Dil Se Dil Tak Review: A Melodrama Worth Watching

Show Title: Dil Se Dil Tak

Channel: Colors TV

Timings: Monday to Friday 10:30 pm

Dil Se Dil Tak, a romantic drama on Colors TV, is based on Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta starrer ‘Chori Chori Chupke Chupke’ that dealt with the topic of surrogacy. The serial has Siddharth Shukla, Rashami Desai and Jasmin Bhasin in leading roles. I caught the first episode and here is the first episode written update and review.

 

Dil Se Dil Tak (2017)

Episode 1

The show starts with our lead couple waking up in the morning with Saathiya’s ‘Udi Udi’ playing in the background. Our couple is young and naughty and they look madly in love with each other. After the 3-minute love song sequence, we see the Bhansali family come together to celebrate Janamashtami (the birth of Lord Krishna). Dadaji (paternal grandfather) asks Bharat about the small ferris wheel placed in their garden and he tells him that it is for a game whereby every couple will be seated in their respective boxes and will try to break the pot hanging at a distance with a slingshot.

Just then, Parth enters (in the most dramatic typical Hindi hero style) claiming that he is ready for the competition. Dadaji looks a little uncomfortable with Parth’s entry. A heavily pregnant Jalpa wants to sit in the small ferris wheel but Aunt Urvashi stops her from doing so saying that the family will be welcoming a new member after almost 20 years and Jalpa should not take any risk. Jalpa doesn’t budge and Bharat tells Urvashi that the ride is completely safe and that she should try sitting in it herself. But Urvashi declines the offer as she doesn’t have a companion to share the seat with as she is a widow. (Ugh!! The emotional atyachaar begins.) Bharat then suggests Urvashi to shake the rope holding the pot so that the couples find it hard to aim at it. Bemused at his suggestion Urvashi stalks off in a huff.

Jalpa then invites Urvashi’s daughter Sejal to take her place and she happily joins the task. Bharat then asks Parth about his wife and the atmosphere instantly tenses as Dadaji looks displeased at the mention of her name and he changes the topic. He starts singing a Gujarati folk song and forgets the lyrics to a verse as Shorvari completes it for him. Dadaji and his wife don’t look happy to see her.

Bharat praises her singing and Urvashi joins him saying that Shorvari is indeed talented as she is from Bengal and it was her talent to manage to get married in the Bhanusali family. She goes on to taunt her that she is beautiful enough to be an apsara (nymph) in Lord Indra’s court. Bharat intervenes and requests to start the game. All the couples in the family sit in their respective places on the small ferris wheel and try their luck at breaking the pot when Parth manages to strike the pot with his slingshot.

After the game, Dadaji is distributing prasad (sweetmeat) to the family members but refrains from give one to Parth as he excuses himself to check on Lord Krishna’s swing. The whole family looks disappointed with Dadaji’s behaviour but nobody says anything.

Bharat talks to Dadaji asking him the reason why he wants to send Parth to the US to handle his business. Dadaji replies that change is inevitable and that someone has to take care of his business considering the growing competition. He sardonically adds that Parth is intelligent and has made several important decisions himself which is why he is the best person to handle his business abroad. Just then, Jalpa receives an emergency call from the hospital and she leaves with her husband Bharat.

