It is often said that India lives in two different lands. How true… for at a time when we talk of progressive and realistic content in films and web, yet over the top and high drama continues to pervade TV for the moment. Here, we can’t really blame the creators for recent attempts to change TV grammar have come a cropper.
Star Plus’ latest drama Ikyawann is classic TV. The potboiler vengeance seeking sequence featuring village lady Leela (Kavita Vaid) over her daughter’s (Kiran-Komal Dhillon) misfire conjugal prospect is macabre personified.
Leela’s intention to kill the lady who has conceived a child from Mehul (Priyank Tatariya), who, due to the development, declines marriage with Kiran, triggers a vicious aura of hatred.
Gladly, the child lives and grows to become a tomboy, Sushil. Since no female is left alive the job of raising Sushil falls to the men of the family i.e. grandfather, father and two uncles. They learn by trial and error, the scene where Mehul leaves the infant girl in a auto tugs at your heart.
Sportsgirl Prachi Tehlan, as the protagonist, is performing with gusto, her body language is quite apt of an under confident and clueless girl. The scenes between father and daughter are beautiful.
On the other side, Leela’s grandson Satya (Namish Taneja) is having run in with Susheel and soon love will strike. Namish’s character is yet to open up, we bet he will stand up to his grandmother. We will not be surprised if Kiran regains health and again has her designs on Mehul. Satya’s cousin Vishnu is a character etched to bring in some emotional relief.
The rural Gujarat setting complete with camels and sand dunes makes for great cinematography. The creatives have worked hard to replicate Gujarati culture in terms of lingo, dressing and mannerisms.
The setting of the show is clearly massy and hence all device which talks to mass audience have been employed, this might not wash with urban audiences who have different tastes. This is not to say hwho is right or wrong, for each has his or her own flavor.
Leela’s behavior adds to full anti-women trend which is common on TV.
Ikyawann has all the elements of drama, loud characters, over the top screenplay (Leela trying to pick mangoes) and constant friction. Hope it fires for Star which of late has fallen on the GRP sweepstakes.
We would rate it 3 out of 5 stars.