This is my first review.So here it goes:
god!khumado apna magic wand aur kar do meri is problem ka end
When I and my sister heard these words on a fateful tuesday, we were busy discussing the heroine's funny accent. Little did I know at the time that this was going to be one of my favourite serials.
I am a regular watcher of sony and it was Jassi who reccomended this serial to me:-) When I saw the first episode, I was sure that it was going to be a poor cousin of Jassi.Even though it was not love at first sight, I felt an odd sort of pity for pooja and mendy who were trying hard to get into St.Martins, the most hip-hop college in town.
The plot revolves around Pooja Mehta,a simple middle-class girl who aspires to achieve her dream of becoming a film director like Karan Johar, her idol. How she goes about achieving her dream is what the story is about.
I am sure most of you know about the characters from the other reviews. So I will talk about what makes this serial different from other reviews n the basic pattern that the story follows.
1.The family atmosphere
The family atmosphere in this serial is more believable than in other serials. Pooja , her sisters, Poornima n Prerna n her younger brother Paresh (who is busy following his own dream of becoming a chef) gel in well together. Her mother Sudha is the typical Indian mother-loving, caring n supporting. She is ready to stand up for her children when the situation demands so much so that I feel like clapping when she does that. She is the kind of mother everyone will like to have. Pooja's dadaji is a lovable character, a gandhian who often quotes Gita n helps Pooja take difficult decisions. He also advises Pooja's father on what he should do at times.
2.The father-daughter relationship
I like pooja's papa more than Billu, Jassi's papaji. He is one character my parents love. Pooja's father Rasik lal Mehta is the typical indian father, a bit conservative n strict, but who has a heart of gold. He is proud of pooja, but doesn't show his affection openly. Whenever he does that, it is really touching as when he goes to pooja's college to give her permission to join the film-course.
3.Pooja's college n friends
Pooja's college St.Marins is a more real college than most other colleges shown in tv serials.Here PEOPLE DO STUDY!Unlike Dil se dosti la 'Friends' , an earlier show which was about 4 college-going friends, in YMLH, it is not just about falling in love. Pooja has come to study to be a film director and that is never allowed to go out of focus. She has presentations and assignments to do just like everyone of us.
Pooja's best friend is Mendy whose favourite expression is''Tadam pe tudum''. Reema is a rich, lonely girl who has helped pooja a lot and is very close to her.
4.The Romantic angle or triangle
Though Pooja has not fallen in love with anybody yet,mainly there are two guys who are interested in her.
I think Akash ,a brilliant student with a cheesy smile was initially brought in as the hero.At first he was a bit mischievous but once he became the Class Rep,his character has become extremely goody-goody and so now he irritates you at times.Moreover he doesn't seem to have much chemistry with pooja.He looks good as a friend to pooja though.
Now the other guy is ronit, reema's twin bro who is the rich, spoilt, go-getter type. But since his mother is an ex-actress who is more concerned about her social status than her children and his father is almost always on business tour,one can understand why he is so. His love for his sister is another of his redeeming qualities. Anyways, he shares excellent chemistry with pooja and so he is given more focus than Akash.
Then there is KS, Akash's Punjabi friend whose dream-girl is Mendy. Theirs is a humorous relationship.
5.The Baddies
It is a truth universally acknowledged that unless there are some baddies in a serial, there is no fun in it. And so YMLH also has got its own share of evil folk.
First you have Pooja's ''Humare family ki Bindu'',the mirchi Jaishree bua ,Rasik's sister,who since she is married into a rich family thinks she is above her brother's family.Her tastes are expensive and often flaunts her shocking English-speaking skills with sentences like''You understands,no?''(you guys understands,no that she has the habit of adding an ''s'' to her verbs). Well, she thinks sudha has spoilt her children and often tries to create problems for them.
What is college life without a few enemies?(blissful).Atleast in reel life, it is boring. So we have Annie n Kushan. Annie a rich girl with a weird hairdo wants pooja thrown out of college and leaves no stone unturned to do it. She has now befriended Pooja and is waiting for opportunities to stab her in the back.
Kushan, Annie's co-conspirator is currently in Australia, after being thrown out of college when his plan to defame pooja backfired and has sworn to avenge himself on her.
Unless ronit leaves the company of these ''good'' people, he will not be able to reform.
6.Teachers
Pooja's mentor and guide is her film-course teacher Bikram Roy whose belief in her potential was instrumental in her joining the film course and also in her winning the debate competition. Then you have the principal ,a good man who often needs some hard talk to see the light ( once from pooja and another time from Bikram Roy ).
7.The two-problems at a time pattern
Pooja usually faces two problems at the same time.When one problem rages , another one begins and then they get solved one after the other.For eg,Pooja's presentation n Reema's suicide attempt at the same time.
The Loopholes
Sometimes some actors tend to overact as when Reema accuses Ronit of using her to get close to pooja.Ronit's voice often gets screechy when he gets emotional and Akash often looks unnatural with his ''Hey Guys!''
Annie's plans to defame Pooja are sometimes childish and silly and pooja sometimes gets a bit too preachy.
And then you have funny episodes like the principal and presenters talking to an audience including foreigners in Hindi and the foreigners listening with rapt attention.
Conclusion
Yet Pooja is a good role-model for here you have a girl who uses her brains,doesn't fall for looks like jassi, values her family a lot and has the guts to face the problems in her life with courage.Yes, she may seem a bit nosy at times,but often than not she intervenes to help others and generally succeeds in them too(Her helping Reema,Prerna etc).She is also a friend who will stand by you at times of need.She often says what she needs to say whether to the Principal , or to the jeering St.Martins students or to Kushan or Annie.
This serial is thus a whiff of fresh air.T he concept is fresh n interesting,the characters are believable n the story does progress.
So I do hope u too will say ''YE MERI LIFE HE!''
