In a country where for years TV soap operas have focussed only on kitchen politics and saas-bahu (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law) dramas, a new show titled Badho Bahu will shake things up. It’s about a plus-size woman and her dreams of marriage.
The show, which was launched in Mumbai on Tuesday, will feature debutante Rytasha Rathore, who will be playing Komal, and Bigg Boss 9 winner Prince Narula.
Badho Bahu, a 260-episode-long show, has been compared to the 2015 National Film Award-winning movie Dum Laga Ke Haisha, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar.
Asked if it is adapted from the film, Rathore said: “The only similarity is that she [the character] is fat and she marries a guy who is not interested in her. But the show is very different as it has 260 episodes. So it will be a long show. There are a lot of things to happen.”
The show is set in the Indian state of Haryana, and Narula will play wrestler and eligible bachelor Lakha Singh Ahlawat.
How difficult was it for Prince to get the Haryanvi accent?
“I practised a lot for it... I am from Punjab and my tone is very different. When I came to Mumbai, I struggled to talk in Hindi because I used to talk so much in Punjabi. Now with the show... it is in Haryanvi. So I had to practise a lot,” Narula said.
Narula has also paid a tribute to superstar Salman Khan, who hosted the ninth season of Bigg Boss, in the show.
“I watched Sultan [a wrestling film] many times. I was watching a move... The first wrestling move in the first episode of the show is a tribute to Salman sir because I have copied it. I was asked ‘Why do you want to do this?’ I said because I am a big fan of Salman Khan, so it was a tribute to him,” he said.
Badho Bahu, which will premiere on September 12 on &TV channel and will be replacing Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum, also stars Pankaj Dheer, Jaya Ojha, Arhaan Khan and Sangeeta Panwar.
Dheer, who will be seen essaying Narula’s father in the show, said: “It’s basically a story of girl who is overweight. I would call her a very normal girl, who is a little overweight and that is not a problem.”
Will the show help change the perception of larger people in India?
“I hope it does. I think it will. But I am just a drop in the ocean,” Rathore added.
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