Jul 22, 2005 04:49 PM
11723 Views
(Updated Jul 22, 2005 04:51 PM)
Tucked away hidden in some obscure timing, without much hype or promotion, lies an interesting offering from Star!
Star One, to be precise!
Between the gamut of well publicized Remixes, Sarabhais and Khichadis, Hotel Kingston gets completely overshadowed. With a name like that, you could be forgiven if you mistook the show to be a BBC import.
But no! This is very much an indigeneous serial with all characters and situations believably Indian.
And yes, most importantly, no wailing, scheming or plotting!
No rebirths or coming back from the dead!
No plastic surgeries!
No divorces or adultery!
No illegitimate children surfacing after 20 years!
So what is it exactly? Well, it is difficult to classify this serial in any particular slot. Drama? Thriller? Romance? Comedy? Well, you decide.
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Background:
Hotel Kingston has a glorious past having had royal patrons, but is now sinking. Its owner Govind Sahay has invested a lot of money in this venture but is beset with health problems. His daughter, Shelley Sahay comes down from USA to visit her father. She is a photojournalist by profession and is engaged to Nick. But her father’s poor health condition forces her to stay back and take over the reins of the management.
The hotel’s General Manager, Vishwamitra Kelkar (permanently referred to as Vish) is an efficient, yet no-nonsense, professional who takes a lot of pains to bring the best to his job.
Somehow, right from the beginning, the equations between Vish (I first thought he was being called Fish!) and Shelley go haywire and there is a sort of cold war between the two. Shelley is unaware of the nuances of the business and Vish finds her suggestions and reactions very irritating. Vish is a practical guy and the two keep having arguments over every small issue. Dad Govind tries his best to bridge the gap between the two warring leads, but in vain.
Despite the poor relationship, they are forced to work together in different situations. Over a period of time, Shelley develops a quiet admiration for Vish, and this gradually blossoms into love. But Vish’s no-nonsense attitude makes it difficult for the romance to develop openly. Deep down however, Vish also has a grudging respect and love for Shelley. Nick, the fiancé, gets jealous and finally returns back to USA.
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The unique storyline:
The episodes dwell deep into the running of a hotel with bellboys, room service staff, front staff, chefs etc along with a wide variety of clients. We also get to see a stark contrast of the middle-class sensibilities of the employees clashing with the upper class values of the clients.
Every episode has a different track with new characters being introduced in the form of clients, suppliers, rivals, etc. And each time the protagonists are faced with new problems which they have to tackle. Both Vish and Shelley are required to go through several adventures in order to keep the running of Hotel Kingston going on smoothly.
The latest episode was about a sting operation, a la Shakti Kapoor, being staged in one of the hotel rooms and Vish’s efforts at preventing such a move, which could jeopardize the privacy of the hotel’s guests.
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The performances:
The performances of the lead pair is excellent and you can really identify with the characters.
Amit Verma as Vish is endearing and plays the part convincingly. So does Sonal Sehgal in her role as Shelley. Veteran TV and stage actor Benjamin Gilani is perfect as the harried Govind Sahai.
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The drawbacks:
Since the show is a weekly one and is one-hour long, it may require some effort to take time out to watch it. Further, the absence of melodrama as in the regular soaps may not attract regular TV watching audience.
But if you are looking for something different, once in a while, Hotel Kingston is where you need to check in…err..check out!
