Punarvivaah Zee TV,Monday to Wednesday,10.30pm Rating ** Whats it about? Marriage has long been at the epicenter of Indian television. Zees Punarvivaah only finds another way to sell the concept. The show is about Aarti,a mother of a young boy,who lives with her in-laws even though her husband has divorced her and moved out of the house. Her mother-in-law Shobha adores her and wants to see Aarti married again. The male protagonist,Yash,is a wealthy man and heir to the Scindia clan. Yashs wife died three years ago and he has the responsibility of bringing up his two daughters.Yash doesnt want to marry anyone,but succumbs to his mothers wishes of bringing home a mother to his children. The show focusses on remarriage and finding true love and happiness the second time around. Whos in it? A popular face on television,Gurmeet Choudhury plays the lead protagonist. After two very impressive performances by him as Lord Rama in Ramayana and Maan Singh Khurana in Geet Hui Sabse Parayi,Choudharys return as Yash Scindia raises quite a few expectations. He is paired opposite Zees Jhansi Ki Rani actress Kratika Sengar,who plays a young divorcee with a son. The show also marks the return of veteran actress Shagufta Ali after almost 13 years. Whats hot? Choudhary has always been appreciated for his machismo on screen. Here too,the producers make an effort to make him look good at all times. The look has been put together by his real life partner Debina Bannerjee. Some of his scenes with his children in the show,prove his finesse as an actor. Sengar puts in a fine performance too. It is nice to see her try out something so different after she wowed the audience with her tough act in Jhansi Ki Rani. Whats not? The show moves at a very slow pace,at times bordering on sluggish. Since it falls in the daily category,it takes time to build on its characters. The makers try very hard to portray both lead characters as intense. However,in the bargain,they sometimes come across as naive and arrogant. The show relies heavily on cliches and typicality,and lacks novelty of any kind. The background music is overbearing. The wardrobe of the actors,barring Choudhurys,is outdated.The scenes with Choudhary brooding over his dead wife are unnecessarily prolonged. Should you be watching it? Its a social drama which is trying to make a difference with its theme on remarriage. Ardent TV watchers can give it a try for sometime,till something better comes along.