As soon the two of them leave, Dadaji loudly states that since the guests have left they all too should get going. He tears the board with Parth and Shorvari’s photo and throws it away in anger. The entire family leaves as Parth and Shorvari are left alone in the garden. The family is then in the pooja room performing an arati as Parth and Shorvari look longingly them but do not enter the room. With tears in their eyes, they go back to their room and pack their stuff. Before leaving Shorvari asks Parth to do something and shows him the vermillion in her hand. Parth has a flashback of a time two years ago when Parth is having a gala time with his family. Parth and his Dadaji both have an important news to share with each other and they both want to be to be the first one to reveal it. They decide to play a game to decide it. The rest of the family then starts singing and dancing around Dadaji while Parth walks to the door. As the family finishes the song Parth reaches the door. Dadaji says he has selected a bride for Parth. Parth doesn’t hear what Dadaji says as he screams that he has selected his to-be wife. Parth opens the door and Shorvari walks in holding his hand. The entire family looks shocked to see Shorvari and Urvashi laments over the fact that Parth has selected a Bengali girl who is their servant to be his wife. Parth firmly tells his family that he has promised to hold Shorvari’s hand forever. Dadaji looks furious and says that he cannot accept a meat-eating woman, who is dependent on them for a living, as a daughter-in-law of the family. He looks at Shorvari and orders her to leave the house right away and tells her to not come to their office anymore and that she will receive her salary and bonus. Dejected, Shorvari leaves the house with heavy feet. Parth runs after her, holds her hand and reminds his grandfather that he had once told him to never break another person’s trust at any cost. He tells him that she has trusted him and that he won’t break her trust.

Back to the present day, Parth walks with the vermillion in his hands to his Dadaji but Dadaji walks off ignoring him. Parth calls after him and Dadaji points out the fact that Parth is in his half of the house. In the kitchen, Parth’s mother is cursing Shorvari for causing problems in their family that led to the division of the house. She bemoans the lack of contact with her son because of Shorvari. She cries over the fact that Parth will soon be leaving for the US and she will never be able to see him. She hands her divorce papers and asks her to leave Parth. Shorvari folds her hands before her and tells her to ask her for anything but her love.

Parth tells Dadaji that he may keep him away from him but he cannot detach his name from him. Parth’s goes on his knees and begs Dadaji to bless him just once but Dadaji inconsiderately shuts the door on his face.

Parth’s mother squeezes a lemon in a vessel full of milk and tells Shorvari that she has ruined their family just like the lemon ruined the milk. She the curses Shorvari saying that she will wail for her kid one day just like she is longing for her son Parth just so that Shorvari experiences the pain of a mother. Parth and Shorvari leave in a car when they meet with an accident. When Shorvari gains consciousness she finds herself surrounded by the entire Bhanusali family and she asks Parth the reason why they are back home. Just then, Bharat enters the room and congratulates Shorvari on her pregnancy.

 

First Episode First Impression

Though Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was not my favourite film, I always watched it whenever it came on TV. That was because I found the movie very entertaining. Dil Se Dil Tak may have a premise similar to the movie but since it is a daily soap it will surely be melodramatic. And the first episode gave a glimpse of the kind of melodrama viewers will be subjected to in the following episodes. The show has way too many family members for parallel story lines and I hate to see such a mess of multiple characters. If the show manages to do justice to each character then good. But it is very unlikely and I am sure like any other serial, characters in this show too will be added and subtracted as and when the director pleases. 

 

What looked nice?

For me, Rashami Desai stole the show with her stoic performance. She may not have had a lot of dialogues but she looked perfect as the docile bahu (daughter-in-law) shunned by her husband’s family. Her subtle facial expressions were bang on. She looked very convincing as the Bengali bride craving for a family’s acceptance.  

 

What did not look nice?

The one thing I despise about most TV serials is the extravagant houses shown just to accommodate a humongous joint family. In this show, the Bhansali’s live in what looks like a palace. I mean who lives in such houses nowadays? It may be their farmhouse, but even for a farmhouse isn’t it unreasonably huge? And, what’s funny is that the palace-like farmhouse had no housekeeping staff. At least I didn’t see any. In an attempt at showing something grand, directors often go overboard and miss important details.

The first episode had some cringe-worthy dialogues that made me want to cry only for listening to it. Who thinks of such emotional stuff? I am sure viewers who are naive and not exposed to better shows must have shed a tear when Shorvari said, “Aap Maa hain, Maa hone ke haq se aap mujhse meri zindagi maang lejeeye, aasaani se de dungi. Leekin apna pyaar naa de paungi” (As a mother if you ask me for my life, I will give it to you easily. But I cannot give you the love of my life.) Sheesh!! These dialogues get worse with every new show.

 

The show looks good, if the show writers cut the melodrama it can actually be quiet interesting. I can only wish the show all the best as it looks very promising to me.