Maayke Se Bandhi Dor

Then there is Bhaskar,who wants to marry only for the dowry his wife would bring along. He wants a working girl for a wife so that his future and that of his family’s (which has a harridan of a mother-in-law,a greedy older married sister who is perpetually stationed at her mother’s,a younger sister who is equally selfish,a son-in-law who hams to the hilt and has his own demands and a father who is as good as the furniture in the house) is secure as they lay claim to her ‘salary’. Unfortunately,he meets Avni,likes her job (she works for a construction company and his friend has advised him to not let go off this golden goose) and so despite knowing her conditions decides to marry her. They get engaged and now his family is making elaborate plans of squeezing out every single penny from the poor ladkiwalas. Meanwhile,girl is the sacrificial older sister we have seen in films like Jeevan Dhara,who has three younger siblings to look after and a mother. Father,we are told is dead though we are sure,there is a mystery waiting to unfold at the right moment.

Though the premise is interesting,given the treatment (it’s seriously the 80s style) and the way the story is progressing,we doubt if the channel will stick to its ‘soch nayi’ promise. I mean,it would be kickass if the girl comes to know her fiance’s true colours beforehand and has the courage to walk out of the mandap,it would be super if the mother instead of weeping buckets becomes the wind beneath her wings and let her daughters think beyond marriage and family. Alas,we will have to wait and see if Avni is able to be the exception than the rule (read brain dead leading girls in prime time enterprises). Just a suggestion,given the big family and the fact that Avni is the only earning member,why couldn’t they have given out their huge house with a courtyard etc on rent…after all,in Mumbai,everyone is looking out for decent accommodation.

Shweta Munshi as Avni is a decent actress and so is Rohit Khurana who plays her fiancé. Rohini Hattangady as the Shashikala-meets-Lalita-Pawar mother-in-law digs deep into her saas role while Anjan Srivastav as the meek father is endearing and we want to shake up Aishwarya Narkar,the helpless ladki ki maa. The person who gets our goat is Aanand Goradia as the son-in-law,he goes absolutely OTT and speaks in a weird Maharashtrian accent (so much for authenticity,I wish someone had guided him properly).

It’s time we had our female protagonists playing strong,real characters and Avni sticks to her heart and the promise she has made to herself and to the viewers.

Verdict: **1/2

Nice for those who enjoyed the ’70s ’80s style sau din saas ke type of films. As for others,you can only hope Avni to not walk the beaten path.