Zee TV brakes the stereotypical saas bahu concept with Satrangi Sasural

Zee TV, the channel that has been consistently engaging their audiences with distinguished content, brings another show Satrangi Sasural which is an adaptation of a well acclaimed show, ‘honar soon me hya ghar chi’ on ZEE TV’s sister regional channel ZEE Marathi. The show revolves around Aarushi who marries Vihaan Narmada Vatsal, a man raised by not one, but seven very strong and independent mothers. The show is set to entice the audience from 3rd December,Monday to Friday at 10 PM on Zee TV.

 

The story revolves around Aarushi on her journey of deftly managing the expectations of her seven mothers-in- law, who only have Vihaan’s best interests at heart. The sensitive depiction of the unique dynamics between a bahu and her seven mothers-in-law, is the first-of-its-kind on Indian television.

 

We at Adgully caught up with Namit Sharma – Programming Head, Zee TV to get deeper insights on the show.

Speaking about the show, he said, “The show stands tall with a differentiated content and story line up. We have always had content such as Jamai Raja and Kumkum Bhagya, Maharakshak Aryan and Bandhan which have explored a bond of sibling love between man and animal. And now with Satrangi Sasural we are exploring a unique scenario where the man of the house has been raised by seven mother figures and is all set to marry a girl who must then stand up to the expectations of each of these doting mothers.”

 

On the marketing front, the show will take a 360 degree route which includes Television, Print and Radio. The launch day is all set to buzz the audience with heavy advertisements in the major publications across cities and not only the channel from the ZEEL’s bouquet will see advertisements but various other channels will be used across all genres. The time slot, 10 PM seems to be a strong one in the TV industry so when asked to give his thought on the same, Sharma said, “Like the time slot, this show is also a strong one. With differentiated content and show that has given encouraging   response in the Marathi television space, we are really positive."

 

Based in Delhi, the Vastals are a unique family that epitomizes a cross section of India’s vibrant culture as each of the mothers hail from diverse backgrounds and have their own individual personalities. While Dadi Maa influences Vihaan in terms of having a mature point of view while tackling the problems of life, Narmada Maa, his biological mother, is his emotional anchor and coaches him on being sensitive to others. Bua Maa instils in him an intrinsic strength and the ability to stand up for what is right. Chachi Maa takes care of his diet and ensures he’s eating right at all times. Mini Maa, being the fitness enthusiast she is, looks into his health and well-being. Tai Maa is his spiritual anchor, teaching him to stay connected with God and Maasi Maa is his intellectual guide who ensures that he excels in his career. How will his wife Aarushi, who hails from a nuclear family of modest means, where she is the sole bread winner, adapt to a joint family with seven mother figures? Only time will tell!

 

One of the most challenging aspects of the show was to arrive at its casting as each of these mother figures called for actors of a certain calibre and maturity to portray the nuances effortlessly. The ensemble star cast includes some of the most iconic faces of Indian television. Veteran actor Farida Jalal returns to the small screen as Vihaan’s grandmother who binds them all together! Powerhouse performers like Bhavana Balsaver, Sadia Siddiqui, Resham Tipnis, Sheetal Thakkar, Sonali Sachdev and Samta Sagar have stepped in to play the other mothers. Satrangi Sasural has Ravish Desai as the male lead protagonist – Vihaan, opposite Mugdha Chaphekar who essays the role of Aarushi.  The show is produced by 24 Frames spearheaded by Purnendu Shekhar, Nandita Mehra, Gajra Kottary and Bhairavi Raichura.

 

The writer of the show Purnendu Shekhar said, “Working with Zee is like coming back to family. Right since we first began discussing the show with the team at Zee, we were very clear that we did not want just another saas bahu drama. The manner in which we’ve treated the subject of a mother-son equation and the various aspects of caring and nurturing that each of Vihaan’s mothers embodies and the challenges Aarushi will face as their bahu, makes it the first of its kind on Indian television. The concept lends itself beautifully to presenting a vibrant cross section of contemporary Indian culture and we’ve gone about it in a slice-of-life manner. Fortunately, we’ve been able to sign on some of the most memorable faces of Indian television loved by audiences over the years. Each of them have sunk their teeth into these roles and what we have on our hands is pure magic!”  

 

With the mother-in-law defining the character of any sasuraal and shaping the contours of a bride’s everyday life, how will Arushi manage the challenge of making seven promises not only to Vihaan, but one to each of his seven mother figures as well…?