The entertainment industry is certainly about trends and television is a huge part of this vogue world. There is a plethora of genres, types, and natures of regular TV dramas and soaps that we witness one after the other. However, there is much more to what you see on TV than what meets the eye. There are co-incidences, conceptualization, brainstorming, and a lot of planning that viewers often tend to overlook.
Recently, when we observed a fresh fad of sequels being announced by makers of different channels, one of them was ARY Digital’s ‘Baby Baji Ki Bahuein’ which gathered huge limelight for being a daily soap to return with a new season competing with Geo TV’s grand commercial project ‘Tere Bin’. But that was not the only notable element in this situation. Viewers found it a little devious that ARY Network released an unexpected first teaser of the show just when Green TV launched ‘Mohabbat Satrangi‘ a new soap serial with more than half of ‘Baby Baji’s cast.
‘Baby Baji”s ensemble cast includes Samina Ahmad, Munawar Saeed, Javeria Saud, Saud, Sunita Marshall, Hassan Ahmed, Aina Asif, Junaid Jamshed Niazi, Syeda Tuba Anwar, Fazal Hussain, Faiza Khan, Farhad Ali, Javeria Nayyar and Fareeha Jabeen, whereas ‘Mohabbat Satrangi‘ has the same cast, except Aina Asif and Faiza Khan.
The Curious Case of Baby Baji and Mohabbat Satrangi
Many people who noticed this unusually dramatic clash of soaps on two different channels, called it a desperate attempt from either of the two networks to use the cast or concept of the original show to achieve the attention of the masses.
Galaxy Lollywood reached out to Javeria Saud, the actress who plays pivotal roles in both shows and also the producer and writer of Green TV’s venture to address these concerns. She revealed that ‘Baby Baji’‘s second season wasn’t in plan, since Abdullah Seja’s iDream Production had concluded the show in the first season, though the cast wanted to work together again. That’s when Green Entertainment offered them another show to work on. However, she called it nothing but a coincidence that both channels have created two dramas with similar cast and story.
Discussing creating ‘Mohabbat Satrangi‘ with almost the same team as ‘Baby Baji’, Javeria said, “We have done ample of such work which had similar cast. Actually, people don’t connect with the cast as much as they do with the characters. They don’t call me Javeria rather they they refer to me as Azra.”
Javeria Saud was once a household name as Jameela from her popular soap ‘Yeh Zindagi Hai’. “When ‘Yeh Zindagi Hai’ started, several other dramas started on different channels, with our cast, even the same writer and director. We feel good when people follow us.” she said.
The actress revealed that Green Entertainment approached her home production JJSI to create a soap of her style a year ago and since then ‘Mohabbat Satrangi’ has been in the pipeline. “We became very good friends, after ‘Baby Baji’ we used to meet and sit together. So, we decided to work together for this project which was already being planned,” she added. The drama’s director is Shahid Younis and Javeria has penned the show.
Similarities and Comparisons Between Baby Baji Ki Bahuein and Mohabbat Satrangi
It is intrinsic for a regular viewer to draw comparisons and look for similarities between two dramas that have a seemingly equivalent plotline and cast. So, the viewers pointed out a few elements that can overlap if both shows run simultaneously on different channels. For instance, the same elderly couple, Samina Ahmed and Munawar Saeed schooling their offspring to act decent and respect the legacy of the joint family.
Upon being asked about this Javeria said, “I have shown three different generations in ‘Mohabbat Satrangi’. How they all have different mindsets, dreams, objectives, as well as priorities.” Adding further she said, “You will see there is a business being run by three generations, where each generation has a different approach towards it, which adds a mazedaar flavour to it.”
About ‘Baby Baji’ she said, “’Baby Baji’ was a well-written script which was about how a mother protects her children under her feathers and how children somehow change after marriage, it was a beautiful story. I have no idea about the story of the upcoming season of ‘Baby Baji Ki Bahuein’, however, I am pretty sure it will be a hit as it already is.” she added.
The First Impression of Mohabbat Satrangi
‘Mohabbat Satrangi’ began airing on Green TV this Monday and it can be called a powerful start. Two episodes so far and it managed to hook the audience to this huge household called Shaan Villa quite impactfully. Having little to no uniqueness in the basic plotline the usual soap serials can be counted as a plus point for the drama. Masses took no time to connect to the characters shown and the issues they were dealing with. One can simply not overlook Javeria Saud’s portrayal of a dramatic, conniving, yet innocent Husn Aara who is trying to escape the dark reality of the passing of time and age while waiting for her fiancé Azeem played by Saud Qasmi for almost a decade.
Viewer Anticipation
TV soaps might lack the innovation and subtlety that a powerful prime time slot demands. However, they have a beauty of their own in the simplicity, relevance and realistic portrayal of family politics and domestic issues. Daily soaps have had a different flavour in Pakistan, we cannot forget classic soap serials like ‘Tanweer Fatima BA’, ‘Yeh Zindagi Hai’, ‘Malika e Aaliya’, ‘Maasi Aur Malka’, among a list of numerous hits. ‘Baby Baji’ had definitely revived lounge gatherings and healthy sittings on the 7 pm tea slot while it’s run and ‘Mohabbat Satrangi’ is the next to be doing the same with much righteousness. We wonder what would ‘Baby Baji Ki Bahuein’ add to this table and if it would get the same response as the other two shows received from the viewers.
