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Second wind for
Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
on DD-national

A hit film director, the writer of Saans and UTV come together to reinvent teleserial Sanghursh, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara on DD-National.

Suresh Iyer, executive producer, is now looking to position Sanghursh, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara as a ‘dramatic soap with a very dramatic thriller base’. The serial also interestingly portrays the police in a positive light.

When the maker of hit films like Jigar and Vijaypath, the writer of Saans and United Television come together to reinvent a teleserial, what can you expect? In this case, it is Sanghursh, Mile Sur mera Tumhara, a half-hour soap on DD-National, Saturday, 9 p.m.

Viewers may recall the serial as a hour-long drama telecast Saturdays at 10.20 p.m. on DD-National. It starred Vikram Gokhale, Ajit Vachani and Mohan Bhandari as three brothers. Gokhale was Bramha, the eldest with the traditional values and age-old beliefs and customs, Vachani was Vishnu with an urban-Indian outloook and Bhandari was the Americanised Shankar.

While the basic concept of the trio still holds, there is an infusion of fresh blood with a new creative team that is now adding dimensions, creating conflicts and bringing more life into the serial.

Says executive producer Suresh Iyer of UTV, who has now taken over the project. “We were looking at the cultural gap between the three brothers’ families, thus far. This was the first phase. Now, we are bringing in more of the element of conflict by adding in external factors.” The makers are, of course, ensuring that the element of togetherness between the three brothers forms the base on which the story develops. It is the cultural gap between their families that give rise to inevitable conflicts.

Enthuses Suresh Iyer, “There are three types of conflicts - within the individual, his family conflicts and the external elements that lead to conflicts. There are circumstances that are forced upon the brothers and this gives scope for excellent drama.”

Suresh Iyer is now looking at Sanghursh, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara as a “dramatic soap with a very dramatic thriller base”. Besides being a family show that depicts three cultures and has the original thread of three brothers who part ways, only come together to live under a common roof 25 years later to fulfill a promise, the show now has elements of the underwolrd dons who are after property. “Besides this, there are elements of extortion, the current crime scenario, the works,” gushes Suresh. The serial also interestingly portrays the police in a positive light.

Suresh feels that the new team of writer-director will add a fresh feel to the serial. “Director Farough Siddique has had two silver jubilee hits behind him.” The reason, says he, is “TV is getting very constrained with television directors now thinking silver screen. We needed a mix of the elements of drama and thrill. Hence, I felt that he was the best bet.”

As for writer Brij Katyal, Suresh says, “He jumped at the opportunity, as this project is very different from the ones like Saans that he is currently doing. Also, we chose him because he could help turn the new vision of the project into reality.”

Says director Farough Siddique, “I liked the concept. It is based on different cultures, and on a united family. The small things that make a family interest me.” Siddique is sure he can bring a certain newness to the serial. “Everyday happenings in life can be brought into the serial. It is like the five fingers of our hand - united we stand, divided we fall is something that the family understands over a course of time. There are outside forces, business opponents, the underworld - who are waiting for rifts in the family to be used to their advantage.

And of course, there is a cultural difference within the family. And hence there is friction inside. And there are others who envy this family as they see them from outside - they feel the three brothers are so together! And all along, this family has been envying their neighbours! It is like looking at the horizon we think the heaven and the earth are meeting each other. And this is not the reality. There are so many things we are bringing into this serial, but as of now, I can say that we ar trying to bring back our old values through this serial.”

Writer Brij Katyal, being a product of a joint family himself, feels he can infuse fresh blood into the serial. “Earlier, Sanghursh, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara had episodic stories weaved together. Now, it is one constant struggle of a joint family to stay together,” he says. “In Jammu, where I am from, we were five brothers belonging to a joint family. Even today, my four nephews live together. Of course, there are these little irregularities but then they are again together. Today, joint families are not very possible in big cities because of space. So, to write about this joint family where the three bahus are from three different backgrounds and want their pace and their individuality is interesting. When the husbands manage to weave around this assertion by their wives who are also right in their own place, then there is co-existence. Else, there are rifts.”

Katyal now goes on to compare a joint family to India. “See, a joint family as in Sanghursh, Mile Sur... is like our country. There are different parts that the central government (Bramha in our case) wants to keep happy. The members are different in outlook, upbringing and approach like our country. Hence the serial can be identified by one and all.”

Only time will tell if the people really will identify with it.