Ishq ka Rang Safed raises a social issue

In lines with Balika Vadhu, Uttaran and Udann, Colors has come up with another show underlined with a social issue – plight of widows.  Ishq ka Rang safed based in Varanasi or Banaras explores the world of women in white who have literally given up on everything that is colourful. The show premiered on Colors on August 10, 2015 at 6:30 PM, and would air Monday through Saturday.

Dhani (Eisha Singh), the female protagonist of the show, is a good looking 20-year-old leading the life of a widow. Viplav (Mishal Raheja), the male protagonist falls in love with her and thus begins a journey of fight against social injustice.   Viplav, the rebel becomes the catalyst of change in Dhani’s life who thus far has resigned to her fate.

The show is produced by Film Farm Productions, the production house that produced Uttaran.

The concept emerged during the course of a discussion between Rupali Guha, Cofounder, Film Farm Productions and one of her writers. It struck a chord, was debated and discussed internally, and the production house decided to build on it.

As for the challenges faced Kalyan (Pintu) Guha, Cofounder, Film Farm Productions says, “The subject itself is very challenging. There are two schools of thought that exist, one believes that the helpless widows do not exist anymore, which makes it even more intriguing. It is a very dry subject so to say, but we were very clear we wanted to make it as gripping as movie Deewana was. People would be watching the show six days a week for twenty minutes or so, hence the story and treatment has to engage them.”

The production house states that the show is an outcome of massive research both on ground in Banaras & Mumbai, and through literature on the subject. Rupali expresses, “There are widow houses in Mumbai too! We met many widows from different part of the country there. There is a lot of sadness and loneliness about these women. Though many of them might not be facing economic problems, abandonment is a big issue. The message we want to give out is that they have a right to live, love and feel free to do what they want to.”

However, Kalyan is quick to add that it is a fiction story. Says he, “Very honestly, we just took the basics from there and came up with this beautiful story, with great viewer connect.”

As for choosing Banaras as the backdrop, Kalyan says, “Many widows are left there by their families, and hence is the perfect backdrop to build a story on the subject.”

Eisha was selected for the role at the initial stages of casting process itself. However, Mishal Rahuja took some time. Rupali admits, “We did a huge amount of auditioning for the male protagonist’s role. We needed a slightly older person, mature but rebellious for the male protagonist and finally we zeroed down on Mishal. Eisha, however, was an instant choice both for us and the channel.”

One wonders what would differentiate the show from other TV shows revolving around a widow or deserted woman. Aren’t they all about return of the protagonist to happy life? Rupali smiles, “We are not out to present a run of the mill widow story. It has a number of nuances not seen on small screen before this. It is an issue that we have all witnessed, but chosen not to do anything about. If in addition to making a captivating show, we can even get a few people to spend time with them. If they are young get them married or bring other changes in their lives, our objective is achieved. At the end everyone has the right to live and we will focus on this more than anything else.”

The title song of the show is inspired by a Rekha Bharadwaj song based on Kabir's dohas. The song was rerecorded with her for the show.