Monday, September 22, 2014

Gathering steam

I had said the Muslim social and simply the Muslim presence was on the up in our mass-y space and it turns out I was right.

Soon enough, the Zee TV umbrella began a new TV channel called Zindagi exclusively for content from Pakistan. So now, series Zindgai Gulzar Hai, Aunn Zara and Humsafar are finding new (very appreciative) audiences in India - which they thoroughly deserve.

Today, Sony TV begins a new story called Hamsafars with a Muslim heroine - it appears, on the face of it, to be a reprise of the cult hit Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. And on Sony's new channel Sony Pal, there is yet another soap set in Lucknow. Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne doesn't wear its milieu on its sleeve with an overt Urdu name and its ambience has a delicious Ganga-Jamuni flavour: this is a fairly satisfactory exploration of the society it's looking at.

It comes from the production house Sphere Origins, who have quite a reputation for bringing out quality content and the beginning was very impressive.

Mariam is a widow and her life now revolves around her young daughter and her endeavour is to give Najma the very best of opportunities. Easier said, because Younis miyan, her brother in law, resents providing for them. The rejection is many-layered. Mariam and Najma are discriminated against subtly. This is so far a lightly treated, interestingly-detailed soap with a well fleshed out support cast.

I was particularly delighted with their dedicated comedy track. Now this is an old fashioned device but is worth bringing back for many good reasons. Indian soaps always work under tough deadline conditions and the ‘fools’ serve to both pad content and leaven the grimness elsewhere. Besides, when one of them is a Lucknavi poet, what’s not to like!

But as this is the only soap that keeps me to a TV schedule these days, it deserves a more detailed review, which I will do soon, insha'allah.

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