Aarambh- What works and what does not!

Hey all!

Caught up on this week's episodes and have to say, I am a bit surprised by the shoddy storytelling I saw on display.

Aarambh needs viewers that are not hardcore fans right now and the rushed manner in which some plot points are being handled doesn't seem to bode well.

What I liked-

1.I think my favourite JalSena scene was the one where Dev tends to his wounds and he grabs her hand. Found it very poetic. The Devsena whose first instinct is to reach for her knife at someone's touch stops and contemplates her actions. Jaldev is already changing her and making her question what she has been taught. RD and KN's chemistry- 😳. The reason I like JalSena is because of their simmering intensity. CVs, I hope you don't reduce them to petty nokjhok.

2. Madhoo as Queen Sambhavija and Padmavija- I feel Madhoo is fantastic as the sadistic and power-hungry Queen P and portrays the angry helplessness of Queen S very well. She is a highlight for me. The way she preens is entertaining to watch.

3. Introduction of comedy into the storyline- I appreciate how the writers have tried to insert comic elements into the storyline through the Raj Mali and Shivagam's interactions. The Raj Mali is quite funny.

4. The new cast- The leap has introduced quite a few intriguing characters and powerful actors. Aarambh should utilise them properly and give us a gripping tale to remember.

My concerns-

1. Mahisha's sudden 'pyaar' for Devsena- Throughout our introduction to Mahisha, he seemed like a blinkered horse focused on destroying Sambhavija's clan. Where did his jealousy over seeing JalSena together suddenly erupt from?

Mahisha-Jalsena triangle is a natural route to take but my question is, couldn't they have shown Mahisha fascinated by Devsena's valour or something else to make it convincing? Right now, it seems like it came out of nowhere.

2. Sambhavija-Padmavija twin touble- Does anyone else think that revelation was a bit of a disappointment? There has been absolutely no reference to S having a twin or P's existence since the beginning of the leap. A good revelation is that which takes the viewers by surprise by showing them another side to the same coin.

How could Padmavija as Queen S just tell Silamban she killed P and get away with it? Would the rest of the kingdom not care what happened to Sambhavija's twin? Wouldn't there be questions? I found the nonchalance with which Silamban just accepted P's supposed fate a comedy of errors. A queen kills her sibling and he acts like she swatted a fly away.

3. Devsena playing doctor doctor and forgetting to play daughter daughter- She is told Silamban has been kidnapped and she is busy tending to Shivagam? Not that I mind, but isn't it an obvious plot hole? She is not Padmavija to be so unaffected. It is inconsistent with her being a dutiful princess who loves her family. I can understand wanting to save Shivagam but she totally forgot her father initially.

4. Pace of the storyline- I don't know if it's just me, but the story seems disjointed. JalSena/VarSena will always be my OTP but I think the CVs should give their scenes time. I would prefer 2 good scenes over 5 bad ones between them.

The 6 destiny kids storyline has great potential but the CVs need to be careful in laying the plot out. I wonder why the others have not been introduced yet. Will they enter one by one? That seems a bit counter-intuitive to me because having the characters together sets the stage for interesting interactions and new dynamics.

5. Hahuma skyping Devsena😉- Pray, tell me, what was the point of Hahuma dying if she could just appear whenever Devsena wanted to talk to her? Devsena and Hahuma's inter-dimensional connection made me laugh.

P.S. Indramitra's Doordarshan TV is Doom-darshan for Jaldev. 😆 Who needs IPads when you have Queen P's mirror and Indramitra's divine cable connection, am I right?

A show cannot just ride on the chemistry of their protagonists no matter how scintillating it is. Other elements are needed to keep people hooked. Team Aarambh has to pull their socks up. Content is king.

Waiting to hear what you guys have to say.

Originally posted by: clarity

Hey all!

Caught up on this week's episodes and have to say, I am a bit surprised by the shoddy storytelling I saw on display.

Aarambh needs viewers that are not hardcore fans right now and the rushed manner in which some plot points are being handled doesn't seem to bode well.

What I liked-

1.I think my favourite JalSena scene was the one where Dev tends to his wounds and he grabs her hand. Found it very poetic. The Devsena whose first instinct is to reach for her knife at someone's touch stops and contemplates her actions. Jaldev is already changing her and making her question what she has been taught. RD and KN's chemistry- 😳. The reason I like JalSena is because of their simmering intensity. CVs, I hope you don't reduce them to petty nokjhok.

