expressindia.com/banner/screenfullstory.js"> < = src="http://banners.expressindia.com/adsnew/adjs.php?para=no&n=777982458&what=zone:443&target=_blank&exclude=," =text/> | Saarrthi is a modern-day Mahabharat in a corporate boardroom with Lord Krishna playing the lovable character he is known to be. It is a story of two brothers in conflict and their families, one who is very righteous (dharma), while the other is the wrongdoer (adharma). The story is a reflection of the new social norms, issues that the generation of today face. All the characters of the serial represent the present generation except Lord Krishna who is present amongst the characters in his divine self, but unknown to them. Hemraj Goenka, is one of the leading business tycoons of the country who lives in the Heritage House with his son Mansen and his family. The battle is between Mansen Goenka and his step brother Siddhartha Goenka, who is Hemraj's son from his first marriage. Mansen believes that Siddhartha and his family are the illegal descendants of Hemraj and hates them. But when Hemraj announces that only if both the families live under one roof will he give equal share of his property to his sons, Mansen is forced to invite Siddhartha and family to stay with them at the Heritage House that becomes a Kurukshetra. The battle then continues to ensue between Siddhartha's and Mansen's sons. It's a battle between hero Arjun and the main antagonist Yuvraj. Draupadi, in this serial, has been portrayed by different women - Bhumika, Manasvi and Shefali - each representing one facet of the multi-faceted Draupadi. To make it visually appealing, the producer has incorporated a Rajasthani touch. Marwaris are known to wear lively colours, so the sarees and salwar-kameezes here are bright maroon, rust and green. Even the jewellery is traditional. Says Mansi Prabhu who's playing the role of Manasvi, "My ornaments are minimal. You won't see me wearing chunky jewellery in a scene where someone's sick or dying." The furniture too is a fusion of the traditional and contemporary. In fact, the house looks like a modern haveli. Besides the house, Modi has set up three bedrooms in the complex so that the shooting goes on simultaneously. Though this is Modi's first attempt at a daily, he has learnt the tricks very fast. "The pace is hectic but now I have got used to it," he informs. The one thing that stands out on the sets of Saarrthi is that nobody is allowed to eat or smoke in the premises. So far, even non-vegetarian food was restricted. "But now since some of the artistes prefer it I have started letting them bring that," he says. Mansi is impressed with this approach as it gives a very "homely feeling on the sets." As far as the roles go, Dharmesh Vyas is playing a negative character for the first time in his 12-year-long career. "Initially, I was cast as Yudhisthir but the writer and director said that since I have always done positive roles, it would be interesting if I did a negative role, that of Shakuni," reveals Vyas. His convincing performance has already made Kushal Das a very popular character amongst the noon viewers. "When I enter the stage to perform a play, the audience starts mouthing my dialogue, kanhaiya bachaye sabko..." beams the actor. He, however believes that Shakuni is not really a negative character. "It's just that he was so possessive about his brother and nephews that he wanted to protect them at any cost," he says. In the soap, he is the only one who's dressed traditionally in dhoti kurta. "My attire was decided by the channel," he informs. To make his character more authentic, the actor has adapted Rajasthani lingo in his dialogue. Interestingly, his character is such that he doesn't speak a word in the presence of the family members. He just absorbs the goings-on and comes up with a plan in isolation. His ideas are executed by his nephew Mansen played by Nawab Shah. Shah who has already played the villain in a couple of films including Escape From Taliban and Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon, believes that he is the one who's creating all the conflict in the soap. He, however doesn't look at his role in the context of Mahabharat. "Mansen is a business tycoon who has his own dreams. He sees them shattering when he is forced to bring his soutela bhai's family in his house. That's when he vows to destroy them," he offers. Shah is so fond of his character that he says it fits him like the proverbial hand-in-glove. For Karan Grover and Neha who are playing the protagonists of a serial for the first time, it's a fabulous role. Says Karan who signifies Arjun, "The role is so good, that for me to consider any other offer it has to be equally good if not better." Neha who was earlier seen in a westernised role in Shh...Koi Hai was intrigued by her character-graph in the soap. She changes from an innocent lively, chirpy girl to a mature woman who learns what love and sacrifice is all about. "Personally too, I am growing as an actress," says the pretty girl who clothes herself traditionally in the family drama. Rajesh Shringarpure who plays Krishna found it challenging to play a role where even small gestures matter a lot. "I have to be divine and ethical because the role relates to God. Even if one gesture is not upright it will be critical," he explains. Before going on the set and donning the avatar of Krishna, Rajesh tries and makes his mind as pure as possible. He feels the role has been quite enlightening because he has to speak to the sub-consicous of the various characters. So far, Saarrthi has completed over 50 episodes on air and the producer is confident that as the story progresses more viewers will tune into the soap. Recently, when the Ambani brothers were on the verge of splitting their business empire, comparisions were drawn with the happenings in Saarrthi. Whether it was a publicity stunt or a mere co-incidence, it served to promote the daily soap. Modi, however has the final word when he says, "You cannot pinpoint one story since Saarrthi has many layers. It has all typical family emotions and relationships, it's the presentation that's new." Whether the viewers agree with it, is something that only Krishna will know... Saarrthi has a multi-layered story
He is best known as the man who scripted Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas. Prakash Kapadia who has also written the screenplay of Amitabh-Rani starrer Black is the brain behind STAR Plus afternoon soap Saarrthi. A tete-a-tete with the writer... The idea of Saarrthi is unique? How did you conceive it?
