Of love and laughter

Beyond the formula

Indian television serials have always followed a pattern. Be it saas-bahu soaps or a shows dealing with a social issues, their storyline has always revolved around a central problem that the characters face, which might be financial or personal. And if there isn’t any problem the family has to deal with, there is the classic element of disagreements between family members leading to arguments and fights. If that does not work, be ready for the sudden demise of a character or an accident, which will definitely infuse gloom and unhappiness into the happy family setting. After all, a family showcased on Indian television can never be happy, can it?

It may sound strange, but right from the Hum Log days, Indian viewers have been treated to oodles of sadness  on TV and they have enjoyed it to the hilt. Apart from the odd Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai or Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, all hit serials have started and ended with conflicts.

Given such a scenario, there was no reason for Sasural Genda Phool to succeed. But despite all odds, the serial has the numero uno position in the prime time slot on Star Plus. But what is it all about? How did it reach the coveted position? Is the storyline really that different?

Sasural Genda Phool is the story of Suhana — a pampered daughter of a wealthy businessman. Realising that his  opulence and wealth may prove detrimental to his daughter’s life, he gets her married to a family far below them in the social ladder.

Naturally, Suhana has to undergo a lot of pain in order to adjust to the new family, where money and material comforts are limited. But the love that she gets from her in-laws more than makes up for everything and she slowly but steadily becomes the most loved person in the family.

Interestingly, this is the Hindi adaptation of an immensely popular Bengali serial on Star Jalsha titled Ogo Bodhu Sundori. Ravi Ojha, director and producer of the original Bengali serial decided to take a risk and adapt the original show into Hindi. One feels it is the lack of animosity that has made this serial such a big hit. There are arguments, there are differences of  opinion but that does not lead to vendetta. Minor fights here and there and that is the end of it. The storyline again concentrates on human relations in the family than a single conniving villain or vamp.

We were perhaps tired of watching mothers-in-law hatching plots against their daughters in-law and vice versa! That way a serial which is just about human relations, love and laughter is a welcome change. An analogy, though not completely accurate, may lie in comparing Sasural Genda Phool to Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies like Golmaal, Khubsoorat or even Jhooti. It is a pleasure to watch them even today — two decades after they were made.

Ragini Khanna, the leading lady of the serial, who plays Suhana is, however, cannot share the exact reason for the show’s success. “It is really difficult to pinpoint why Sasural Genda Phool is so successful. But I guess it is the simplicity and originality of the storyline that made the difference. Ravi Ojha needs to be praised for having the courage to adapt this from his Bengali serial Ogo Badhu Sundari.”

Did she see the original serial before starting to work on Sasural Genda Phool? “Well, I only watched some glimpses of it. I wanted to retain my own style and not be biased. But I did speak to Ritabhari Chakraborty, the actress who plays my character in the Bengali original, to find out how she prepared for the role and her thoughts on the character. That helped me a lot in portraying the role of Suhana,” says the pretty actress who also happens to be Govinda’s niece.

Ragini apparently had a tough time adapting to Suhana’s character after playing a ‘guy’s’ role in Bhaskar Bharti. “I was completely involved with Bhaskar Bharti so when it went off air all of a sudden, I was completely lost,” says the actress who feels the change in storyline and falling into the trap of following the soap success formula or sadness, worsened things for the show. “God forbid, if Sasural Genda Phool tries to do the same and imitates saas-bahu soaps, it might fail. People like this show because of its difference,” explains the pretty actress.