Reviewed By: Anantha Alagappan
Unflinching Love and Rustic Beauty
I wrapped up February with an old Doordarshan serial, Farmaan, which I had watched before in my college days.
The episodes are on YouTube, the print is low quality, and the acting is not really up to the mark. Despite all the oddities, nostalgia kicked in with the Hyderabadi charm. The Nawabi costumes, the Dandeli wilderness, and the sweet Urdu dialect in the midst is a romance between a dashing Nawab and a spirited girl who is hired as a general assistant to his mother.
If it was current-day Netflix, it could have easily been Bridgerton. Thankfully, it is not. The old charm comes with its own rustic beauty. The characters are not flawless; they are all complicated, each carrying the baggage of their own past. The spendthrift youngster, the cunning swindler, a young flirtatious widow, a misled daughter, a carefree artist, a cruel father, and an obsessed complex lover are the central characters of this complex television adaptation based on the book “Alampanah.” But despite all this, your heart does melt when the headstrong Azhar (Kanwaljit Singh) demands a confession from the sweet Aiman (Deepika Deshpande Amin), ” In aankhon ne mujh se kahaa hai, hum tumhaare hue.”
And the Hyderabadi “Baatan,” “Raatan,” “Aisaich, “Vaisaich” make you smile big time. Fall in love with imperfections, yet again. But be patient with the print.
Plunging back into February’s Doordarshan delight, “Farmaan” felt like rediscovering a hidden treasure from my college days. The grainy YouTube episodes might not boast Bridgerton’s polish, but the Hyderabadi magic crackled through every pixel. Picture Nawabi silks swishing in the Dandeli wilderness, sweet Urdu swirling around like desert winds, and a forbidden romance that would make your heart flutter amidst it all.
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Forget Netflix’s sanitized period dramas – Farmaan’s charm lies in its raw, unfiltered beauty. The characters, each carrying their baggage of secrets and desires, are as complex as they are captivating. From the spendthrift prince to the cunning swindler, the flirtatious widow to the misled daughter, they weave a tapestry of love, betrayal, and redemption that’s as timeless as the dusty streets of Hyderabad.
And then there’s Azhar and Aiman, a whirlwind of fire and innocence. When Azhar’s eyes, heavy with unspoken emotions, demand a confession from the shy Aiman with a whispered, “In ankhon ne mujh se kaha hai, hum tumhare hue,” you’ll swear your own heart skips a beat.
Farmaan might not be high-definition, but its soul shines brighter than any pixel. It’s a testament to a time when Doordarshan wove stories, not special effects, and where imperfections only added to the charm. So, dust off your nostalgia and embrace the quirks of the print because Farmaan is a journey worth taking, flaws and all. Fall in love with the imperfections, rediscover the magic of Doordarshan, and let Farmaan steal your heart, one “batan” at a time.
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