2. Madhoo as Queen Sambhavija and Padmavija- I feel Madhoo is fantastic as the sadistic and power-hungry Queen P and portrays the angry helplessness of Queen S very well. She is a highlight for me. The way she preens is entertaining to watch.

3. Introduction of comedy into the storyline- I appreciate how the writers have tried to insert comic elements into the storyline through the Raj Mali and Shivagam's interactions. The Raj Mali is quite funny.

4. The new cast- The leap has introduced quite a few intriguing characters and powerful actors. Aarambh should utilise them properly and give us a gripping tale to remember.

I loved all that you liked and couldnt agree more😛
My concerns-

1. Mahisha's sudden 'pyaar' for Devsena- Throughout our introduction to Mahisha, he seemed like a blinkered horse focused on destroying Sambhavija's clan. Where did his jealousy over seeing JalSena together suddenly erupt from?

This did seem disjointed but I am going to chalk it as..he first came only with a goal of kidnapping the King but then when he set eyes on her and by fate escaped prison he thought why not have the cake and eat it too.. that is what I think..I am also thinking he may not be a Dravid at all someone mentioned a long lost twin

Mahisha-Jalsena triangle is a natural route to take but my question is, couldn't they have shown Mahisha fascinated by Devsena's valour or something else to make it convincing? Right now, it seems like it came out of nowhere.

Yes I agree that him being attracted to her valor would have been more befitting

2. Sambhavija-Padmavija twin touble- Does anyone else think that revelation was a bit of a disappointment? There has been absolutely no reference to S having a twin or P's existence since the beginning of the leap. A good revelation is that which takes the viewers by surprise by showing them another side to the same coin.

This I totally agree it came out from left field..here I was all thinking about the Mystery and it was just solved in about 13 minutes..this also makes Hahuma look like she did not know what she is doing

How could Padmavija as Queen S just tell Silamban she killed P and get away with it? Would the rest of the kingdom not care what happened to Sambhavija's twin? Wouldn't there be questions? I found the nonchalance with which Silamban just accepted P's supposed fate a comedy of errors. A queen kills her sibling and he acts like she swatted a fly away.

No comments except😆

3. Devsena playing doctor doctor and forgetting to play daughter daughter- She is told Silamban has been kidnapped and she is busy tending to Shivagam? Not that I mind, but isn't it an obvious plot hole? She is not Padmavija to be so unaffected. It is inconsistent with her being a dutiful princess who loves her family. I can understand wanting to save Shivagam but she totally forgot her father initially.

Can we chalk it as creative liberty😉..as well as for viewers like me who are just dying to see the both of them in the same frame😉

4. Pace of the storyline- I don't know if it's just me, but the story seems disjointed. JalSena/VarSena will always be my OTP but I think the CVs should give their scenes time. I would prefer 2 good scenes over 5 bad ones between them.

Couldnt agree more

The 6 destiny kids storyline has great potential but the CVs need to be careful in laying the plot out. I wonder why the others have not been introduced yet. Will they enter one by one? That seems a bit counter-intuitive to me because having the characters together sets the stage for interesting interactions and new dynamics.

I am holding out on predicting this one..because until now I liked the introduction and excitement

5. Hahuma skyping Devsena😉- Pray, tell me, what was the point of Hahuma dying if she could just appear whenever Devsena wanted to talk to her? Devsena and Hahuma's inter-dimensional connection made me laugh.
😆
P.S. Indramitra's Doordarshan TV is Doom-darshan for Jaldev. 😆 Who needs IPads when you have Queen P's mirror and Indramitra's divine cable connection, am I right?

😆

A show cannot just ride on the chemistry of their protagonists no matter how scintillating it is. Other elements are needed to keep people hooked. Team Aarambh has to pull their socks up. Content is king.

I am hoping that the storytelling will improve I am thoroughly enjoying it and you are right content is king..or in this case Queen Pun intended😉

Waiting to hear what you guys have to say.

Last such a lovely piece of writing just like your DP name⭐️

As Gemini said - great post, Clarity.

I concur with most of your points; however I would beg to disagree with the story telling point of view...I think story telling is the highlight of this show. How it is reproduced and it's production value has creative liberties.

There were episodes which were disjointed, but I am willing to see above it, given the constant intrigue to see how the story progresses. Most of the episodes have a wow factor, with multiple subplots and plot-ders keeping the thrill and suspense intact. I have said this before, I feel engulfed in a story after a long time. I am involved and want more...

