The love stories that aren't.

There was a Hindi novel written by Devki Nandan Katri named Chandrakanta which was like an Indian version of Twilight albeit with a lot more complicated storyline. This initially starts off as a beautiful love story and then, at least the TV series got so distanced from the original theme that I was completely lost and entangled in its plot.

 

Now Sanjay Leela Bhansali is producing a TV series based on a Gujarati novel written by Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi from 1887 to 1902 and set in the 19th century India, titled Saraswatichandra. The novel starts off as a 'will be' love story and then as the poetically inclined have it, disaster strikes and the story turns on its head, suffice to know the lead male abandons everything including his love and wanders around aimlessly (mainly due to his step mom's schemes), and the lead lady marries another and when they evetually meet love blossoms again but she discovers that she has been widowed and being of the 19th century she forces him to marry her sister instead.

 

The result of having sat through all those episodes of Chandrakanta was just anguish Sunday after Sunday (how can 2 people who almost never meet continue to be in love?), mercifully the series was pulled off air due to the author's grandson accusing the team for not doing justice to the novel, exaggerating a lot and misrepresenting certain concepts (Directors doing a a script based direction should stick to the script and not let their fancies take wing even if the copyright laws are not applicable as it was in this case with the copyright expiry in 1964) and eventual financial loses. (what gave them the idea that they would get away with so much digression from the original theme of the love story that it promised to be at the beginning? or probably they just didn't get the TRP's rigged enough).

 

If I am reading this right, the viewers of Saraswatichandra will be going down exactly the same road as the viewers of Chandrakanta did. Am not predicting copyright violations, financial losses or rigged TRP's. I respect Sanjay Leela Bhansali's work too much for wishing those on him. But if anyone is watching Saraswatichandra for the love story that it promises to be, steel your will and run from it, because this story is another one of those doomed one's. If you don't believe me, do your own reading and pay attention next time Mr Bhansali's on screen and tells you that this is Saraswatichandra's love story and mark the words 'Adhuri daastan'. The serial is being shot a 100+ years after it was written so its possible that there is a happy ending to the melodrama but really is it worth sitting through all the pain over 2 years (at the very least) to see 2 episodes of togetherness of the lead pair at the very end? And also bear in mind that this comes from the same camp as Devdas, 1942-a love story, Hum dil de chuke sanam, Guzaarish, to just name a few. If you still want to know what the story is all about watch the 1960's Nutan starrer movie of the same name and be done with it in 3 hours.(Btw, this movie has the distinction of being the last B&W movie from the Bollywood stable) 

 

It's funny how I was paying tribute to Pride & Prejudice yesterday in another post for the simple, uncomplicated love story that it is and today I read the story and am opining on Saraswatichandra which is a complicated love story that will never be.