REVIEW: Agnifera is a traditional marriage drama wearing a mask of modernity

Cast: Ankit Gera, Simran Kaur, Yukti Kapoor

Agnifera‘s plot revolves around an NRI, Anurag and his tryst with finding a bride. With marriage proposals from two families, he wins the favour of two eligible women of contrasting personalities. What unfolds is a game of proposals, dabangg moments and a love triangle in the making.

The story so far..
The show wastes no time in introducing its main motive. Talks of an eligible bachelor Anurag, played by Ankit Gera and marriage are thrown around right in the first episode. The odds seem in the favour of Srishti (Simran Kaur) while Ragini’s (Yukti Kapoor) father makes headway by approaching Anurag’s relatives with the rishta.

We are already warned of the differences between the two women from the entry music to the contrast dressing. One is a law student, the other is an apprentice of her father who is an influential goon. The two also get in each other’s way, standing for opposing ideals. We can see the difference between Ragini and Shrishti as the former sets up a court of justice in public (at gun point) while the latter takes to the law. Ragini falls for Anurag as soon as she sees him, she’s dumbfounded and speechless in their first interaction where he gives her an earful for stopping traffic. Meanwhile, Srishti is charmed by his photograph as a grown man since she had only seen him when they were school mates.

In Vidhvan Singh’s (Anurag’s father) absence, plans to have Anurag tie the knot with Ragini are brewing while he has already had talks with Srishti’s father. Here comes the dilemma! For now, it seems like the trio is enforced by the families (the decision makers being the male heads) scouting for partners for their children. There is a major clash of difference between Anurag’ s parents as the father is staunchly in favour of getting a sanskaari bahu like Shrishti instead of a dhan ki Lakshmi like Ragini. “Bonds like these need Saraswati’s wisdom and not Lakshmi’s fortune”. The families too are a contrast. Vikral Singh (Ragini’s father) wants his daughter to rule over her sasural and Purshotham (Srishti’s father) hopes his daughter can bring happiness in her marital home.

Discussions of marriage don’t fit quite right with Srishti since she doesn’t have intentions of marrying yet. Ragini is sure a groom’s first instinct would be fear. Meanwhile, Anurag wants to get married to his mother’s choice of bride.

What’s good?

The show gets the flavour of UP (which is its setting) right. Everything from Ragini’s tone to the nuances of the rural folk are nailed in place! It showcases women in their element while giving them a strong headed edge. We like how naturally the characters fit into their parts and see them contributing to the plot well. The three leads are given an interesting set of personality traits and we can safely look forward to how they play out when it comes to a clash and competition for Anurag’s hand in marriage.

What’s not great?

We aren’t sure if promoting one woman as a criminal and heralding the other for her sanskaari nature is the best move for Indian TV. But, we are glad to see two powerful characters. The plot till now, leads to one end and that is a great Indian Wedding. The families have already begun vying for the groom’s attention and shaguns have been sent. This is precisely why we cannot help but wonder how long it will go on. The show promises to be unique with the youth and dabangg quotients, but how different can it be of it all spirals down to marriage? Leading us to think, it may be the same old marriage drama wearing a mask of modernity.

The Verdict
The clash between two families out to woo an NRI is going to be entertaining. It gives the characters plenty of scope to evolve. Both Ragini and Srishti are just like their fathers (a happy departure from the male heir convention). The fact that we don’t know who Anurag will end up marrying is a puzzle for now. What makes it more obscure is Anurag’s own lack of judgement. Ragini and Srishti may have liked Anurag by their own free will, but the triangle will be embroiled in competition by their families. We wonder how far the pursuit of a groom goes.

Ratings: 3 stars (***)