TV review: Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha

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TV review: ‘Na Bole Tum’… is a worthy match for ‘Bigg Boss 5′

The drama has an engaging plot that will keep you glued to your screens five times a week

Colors’ new show Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha came with a heavy burden – it was airing at the time slot vacated by Bigg Boss 5 and had to bring the viewers who had got hooked to the reality show back to the channel. A relatively new cast with a widow as its lead protagonist is not something that assures TRPs, but Colors took the risk and from what we’ve seen so far it just might pay off. Here’s our take on it.


The plot: Mrs Megha Vyas is a young widow with two children who lives with her in-laws in Indore. She is quiet, respectful to her elders and a good mother even though she has almost no money. She is taunted by temple priests and by total strangers who believe that her dead husband Aman was a corrupt engineer who allowed a bridge to collapse causing 25 people to die two years ago. She meets Mohan Bhatnagar who she thinks is a thug, but is actually a crime reporter. Both of them are fighting to prove Aman’s innocence, but are unaware of the other’s involvement.


Why watch it: We’ve watched all the three episodes aired so far, but the very first one was enough to hook us on to this new show. Theatre actor Aakanksha Singh debuts on television as the deglam mother-of-two Mrs Vyas, and brings a poignancy to her character that is lacking in victimised heroines on other shows. The dialogues are apt and the experienced supporting cast lends an air of credibility to the proceedings. Nirav Soni as Megha’s nephew Tanmay definitely has potential and in a couple of years can pose serious competition to his elder brother Jay Soni of Sasuraal Genda Phool fame.


What’s putting off: Kunal Karan Kapoor as Mohan fails to impress. Maybe he’ll improve in the coming episodes, but till now, he has not struck a chord. We also didn’t quite understand how Megha, an otherwise doting mother, agreed to take her daughter’s pocket money to buy her son a birthday gift – a cricket bat, which incidentally, costs Rs. 700 on the streets of Indore. It doesn’t cost that much on the streets of Mumbai!


Verdict: NBTNMKK has everything – interesting protagonists, an engaging storyline and a treatment that is different from other soaps. It admirably fills the slot left vacant by Bigg Boss 5 and is definitely something you will miss on weekends.


Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha airs weekdays at 10.30pm on Colors
ALSO READ: Kunal Karan Kapoor: I am going through a ‘Mohan’ phase and I’m loving it!

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Kunal Karan Kapoor: I am going through a ‘Mohan’ phase and I’m loving it!

By Letty Mariam Abraham

It’s been a long journey for the carefree and chilled out Kunal Karan Kapoor, formerly Angad of Pratigya and now Mohan in Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha

