After a
long time binge watched a totally engrossing TV Serial on Disney & Hotstar-
Sadda Haq Season1 & 2. The acting by
the actors Harshita Gaur and Param Singh as the rivals turned college
sweethearts Sanyukta and Randhir was very appealing and took me back to
nostalgic engineering college days. This is the first hindi serial of its kind
where an attempt has been made to show how engineering can be as a career
choice for youngsters. On the flip side it is a very addictive serial, so
aspiring engineering students might spend a lot of time watching this rather
than devoting 10-12 hrs studying as is required to get into a good engineering
college. The first meeting between the protagonists is memorably portrayed and
this clip is one which is shown again and again throughout the seasons. Season
1 portrays the stress of exams, project deadlines and competition for grades
being at the forefront of the student activities. FITE (The name of the engg
college) seems to be modelled on IIT Roorkee where mechanical engineering is a
most coveted branch for the students.
The serial
shows the journey of an aspiring and ambitious woman Sanyukta Agarwal who
dreams of becoming an engineer and join her father’s automobile business. In
the face of opposition from her own father and brother she is determined to
fight for her rights (sadda haq) and the message from the serial is that rights
must be snatched if they are not given. She is supported by her mother in her
aims to achieve her career goals. Her father is portrayed as a typical
regressive man who is interested in getting Sanyukta married and resorts to all
sorts of intimidating and underhand means throughout the season 1 to achieve
his goal.
Sanyukta
clears the tough engineering entrance exams and reaches college only to be
faced by a fresh set of hurdles in the form of her arch rival Randhir who is
determined to throw her out of college. The serial takes an interesting twist
when there is a blast in the lab which prevents Mr Agarwal from dragging
Sanyukta back home from her college as it becomes a police investigation.
Sanyukta
somehow manages to ward off her family and pursue her dream of an engineering
degree. She becomes a part of Vardhan Sir’s dream team a coveted club of
students who complete challenging engineering tasks with admirable ease. As an
aside I wonder at some of the tasks which the dream team completes which may be
out of the league of 1st and even 3rd and 4th
year mechanical engineering students.
The bonds
of friendship between the protagonists progresses very naturally and the
backstory of various characters is intertwined in the plots to justify their
characters and choices they make.
Season 2 of
Sadda Haq takes place in ISRC (Indian Space Research Center) which is again the
first time a hindi serial has tried to portray what goes on inside India’s
hallowed institutions as ISRC is modelled on India’s own ISRO. Here the story
again takes on after a gap of two years where the former students of FITE have
joined ISRC and are working on India’s Mars Mission.
The serial
is very entertaining and I am now left wondering how it did not receive more
popularity as compared to the regular run of the mill soaps on television.
