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Keeping it short

Life OK’s action-thriller, Pukaar : Call For The Hero is among the first limited episode series planned by the channel

Mumbai | November 21, 2014 01:00 AM IST

4 min read

Rannvijay Singh

By Karan Shah

With content on television changing with the blink-of-an-eye, channels and makers of television serials are constantly on the lookout for innovative subjects that will grab the audience’s attention. With most viewers preferring limited edition serials, with interesting twists and turns, or a series that boasts of several seasons, telecontent is poised at an interesting stage. Hence, catering to this growing breed of televiewers, Life OK has come up with the new bi-weekly action packed drama series titled Pukaar : Call For The Hero. The series also sees a comeback of two film personalities, Raj Babbar and film-maker Vipul Shah after a long hiatus. Starring Rannvijay Singh, Prashant Narayan, Adah Sharma, Kiran Karmarkar, Shubhangi Atre and Vipin Sharma, the series will be produced by Shah who will co-direct the show with actor turned director Deven Bhojani.
Bhojani mentioned, “It was basically Vipul’s idea. We generally see female protagonists in the forefront in daily soaps, but with Pukaar …we decided to have a male protagonist. There is a definite shift in televiewing audience, and many of them prefer to watch international shows like Breaking Bad. So in order to cater to this section we decided to mount our show on a grand scale and give television viewers a movie watching experience.”
Although the daily soaps are popular with certain section of the audience, series such as Mastechef, 24, Breaking Bad, House MD, Friends, Grey’s Anatomy and Castle are gaining popularity in India, with a viewership running into millions. “The way forward are these mini-series that have one season, then take a break before they come back with the second season. With male protagonist serials like Mahadev and Hatim becoming successful, we are optimistic that our show shall also become popular. We have produced a very realistic serial keeping the youth in mind,” says Bhojani.
The series also aims to stoke patriotic fervour amongst its viewers, as it narrates the story of a brave army man Major Rajveer Shergill (played by Singh) who loses his younger brother while holding fort at the border fighting the enemies. Unfortunately, he incurs his father’s (Raj Babbar) wrath who feels that Rajveer is responsible for his brother’s death. Dejected Rajveer goes away, only to return home on his father’s 60th birthday. However, misfortune strikes once again as his youngest brother is kidnapped by a notorious business tycoon (played by Prashant Narayan). Not wanting to take any chance, Rajveer embarks on a mission to bring his brother back. Throughout the series, Aarti (Adah Sharma), who reprises a reporter with the local newspaper, plays his childhood sweetheart, supporting him throughout the way.
“Pukaar… has been a great experience. It’s like shooting for a film. I have always been facing reporters, but now I will be on your side. Whenever I give an interview I try to imbibe the qualities of a reporter and that has certainly helped me for this role. The series has a lot of slick action along with romance, so it is great,” opines Sharma. The show is set to go on air from November 24, every Monday and Tuesday at 8.30 pm.