Sony TV's new show is entertaining, engaging, and witty too at times, in spite of being a saas bahu saga
Chhanchhan is the story of a modern woman who can handle her family, career, and her love life with utmost ease. That itself had us intrigued, and watching experienced and talented actors like Supriya Pathak and Sanaya Irani was an added bonus.
The first few episodes concentrated on establishing Sanaya's character and her eccentric family. Chhanchhan – a dog trainer by profession – believes in doing the right thing. Just like all protagonists out there!
Her family includes her dad (Jaineeraj Rajpurohit) – a modern art painter, mom (Anjali Mukhi) – a History professor, younger brother (Sharman Jain) – a wildlife photographer, sister – a tattoo artist and a grandmother. There's nothing typical about them and that's something we liked a lot.
The other central character of the show is Uma Ben – an influential Gujarati lady, who plays the game only to win it, be it by hook or by crook – essayed beautifully by Supriya Pathak. Her first face-off with Chhanchhan is at a temple when Uma Ben bribes a pundit and Chhanchhan protests against it. Clearly, the war has just begun. The chemistry between the two characters sparked at the first instance, and we hope more sparks will fly as the show progresses.
In the next episode, we see Chhanchhan breaking off her friend's wedding, which is aligned by Uma Ben, 'coz the girl's in-laws demand dowry. While Uma Ben tries to convince that it's not dowry, but merely a gift, Chhanchhan contradicts it and politely tells her what's wrong is wrong and sugar-coating it doesn't change the subtext. We must say the dialogues, unlike other daily soaps, are to the point – no long pravachans and gyaan, which is something that works in favour of the show.
There's a lot that we liked – the dogs, the unique professions, the crisp dialogues, a protagonist with a balanced attitude and a sarcastic antagonist who plays her cards with precision. But there are a few things the makers should really consider working on. The lead opposite Sanaya, Farhan Khan playing the character of Manav, is a major letdown. While there's no doubt the actor looks good and probably has a decent diction, but dialogue delivery is something that he really needs to work on. And we don't see much chemistry either. Sanaya Irani's previous shows were a hit mainly 'coz of the chemistry she shared with her lead actors, Barun Sobti and Mohit Sehgal. We doubt history will repeat itself in this case. Secondly, the show is supposed to be lighthearted – then what's with all the rona dhona? We are sure they can make a point without the melodrama, no?
There's no doubt that Chhanchhan runs entirely on Sanaya and Supriya's popularity… we hope it's just about enough to take them that far. All in all, the show is entertaining and hope the makers continue delivering quality content, or else…
Star Rating - 3/5
Credit: Bollywoodlife.com
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