Review: Colors' Beintehaa

Rural plots - stories with very typical regional dialects, social issues, rustic characters so on and so forth!! Have we not seen enough of them? Yes, this is where Beintehaa, Colors newest offering seems different!! Farhan Salaruddin’s Fortune Productions (earlier produced Beendh Banoonga Ghodi Chadunga for Imagine) has finally managed to break the clichéd formula that Colors as a channel has had over the years when it comes to drama shows. So what is Beintehaa all about? A typical Muslim drama wherein quite a lot of prominence has been given to the chaste traditions and intricate details involved in Muslim culture. Though the broader outline to the story – that of marriage being an obligation, but takes to one defining moment where ‘love’ overpowers ‘hatred’ –is a tried and tested formula, the biggest plus to this concept is that the show has been set up with a Muslim backdrop, a scenario that many TV shows have not seen. The story is of Aaliya and Zain – played by newcomers Preetika Rao and Harshad Arora. Talking about the leads, Preetika is a ‘mirror image’ of her popular elder sister Amrita Rao. And with this casting in place, the makers have drawn an ace wherein viewers will definitely want to grab the first look of Preetika. Acting-wise, the girl looks to be proficient, but we do need to look at few of the other emotions that she will portray as the story goes along, to draw any conclusion. Aah, what do we say about Harshad - A good-looking young boy with an equally good physique. Though he has quite a lot to achieve when it comes to mastering the skills of acting, he is ‘hot’ indeed. The makers have again succeeded in establishing the machoness in the very first episode, wherein they got their hero to pose daringly from a helicopter, stand in a typical ‘Titanic’ pose, jump right into the water below and come out of it with his white see-through shirt completely wet!! Trust us, this scene in itself would have got the young lad a huge female fan-following, which will again work in the show’s favour. The owner of a chain of five-star hotels Usman, essayed by Naved Aslam is patient enough to bear the tantrums thrown by both his sons – while elder son Fahad fails to strike a balance between his two wives, the younger son Zain (Harshad) does not even think twice before lying to his father about his academic failure. Naved as the sophisticated yet cultured guy looks good in his character. Suchitra Pillai as his wife looks royal, but lacks the Indianness in her to fit into the role. Riva Bubber as Aaliya’s mother looks out of place. Rituraj as the father is a good actor no doubt, but had not much to do in the story plot as of now. The very first scene where the match-cuts to the authenticity of Bhopal and the richness of London are shown, make for good visual contrasts. The entries of the boy and the girl as part of this intercut sequence, though not the one-of-its kinds, was pacy enough to keep the viewers glued. The sets of Barkat Villa was grandeur personified and three cheers to the Set Designer (Vinod Bagh) here. The dialogues by Farhan Salaruddin needs special mention as they have been impactful so far. The best dialogue that we came across happens to be Usman’s – ‘Ek b?te ne ghar mein kohram macha rakhi hai, aur doosre ne duniya mein’. Costumes of the prime characters look ethnic and grand. Good job, Ritu Deora. The Art Director Akshay Vaydha has executed his thoughts well, but could have done a better job in the London sequences during the wedding, which were a bit over the top. On the whole, Beintehaa should work for its simplicity and realistic feel. As said earlier, the Muslim concept comes as a breath of fresh air amidst similar looking shows across GECs. Everything lies in the makers’ hands now, if the concept ahead is good enough to keep the audiences glued, guess they will have an ace up their sleeve. This is just the beginning. There is a long way to go. Keep it going, Team Beintehaa.