After playing several secondary characters, this is Kunal’s first big break as the solo lead in a daily soap telecast at primetime. Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha has just replaced the controversial reality show Bigg Boss season 5. In a candid conversation with the passionate actor, who has been shooting from six in the morning to midnight, we find that in spite of his busy schedule he is fresh as ever for an interview which has been scheduled and rescheduled at least four times…
From playing a nerd to a complete baddie… what has the transition been like?
Frankly, it’s been a really long journey. In my entire life I have never really planned anything. I have been a vagabond. I work for some time, make money and then take off on a long trip. But I have learnt a lot from the little work I have done. My first screen appearance was as the geeky stammering nerd in Remix, then a jovial army cadet in Left Right Left, followed by a role as thief in Maayka and then the paan-chewing baddie in Pratigya. Things always fell into place for me.
How did you bag the lead role in Na Bole Tum…?
I auditioned for Sunshine Productions long ago. They called me back almost a year later with this offer. After my stint in Pratigya, I deliberately stayed away from television for a year to get a better perspective on things and I guess that paid off. Now I am back with a bigger and much meatier role.
Who is Mohan?
Mohan is a crime reporter by profession. He loves his job because he is a carefree and careless kind of guy who loves to live on the edge. The profession lets him live like an adrenaline junkie. He believes in having an adventurous and exciting life.
So what kind of a daily soap is this?
Ideally, it’s a little of everything. It’s an unusual story which is a little romantic, dramatic and comic. I think that after watching the serial, the audience is the only one that can categorise the show in the right genre.
What’s Mrs Vyaas’ story?
Mrs Vyaas is single mother who takes on the responsibility of two adorable and smart children after her husband’s death. She is a woman who is living in a cage and needs to break free. By ‘cage’ I mean bound by the responsibility of her children and in-laws. In reality she is very much like Mohan, but circumstances force her to lead a completely opposite lifestyle. The story revolves around these two diverse individuals who are pitted against each other by fate.
You are working with kids – are they a handful?
This is the first time I am working with kids. And they are an inspiration; you learn a lot of patience and commitment from them. Ashnoor Kaur and Vishesh Bansal are powerhouse talents. Especially Ashnoor – she is so focused and determined when she is acting that you are left flabbergasted by her talent. Without doubt, the two kids are ideally the stars of the show.
What gyaan did you give Aakansha on the first day of the shoot?
I didn’t have to tell her anything. Aakansha hails from a theatre background. She has worked with Girish Karnard and essayed roles from Rabindranath Tagore’s plays. Not that I have seen any, but I know that she knows what she is doing. When we began shooting she, who was facing the camera for the first time, was calm and totally composed while I was nervous. Aakansha can instil strength in the opposite person. Before the actual shoot began there was very little interaction between us, but we did do a lot of look tests and script reading.
Why did you take such a long break post Pratigya?
After my role as Angad in Pratigya, I didn’t want to repeat myself. But the kinds of roles offered to me were all on similar lines. I loved my role as the bad guy. At first I was doubtful if I’d be able to pull it off – the dialect, the nature and the paan. On the first day of my shoot I ate 18 to 20 paans! But I have no regrets – Angad was like a milestone. So I didn’t want to repeat myself or any role that I had already done. I wanted to do something more mature.
Your expectations from the show…
Honestly, I expect a lot, because this is the first time I am playing the lead and it’s a huge responsibility. I have been working from dawn to midnight and we’ve put in a lot of hard work… Let’s hope it pays off. I hope people appreciate our work and Na Bole Tum… becomes one of Colors’ top rated shows.
Colors is known for daily soaps with social and domestic issues… will Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha be accepted?
I’d honestly like to believe that we have a mature audience that loves shows that break the monotony and are fresh in their presentation. Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha has a feelgood factor and is a slice-of-life kind of show. I am sure that if the story is good, people will definitely enjoy it.
At a time when women-oriented serials rule the roost, would you be able to stand out as a male lead?
I am not the only one running the show. It’s the story about two diverse personalities. The USP of the show is the unusual narrative. Comparing it with any other show or character would be unfair to both. As for me, it’s a character that’s very different from most lead roles. If the story clicks, my character will automatically work. I am just hoping for the best.
Any other show on Colors you watch?
I love Bigg Boss. I am an ardent fan of the reality show because the entire concept is awesome. It’s like a great human experiment – the clash of relationships and the interplay of roles and moods swings is simply great. But I personally would never be able to live in such a house. I wouldn’t stand a chance and I cannot subject myself to 24/7 surveillance. I love my privacy and solitude a little too much.
So is working in films your next step?
I am not thinking about it right now. The serial has come at a very crucial time in my life. Kunal as a person is going through a Mohan phase and I’m loving it. I aspired to be a director since I was 13-years-old, after I saw Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. In my free time, that’s what keeps me occupied. I am always trying to teach myself something new.
So are you single, or ready to mingle?

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Can ‘Na Bole Tum…’ replace ‘Bigg Boss 5′ successfully?


Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha, the soap that will air from today in place of the reality show, has high expectations to fulfill

Bigg Boss 5 has come to an end, but if you tuned in to Colors by habit at the same time yesterday, you would have still seen the stage being set for two people to fight. Only this time it is admittedly scripted. Kunal Karan Kapoor plays crime reporter Mohan Bhatnagar in the new show Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha and his adversary is not a gangster, but a widowed housewife Meghna Vyas (Aakanksha Singh). Even Salman Khan commented when the lead actors visited the grand finale of Bigg Boss 5 that it is a good replacement for the reality show as here are two characters who fight as passionately as the housemates. However, there is another important point to note – Bigg Boss 5 got an opening TVR of 4.3 that pushed Colors up to second place. When the TVRs began falling – the reason behind the entries of Sunny Leone, Andrew Symonds, Yamamotoyama Ryuta – Colors slipped into third place. Bigg Boss 5 ended with an average rating of 2.5 TVR. The channel needs a show that will bring in the viewers again, and it is banking now on Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha. However, the show’s producers are pretty chilled out. Seema Sharma of Sunshine Productions said, “We have tried something different in treatment instead of the usual cliches. We are not stressed (that it is replacing Bigg Boss 5) and the channel isn’t either. The show has to air on some time slot, then why not this one? It’s not an issue. If the boy and girl click, we’ll get viewers.” Seema also added that the show has been set in Indore as its culture has not been explored much on television. “Indore is the heartland of India and we thought it is the right setting for a story told from the heart,” she added. Did the first episode manage to capture your hearts? Tell us!


Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha premiered on January 9. It airs weekdays at 10.30 pm on Colors