Imtihaan’ is a family drama that aired on DD National. The show, directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Anupam Kher, includes well-known actors such as Manoj Bajpayee, Raju Kher, and Renuka Sahane. ‘Imtihaan’ made its telecast on DD National for about a year.
‘Imtihaan’ revolves around the clash between two cultures, Indian, and Western. Two girls, Seema, and Bharti, susceptible to society, both from different backgrounds, meet on the Internet through destiny and become close. What happens after they get close and how two different cultures mold together, is the essence of the show. Bharti is a young girl, born and raised in Canada. She is a bit perplexed as her family mannerisms, and their style of living is much different from what she encounters in the outside world. On the other hand, Seema belongs to an orthodox family, pressurized by unconventional morals in turn creating obstacles for her career.
Amrapali Gupta portrayed the role of Seema with perfection on the screen. Bharti’s family wants her to get married to an Indian, so as not to forget their roots. But, she is not happy with her parents’ imposing decision, whereas Seema’s mother wants her to get married and have a family, instead of supporting her lifelong dream of completing her education from abroad and stand on her own feet. Even though Seema’s submissive nature allows her to agree to get married, her marriage will not last long, and she eventually had to live her life on her own terms. Firdaus Dadi played Pooja, a strong supporting character who is pivotal to the central protagonists. Bharti and Seema over the course of the show face many difficulties on their journey and yet how they managed to keep the balance in their lives, keeps the audience intrigued.
Imtiaz Ali’s direction took the show to a whole new level. We have all watched ‘Jab We Met’ and we know how good he is.
Ali took out the best from all the characters and depicted on the screen. It is probably because of that quality, even though ‘Imtihaan’ siding on the border lines of the tragedy genre, kept the audience glued to their seats. The reigns of production were in the hands of Anupam Kher, need we say more? The screen presence of Manoj Bajpayee and Renuka Sahane were a bonus added to the plot.
Overall, ‘Imtihaan’ is among the known TV shows during the 90’s era and even though the beginning of the series might be bit dragging, it makes up more for it as the show progresses.