Lights, Camera, Action! These are the few of the words synonym to Bollywood but life in that industry is much more. Nautanki Films’ Madhubala… Ek Ishq Ek Junoon attempts to foray into the lives of superstars and show us the reality behind the curtains.
The show is based on the life of Madhubala, the female protagonist played by Drashti Dhami who was born on a film set. Her mother Padmini, played by Pallavi Purohit, runs away from her husband and mother-in-law and comes to Mumbai. She lands up on a film’s set and that’s where she is taken in by Roma (Rakhi Vijan) who herself is a long-time junior artist. The story revolves around Madhubala who has no aspirations to become an actress and it is when she meets RK, a famous superstar played by Vivian Dsena that her life changes.
Talking about the show in the press conference held for its launch, producer Saurabh Tewari from Nautanki Films said, “Madhubala…Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon is a concept that is very close to our hearts owing to the unique storyline. Being a part of the entertainment industry, it was critical for us to recreate the magnitude of drama of the silver screen for television audiences to replicate a movie watching experience. With the current television offerings focusing on slice of life shows, Madhubala comes in as an unexplored concept – a first on Indian television. To amplify the overall experience while highlighting the larger than life film industry, we have shot scenes not only in real locations across Mumbai, but also for the first time in Indian television history ventured into Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.”
It is indeed the first time on Indian television that something on this scale has been attempted and credit goes to Colors too for accepting such a challenge. When most of the shows are based on ‘saas-bahu’ dramas, Madhubala comes as a breath of relief for viewers who like variety in content. Also present at the press conference was Mr. Prashant Bhatt, Progamming Head – Colors. He added, “It is our constant attempt to bring unique and entertaining content to our audiences. Madhubala…Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon is the first-of-its-kind show on Indian television that presents an unconventional love story while revealing the different aspects that make the glitz and glam side of the film industry. The show is an archetypal movie involving high budgets and hard work that ties together the larger than life film industry with a dynamic star cast and an incredible storyline.”
Gracing the occasion was famous director Mr Ramesh Sippy, who said “It is great to see that with cinema completing its 100 years of existence, there are shows that are paying tribute to the film industry, and with COLORS’ bringing in a magnum opus like Madhubala which will bring in the flavour, essence, emotions and dialect of the films, one just gets closer to what goes behind in the making a film and the real heroes at the back.”
Madhubala is set to change the face of Indian television and has marked its entry. Now it’s left to see how it fares in the eyes of the audience. The show goes on air on 28th May at 8:30 pm and will be telecasted from Monday to Friday through the week.
