The show dwells upon the plight of farmers but Kapoor spares us the gory details (except for showing us close-ups of sweaty, unshaven, crying extras as helpless farmers) as she focusses more on the Thakur (Sharad Kelkar) and his misplaced affection (read lust) for Amoli. Set in a remote village where the Thakur leads a Jekyll and Hyde existence, for his wife, he is the loving husband, a dutiful head who can’t bear to see the farmers suffering but in reality, he’s a man who tramples upon those very farmers’ lives when he’s not eyeing their helpless daughters. Amoli’s father’s land has been cunningly taken over by Thakur and his cronies. If Amoli wants the land back then she must pay a price for it - sleep with the Thakur. The girl refuses point-blank and her mother decides to marry her off, but the Thakur manages to threaten the groom and decides to marry Amoli, because that’s the only way he can control her and fulfill his ulterior motives. All this happens while his niece is getting engaged in the haveli. While the Thakur’s friend manages to stop the former’s wedding, Amoli gets one more day to think about her future. Sadly, her mother thinks getting married to the Thakur, is the only way out for Amoli to get her family out of penury.
The show, unlike Ekta’s earlier enterprises, is set in a fairly realistic setting, but she has cleverly diverted the attention of the viewers with the Thakur-Amoli track rather than talk about farmers’ suicides. We think that it’s a good idea because given Ekta’s lack of research and detail it’s better she doesn’t make a mockery of the farmers’ suicides and rather does something that’s more her scene. But recession seems to have badly hit the producer, as barring Kelkar, viewers have to make do with a very average bunch of actors for a supporting cast. Amoli has beautiful, luminous eyes and we can see why Thakur is behaving the way he is, but her dialogue delivery leaves a lot to be desired. We particularly want to throttle the actress who plays Amoli’s mother, who cries all the time.
And yes, we have a query: Why is it called Bairi Piya? Still, Bairi Piya may not be an ideal viewing alternative but it is certainly better than Ekta Kapoor’s other labours of love.
Verdict:
Watch it only for Sharad Kelkar. He looks good and for a change, acts too.