Above all the actors have put their best foot forward in making the show a success. I feel each episode is like a mini movie, a warrior princess, a warrior lover and many villains. A treat!!!!

I think the creative team has used time in an existential way: some part of the time is stretched with a lot of details in the scene, whilst other part of the story is depicted in a relatively short period to summarise a situation.

Beautifully written👍🏼...Ohhh now I understand why Indus Valley Civilization was much superior in that time...Because they had their own Doordarshan🤣Also I suggest why should Indramithra and jaldev should come in person to tell the details..They should use Skype..😎

Originally posted by: clarity

Hey all!

Caught up on this week's episodes and have to say, I am a bit surprised by the shoddy storytelling I saw on display.

Aarambh needs viewers that are not hardcore fans right now and the rushed manner in which some plot points are being handled doesn't seem to bode well.

What I liked-

1.I think my favourite JalSena scene was the one where Dev tends to his wounds and he grabs her hand. Found it very poetic. The Devsena whose first instinct is to reach for her knife at someone's touch stops and contemplates her actions. Jaldev is already changing her and making her question what she has been taught. RD and KN's chemistry- 😳. The reason I like JalSena is because of their simmering intensity. CVs, I hope you don't reduce them to petty nokjhok.

Jalsena is the USP factor of the show . In fact they should be given more screen space and that too jointly .. as a couple, and the show should be promoted as their star crossed love story . It'd fetch more ratings , because the leads do look gorgeous together and it should be high lighted more. Indian viewers love gooey romance.

And ratings are important.. for a show made with such high budget , I don't how long it'll go on with such pathetic ratings and whether it'll get to complete it's run of 100 episodes , as per decided in the beginning , before SP cancel it. From the business point of view I believe it's huge mistake to promote the show as Kahani Devasena ki .. To be honest , no body would be interested to know DS's kahani 🥱 Or , for that matter, JD's kahani .. Whatever viewers are still watching , are watching becoz of Jalsena ki kahani.

2. Madhoo as Queen Sambhavija and Padmavija- I feel Madhoo is fantastic as the sadistic and power-hungry Queen P and portrays the angry helplessness of Queen S very well. She is a highlight for me. The way she preens is entertaining to watch.

Madhu ji is definitely doing a great job . 👏 Terrific screen presence , just like Ritu Shivpuri ji in IPK 3 , but they shouldn't show an overdose of her , because her character is coal black and too much evil turns off viewers.

I keep saying it since it's utmost important , the show is floating on a glacier , or rather shaky grounds.. There fore , the makers have to be very careful and wise about the content being dished out.

Plus , they are showing the Dravid side too much , and very less of Aryan side , which is a huge downer for many people.. well.. people like me , who mainly watch the show because of Aryans . I'm a staunch Aryan clan supporter , as they're our ancestors. At least the name triggers instant respect , reverence and love in my heart , though I know it has nothing got to do with real Aryans.

They didn't bother to show JD's parents properly , or how is his relationship with his parents , but straight way sent him to the Dravid lands. They didn't show his siblings , if he has any or how's he as a brother. Not done ! 😡

They casted really powerful actors in the role of Aryan heads ., they should utilise them properly.

It'd be a 50-50 division . Or else , the show is doomed.

3. Introduction of comedy into the storyline- I appreciate how the writers have tried to insert comic elements into the storyline through the Raj Mali and Shivagam's interactions. The Raj Mali is quite funny.

Completely agree on this part. A much welcome change after post-leap.

4. The new cast- The leap has introduced quite a few intriguing characters and powerful actors. Aarambh should utilise them properly and give us a gripping tale to remember.

Again , totally agree. 👏

My concerns-
I've already wrote a little bit about my concerns above. I'll write some more below. 😳

1. Mahisha's sudden 'pyaar' for Devsena- Throughout our introduction to Mahisha, he seemed like a blinkered horse focused on destroying Sambhavija's clan. Where did his jealousy over seeing JalSena together suddenly erupt from?

Exactly . There should've been more build up to it , or at least a monolog related to it.

Like in case of Mekhla , we saw from a neutral passive viewer , watching JD about to be executed, turning into admiration and awe over his valour and courage , seeing him fight , to telling DS in detail how and why she fell for him , for his good looks, physique n valour , to occasionally giving her monologs about her fixation or obsession whatever we might call it , over JD - I wanted to see some thing like that from Mahisha.

