Savitri - a modern remake on Savitri and Satyavan to go on air on Life OK tonight

Almost every TV serial is a love story. In Life OK’s new show Savitri (Flying Turtles) instead of offering simply yet another love story, the creatives have blended the genres of fantasy and thriller on the backdrop of mythology. Generally press conferences are held in air conditioned well lit palatial rooms of five starred hotels. The press meet of Savitri was held in a dim and eerie pitch dark cave with sand flooring instead of the conventional carpet under our feet. Human skulls were piled on the floor. This was no real cave though but the Savitri sets at Sania Studio tucked away in the calm and quiet town of Naigaon, Mumbai. The skulls weren’t made of human bone but were artificial replicas. This was after all the sinister den of Rahukaal (enacted by Krip Suri), the ultimate Devil incarnate. The days of villains laughing loud on screen are now over. However, if the villain is no ordinary mortal but the Devil himself; then the wicked strident laughter which echoes ominously in the cave positively adds to the ambience of the show. During the greater part of the press conference we could hear Rahukaal’s frightening laughter. This was followed by Krip Suri and Ridhi Dogra (who plays Princess Damayanti) having a sword fight on stage after which the whole cast and crew had an interaction with the media. Our first question to Ridhi Dogra was as to whether her reincarnated avatar Savitri was strong as Princess Damayanti, the character of her first birth. Her reply was, “Savitri is a strong lady despite of having a soft exterior. She is an ordinary Indian woman who loves her husband and becomes even stronger when she is pushed to a corner.” Ridhi is elated to do this role as she gets to ride a horse and fight with a sword. “I get to do all the things than a male actor usually gets to do on a show,” she added excitedly. Creative Producer of the show Anirudh Pathak said, “We wanted to innovatively break away from the saas bahu trend which makes television the ‘idiot box’ and a ‘housewife’s medium’. We decided to experiment with a new genre instead- that of the ‘supernatural fantasy’. Aahat and Fear Files have been received very well. We decided to make this show on a Hollywood scale.” Echoing the thought of Anirudh, Yash Pandit who plays Satya said, “The immortal story of Savitri and Satyavan and the conviction that the channel had for this show excited me as I could understand well that this isn’t a saas bahu drama.” Shabir Ahluwalia, Producer of Savitri added, “We decided to base this show in Kolkata as it is very rich in terms of its colour and culture. It’s one on the few Indian cities which has its own charm. We wanted to explore the city in the terms of its look and feel. It’s an apt venue for an eternal love story like Savitri.” Prateek Seal, the Marketing Head of Life OK said that this show is for family viewing, “Everyone from a child to a grandparent will like this. This is a modern day parallel to the mythological tale of Savitri and Satyavan weaved with elements of fantasy. Fantasy has been very popular on Indian television right from the Doordarshan days.” Speaking on the special effects of the show Ajit Thakur, General Manager of Life OK said, “This show is unlike anything that you have seen on television so far, be it the concept, the special effects or the scale of production and we hope that the audiences support us in this endeavour as they have in the past.” Krip who is highly excited to play Rahukaal said, “I prefer playing villainous roles to positive ones. My character returns after 1000 years to create havoc. I assiduously worked on my physique to play this role.” This show goes on air tonight on Life OK at 8:30pm. Amrit Manthan has been shifted to the 7:30pm slot.