Come one come all, lets tell you how this is going to go down...go ahead comment and die, but I aint gonna come back to reply...take it like a man.
DISCLAIMER: I know its hard at times, but reading skills assist in comprehension skills!!!
READ FIRST TO UNDERSTAND SO YOU CAN THEN FIND IT EASY TO REPLY!
How far has the concepts on desitv today have changed if you compare it to before?
There used to be really good content before but gone are the days when the importance was given to content, because of ratings the industry has lost integrity towards the story.
Content is manipulated by the "publics response of the week" due to this some shows become more popular than the good ones.
Popularity of a show doesn't mean that it is a good show. There are those producers who try to bring strong concept based shows.
But with channel interference, pulling rank and commercialism, they are getting lost in the crowd or conforming to peer pressure.
Note: Ekta Matha's hold on Star's shares today is a very nice pressure to conform to!
Content is King and if only Indian TV had the vision to understand the concept of The Writers Room.
Typical story structures have three Acts
Act 1: Set-Up - introduces the characters and also sets up the key dramatic question
Act 2: Call to Action - where actions take place around the key dramatic question. And usually there has to be one big confrontation between all primary participants
Act 3: Climax - the resolution of aforementioned dramatic question
We've been smack dab in the middle of Act 2
Act 1 would be longer, Act 1 established that Arjun has revenge on his mind; He had lost Nandhini the 1 thing that was most dear to him, he was also an orphan, so he was painfully alone...
And now we come to a key player in the story, Sam, everything that is revealed about her is that she is very much her own person, a girl who lives life on her own terms. She has thoughts, sentiments, a family and an altogether different life and personality. A quirky girl who gets along with all. Yet, there is possibly her bruised heart, the loss of her brother has hurt her immensely, the exile from her mother's heart crushing her, leaving her vulnerable where some unexplained pull makes her take that step towards Arjun. Yes she feels a pull towards him but she always pushes him away.
Then we get Radhika, remarkably insightful when it comes to Arjun, she just doesn't trust him, she understands that he is broken in the inside and lonely.
But she does not know what his reasons are for setting out to hurt Sam and in her eyes Sam doesn't deserve getting hurt by him or anyone for that matter (see PPT satyanash) and she continues being the obstacle in his way.
She desires, more than being independent, being the protector of her friend Sam. Radhika is very much the ideal friend, in that she is a BELIEVER - well-wisher, if you really mean it, you will get all your desires.
All characters switch sides as more information becomes available. And all of this new information results in actions that add further layers to this story, likely to make it more complicated than simplifying it. Because, lets face it, for this to be a truly rewarding experience for the viewer Samaira had to start trusting Arjun.
But then something happens again and causes everything to implode. Arjuns khulaasa, almost having Sam within his reach again but this time honestly, yet this distanced her from him again.
The final act of course resolves this issue. It not just give Radhika's faith in Sam meaning, it also gives Arjun the final redemptive freedom from a guilt that he has harboured for years and most importantly, be a triumph of Arjun's love for Sam. They have unfinished business and out of mere courtesy, she will hear him out.
If Sam and Radhika = Friendship in Act 1 and if Arjun and Radhika = Romance in Act 3 - then we have basically achieved nothing. So by Act 3 if Sam and Arjun is not established as the jodi with their own ORIGINAL BGMs et al, then it is not even a story. Even bad stories require a transformation; characters have to travel from one point to another.
And the most important of all: Content is king, and the most powerful story here is Sam and Arjun's past connection, that have layers unravelling every time you think 1 issue gets solved another crops up, it definitely overshadowed the small town girl making it big storyline.
It was beyond a bonus that Arjun and Samaira have incredible chemistry. The kind that is made of popular, iconic on-screen couples. The kind that gets etched into your mind and heart and is so hard to get rid of. The heart-wrenching, beautiful kind that makes you repeat-watch again and again.
Also its quite sad that you actually made yourself believe that Kashmira is the 2nd lead, SP chose not to focus on Sam because this was touted as such a modern tale with no deluge of saas-bahu rhona drona... due to the fact that the crux of the content revolved around the edifice of Samaira Khanna... the rest of these characters orbit around her...
I REMEMBER BRAINSTORMING WITH A COLLEAGUE OVER THIS..."Arjun had only ever thought of Sam and revenge against her, every story is connected and established through Sam, the touted independence of Radhika is catalysed by the very 1st scene where we get introduced to Sam 1st rather than the supposed main lead "Uh Miss Sehgal did hit the nail on the head when she stated that "it does give the feel as though it's the main lead" the story revolves around Sam, her family and her families company, Arjun wants revenge from Sam, his past is connected to her, Neil is Sam's BFF, Radhika is thrown into the mix coz she met Sam in Hrishikesh otherwise how would she have gotten any chance whatsoever to work at Birdsong, she would be still planning her wedding to Saral as we speak...
