Review: Sahara One's Ghar Aaja Pardesi

Indian television is evolving. There was a time when viewers wanted to see demure traditional heroines on TV sans Westernisation. However it seems that the trend has changed now and viewers like to see female protagonists having an East-West blend. Ghar Aaja Pardesi (Sai Baba Telefilms) on Sahara One aims at merging the two poles of Westernisation and traditional Indianisation. Bhavani Shankar Mishra (essayed by Vikram Gokhale) is a staunch, traditional Indian patriarch with values, who has disowned his rebel son Raghav (essayed by Mahesh Thakur). Raghav and his rockstar daughter Rudrani (essayed by Sapna Pabbi) live in London. Rudrani doesn’t even want to make herself a cup of tea. Raghav’s first wife Sajni Raghav Mishra (essayed by Anita Kulkarni) and his daughter Devika (essayed by Ruchi Savarn) live in the traditional Varanasi haveli where they are bound by the strict rules and regulations of the Mishra household. Devika is engaged. It is evident that the demure and soft spoken Devika and the outgoing and outspoken Rudrani will meet in the near future. As the story progresses, Rudrani will learn Indian values whereas in Devika’s life a new window will be opened to Western culture. The plot of Ghar Aaja Pardesi is not brand new. In fact the concept of Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke, currently running on Zee TV is somewhat similar in the sense that the city bred Gunjan (who is exposed to Western culture) is imbibing small town values (Indian values). Her cousin Rachna on the contrary is being exposed to how urban girls of her age think. Both these shows are also set in Varanasi. Despite this similarity, the delineation of Ghar Aaja Pardesi is original, sweet and simple. The title also aptly captures the central theme of an NRI’s homecoming to his dear motherland. The quaint, historical and holy city of Varanasi has been portrayed with finesse. The outdoor shots capture the heart of the city with its ghats, boat way tracks, cycle rickshaws and bazaars. India as shown in the show is in reality bifurcated into conservative and modern India. Those who are shackled in the stifling norms of tradition and are yearning to break free will be able to identify with the members of the Mishra household. For instance it is still the norm in traditional families of India to give the eldest granddaughter the maximum amount of jewellery thereby ignoring the younger siblings; to ban Facebook and Twitter at home; to disallow any interaction whatsoever between betrothed partners and to confine the women of the household to the kitchen. Albeit all the oppressive rules of the Mishra household, the viewers look up to Bhavani Shankar Mishra with respect. He is after all a highly respected gentleman in Varanasi and abides by strong ethics and principles. Veteran actor Vikram Gokhale executes the role of Bhavani Shankar Mishra with perfection right from the intonation of the dialogues to minute facial expressions, beautifully elucidating his inner thoughts and feelings. We hope that a fun element will be added to the show when a Westernised Rudrani finds herself in the very Indian Mishra household. It will be interesting to see how the two sisters Devika and Rudrani who have polar opposite personalities interact. It will be nice to see Devika, a gifted singer who is only allowed to sing within the four walls of her house become a professional singer like her sister. More so, it will be interesting to see both the sisters doing a jugal bandi. Maybe Rudrani can infuse classical Indian elements into her music whereas Devika may learn rock vocals. It however upset us to see Sajni pining for her husband who has deserted her. Maybe later a track will unfold justifying the actions of her husband Raghav. However it is true that traditional women like Sajni often just can’t move on in their personal lives. We hope that she won’t be too quick to forgive her husband after she hears that he remarried and has a daughter from his second marriage. The costumes of the characters are demarcated into modern and traditional as per the characterisation. The interiors of the Mishra haveli are in sync with that of an old fashioned Indian household whereas Rudrani’s London home sports a chic look. To sum it up Ghar Aaja Pardesi has started off well. Despite being set in a joint family it fortunately has no family drama and saas bahu conflicts till now. With the emphasis on Bhavani Shankar Mishra’s character it is a welcome sign that male protagonists are finally gaining prominence on Indian television.