Mahisha is an interesting character , simply because from robotic expressions and passive missions , he grew into more.. "human" with his flaws , his emotions , his ambitions , his own missions and finally his shaky friendship with JD .

Mahisha-Jalsena triangle is a natural route to take but my question is, couldn't they have shown Mahisha fascinated by Devsena's valour or something else to make it convincing? Right now, it seems like it came out of nowhere.

2. Sambhavija-Padmavija twin touble- Does anyone else think that revelation was a bit of a disappointment? There has been absolutely no reference to S having a twin or P's existence since the beginning of the leap. A good revelation is that which takes the viewers by surprise by showing them another side to the same coin.

To be honest , I couldn't care any less about this new development , I was like .. " Blah.. whatever ! 🥱 "

How could Padmavija as Queen S just tell Silamban she killed P and get away with it? Would the rest of the kingdom not care what happened to Sambhavija's twin? Wouldn't there be questions? I found the nonchalance with which Silamban just accepted P's supposed fate a comedy of errors. A queen kills her sibling and he acts like she swatted a fly away.

That bit was funny I agree. 😆

3. Devsena playing doctor doctor and forgetting to play daughter daughter- She is told Silamban has been kidnapped and she is busy tending to Shivagam? Not that I mind, but isn't it an obvious plot hole? She is not Padmavija to be so unaffected. It is inconsistent with her being a dutiful princess who loves her family. I can understand wanting to save Shivagam but she totally forgot her father initially.

It's quite clear from the beginning that DS , though respects and loves her parents , is almost emotionally detached from her parents and I won't blame her any. It's obvious that her parents ( one of them is fake btw ) aren't too much fond of her either.

The bond between Ardhamundan -Devsena is totally missing in DS- Silamban , and no prize for guessing.

Would a woman love a child of hers , begotten by rape ??

Then why'd we expect a good bond between DS-Silamban ??

Does her father care in the least what DS wants ?? Or , how much expectations, duties and missions she's being thrust upon her right from her birth and with little or no friends to support and back her ??

Why'd DS be frenzied in shock and agony immediately over such a father ??

Claps needs two hands after all.

So I didn't find that part OOC.

4. Pace of the storyline- I don't know if it's just me, but the story seems disjointed. JalSena/VarSena will always be my OTP but I think the CVs should give their scenes time. I would prefer 2 good scenes over 5 bad ones between them.

I so so agree over quality and proper finishing of ONE single scene , before jumping to the next scene , 2 good scenes >>>>> 5 half plate scenes any day.

The 6 destiny kids storyline has great potential but the CVs need to be careful in laying the plot out. I wonder why the others have not been introduced yet. Will they enter one by one? That seems a bit counter-intuitive to me because having the characters together sets the stage for interesting interactions and new dynamics.

5. Hahuma skyping Devsena😉- Pray, tell me, what was the point of Hahuma dying if she could just appear whenever Devsena wanted to talk to her? Devsena and Hahuma's inter-dimensional connection made me laugh.

I hate DS running to Hahuma at the drop of a hat , it weakens her character.

I mean , once in a while is totally okay. Even JD wrote to Indramitra that he senses danger in the form of a fire mutant existent in the palace and Indramitra had to apparate Harry Potter style to give him advice and reassure him .( BTW , any idea how he reached there so fast ?? Since it takes at least 40 days to cross the river..😆 )

But not every freaking time over every single little problem !

BTW , why this useless Hahuma not aware about VD's rebirth and Fake-bhija ??
P.S. Indramitra's Doordarshan TV is Doom-darshan for Jaldev. 😆 Who needs IPads when you have Queen P's mirror and Indramitra's divine cable connection, am I right?

A show cannot just ride on the chemistry of their protagonists no matter how scintillating it is. Other elements are needed to keep people hooked. Team Aarambh has to pull their socks up. Content is king.

@BOLD , 👏 Thank you for these lines.

Waiting to hear what you guys have to say.

Actually , a lot can be said what went wrong with Aarambh ratings wise..

@clarity - I enjoyed reading your post! Nothing constructive to add - but wanted to de-lurk to LOL over the Hahuma skyping and Indramitra doom-darshan bits. I really wish they had opted for a more abstract version of this, like ambiguous dreams which are open to interpretation/translation maybe. That would have kept things a bit tense and mysterious for both the viewers and the characters.

