Rishton Ka Chakravyuh Review: This New Show With A Gripping Storyline Looks Worth Watching

The first trailer of Rishton Ka Chakravyuh looked so interesting that I was excited to watch its first episode. A mother-daughter drama is not a new concept to television but this show is about a rebellious daughter who returns to the mother she despises for abandoning her in infancy. The mother too is no regular lady but a woman of pride and stature who is determined to take over the business empire following the demise of her husband. The two female protagonist look good and the show looks engaging. I watched the first episode and here is my opinion about it.  

 

Show Title: Rishton Ka Chakravyuh

Channel: Star Plus

Timings: Monday to Friday 6 pm

 

Rishton Ka Chakravyuh (2017)

Episode 1

The episode starts with a pregnant woman howling in pain as she clutches the headboard while her family perform a puja before Goddess Mahakali at a temple. The lady lets out a long yelp which is followed by the first cry of a baby. A pair of twin lay in a cradle when a lady, whose face is covered with a dupatta, discreetly lifts one child and runs out of the house without anybody noticing her. She runs through deserted lanes and stops at the bank of a river where she meets a man and hands him the little child. She tells the man that the child is a female and asks him to guard the secret well. He asks her the reason behind the secret and she says that it’s because of the fact that the baby is a girl. Had she been a boy, her destiny would have been different. The lady leaves hastily but halts in her tracks and looking back at the child she states that she is guilty (of abandoning the child).

The moment the man lifts the shawl from the baby’s face, dark clouds set in and it thunders. The man looks astonished at the sudden change in the atmosphere. He then examines the child’s forehead and reads her palm. He observes something and looks unsettled about it. He looks at the child and says, “Beta, tere ek haath mein kudrat ke nazeeb ka kora kagaz aur dusre haath mein naseeb likhne waali kalam rakhdi hain. Tum apna naseeb khud likhogi” (Your one hand is an empty page of your destiny and your other hand holds the pen to your destiny. You will write your own destiny.) He looks at her and wonders what to name her. After some thought, he decides to name her Anami and then lifts her higher in his arms.

Meanwhile, in the house, Anami’s family celebrate the birth of a boy and we see Anami’s grandfather name the child Vatsalya Vikram Singh. People chant the name in unison when a man makes an entry, congratulating the birth of a boy. The man then plays the dhol (wooden drum) cheering the name of the new-born boy. (Soooo much drama!!)  

Just then a child arrives amidst the celebration and stares longingly at Anami’s father who is lovingly playing with his son. Anami’s grandmother notices the boy and signals a helper to take the child away from the celebration. Anami’s mother looks happy and content with the celebration oblivious to the lady, who sent Anami away, who gazes at her with tears in her eyes.

17 years later

In Varanasi, we see a lady pay her obeisance to the holy basil and then advance to wake up her son and Anami. Anami wakes up reluctantly and we then see her pay obeisance to the Sun with some yoga postures. Anami, along with her family, cleans the temple and bathes the holy idols.  

Cut to, Anami is with her mother on the terrace where her mother cribs about braiding her unruly, rough hair and Anami instead teases her for unnecessarily criticizing her lovely long locks. Just then, Anami’s brother Laddo (this is probably his pet name) arrives looking for his father and his mother tells him that his dad is at the sweetmeat shop and leaves while instructing Anami to complete a chore. Laddo tells Anami about something that is happening by the river Ganga and she looks alerted by the update.

Despite her mother’s shouts and protests, Anami runs away with her brother on a bike. She stops by a boat carrying a pretentious sage and his minions along with an innocent couple who seek the sage’s guidance. She points out the obvious indications that prove the boy has come to Varanasi to perform his father’s last rites and warns him from being duped by fake sadhus that are found in every nook and corner of the city. She tells the innocent man that her family runs a charitable institution which works towards eliminating fake sages from the city. She asks her brother Laddo to hand them a pamphlet of their institution and he accidentally falls into the river.

