Girl on the Move

Rating: HHHHH

Can a girl who runs a home also run a country? Apparently she can. Meet wedding planner Nandini Pandey — Miss Two Goody Shoes,who lives by the book,is the perfect daughter,sister,worker and neighbour. She drives a hard bargain and is quite independent.

In Sony’s latest show Desh Ki Beti: Nandini,Kirti Nagpure makes an opening statement — running,helping,assisting,fighting,arguing and explaining. It is thereby established that she is potentially neta-material. Standing in the way of Nandini’s middle-class value system is Yuvraj Rajveer Raghuvanshi (Rafi Malik),the London-returned future leader of this country,scion of the “royal Raghuvanshi parivaar”,and who,quite like Ranbir Kapoor of Raajneeti,is reluctant to join politics. This is much to his mother,Gayatri Devi’s (Sujatha Sehgal) dismay. Nandini and Rajveer’s paths cross when she gets to plan events for his Progressive Republican Party,but not before rescuing him from his fans.

And then there are the “usual suspects”,the paraphernalia hovering around the leading two characters — Nandini’s family with mum-dad,brother and sister in tow,and Rajveer’s widowed mother,paternal grandmother,and married sister. And how can we miss the savvy political advisor,and the coterie of netas.

The problem with our daily soaps,unlike The West Wing or House of Cards,is that one can immediately spot the black,white and grey — which really drains the fun. Much before Desh Ki Beti… it was Sony that floored us with a riveting political drama,Mahayagya,one of Rohini Hattangadi’s finest performances. Compared to it,Desh Ki Beti… is still wallowing in safe waters,calling a spade a spade — inflation,skyrocketing food and petrol prices,pension scams,lack of infrastructure,rampant corruption,missing leadership — the show says it all in one episode.

One can also not ignore the resemblance between Rajveer’s late politician father to late Madhav Rao Scindia,or the Rajasthani royal linkage. That said,the show comes at a time when India is going through an internal crisis,and the aam aadmi is looking to give a vent to his frustration.

That reminds us,there is a Jan Kalyan Party in the show,too,for the aam aadmi. For a show that is being portrayed as a political drama,Desh Ki Beti… has been,till now,more of family drama. Still waiting for some nasty political scheming,plotting and maneuvers. Or better still,winds of change.

Jaskiran Kapoor