Baba Aiso Var Dhundo
Rating: **
We have seen female protagonists with ugly fringes, bottle glasses and buck teeth (Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin), dark- skinned girls waiting to be married off (Saat Phere, Bidaai), overweight girls (Mahii Way) constantly battling bulge and bitchy remarks and just when we thought TV producers have had their fill of tackling marriage problems of girls not endowed with attractive physical attributes, along comes Bharti, a dwarf or bauni as the cruel world calls her in Imagine’s latest, Baba Aiso Var Dhoondo.
Bharti belongs to a filthy rich family. The only child and the apple of her parents’ eyes, God has been unkind to her in giving her those extras inches. But she is a bright girl with a good academic record. She can sew and stitch, of course knows her pots from her pans and is a cultured, obedient, well-mannered girl. But then all her virtues notwithstanding, her height or the lack of it is the sore point when it comes to marriage.
The serial started with a ladki dekhne ka episode where a boy, his rude bhabhi and parents have come to see her. Bharti’s parents are busy showing off their wealth as they take them around the massive mansion, put up a spread of ghee-laden delicacies and even promise of giving “gold coins to all the baraatis”. The ladkewalas and the viewers are by now disgusted with the ostentatious display of money and are waiting impatiently to see the bride to be. Alas, when Bharti, a three-feet something appears before the ‘party’, all hell breaks loose as the bhabhi pokes fun at her little frame and advises her parents to put her into a circus!
But then there is hope too in the form of Murli, a poor bandwala, who Bharti’s parents see at her friend’s wedding. Murli saves Bharti from the incessant jibes of the guests and their humiliation giving her father a hope of getting her married to Murli!
While the show definitely scores with its novel idea of having a dwarf as a protagonist, we wish they had dealt with the issue more sensitively. It’s a bit irritating to see her father bending over backwards, trying to ‘sell’ her physical disability with promises of chaar-paanch factories, a mansion, lavish gifts etc. to whoever agreeing to marry her. Agreed, parents of children with physical disabilities (well, even parents of otherwise normal children do fret and worry) face the niggling problem of how to settle them down in our harsh society, but a little discretion could have taken the show a couple of notches higher.
Also, we would have loved to see Bharti as a confident, young girl than someone who weeps into her dupatta every time someone is unkind to her. There was no harm in showing her as a spunky little girl, who knows to face the world. Last but not the least, why should a girl’s worth be decided only in terms of her eligibility in the marriage market especially when she has so many other qualities going for her? So at the end of it, what could have been a tale of inspiration and hope for people facing similar problems like Bharti, what you get is bechare maa baap ki bechari beti fare! Sigh!
Juhi Aslam as Bharti makes a confident debut. Vikrant Massey as Murli, the young man who-will- respect-women-at-all-costs is a good choice. Ashita Dhawan as Murli’s greedy bhabhi is OTT. Shailesh Datar as the desperate bride’s father is good.
It’s just been a few episodes and we hope the show and the makers give us some good reason to continue watching the show. For how long can they ride on the novelty of a bauni lead girl?
Verdict: Watch it for Juhi.
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