Anami jumps after her brother and quickly gets him home where her mother reprimands Laddo for acting recklessly. Anami tries to intervene but her mother angrily disses her and blurts out that she isn’t her real daughter but is adopted. Her words sting Anami and tears instantly well up in her eyes. Her mother too feels apologetic of her rude behaviour as Anami’s father tells her that it was Anami who saved Laddo. (Look uncle, it is not aunty’s fault that she was not aware of Anami saving her son because Laddo who fell in the river was drenched, unlike Anami who was totally dry. Now, how on earth is she supposed to know that Anami took a plunge in the river to save her son?)

Anami takes out her frustration and anger on the mattress her mother asked to dust on the terrace. She beats the mattress hard when her mother walks up to her and hugs her from behind as Anami sobs in despair. The mother and daughter wail and crumple to the ground. In a voiceover, we hear Anami say that the biggest fact of her life is that Murari and his wife are not her biological parents and that they have only adopted her. She says that tomorrow is her birthday that she despises the most as it reminds her of her birth mother who abandoned her for her selfish needs.

Meanwhile, in Bihar, people chant the name of Vikram Aditya Singh outside a big palace. Anami’s real family, including her twin brother, arrive in all pomp and pride before the people. They make their way to the statue of Mahakali where Anami’s mother, Satrupa performs a ritual by unsheathing a sword before the Goddess and then slicing pumpkins into two. She then offers her blood to the Goddess but cutting her thumb with the sword and dropping a few drops on the pumpkin. She then asks her son to seek the blessing of the priest (Tom Alter?? What is he doing on television? I hope he has a good role or else a senior actor like him will simply be wasted on the show.) by touching his feet. The priest performing the ritual tells the boy that his mother has lost her blood in bringing him up and that if he has to seek blessings then it must be of his mother’s. Vatsalya then touches his mother’s feet and she wishes her son on his birthday and asks him to touch his grandparent’s feet which he does obediently. He then moves to touch his father’s feet who also wishes him on his birthday and Vatsalya tells him that he is the best father and he returns the compliment saying that Vatsalya is the best son.

Aditya Singh takes the mic and starts to announce the heir to his business when Vatsalya’s uncle arrives with his family who is hopeful of hearing his name as the heir. But his dreams are shattered when Aditya Singh declares that Vatsalya will be the person taking charge of the business empire. Aditya then informs his family that they will all leave for Benaras to perform a puja the next day.   

 

First Episode First Impression

Rishton Ka Chakravyuh looks like a decent daily soap with a different storyline. The cast looks promising. Narayani Shastri and Praneet Bhatt look carved for their respective roles in the show.

Newcomer, Mahima Makwana also looks promising as Anami. What I like most about her styling is her hair. Her hair makes her stand out and I hope they do not change her hairstyle to make her look like a royalty on the show. Even when she takes over the business empire (that’s what I am assuming she will do some day) I hope they retain her hair as it suits her.  

 

What looked nice?

Well, I liked the plot. The story of an abandoned girl returning to her mother years later, probably to seek revenge, appeals to me. What can be more attractive than seeing two powerful female protagonist clash against each other and against the villains? The future development on the show looks very interesting. I do feel curious to know how Anami will defeat her villainous uncle and make peace with her mother. However, I am sceptical of seeing some predictable family drama. If the show sticks to its plot, then I am sure it will be an interesting watch.   

 

What did not look nice?

The extravagant set and OTT make-up and attire. Why is every second family in a television serial a rich business family? What’s funny is that even if a serial starts with a character hailing from a middle-class family the story writer introduces such twists in the show that the character suddenly becomes rich and starts to appear in the ultra-rich avatar that we see in every damn serial. Ugh! Are there no normal people in the TV universe? But I guess that is what viewers demand. After all, who would like to see simple boring people on TV? Grandeur attracts more attention.

 

Rishton Ka Chakravyuh offers a different story and looks interesting. If you are bored of regular mother-in-law vs daughter-in-law dramas, then try this mother vs daughter story.

Image Courtesy: Star Plus

 

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