TV Review: 'Pavitra Rishta' leaps and meets expectations
Hiten Tejwani and Ankita Lokhande stand out in an otherwise tepid starcast of the show
Hiten Tejwani recently admitted that it is impossible for any two actors to recreate the chemistry one of them shared with their real life partner on screen. He was speaking about Ankita Lokhande and her fiance Sushant Singh Rajput, since he was replacing Sushant as Ankita's onscreen husband on Pavitra Rishta. However, we must say Hiten is doing a pretty good job of it.
Pavitra Rishta has taken an 18-year leap and Manav and Archana are now parents to teenaged children. Ovi, Tejaswini and Sachin live with Manav in Canada while Archana has adopted Poorvi and is in Mumbai. Manav still has the support of his friend DK and has risen in the businessworld so much that he is being honoured with an award for 'Indian Businessman of the Year'. That day also happens to be his wedding anniversary, a fact his children and his mother are determined he shouldn't remember. Meanwhile, Archana goes to the temple that day to pray for her husband as it is their anniversary. Her mother is against it, but Poorvi is supportive. This is an Ekta Kapoor serial, so don't ask how it can be the morning of the anniversary in Mumbai and the night of the same date in an unnamed city in Canada when India is ahead of the North American country in terms of time zones.
The first episode was a bit slow, but it picked up in the second episode and a point which we already know is made clear ' that Archana doesn't know where Manav is, but Manav is unaware of that fact and is upset she hasn't bothered to call all these years. Hiten looks really suave with his spectacles and suit, while Ankita looks exactly the same as she did earlier. That's a bit confusing when it comes to the several flashback sequences that peppered the two episodes so far. Hiten and Ankita really nail their chemistry in these scenes and it is a joy to watch them. However, Shruti Kanwar doesn't really engage your attention as Ovi, while Mrinalini Tyagi's Tejaswini seems too much like a Mumbai brat when she is supposed to have grown up in Canada. The same goes for Usha Nadkarni's Savita. Here's a woman who has lived in Canada for 18 years, and she is still clueless that women wear short dresses? Come on! What we missed most was the absence of Puru Chibber. His character Sachin is said to be on "a business tour" but we wish we had got to see him. He would have perked up the show a bit. We'll get back to you once he is introduced. As of now it seems Hiten is right ' those who had stopped watching the show will return. Any regrets, Sushant?
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