Zindagi Gulzar Hai |
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Cable television soon relegated
Doordarshan to a dusty corner too and along with it went the age of meaningful
Indian serials like Udaan and Fauji. A decade of disappointment later, I wrote
off daily soaps altogether as mindless tales of convoluted family politics which
did not deserve my time. Sadly, even the ones that started out with their heart
in the right place (Baalika Vadhu etc.) inadvertently spiralled down the beaten
path in search of TRPs. The fast emerging off-beat branch of Hindi cinema
seemed to suit my sensibilities better and so I stuck to it. Films like Highway,
Queen, Maqbool and Gangs of Wasseypur caught my attention and soon I almost forgot
that channels like Star Plus, Zee TV and Colours even existed. Meanwhile, the
absurdity of what was being dished out in the name of television dramas in the
subcontinent reached new heights with each passing year.
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A few weeks back, while exploring the
virtual alleys and by-lanes of YouTube, I accidentally stumbled upon a
Pakistani drama called ‘Zindagi Gulzaar
Hai’. On a sudden nostalgic whim I watched the first episode and was instantly
hooked. Within days I devoured the entire 26-episode series and was hungry for
more. Upon hunting I unearthed other gems like Durr-e-Shahwar, Behadd-A
short film, Kankar etc. What was riveting about these stories was how
they drew generously from real life, almost mimicking it perfectly. In
contrast, their inane Indian counterparts often fail at feigning to be
even powder puffed doppelgängers of commonplace lives. Blending everyday
banalities with appropriate doses of drama can result in an extraordinary
representation of life as-is and this is exactly what these shows prove. The
casualness of dining table banter between a close knit family in Zindagi
Gulzaar Hai (ZGH) or the biting awkwardness of a newly-wed bride in Durr-e-Shahwar
or the trials and tribulations of a single, working mother in Behadd are not
far removed from our own experiences.
Durr-e-Shahwar |
The characters are just as relatable
because they are not slotted callously in black and white boxes. No one is pure
evil like the infamous Kamolika from
the show ‘Kasauti Zindagi Ki’ and no one is 100 percent angelic like Tulsi from yet another Ekta
Kapoor venture ‘Kyunki Saas...’. Instead,
every role is a concoction of good, bad and ugly shades which are conspicuously
fanned out in front of the audience. Some of these shades are possibly more pronounced than others but then doesn’t this hold
true for real people as well? For instance, Zaroon from ZGH may at first glance
look like the most eligible bachelor owing to his Adonis-like looks,
substantial grey matter and a deep pocketed family. Unravel him further and you
find a troubled man who isn’t easy to live with - thanks to a stubborn male
chauvinistic streak. Kashaf (again from ZGH), on the other hand, comes across
as a bitter young woman who scorns the affluent. But secretly, she almost
envies them and wishes the chasm between her and them was not as wide.
These stories are of people who seem
to be battling the same dilemmas as us. Kashaf’s insecurities about her
lack-lustre wardrobe and plain Jane looks and her undeterred determination to tip the scales of life in her own favour with the help of her razor-sharp intellect and stellar grades - are all easy to believe emotions.
Masooma’s (Behadd) acute sense of responsibility towards her daughter, which
frequently borders on obsession especially after her husband’s death, speaks to
us in words we understand. Shahwar’s slow and painful metamorphoses from a
cosseted, over-indulged, soft hearted damsel into a woman who is worldly-wise, parsimonious
and inured is perhaps one that many have gone through themselves. What’s more,
these characters even look like us as opposed to the overly made up,
caricature-like actors that Balaji Telefilms and the likes have been parading
in front of us since time immemorial.
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Coupled with dialogues delivered
flawlessly in honey sweet Urdu, melodious soundtracks and stunning
performances, these dramas are a complete package. From the looks of it, that day isn't too far when these offerings from across the border will pose as serious competition
to the queen bee of Indian daily soaps - Ekta Kapoor - and her repertoire of far-fetched,
never ending sagas!