Smile please

Who’s in it? The chief character Ammaji,evidently inspired by Balika Vadhu’s extremely popular Dadisa,is portrayed by Meghna Malik. While the looks she gives her enemy are indeed sinister,Malik’s demeanor is an out-and-out attempt to replicate the aura of Surekha Sikri,a natural at her Dadisa act,and hence seems overdone. You can see that she’s trying too hard. Sia,played by newbie Natasha Sharma,is average enough to make you glad that someone in the soap opera industry is attempting versatility. There are a couple of other characters in the background,like Ammaji’s two sons,brother-in-law,Sia’s ally in a villager,but none yet defined to stand out. The screenwriter is clearly waiting to gauge the response before he brings out his next Ace from this pack of myriad cards.

What’s hot? The thought that the television medium,which is able to reach to the interiors of our orthodox country,may be able to deliver the message of this show. The story,scripted in the form of a political thriller,like a Prakash Jha film,stands out.

What’s not? The dialect in Laado is similar to the one in Ballika Vadhu,a show based in Rajasthan. So one wonders how Haryanavis and Rajasthanis speak similar dialects. The outfits too seem somewhat similar. Another rather serious problem is that everyone on the show seems to be crying throughout and the only smile seen is the Joker’s evil grin that Ammaji lets out every now and then upon a victory.

Should you be watching it? If you can shut down your logical side of brain for half-hour and if you can cope with a tear-fest after an exhausting day at work.