Jojo Bhaiyya

Definitely the best fiction show on Indian television right now (unless Bigg Boss is scripted). Deftly avoids several old tropes of typical Indian serials and is amazingly fresh. I think the biggest plus point is the tight story and limited timeline (although it could have been tighter.) Although the show has several nonsensical points (like how insanely unreasonable and idiotic Parveen is), it makes sense to a large extent as a fantasy show. I wish the over dramatisation of camera shots had been absent, as the story here is relatively strong and the melodramatic camera effects only degrade the story. Also, I am from Lucknow and Lucknow does not look like that AT ALL. I mean seriously, we don't have mountains and forests.(I wish) This is NOT a hillstation. Vikram is a really good actor and shows varying degrees of emotion in a controlled, succinct way. Aditi is delightful in parts and manages to feel like sunshine sometimes (and come on guys, she is the one with the cute eyes). Have high hopes for Arhaan now that he's here, although its weird that the Sifriti djinn would say stuff like "sunrise". I love the music as well. The show is a bit of a leap from where shows on Indian television are today and I hope so hard it is a precursor to better times. I hope the makers don't succumb to popular demand and extend the show simply for TRPs as that is the sure shot formula to killing the content and I really don't want this show to lose its grip. I admire the makers for undertaking a limited series and hope this propels Indian television to a better state. As a footnote, I watched the episode with the Night of the Red Moon (/Laal chaand) yesterday and it had some of the most appealing scenes I have seen on an Indian soap in a long, long time. Couldn't keep from rewatching again and again

Although I am tired of family dramas on Indian television, this was new. It had a thought process behind it, it made more sense. But anyone can see that the theme itself was not meant to last beyond 50 episodes that were totally large on content. Now to the high points of the show, the reasons you could watch it: 1. Abir. I admired how real his character is, and how much he adhered to his nature. He is a dreamer, a poet, a painter, a rebel, a free soul. Its everywhere, from his work as an NGO manager to the way he speaks and the way he is. No dark shadow in his soul, and no pain overwhelms him completely. I love the absence of angst. I love the absence of jealousy. I love absence of angry bad boy. I love how he is a regular guy. 2. How connected this show is sometimes to real life values. Having said that, now, this show is very far removed from its core ideas and has strayed too far from rationality. Although lets admit it, that happens to EVERY SINGLE INDIAN SOAP EVER. So that's not new.