...yet this story has no substance if Sam walks away and leaves the path open for Arjun and Radhika's happily ever after, unless SP wants to shut shop so soon ie. OH WAIT THAT'S HAPPENING NOW! but wait for it...
Star Plus was hesitant of showcasing Sam as the liberated girl. Because! desi sanskaari type girls are still shown like damsels in distress! And society's ideas about women are still pretty backwards and sexist!
What is the definition of a liberated woman?
Liberation is often judged with attire and external attributes of a woman.
It's a very simple rule to life in today's world. For the rich, money buys everything. Literally. For the poor, you've got nothing but your honesty.
Sam is definitely a dignified woman. She felt insulted when Arjun demanded a date in exchange for the flat.
She has kept quiet so far because she still feels that she does not consider herself worthy of love.
Throughout the drama Sam has never disgraced herself.
Sam comes from an affluent family and is shown as free spirited, independent, she is not a snob but down-to-earth and understanding.
Isnt it so unfair that it is always shown that the rich are selfish, mean-minded and don't care about their family. While the poor girl is holier than thou, is of such good character only because of the way she dresses and is submissive/subservient, the Abla Nari types who makes the best wives. It's very annoying. MMZ just gave us a fresh view with this abla nari turning vampish all in the name of friendship!!!
And if you are going to crib about "their" BGM, why don't you ever pay attention ... "khwahishon pe likhi"
If everybody actually watched from the very first episode, this shows arc would make some sense.
at least 5 times "these creatives" gave you a hint...
This song is about self-discovery and understanding, the minute each character realises the truth about whatever it is that's troubling them
The 1st time EVER the song played was on Sam during the aftermath with her mother, when she was walking away from her
The 2nd time was during Radhika's dilemma about her engagement to Saral and discovering herself
The 3rd time was when Arjun realised that Sam is just an innocent bystander and is he actually doing the right thing
The 4th time Arjun acknowledges the animosity between Radhika and him and he will admit that her words have made an impact on his psyche, where he is rethinking his revenge strategy and his desire to hurt Sam.
The 5th time it's a realisation song again, when Radhika thinks of the way to ask Saral to let her go to Sam's engagement, it worked, she got to go nah
Its all in the details...
An important aspect is that we had seen quite a bit of the story from Arjuns's point of view, and that he has gotten a good amount of screen time... and the mystery surrounding his true identity had become a main plot point.
Some shows are made to be deliberately enticing to shippers, but for the most part, besides the establishment of SamArj, the rest of the relationships in this story were merely "heavily" suggested. This could be seen as a bit of cowardice to the writers, but a sympathetic view is it allows them to please many potential fans without alienating anyone else. It's what keeps the unwanted afloat, assures plenty of fun and allows for plotline flexibility.
On the other hand, this show already had established a pair who are more overtly paired off, usually two people the other characters admire and try their hardest to keep apart.
They might never have kissed even though intimacy is shared between them on screen or even flirt with other characters, but it's understood by the cast that the two are an item.
A lot of fans are rooting for this couple to get together. A lot. Way more than they are for any conceivable alternative. And it is not happening.
Writers and directors get a lot of demands made of them. Not only is there Executive Meddling, but once a show develops an audience, the fans will probably have their own ideas of what they want to see.
And sometimes the writer gets sick of it.
Writer Revolt happens when the writer gets sick of the demands being made of them, and subverts them. They might start their attack by sinking ships. But go too far and fans will stop supporting a show that attacks them, and that's the end of the writers' jobs. And sometimes this is what they wanted all along.
The writers were quite actually clever at the start of the Lonavala track with their intention of keeping SamArj apart very early in the game by putting other elements in their way and providing tension, they gave us a taste of SamArj, and then they just whet the appetite...
Combination of the TRP being inaccurate, twist in tracks not being good, rushed, and indecisiveness - but also majorly because the Indian audience didn't accept the show's urban setting even though it relates to their lifestyle; they still can't relate to it.
Thereafter, these poor writers just conformed to Fan Pressure and sunk their OWN ship!
And now Channel and PH have no other choice but concede defeat, Arjun & Radhika illicit no feeling of 'OMG they can be an epic romance' they just khana without masala, only food colouring...no sizzle, only fizzle.
yes! Sour Grapes will never agree!!!
She is old enough to see behind her but young enough to feel her soul. As the story progressed and Kashmira Irani as Samaira Khanna outperformed everyone, she established herself as the defining star of the show.
I have to congratulate Star Plus on the choice of Shilpa Agnihotri and her role as Nandhini in Manmarzian, I truly love her negative character, she is a pleasure to watch, not only is she stunningly beautiful, but her meethi choori act is so convincing that I can't help but root for her to win these little battles.
I have no further words to say about Shilpa Agnihotri, Kashmira Irani, Aham Sharma, Kavita Ghai, Mohan Kapur and Shravan Reddy, other than the fact that their acting talent is superlative.
Udne Ki Aasha
O Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera
Haven For Her
Anupamaa
