Doodarshan’s afternoon programme bouquet presents a wide variety for the viewers, specially the housewives, elderly and children. Their common denominator is that besides being engaging and entertaining, a strong social message is weaved in the tale with the objective of percolating it down to the grassroot level. One such show is “Pragati” directed by Vijay Saini, an engrossing story of a girl who despite all odds and opposition is determined to get educated.
Impressed by a one-line concept suggested by his friend, Tasdik about a girl in Rajasthan who is eager to study but her efforts are thwarted by her grandmother and the village sarpanch, Vijay started exploring the idea of making a serial on it. “We developed the concept with Tasdik writing the story and located a village, Dhularaoji in Rajasthan which suited our storyline. We found that here girls were discouraged to study and child marriage was prevalent,” reveals Vijay.
Despite Government’s commitment to ensure gender equality, girls are still dissuaded from going to school and pursuing higher studies. “Our objective through this show is to convey the existence of discrimination and how it is adversely affecting us while stressing on the importance of education for both boys and girls,” Vijay emphasises.
The role of the child protagonist is essayed by Pragya Sharma who has earlier worked in several other shows. According to the director she fits the bill and has delivered the goods. Other prominent cast members include Gajendra Chauhan, recently in news following his appointment as the Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India, as Pragati’s father and Renu Pandey as her mother besides Meenakshi Verma, Nimay Bali, Rashmi Mishra among others.
The episodes do not focus on girls’ education but also highlight how it creates an awareness enabling one to stand up against injustice, corruption and social ills, etc. “We have tried to bring to fore issues like nepotism, drug addiction and lack of toilets for women folk among others and how one can battle against them. Thereby impressing upon the audience that the existence of these problems in our villages,” says Vijay.
Although an overdose of humour and romance has been avoided in the serial, Vijay has depicted Rajasthan’s scenic beauty and culture, music, dress and lifestyle to sustain viewers’ interest. Having directed more than 20 programmes, including, “Bade Achhe Lagte Hai”, “Kumkum Bhagya’’, “Singhasan Battisi”, among others, Vijay comments that the subject matter of “Pragati” is “very close to my heart and I have spared no efforts to make it well.”
(Telecast on DD National, 2 p.m. Monday to Friday)