I had written a play called Karmadhin way back in 1986 during my college days. It was a one-act play which celebrated the aspect that Lord Krishna is omnipresent. Set against the backdrop of Mahabharat, I tried to show that there were discrepancies in his behaviour despite being a God. That's because as Krishna he was also human. We highlighted those incidents and tried to explain the larger perspective behind his deeds. The play which was staged at competitions was a super-duper hit winning prizes all over. Were you influenced by Sanjeev Kumar's film Yehi Hai Zindagi?
No. I was inspired by Rajesh Khanna's dialogue in Anand where he says hum sab uski katputliyaan hai. Then there was this visual which I had seen in Iskon, that of Krishna and apsaras. I felt that the apsaras were symbolic of people whose strings are in the hands of Lord Krishna. Krishna drove Arjun's chariot but the strings he was holding were connected to each and every character of Mahabharat. That set me thinking and I wrote Karmadhin. In the serial Krishna is acting only as a sutradhar...
That was a slight change we had to make, keeping in mind the demands of the medium. Television requires drama to hold the interest of the viewers. It follows a typical formula of a family tree, new generations and new drama. So, I created a large family of suited booted characters keeping Mahabharat as the backdrop. 5000 years ago Mahabharat took place over a property fight between brothers and even today the scenario has remianed the same. Only the characters have changed. Initially, Krishna is playing only a narrator who compares the current goings-on to some incident that happened in Mahabharat. As the story progresses, I plan to involve him in the family matters and create an interaction between him and one of the characters. Recently, we introduced Keshav in the daily soap who represents the modern day Krishna. Will you be creating a meeting point between the two?
Eventually, that's the idea. But there's time. See Saarrthi has a multi-layered story. It's not the typical saas bahu drama and yet you will find all the characters that we have in real life. There are emotions, relationships and sentiments. The serial's hook is Krishna appearing and comparing situations. It creates a interest in the viewer. Will he solve the problems faced by the family?
We will try and do that. The whole idea of the soap is to evoke a feeling of positivity. You need to create conflict to create drama. But there shouldn't be too much of negativity. As Krishna had said, one can patiently tolerate bad deeds till they count upto 99. But once it crosses 100 it's time to react. And that's what our Krishna will do. Can you tell us which characters of the soap are symbolic of the Mahabharat characters?
Dharmesh Vyas who plays Kushal Das represents Shakuni. Mansen is Dhritirashtra who cannot accept the fact that he has to share the property with his step-brothers, Arjun is Arjun, sincere and hardworking, Keshav is Krishna who will guide and help him, Manasvi is Draupadi trying to keep the family together and so on. As the story progresses, viewers themselves will be able to unravel the symbolism. Are you actively involved in the soap?
Not really. I have given a brief outline of the story to the screenplay writer, Rajesh Joshi. He and I have been together for a long time. In fact, he's the one who directed Karmadhin. We have a perfect tuning. I have roughly worked upon the first 100-150 episodes. If I feel that some character deserves to be developed more, I convey my idea and Rajesh incorporates it. It works fine. But if you ask me whether I go on the sets and get involved in the day-to-day happenings, I don't. That's because first I was busy writing Black and now I am scripting Ravi Chopra's new film. | | | | | < = src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> < =1.1 src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/ads?client=ca-indianexpress_js&dt=1119622902859&lmt=1119622902&num_ads=2&output=js&adtest=off&channel=screen_india&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.screenindia.com%2Ffullstory.php%3Fcontent_id%3D9863&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fcustom%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DISO-8859-1%26cof%3DAWFID%253Ad5f22b07da0229d1%253BL%253Ahttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.expressindia.com%252Fgrfx%252Fei.gif%253BLH%253A88%253BLW%253A314%253BBGC%253Awhite%253BT%253A%2523000000%253BLC%253A%25230000ff%253BVLC%253A%2523858585%253BALC%253A%2523ffc0cb%253BGALT%253A%2523008000%253BGFNT%253A%2523800080%253BGIMP%253A%2523ff0000%253BDIV%253A%25230000ff%253BLBGC%253Awhite%253BAH%253Aleft%253B%26domains%3Dexpressindia.com%253Bindian-express.com%253Bfinancialexpress.com%253Bscreenindia.com%26biw%3D1003%26q%3Dsaarrthi%26btnG%3DSearch%26sitesearch%3Dscreenindia.com&cc=419&u_h=768&u_w=1024&u_ah=734&u_aw=1024&u_cd=32&u_tz=60&u_his=13&u_java=true"> Ads By Google Discount Products
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