Shakuntalam Telefilms' Rakshak to go on air from tonight on Life OK

Rakshak, the unique and dark-shaded show of Shakuntalam Telefilms finally launches tonight (9 November 2013) at the 11pm slot on Life OK after being put to the backseat for months, owing to the various legal problems the show encountered. The story is the fight of a common man who takes justice in his own hands and avenges the wrong-doings in the society in his own brutal way. Initially, the show was to be launched as a full-fledged series way back in December 2012. But the launch was postponed as the entire nation saw an outburst owing to the infamous Delhi rape case. The idea was to launch the show after things got back to normalcy. However, Rakshak was plagued by yet another obstacle when it got into legal issues and thus did not see its launch even in May 2013. But now, the hard work of the entire unit has paid off, as Rakshak will go on air tonight. The show will be run by the channel as a mini-series for three weeks. Talking about the launch, Niraj Kumar Mishra, Creative Director, Shakuntalam Telefilms told Tellychakkar.com, “Yes, Rakshak is finally going on air. It gives us a relief. It was to be launched as a full-fledged show but owing to the restrictions on television, the launch got postponed. We will be airing it on a trial and error basis as a mini-series for three weeks to check the audience response. Rakshak will be a bi-weekly airing on Saturday and Sunday at 11 pm starting tonight.” On the dark concept, Niraj said, “It is the fight of a common man by taking justice in his own hands. Our protagonist works as a junior cop in the National Crime Control Department (NCCD); he is a righteous man but has never been able to provide justice to the needy owing to his lower position in office. However, when crime knocks at his own door, he ends up taking law and order in his own hands.” Talking further, he averred, “Content-wise, Rakshak is one notch ahead when compared to other TV shows. It is not a jarring crime thriller but is an alternative solution to contemporary society. The Rakshak has a conflict with his own son who is completely against such a raw dealing when it comes to avenging the society.” Talking at length about the delay, Niraj stated, “When we conceptualized Rakshak, we planned it as a three or a four months show, after which we could get back with another season. Unfortunately, we could not come on air as planned, in December 2012 as that was when the whole country was burning post the Delhi rape case. And considering that we had a concept wherein the common man reacts to injustice in his own way, the channel was skeptical as they feared that our show would ignite the issue. After the delay, we were all set for a launch on 4 May 2013, but that is when few legal issues cropped up. Now that Rakshak will be on as a mini-series for three weeks, I do not know how much the audience will get a chance to catch up with the show. But overall, we as a team are happy with the content that we have on offer. We have been forced to compromise to the prevailing situations, but we have done our best. I have personally directed and even written few portions of the show. And we are happy that Indian TV will now see something better content wise. Our story-telling is top-notch and we are hoping for the best.” On the realistic feel given to the show, the man explained, “The thrillers that are on air today will never give a realistic feel to the audience. When you see a Superman in action, it does not give the ‘this is possible’ feeling. But when you see a Batman, you tend to believe. In the same way, our protagonist here and the manner in which our story will be told will give that extra ‘realistic’ flavour.” Lastly, on the actors, he said, “Rajesh Shringarpure is a very brilliant actor, and he has done a commendable job. Purva Parag as his wife and Karam Rajpal as his son are very good. Shivraj Shinde who plays the negative cop is also promising. We have gone through intense workshops with our actors to get the best out of them. I have personally monitored every performance of theirs. And finally it is time to deliver. We have only shot the episodes for 3 weeks, but have a good script in hand for future. If the audience responds well, there is a probability of getting back again.” We wish the Rakshak team all the very best. Don’t miss the show!!!