Gender Bender

What’s it about? In an era of remakes and rip-offs, Bhaskar Bharti fits in well. Reason: This too is inspired from a Hindi film — a forgettable movie called Mr Ya Miss. It’s the story of a boy named Bhaskar who is a serial dater. After being a womaniser for years and leading a rather happening life,he one day finds himself in a spot. One of his girlfriends has apparently cast a spell on him which has turned him into a woman named Bharti. How original is that? Well,this is just the start of yet another soap which will unveil the adventures of Bhaskar and Bharti,their tumultuous love lives,their office relationships and more.

Who’s in it? The protagonist is Ragini Khanna who plays Bharti. Eijaz Khan (Bhaskar) appeared in a blink and miss role in the first couple of episodes. Wonder if we will see more of him. Vivek Mushran of Saudagar fame makes a comeback of sorts on television. He plays the role of a crude boss who is forever baffled. Like other soaps,this one too has its set of evil elements played by Jai Kalra and Rukhsaar.

What’s hot? To start with,there are no self-sacrificing bahus and sobbing daughters over here. It is a young and fun story that involves a bunch of youngsters who live life on their own terms. The concept,although a rip off,is a first on Indian television. And this will definitely make it work at least for the first few weeks. The sets are refreshing to look at with colour being used abundantly,especially where the office scenes are shot. Aamir Ali,who looks like Bharti’s prospective love interest plays a subdued character,but makes his presence felt.

What’s not? Although termed as Eijaz Khan’s comeback vehicle,he was seen only in a couple of scenes in the serial. Guess,we will have to wait for his comeback again. The serial belongs to Ragini and she has done a brilliant job of over acting. Her desperate attempt to act like a man stuck in a woman’s body fails miserably. She is loud but not entertaining enough. The other characters in the serial are mostly newbies and as usual it’s hard to tell one from the other,at least based on their acting skills. Vivek Mushran continues his disorderly run even on the TV. He may have gained weight in the last few years,but lacks acting skills even today. With dialogues like “Aaj main tumhe sabak sikhata hoon” and “Bhagwan mere saath tune yeh kyun kiya” we don’t see the serial going any further. Someone,please get innovative.

Should you be watching it? If boredom rules your life and you have nothing to do then you can give this a shot. The rest,please stay away.