Fresh and nice - Gustakh Dil

Gustakh Dil

Time: 7:30 pm on Life OK

Producer: Ravi Ojha, Mitali 

Director: Anshuman Kishore Singh

Cast: Sana Amin Sheikh, Vibhav Roy, Parvati Sehgal, Meghna Malik.

The story so far – The story had an interesting start with the day being the main lead Nikhil's (Vibhav Roy) birthday. Set in Delhi, the story is about a joint family of two brothers and their families who are shown to be filthy rich. Slowly they introduced the other characters in his house and we come to know the backstory as to why his birthday is not celebrated. Nikhil due to some mistake of his has lost his elder brother when they were both kids and his mother Barkha (Meghna Malik) has still not forgiven him for that. Since the death anniversary of her elder son is on the same day as Nikhil's birthday, Barkha never celebrates neither wishes Nikhil. Nikhil who is shown to be madly in love with his childhood sweetheart Ishaana decides to go to his native place Sonbarsa to be with his grandfather for couple of days and also introduce Ishaana to him. However, due to some reason Ishaana is unable to go along with him and his friends accompany him instead. 

Once they reach there, they meet Lajwanti aka Lajjo (Sana Amin Sheikh), a cute and gutsy village girl who has many interactions with Nikhil and his group of friends. We find out that the young girl is soon to get married and her family which is finding it trying to make both ends meet is now burdened with the dowry demands from Lajjo's would-be in-laws. Lajjo who is an intelligent girl and has studied till her 12th std is a favourite of everybody in the village and has a special place in the heart of Nikhil's grandfather and his bua (paternal aunt) too. However the bubbly girl is disheartened when she finds out about the demands and expectations of her in-laws. She even declares that she doesn't want to get married in such a family but as in the case of many girls in the village even her voice is silenced by the elders.

At the same time in Delhi, Nikhil's sister Ayesha is getting married and the entire family is busy with the preparations. Ishaana is shown to be a sweet girl who loves Nikhil a lot and is also a favorite with his family members too. She too comes from an affluent background and claims to know Nikhil much better than he knows himself! After staying away from him for some days now she is missing him and so is Nikhil who is trying to find a perfect gift for her. 

What works – 

The story though cliched if treated properly will definitely go further in impressing the audience. After a long time we have a real good looking couple on Television – Vibhav Roy who debuts on Indian Television is not only a good looking face but one who can act and emote too. He is good in the scenes where he is shown as a carefree Delhi lad, as well as in the romantic scenes with Ishaana and at the same time has tender looks to display when he is in an emotional turmoil due to his past and his mother's indifference towards him. Parvati Sehgal who plays Ishaana too stays true to her role but the one who comes across as a natural bundle of beauty and talent is Sana Amin Sheikh who takes over the scenes whether as the chirpy, chulbuli Lajjo or as the disturbed daughter of parents who think of girls as a burden on their head.

While the other cast too supports these main characters, a special mention to Meghna Malik. It's a smooth image makeover from the Ammaji of Na Aana Is Des Laado to the page 3 socialite Barkha for Meghna who maintains her no nonsense demeanor here too. Nikhil's group of buddies look apt and gel well in the story while putting up decent performances. 

The contrast of getting a daughter married from the perspective of both the families comes out clearly. The disparity of rich versus poor is visible when the rich are shown splurging for the wedding of their daughter (Nikhil's sister) whereas the poor (Lajjo's parents) are bending backwards trying to gather finance for the wedding.

In the first week of the show, the story was set in the village and the picturisation of the lush green fields with a backdrop of mountains to match was a visual treat for the viewers. The background music score as well as the songs in almost each episode were impressive and so was the title song 'Gustakh Dil' which is played in between the episode. The dialogues by Kamlesh Kunti Singh too have a rustic tone and are perfectly spoken by the actors too.

What doesn't work – 

Currently, nothing seems to be wrong with the show but however, going by the track of the show it seems to be going the age old way of a saas-bahu conflict coming up soon. The story of a love triangle is clichd enough and we can just see the future episodes. While Barkha (Meghna Malik) who is already shown negative will become the typical mother-in-law who will be upset with her only son getting married to a dehatan (village belle), and with the others in the family (like her mother, brother and daughter) too supporting her we just hope that Ishaana too doesn't do a turnaround and supports Barkha when she sees Nikhil return back with a wife in tow!

Our take – 

Debutant Vibhav with his fresh looks and acting abilities is sure to get a huge fan following. Sana with her beautiful looks and curly long hair left loose complements the good looking Vibhav and Parvati as the soft spoken Ishaana is the third angle of this love triangle. With a combination of good looks and talent the show has got of to a great start.

Due to the promos we all know that Nikhil will get married to Lajjo so in the upcoming week expect that to happen. Coming from the duo Mitali and Ravi Ojha, Gustakh Dil right from the unusual title itself looked promising with a new twist in the tale right from the beginning itself. What was touted as a love triangle is of course a love triangle but the other woman here is in fact the wife! After a week of watching the show, the episodes looked fresh too and the freshness came due to the shoot in beautiful natural outdoor locations. The story does keep you hooked and despite knowing that ultimately Lajjo will walk out of the marriage and get married to Nikhil who will keep on loving Ishaana as a viewer you will wait for the next episode. 

Seema Khot Mattoo