Originally posted by: Lady_Macbeth

Actually , a lot can be said what went wrong with Aarambh ratings wise..

I'll start by saying , with it's very many flaws , at the end of the day , Aarambh is still an awesome show and I salute the makers for trying some thing new and huge in ITV , which is so boring nowadays , not a single good show to watch on any channel , in spite of so many channels and so many shows.

It;s like water water every where not a drop to drink.

It's always better to try some thing great and fail at it , than not even trying or worse , doing the same old ghissa pita stuffs over and over again.

Since I see many differences in how the show is being handled pre vs. post leap, I'll talk about them separately .

Pre leap-

My main grouse came under four broad headings.

1. Portrayal of Dravid society . They shouldn't have shown Matriarchy to begin with. It was innovative , but it's totally inaccurate , because there wasn't even monarchy in Indu valley civilization .

Plus , it's too foreign a concept for Indian viewers , India is practically steeped in Patriarchal culture , beliefs and thought processes . Yes , it should be changed and entertainment media could and should play a role in it, but they should attempt for a gentle nudging towards change instead of electric shock treatment . I instantly knew Indian viewers will reject this concept of Women >> men in any society. It's just too much too soon for them.

And on top of that , put that kind of dialog on the mouth of the FL !! That's what I call delusion in ambition.

You can;t promote Black people are >>>> than white counter parts in USA and expect people to accept that kind of content , no matter how innovative it is.

And that's wrong too ! No person is superior or inferior than any other person by virtue of any traits they get from birth , like , caste , creed , religion, gender , looks , color etc.

What they could've shown instead is that woman are considered rightful equals to male counter parts in all fields , including the throne , where the prince and princess are given equal chance to ascend the throne by virtue of their merits and qualities.

NOW , that would've been a fresh and acceptable for viewers concept !

And immediately would've shown Dravid society at better lights than the outright Patriarchal society of Aryans and keep the opening to show that how Aryans saw and felt the flaws in their old ways and their society changed as a result of influence from Dravid cultures. Huge mistake from story telling point of view and huge loss of potential right there.

2. Too much cruelty in Dravid side , almost bordering on inhuman and barbaric .

The Indu valley civilization are well famed for it's rich culture , yet the makers here presented them as those of Kalkeyas or Pindaris from Bahubali , with rules like no mercy to or from the enemy ( mercy is the biggest of human qualities ) , daughter has to kill father, loyal soldiers made to take walk of shame and killed off brutally for being alive with enemy's mercy ... and so on ! 🤢

3. The character of DS - I can practically write a huge article on how flawed her character was in compared to an exceptionally , brilliantly written Varundev. But I won't do that. I'll mention just a few bullet points. Already this reply is over lengthy !

a. Some cringe worthy dialogs at times . I mentioned one above.

b. Instead of seeing the flaws in their law system and taking a mental vow to change it slowly after gaining power , she blamed Varundev for the death of her father and vowed to kill her - a result of totally biased and truncated though process .

A protagonist is called a protagonist for a reason , if she's puppet of Hahuma and a helpless carrier of old rotten rules , then how come she's the protagonist ??

c. She lacked the courage and honesty to accept her own feelings , her love for Varundev . She was as affected by him and fell for him as strong as he fell for her , but it was VD who'd the courage and honesty to make the confusions clear and urging her to take a stand for their love.

I understand she was struck with her duties , but she'd already betrayed it by falling for him , so why not try for a peace treaty ?? She was the queen of her clan , she was in a better position of power in regards to her people , than Varundev , who was just one of 12 consisting their senate.

d. They should've given her more dialogs highlighting her compassion , her urge to bring greater good for her people , her determination to make a cleaner better society , a wish to outgrow Hahuma's influence etc.. Instead they just focused on her warrior side , which , instead of making her a strong female , made her look like a bloodthirsty wench.

Powerful woman should be a fine blend of silk and steel .

Her mother Chamundi's character was far better , she was so gentle , well spoken , open minded , took a stand for her love by herself ( though I wish she didn't suicide , nope ! ) and not so impulsive.

4 . In the Aryan side , I've little to complain except that I wanted to see Varundev's mother.

Plus , I wanted to see more of Aryan women and how their lives are in a patriarchal society.

Pre leap my fav scenes were that of leads with their respective fathers, since it highlighted their human sides .

I loved DS the most when she prayed for the safe return of her father , and went to the tent of the soldiers to taste their foods.

@Mac, thank you sister.