Rahul Sharma, whose latest &TV show, Mitegi Lakshmanrekha, will shut shop at the end of the month, does not feel that anything really went wrong with this Shashi Sumeet Mittal Production.
“It was a good show. It is unfortunate that the channel did not give more time to its sensitive, rape- survivor subject. Such message-driven concepts need some leeway before gaining traction.” The show had gone on air only on 29th May, 2018.
“Further, our super-competitive 9.30 time slot put us up against biggies like Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Kundali Bhagya, which certainly worked against us.”
“I am sure, had we been given a couple of more months, we would have really come into our own, justifying the real theme of the show i.e. a woman fighting back. By the time the real drama opened up, it was too late, for the plug had already been pulled. This lack of trust in a good product does rankle a bit.”
Point out that one reason for the show not working could be the late opening of the rape angle, to which he replies, “No; we did it by the 25th episode, which was not late. Also, given the traumatic nature of the theme, lighter and relationship elements had to be added to the narrative, to make it more palatable to the end viewer. Last but not the least, we also had to show how she had overcome this three year old, ghastly sexual assault and got back to life.”
“It is sad that today, ratings alone decide a show’s fate, for we were doing well creatively. There were no complaints about the story; whoever was watching the show loved it. Acting wise too, things were going on even keel,” says Rahul, who was first noticed with Ek Ghar Banaunga.
In closing, Rahul says, “Irrespective of the ratings, I would still regard Mitegi Lakshmanrekha as one of my better performances, which let me do different stuff. This pro-woman royal character was poles apart from my Kaal Bhairav Rahasya lead, who was investigating his brother’s disappearance.”
