Life OK has now rechristened itself to a new channel called Star Bharat and this meant the introduction of a new lot of shows which come with the promise of freshness and novelty.
And amidst this lot, one of the most talked about and awaited shows has been the political drama, Saam Daam Dand Bhed.
With an alluring starcast and a fresh concept, the show was launched
with a bang and a few episodes down, I analyse the show's performance
and how will it hold in future.
The Story So Far
Set
in the backdrop of a village called Kaushalpur, we are introduced to a
brothel, where a drunk policeman wants to have sex with a young girl,
just because she is the daughter of a prostitute. The mother pleads and
begs, only to fail at the same. This act is followed by plotting the
policeman into a trap where the inspector would assume that he will have
his moment with the girl only to be fooled completely.
There couldn't have been a better way to introduce the one and only Vijay Namdhari (Bhanu Uday),
as the man is shown giving a piece of him to the characterless
Inspector, as he beats the hell out of him. A montage explains us how
Vijay, inspite of being an educated individual is unemployed which is
also courtesy, the corruption in the system. Now, he is an outlaw who
steals from the rich, but is a savior to the victimized common people.
Then
there is a different side to the man, when he is at home and is loved
by his nephew, niece, sister and sister-in-law. The only person Vijay is
petrified of, is his elder brother, Prabhath (Akshay Anand) as the latter considers him to be a careless man who doesn't take his responsibilities seriously.
After a lot of complicated situations, Vijay comes in contact with Mandira (Sonal Vengurlekar)
in the most unanticipated ways, where he learns that she is not the
quintessential docile girl who would bend down to patriarchy or
injustice. She has the answers to all the questions and tricks Vijay not
only once, but twice. Evidently, Vijay is now in love with her.
These
romantic and comical moments are nothing but fillers to the convoluted
saga of plotting, betrayal and dirty politics that the show has to
offer. The same is clarified when the Chief Minister of the state is
shown to be a corrupt, tyrannical and ruthless individual who asks his
cousin, Pankaj (Gireesh Sahdev) to kill Govind Babu, as he is the biggest barrier to their schemes and rule in Kaushalpur.
A good man who is living for the people, Govind isn't aware that he is being plotted against by the 'bad men.'
Govind
is finally killed with none other than the help of Vijay (who is
unknown to this whole plot and gets tricked by Pankaj, as he works for
him). This leaves Prabhat devastated owing to his friendship with Govind
and his concern for people's welfare.
The
game of politics gets bigger as after Govind's death, Vijay is
manipulated by Pankaj to make him help the latter in the upcoming
elections which has gotten Vijay to be ecstatic; while on the other
hand, a Guruji at an ashram asks Prabhat to contest for the elections as
he is now their only hope.
The
news about Vijay being Prabhat's brother finally reaches Pankaj which
makes him more anxious than ever, followed by Vijay's 'accident' on his
bike.
Will the loving brothers be unknowingly up against
each other? How will Vijay end up being a candidate himself? Only time
will tell.
What's Good?
The
Story. Yes! This is my umpteenth review and an array of good and bad
shows have come and gone. However, none of them has managed to have a
clear and crisp storyline in recent times, except Beyhadh (which also
had its loopholes). With Saam Daam Dand Bhed,
the story is what makes the show a must watch. As intricate as the plot
of the show is, the execution of the same is brilliantly done. It was
touted to be a political drama and it absolutely lives up to that tag.
Thank You Star Bharat for giving an aptly woven political drama, which Indian television hasn't seen for ages.
Again.
We come across every other show boasting of showcasing family values
and to an extent, it does too. However, things get cliched and over the
top after a point of time making the show a disappointment. With Saam
Daam.., that is not the case. Even though it presents family values and
bonds, the treatment is extremely subtle and a part of that credit goes
to the performers too.
The
cinematography is yet another positive, as albeit there is a commercial
touch with the slow-motion shots; they don't look forced and annoying.
Also, there is a chase sequence in the show, which is shot in low light.
But, even in the dark tones and shadows, the visuals don't become
unpleasant.
The
background score is spot on and caters to the different situations in
the show. And a special and deserved mention goes out to the title track
of the show as there is so much power and adrenaline rush in the track
which gets you pumped already (I am finding that song to be on my
playlist).
What's Not-So-Good?
This
is not entirely a negative point, but considering the show will cater
to Indian audiences, it comes to play. The ruthlessness, plotting and
cunning characters may become 'too much' for the viewers to handle. So,
this is more like a remark that needs to be noted (but not changed).
The
love angle between Vijay and Mandira is as filmy as it gets.
Fortunately, they have sketched Mandira's character to be an
unconventional girl, which makes it a good watch. However, the stalking,
the typical 'nok-jhok' moments make the angle a boring visual after a
point of time.
The Performances
We not only lack, but absolutely miss actors like Bhanu Uday
on Indian television. The man who has barely done 4-5 shows in the span
of 12 years couldn't have chosen a better show for a comeback of sorts.
The natural and free-flowing performance of the actor as Vijay is
absolutely splendid and he lifts up the character to newer heights
playing the protagonist. Not many know and wouldn't even guess it that
Bhanu is over 36 years old in real life, but his portrayal of 'young
guy' in the show makes you forget that completely. We couldn't have been
happier with the choice of Bhanu being Vijay Namdhari.
Sonal Vengurlekar
as Mandira is impressive and even though her face and body language
comes across as a sweet and tamed girl, her character is not that. What
makes her character even better is the mystery angle to it, where her
roommate tells that 'it is better to stay off Vijay and not fall for
him. Because, if that happens, he would be dead.'
Akshay Anand
as Prabhat acts the perfect relief and calming figure amidst all this
chaos. The show has several loud and negative characters in its essence,
but Akshay as Prabhat is not only a delight but his ability of
underplaying the character is phenomenal.
It's about time that an actor like Gireesh Sahdev
got to portray something that lives up to his potential. Playing the
leading bad man in this show, Gireesh is effortlessly ruthless, cunning
and even stylish as Pankaj Chaudhari, where he absolutely owns his
character.
It's
been a while that I have said this, but the supporting cast is equally
as good as the main cast; and at times, even better. The actor playing
the Chief Minister and his assistant, or the actress playing Vijay's
sister-in-law and Prabhat's wife deserve special mentions for fantastic
portrayal of their characters.
The Verdict
I
was enlightened with the fact how this show is loosely inspired from
the Netflix mega show, House Of Cards and just like anyone, I had my
doubts immediately. But, when it comes to showcasing the cold-blooded
nature of politics, in a mere five episodes, the show has lived up to
that convincingly. It's a delight to see an Indian television show
display such crisp writing and power-packed performances.
Saam Daam Dand Bhed
is a neatly woven, mysterious, callous and convoluted saga of the dirty
game of politics with the backdrop of an unconventional and unlikely
leader who will change the face of the system. The show is not only a
definite watch, but it also has several factors that other TV writers
could take lessons for, especially the union of commercialism and
content driven presentation. Kudos!
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