Bhaskar Bharti


Bhaskar Bharti (2009) was a unique show telecast on Sony Entertainment Television. It was the hindi version of the Argentine comedy show Lalola. Bhaskar Bharti is the story of Bhaskar and how his life changes dramatically after he mysteriously turns into a woman, Bharti, overnight.

Bhaskar is the chief editor of Men's Universe magazine. He is smart, shrewd and handsome. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. The ladies love him and he certainly doesn't shy away from them either. In short, he's 'The Man.' Everything changes when he meets Geeta. Geeta is a simple girl who falls for Bhaskar's charms. As usual he promises to marry but leaves her waiting at the mandap. When she finds him, she curses him. She tells him that one day he will experience all the pain that he has caused countless other women. Bhaskar brushes her off. Unfortunately for him, Geeta's curse comes true and Bhaskar is transformed into Bharti. Bhaskar is clueless as to what to do when he is transformed into Bharti. Payal, his best friend and neighbor, helps him navigate the harsh reality of life as a woman.



 Bharti joins the office and resumes work as the Chief Editor but she faces opposition every step of the way. First, Gyaan, the associate chief editor and Bhaskar's supposed close friend, tries to steal the chief editor position. Only after becoming Bharti does Bhaskar realize that Gyaan never really considered him as a friend. He was cordial with him only because he wanted to become the chief editor some day. Then, Bharti faces challenges from all the other associates in the office. Bharti learns the hard way that it is not easy being a woman in a man's world rather universe. Whenver Bharti complains about the ill-treatment that she receives, Payal reminds her that women have to face such things every single day. She makes Bharti realize that being a woman is not as easy as Bhaskar thinks.

I like how the show highlights the problems that women face in the workplace. For example, when Bharti has to get a sponsor to sign a contract with the magazine, she is told to meet the sponsor in a hotel room. The sponsor implies that she has to sleep him in order to get the deal. How Bharti manages to get out of that situation is hilarious but it doesn't hide the fact that such things happen. In another incident, Bharti is asked to meet with a partner at his guest house. The partner insists on doing 'business' only with her. So she is forced to meet with him. Once again, the way Bharti escapes is hilarious but it sheds light on the extent of sexual harassment that women face in the workplace.



With all the problems that Bharti faces, Armaan, the chief photographer for Men's Universe, becomes her ally and confidant. He helps her get out of sticky situations and helps her every step of the way. Bhaskar always made fun of Armaan because of his ideals but after becoming Bharti, he truly understands that Armaan is genuinely a good guy and the type of friend that everyone should have. As time passes, Bharti starts developing a soft corner for Armaan. It's absolutely hilarious watching Bhaskar battle Bharti's feelings towards Armaan. Payal makes Bharti realize that since she is a woman, she has started developing feelings for Armaan. When Bhaskar resists, she helps him realize that these feelings are probably something that she has to go through to become Bhaskar again. 

The one person who can turn Bharti back into Bhaskar is KK aka Lord Krishna. Geeta prayed to Lord Krishna on the night that she cursed Bhaskar. Hence, whenever Bharti is in a dilemma, KK appears. Bharti becomes Bhaskar only when KK is with him. KK tells Bhaskar that he has to learn certain things about being a woman before he can turn into Bharkar once again. He has to adopt 9 qualities of a woman before he can be turned back into Bhaskar. He gives Bhaskar certain tasks and challenges so that Bhaskar can learn about the difficulties and the challenges that women have to face on a daily basis. Over the course of the show, Bhaskar overcomes every challenge and finally KK decides to turn him back even though Bhaskar chooses to stay as Bharti.

Bhaskar Bharti was such a different show. It was a completely new concept for Indian television. It was hilarious and emotional all at the same time. Ragini Khanna was a treat to watch in this show. She was perfectly cast as Bharti. Her mannerisms, diction and acting was just superb. I can't imagine any other person playing the role of Bharti other than her. Eijaz Khan was also perfectly cast as the heartbreaker Bhaskar. I can't forget Amir Ali as the charming Armaan Sinha. Him and Ragini shared amazing chemistry and comic timing. He was perfect as the ideal guy any girl would fall in love with. Also Vivek Mushran was perfect as Amarjeet Bhatia, Bhaskar's eccentric boss. His comic timing is amazing!

As the saying goes - All good things come to an end - Bhaskar Bharti met a premature end. The last couple months of the show was a let down to say the least. The twists and the change in the story line were just not up to the mark. The show just wasn't the same. From a hilarious office centered drama, it turned into a saas-bahu style saga. After that change, Bharti totally lost her spunk. She just wasn't the same go-getter. Regardless, the last episode did bring a smile to my face...


PS - Here's a link to Bharti's Official Blog. Check it out for some insights from Bharti herself!

4 comments:

  1. Bhaskar Bharti was brilliant indeed! I was especially pleasantly surprised that the show didn't shy away from making Bharti fall in love with Armaan. I was personally rooting for an ending where Bharti turns back into Bhaskar but still doesn't lose his romantic feelings towards Armaan. And an insightful track of some sort where Armaan has to come to terms with the fact that the person he is in love with was not female. I guess that would have been too heavy a subject for the light-hearted tone BB was going for. And it did do well with the gender issues it broached so I don't begrudge the PC happy end, especially when all four of the lead characters wore such lovely smiles throughout it. And we did get a Bhaskar & Armaan conversation.

    Around the same time or soon after we also saw Maryada sincerely depicting a gay couple, so I guess there was this brief window in tellyland when gender stereotypes were being challenged. Sadly most folks missed it.

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    1. Completely agree! Bhaskar Bharti was a different show that challenged a lot of stereotypes! Although, I personally feel that it would have been weird for Bhaskar to still have feelings for Armaan. I believe that he empathized with Armaan but I don't think Bhaskar 'loved' Armaan. Also I don't think Armaan ever developed feelings for Bhaskar. He loved Bharti. Even though Bhaskar and Bharti were essentially the same person, they still had some individuality. Bharti had a completely different thought process compared to Bhaskar.

      The Bhaskar and Armaan conversation was nice considering Bhaskar felt bad for what happened. But I still don't think that Bhaskar loved Armaan. I felt like he empathized with him and hoped that things would get better for him.

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  2. I liked the concept of this show when I watched it. Unfortunately I was unable to follow it. But the last episode was enthralling, especially the little piece of miracle in the end.

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  3. Well I'm watching it on YouTube nowadays abd I'm really happy that it never lost the fans interest.
    Indeed Bhaskar Bharti is an amazing show. But I was only seven when it actually aired so I was really sad, when I read and reasearched about it.

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