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Cinderella stories make for absorbing viewing on television. We still recall how the saga of Millie had enchanted us a few years ago. Brought up in an orphanage, she steps into the big bad world only to get into a mortal confrontation with her father. Finally, she not only ‘defeats’ her vengeful father but also meets her prince charming. In fact there are a number of serials wherein unfortunate female protagonists struggle to break the shackles of their unhappy circumstances and attain happiness that apparently lies yonder – and succeed too. We saw that in Udaan and got more than a glimpse of the Cinderella redux in Saat Phere. Currently, there are at least three soaps depicting girls in various challenging situations. There is Sameera Singh in Chhoona Hai Aasman successfully disproving the fabricated charges of treason against her and winning the affections of her beau in the bargain. Then there is Annu who escapes the clutches of dowry-hungry would-be in-laws only to find her family in dire financial straits (Annu Ki Ho Gayee Wah Bhai Wah!). Her attempts to help the family as well as a childhood friend land her in a classy restaurant as a chef. That the place is a hotbed of intrigue and the young boss, believing her to be a boy, tries to befriend her complicates the predicament. That she has fallen in love with him does not help either. The female protagonist’s delicate good looks, penury, heartaches and romantic possibilities form potent ingredients to attract eyeballs. But, perhaps, Pari Hoon Mein comes closest to the Cinderella syndrome. Nikky is an orphan who has inherited a small garment-making workshop from her parents. But she is in the clutches of a banshee like maami who wants to grab her property. Ill-treated and thrown out of her house, she meets Karan who works for a film production house. The buck-toothed Nikky resembles the famous film star Pari Roychoudhary. Thus begins her rose-tinted dalliance with a dream. It is remarkable that although all the three serials have fanciful plots with contrived situations (for instance, a Pakistani spy with his identity tattooed on his back remains undetected as a part of the elite Hawks in Choona Hai`85; Annu is tightly embraced more than once by her boss in Annu Ki`85 but her male guise goes unexposed, and Pari’s mother unsuspectingly takes Nikky as her daughter in Pari`85), the characters of Sameera, Annu and Nikky have been played quite convincingly by the respective actresses. One portrays the character of a tough and sharp-eyed spy-cum-commando who yearns for love; the second one is a bewitching mix of timidity and intrepidity while the last one’s vulnerability and intense desire for a torment-free life pull at your heartstrings. Now that there is no dearth of good actors all that we need are original story ideas translated into quality scripts. Tall order, that?
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