PromoReview: Barun EXCELS; Shivani looks ROSY in this promo of ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?’

Dark, gritty yet mysteriously eternal, ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon‘ promises to live up to its legacy.

The anticipation for Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? is at its maximum peak with only a few days left for the show to go on-air.

The heartthrob of Indian television, Barun Sobti makes his much-awaited comeback, doing what he does best at – playing a ‘Singh Raizada’. However, with the promos and Barun’s character description already in the news, things are totally different from the original predecessor of the series.

While Barun’s promos were on-air, there was a considerable wait for Shivani Tomar aka Chandni’s promos to go on-air.

And finally, the wait is over as we get a glimpse into Shivani’s character, Chandni and also a jaw dropping side of Barun’s character, Advay Singh Raizada.

What’s it about?

An innocent and docile girl, Chandni (Shivani Tomar) is at a temple doing her daily prayers. Unfazed and unaware, she doesn’t realize that a ‘no-nonsense’ looking Advay Singh Raizada (Barun Sobti) just arrived and is standing right behind her. Witnessing that the drape of Chandni’s saree is inches away from being burnt by a nearby lamp, Advay bends down and infact pushes the burning lamp even closer so that the drape catches fire. A shocked Chandni doesn’t understand how her drape has caught fire and just stands, screaming for help. And that’s when Advay removes his coat and rescues Chandni. A skeptical Chandni accepts the help as Advay puts out the fire and puts the coat around her. With the coat acting as the shield, Advay takes Chandni away from the place and we hear the tagline of the show, ‘Intezaar, Intehaa ya Ilzaam du? Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?’

What’s Good?

The setting of the show is as grand as a Gul Khan show always promises to be. Even though the promo is set in a temple, the scale and grand treatment to the set is evidently alluring. There has been a lot of flak pertaining to Shivani’s casting as Chandni. But this promo eradicates several doubts as Shivani looks convincing as Chandni, even though she doesn’t have any dialogues. Her look gives you a contemporary feel and that is a treat to watch. It is too soon to comment on her acting fettle as not much has been showcased. But we can safely say that she looks promising as Chandni and she deserves to be given a chance. Barun absolutely startles as Advay, in this promo specifically. It’s an absolute pleasure to see Barun play the silent assassin type man who lights the fire himself and then impersonates to be the saviour. We wonder why did Barun keep himself away from the TV screen for such a long time as the good man – bad man, Advay Raizada seems tailor-made for Barun. We love how Advay lets his eyes do the talking. There is a blink and miss moment where Advay is enjoying watching the flames engulf Chandni and then there is that moment of cunning thoughts and vengeance when Advay himself is seen guiding Chandni to safety. The background score acts as the perfect complement to this dark yet emotional love story. An acoustic version of ‘Rabba Ve’ plays at the end of the promo, thus giving it an apt climax it needs.

The Verdict

With just a few days away from D-Day, this promo gives the much-needed kick and push to the show. While Barun as Advay playing his guitar in a barren land was a good teaser, this promo is an apt presentation of what can we expect from the show. Not any bad points to point out in this promo, the biggest challenge the makers will face is the fans adapting and accepting the idea of Barun playing the anti-hero and also accepting the Barun-Shivani pairing. Dark, gritty yet mysteriously eternal, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? promises to live up to its legacy.

Rating – ****1/2 (4.5/5)