Thursday, August 24, 2006

The Great Indian Rip-off (cont)

Part four

Previously, Ali, Jawahar and their families have moved to Londonistan.

Successful serials have some recurring feud. Just as Mahabharata had Pandavas and Kauravas, and Dallas had Ewings and Barneses, our serial has the feud between Ali and Jawahar at its heart. Successful serials also need new characters to fuel and sustain the feud. We meet such a character in this part.

This character is Edwina Churchill, a very pretty social worker, who befriends both Ali and Jawahar. Before you know it, we are back to the first part. We see charming but childish, funny but impractical Jawahar pursuing Edwina with stunts like walking backwards for hundred meters. We also see stiff and reserved Ali meeting Edwina after court.

Wait, Ali is married, right? Yes, so?

So we have a love triangle. Whom will Edwina choose? This can be dragged on for a few episodes, but not too many because then the viewers will lose interest. And the choice must have some twist. This may not be such a novel twist, but illicit pregnancy is an old formula that is tried. Edwina chooses Jawahar because she is pregnant with his child. They get married, and the daughter Indira is born five months later.

Not only is Edwina beautiful, she is also rich. She inherits Kashmir Apparels, a textiles factory, from her brother Winston. Who runs Kashmir Apparels? Surely not Jawahar, as he clearly lacks any business acumen.

Enter a new character.

It is Morarji, a shrewd young man from Desh. From Moti Bai’s village to be precise. He is brought to marry Jaya Narayani, Jawahar’s half-sister. As the Jawahar-Edwina wedding cannot be used to show splendour and glamour, the Morarji-Jaya union is blessed with glitter all around.

Morarji becomes the manager of Kashmir Apparels.