Flashback--FlashForward--Article

Flashback.. flash forward Marriages are made on celluloid Bidaai.. Vivah Fair girl moves in with wheat-complexioned mamaji, dusky mami and duskier (and much prettier) cousin. Mami can't stand her. So far, so Sooraj Barjatya. In fact, Alok Nath plays the ready-to-burst-into-khushi-ke-aansoon mamaji in both. But the other sister in Vivah was a perky teenager still years away from shaadi-sasuraal, while Bidaai's dusky Ragini is coming to terms with being spurned for the third time. That's another story.. another movie. Does Truth About Cats and Dogs ring a bell? OUR TAKE: No one is called Prem or Suman or Poonam. No one simpers so much that you want to tear your hair out. And thankfully, no one offers "Jal.." QUOTE MARTIAL: I have no qualms in admitting that the initial story of Bidaai was sparked off by Vivah. We even feature a 'Thanks' note to the Barjatyas at the start of every episode. But there have been instances of films being inspired by soaps too. (Rajan Shahi, producer) Sour nimboodas Jeevan Saathi.. Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam True, the soap is basically about inter-caste love and honouring fam- ily tradition. But there's no mistak- ing the distinct influence of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's vibrant love sto- ry. Sprawling mansion.. musically inclined family .. bitchy aunt.. chirpy nayika.. hero from abroad.. lovers' first meeting under a shaky chandelier.. flighty dupattas.. even Vikram Gokhale as stern guru.. Checkmate! OUR TAKE: But no one can recreate the Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai chemistry . QUOTE MARTIAL: I wasn't inspired by the storyline but yes the scale of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam did impress me. Most love stories are similar.. it's the presentation which is daunting. (Hemal Thakker, producer) At gunpoint Waaris.. Sarkar.. The Godfather.. The unsmiling patriarch with Gand- hi-style glasses and dhoti-kurta.. Trigger-happy elder son.. sadly smil- ing mother.. disillusioned bahu.. clean-as-a-slate second son. It all adds up to a mix of the Francis Ford Coppola classic and Ram Gopal Varma's version of the classic. OUR TAKE: The mother doesn't have much of a say but at least she does- n't serve chutney during mealtimes like Supriya Pathak did. The eld- er son (guess Sonny Corloene is the hardest character to adapt) is much more likeable than the slimy Kay Kay Menon in Sarkar. Second son, however, is a far cry from Al Paci- no or even Abhishek Bachchan in the intimidation department. QUOTE MARTIAL: The initial charac- terisation is along the lines of The Godfather. The rest of the story isn't. (Iqbal Khan, actor) If only.. Raja ki Aayegi Baraat.. Maid in Manhattan.. Pretty Woman Girl with tight plaits arrives in a mahal and is cheated into becoming the maid. Sobbing sessions over, she decides to sing her woes away. The prince is in raptures. Maid dresses up in royal robes and goes off on a royal drive with him. That's the Maid in Manhattan twist. Prince loves her even when he realises she is only a bai. Makeover time. Maid is insulted by boutique owners.. until prince escorts her back himself. Alas, this sequence was nowhere like Julia Roberts' gleeful trial session in Pretty Woman. OUR TAKE: There's a conniving step- mum and a fierce dad.. this one's a pucca fairy tale. Thankfully, the maid doesn't turn out to be of royal descent. But now that they're going to be married.. what's the next obstacle? Saas-bahu drama? QUOTE MARTIAL: I have not watched Pretty Woman and Maid in Manhat- tan so being inspired by those films was out of the question. (Rashmi Sharma, producer) For the love of Darcy Humaari Betiyon ka Vivah.. Bride and Prejudice.. Pride and Prejudice.. Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon Pushy mum who never lets go of any young boy. Her life's purpose: her daughters' shaadi. But before you can say, "Mr Darcy ," there's a twist. 'Dashing' Raj arrives to woo daughter No 2. Woo- ing and cooing over, another strap- ping man arrives on the scene.. Raj again. Turns out he was 'the' Raj who was supposed to marry No 2. Mum's in a fix. Just like the horror that was Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon. Except that daughter says her 'I do' to Raj No 2. Raj No 1 marries her sister. OUR TAKE: Himani Shivpuri is loud, pushy mum again.. at least she doesn't have the Karzzzz puff. QUOTE MARTIAL:Vivah is nothing like Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon.. in fact, it's more like Pardes. I don't deny we've taken some elements from films but name one show on TV which hasn't. Our focus is the mum. (Siddharth Malhotra, producer) You're on TV Remote Control.. The Truman Show A middle-class household which doesn't even have a TV. A channel down in the dumps. A new boss who wants to cash in on the reality show boom. Cameras and bugs planted all over the middle-class household without their knowledge. Chaos! OUR TAKE: The Truman Show was a one-man show after all. This daily claims to have fooled an entire fam- ily of four. Hard to buy. But it's a Hats Off Production, so the guffaws and heart-tugging bits are in place. QUOTE MARTIAL: When the writer, came to me with the story , I told him that it sounds like The Truman Show. I was shocked that he hadn't seen the film. I advised him not to watch it because it would only create confusion. (JD Majethia, producer) Sssaas-bahu-sssaap Naaginn.. Waadon ki Agnipariksha.. Nagina Snake-woman's mother was mur- dered before her very eyes. Beti swore revenge. Blue-eyed now, she went in pursuit of the villains. Only , to fall in love with a real, non- writhing man. Soon, it was ghar-gri- hasti time for Mrs Snake. She made occasional visits to an Oda Mae'ish soothsayer (remember Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost?). Turns out her saas was involved in the naag-mata's murder. And therein lies the similarity between Sridevi's Nagina and Sayantani Ghosh's Naaginn. OUR TAKE: And you thought only bahus had problems. QUOTE MARTIAL: I don't deny that Naagin is inspired but not from the film. I had once watched a news item on India TV , Naagin ka badla, and it made me sit up. A two-three- hour film can only provide content for four to five episodes. How can it inspire a TV show? (Aroona Irani, producer) (With inputs by Bidisha Singha) First look mein love Mohe Rang De.. 1942 A Love Story This daily was initially full of khadi, Simon-go-back slogans and angrezi babus. Brit-bred Indian boy ran into a girl during a riot. Her face was hid- den in a black dupatta. He pulled it off.. and was bewitched. Ek ladki ko dekha didn't follow however. Boy got into girl's bad books. She married an old drunkard who kicked the bucket. Now, boy and girl have just got mar- ried.. Kutumb style. Hey , but that was a soap too! OUR TAKE: It's lost sight of the original track.. not an uncommon fate for most hatke soaps on the tube. Still, it's sad! QUOTE MARTIAL: Mohe Rang De is not inspired by 1942 A Love Story. The only similarity is that it's set in the pre-independence era. (Sunjoy Wadhwa, producer)