Whenever there is an overkill of any genre, makers sometimes end up missing the ball. Is something similar happening with new Colors supernatural show, Vish Ya Amrit Sitaara?
This Viacom 18 flagship channel has a new spooky double-header, with Tantra completing the proceedings.
Today, in an atmosphere of reduced attention spans, you can’t take so much time to weave a story. After nearly a week of the show going on air, we still don’t know what and why 4 vishkanyas (lead by Shilpa Sakhlani, Lavina Tandon, Falaq Naaz and Soni Singh), are being locked in a desolate part of a Rajasthan royal palace, where there is not even electricity (remember the nasty political debate on universal electrification?). But this makes creative sense, for fires add to the spooky element you see.
The real horror, which is always associated with Vishkanyas, has also not started yet.
The story is proceeding at a canter and not at a gallop, unlike other shows of the genre. Some might argue that ideally a story should be given time to find its feet and slow unravelling of all characters is the way forward. But in a game where you have to find viewers by week 3 or 4 max, before the channel presses the panic button, can this liberty really work?
On the positive side, the graphic part of how the rajguru lowers the mantra-inspired shield to prevent the vishkanya quartet from escaping was good. Here, we wish to ask one question – can someone look after 20 years in custody? Well, take a look at how all the four poison gals look. Not even a hair out of place.
On the outside, we have lead girl, Sitaara (Adaa Khan), who interestingly, is the daughter of Vrinda (Shilpa) and palace security chief, Kuldeep Bansal (Sandeep Baswana). This loving, caring dad had, 20 years ago, separated daughter and mother, before locking away the latter with her three sisters.
As it happens, Sitaara breaks her father’s order of staying away from the palace, and her mere entry in the grounds unfreezes Vrinda, who had been turned into stone for over 20 years. It also triggers a minor quake in the palace, alarming Raja Ratan Singh (Shakti Anand), who will surely have some sort of history with Vrinda and her sisters. To start off, Ratan seems a very nice family guy. The royal family also has other members to fill up the canvas.
Like all other heroines, Sitaara too becomes klutz, breaking an important gift that Ratan Singh’s son (Arhaan Behll) brought for his father on his return from Germany. Some kind of chemistry is surely brewing between Sitaara and the male lead; the security camera scene was fun.
Adaa is playing the role of a simple chirpy girl to the T, looking very beautiful in those traditional outfits. We are surely waiting for her transformation into a sizzling Vishkanya. Adaa’s last supernatural outing was the superhit Naagin and its sequel, so she very well knows what is needed.
The real drama will obviously begin when the vishkanyas get free and they start to wreak havoc. Poor Sitaara will then be caught between her inherited vishkanya instincts and her good-natured self.
Sandeep Baswana is a good actor, and he will be required to bring his skills to add emotional heft to the narrative when he might have to fight wife and possibly daughter (Sitaara might turn evil for a bit. We leave that head banging to the writer).
Arhaan will also have much to do in the good vs evil faceoff. Here, the line seems to be blurred for now.
Will Colors take the risk of having greyish characters on both sides of the divide? Normally, the writers have a clear brief to demarcate between both. They are hesitant to confuse the viewer about whom to cheer for.
So far, we have not seen much from Lavina, Falaq and Soni. But rest assured all their characters will eventually come to the fore. Having said that, nothing can be said for sure, as it will be ratings that will finally decide who gets the lion’s share of screen time.
Colors seems to be borrowing a leaf from the Naagin book and making the vishkanya look hot in sensuous outfits, for this will ensure a huge male audience as well.
In closing, we can safely say that the makers (Rashmi Sharma Telefilms) have the right matter for a gripping supernatural duel ahead. Will the viewer bite, remains the million dollar question.
We credit Vish Ya Amrit – Sitaara with 2.5 out of 5 stars.
