Zee continues in its efforts to give more than the average soap to the viewer, while trying to avoid the trap of falling prey to commercial success. Some experiments like Love Marriage have failed, others like Astitva - Ek Prem Kahaani have taken off. Will Awaaz - Dil Se Dil Tak, touted as the biggest ever for the channel, click?
Here's a show that could tempt the discerning viewer.

Zee TV, in its continuing endeavour to try out genres untapped by rivals, has dished up Awaaz - Dil Se Dil Tak from this Sunday. In the effort to capitalise on the prized 10 pm slot, Awaaz ousts the now slack Kitttie Party, pushing it to the 10.30 pm slot occupied by the unsung and unlamented Mulk which made its ignominious exit last week. Zee has probably caught on to the logic that while a Buniyaad like yarn of careworn 'lala's of the Partition days does not stand up to viewer scrutiny, a spiffy tale of a plane hijack might just be the flavour of the season.

By a coincidence, Star Plus' Saara Akash, again a life in the backdrop of planes (fighter jets in this case) made its appearance only a few days ago. Both however, restrict the military action to the backdrop - the serious action is in the melodrama that envelops the cast due to changing inter personal relationships.

Despite an attractive cast of veterans, the first episode of Awaaz was however not appetising enough to warrant a return for the second the next day. Several characters, most unrelated, made their entry and exit. Had one not been briefed about the subsequent story that ties these unconnected characters in the plot, their meandering introduction in the first episode would have been quite befuddling. There was a police officer who is unable to reach his child's birthday on time, a couple of kidnappers who plan to kidnap the said kid, a politician and his sidekicks on their way to a meeting, an eloping couple that ropes in the police officer to offer his blessings in a wayside temple, a just married couple informed that the bridegroom has to rush off to a job assignment in Switzerland …one forgets the rest.

The second episode on Monday however, held more promise. Several characters fell into place in the storyline with the implication that several members of the unrelated cast were going to be airborne on the same craft in the short future. The pace was racier, making for some gripping viewing. The kid's been taken hostage and is now languishing in the kidnappers' den, the father asked to clear the terrorists' passage into the aforementioned aircraft as ransom. The eloping duo now return to the police officer's family to help out in this crisis.

There are other characters like Rohini Hattangady and the Irish Rachel O' Shea, who are yet to make their appearance on the show. There are several more who also to make their presence felt and could add to the confusion. Of the cast presented so far, not many stood out for their histrionics. Ram Kapoor who plays the cop has been the best of the lot, for his controlled performance of a father dealing with his child's kidnappers. The women have so far been a weepy lot, crying through garish eye shadows and liners, about separating spouses, hostile families and kidnapped children. The stronger characters are yet to emerge, one guesses.

The strength of Awaaz lies in its story, if well told, can be a gripper. It tells of how relationships turn and twist due to circumstances, of how the hijacked aircraft ends up on an island where the survivors think they are doomed to die. The plot turns again when they are rescued and have to build relationships all over again. In Gajendra Singh, who has run the legendary Antakshari for over a decade on Zee, the channel has a competent producer, though his comfort levels with a new genre need to be ascertained.

Zee has effectively marketed the show through outdoor and print, and positioned itself clearly as a daily that will not conform to the dailies that are currently running on rivals. The title of the show may be a little vague to the uninitiated and the title song nothing much to hum about, but if content is still king on Indian television, the channel could well have a winner on its hands.


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