Early this year, Star Plus had announced slew of new launches, each different from the other. All the shows, barring one - Saara Akaash - launched early this year. The love story, with an air force backdrop, was held over for later. The show is ready for take off now. On 7 August at 9 pm, Saara Akaash joins the 'Star Parivaar' clan. Miditec's debut soap claims to be a first of its kind serial on life in the air force to unveil on Indian satellite television.
It is an out and out romantic soap and Star Plus makes no bones about it. Flaunting a cookie point of being the first show on the television with the air force as a backdrop, the show thankfully does not have any bejewelled matriarchs, pouting and weeping. Though the men outnumber women in the cast, the show has its priorities in place. It promises some heavy-duty drama, with revenge, action, emotions all packaged like eye candy, for its target audience, the homemakers.

Typical of other Star Plus soaps, the show opens with a pooja scene, but this time it is for a barsi. Cut to the next scene, at the air force head office where the officers discuss the threat posed to national security and the future of the air force (another brownie point there). And then begins the introduction of the major thrust of the show, the youngsters.

Shot at the Indian Air Force base in Pune and in Mumbai, Saara Akash revolves around five air force pilots, who have just finished their training, three of whom are childhood friends. Besides the friendship and the love quadrangle, there is a half brother-sister relationship waiting to be explored in the plot.

Right from the first episode itself, it is clear what the show is all about. But what is praiseworthy here is that the debut episode gives a fair idea of the sub plots. The story telling is fluid and the narration racy. What has really helped here is the duration. Being an hour long weekly, it is does not drag like the dailies and neither does the end seem too abrupt like the half-hour weeklies.

Agreed that the story isn't really a novel concept and apart from newcomer Sai Deodhar the rest of the cast comprise television regulars, but that is really nothing to crib about. Also with the characters roughly playing their age, it is easy to relate to them. The chemistry among the characters is great.

The cast includes big television names like Parmeet Sethi, Kiran Kumar, Manish Goel, Shakti Anand, Anuj Saxena and Maanav Gohil. On hindsight, the show does seem to be a serialised movie - a masala packed entertainment.

While there is nothing really exceptional to say about the histrionic capabilities of the actors, they don't look like misfits either. They should hopefully seem relatively at ease, especially Kiran Kumar. He seems to carry some heavy baggage though, most of it from the Kittie Party act. Sudha Shivpuri, Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kahie Bahu Thi's Ba, looks amazingly life-like in this show. The doting granny act, though predictable, is sweet. Other ladies are typical filmi mothers, albeit with relatively less melodrama.

Amongst the younger lot, Manish Goel, and Maanav Gohil smile pretty, they would hopefully avoid getting sucked into the typical sidekick act. Both Shakti Anand, Anuj Saxena should learn to loosen a bit. Amongst the leading ladies, Sai has shades of Gul Panag's Zoya act in Kashmeer - all sacharine.

Despite being a first time soap producer, Miditech seems to have done a commendable job. Even though the air force is used just as a prop; they have paid attention to details like the style of saluting, the uniforms and the cantonment area. According to the Miditech CEO Nikhil Alva, the production house has not only shot exclusively on authentic locations with the permission and support from the air force, but even the script is being penned in collaboration with the air force. Besides the air force officers are constantly called in to tutor the actors.

Interestingly, one of the reasons given by the production house about the delay in its launch was also the time span required to get the requiste permissions.

Right from the location to the artistes costume nothing is over the top. Although not showcased in the first episode itself, the show does use a lot of graphics that have been designed by Star's team. Since the same team as that for Josh … is being repeated, there is an assurance that there would be no slap-shoddy effects on screen.

A well-established name in the film industry Director Quaid, whose recent directorial ventures include the Balaji stable's Kasautii Zindagii Kay, has done a fairly good job. Since he is directing a relatively experienced star cast, with a couple of actors being those he has already directed, his task is relatively easy. Plus with the thrust of the show being a love story, an area that he has already explored, he should be able to handle it well.

On first impression, the show does seem to follow the formula that has worked so well in the recent past. Plus with an extremely camera friendly star cast, one can safely guarantee the initial crowd pull. It has all the essential ingredients, love, trust, betrayal and hate, that apart from the surging patriotic setting. Even if it didn't, there are enough tracks that could be developed into the main plotline for the show to appease the audience.

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