Ankhen - A sight for sore eyes

Before reading this, you need to get your bearings right by reading the synopsis of this masterpiece from the horse's mouth viz. Sagar Arts ("internationally legendary known Arabian Nights" alias Alif Laila alias 1001 Nights - Wow!!). BTW, Sagar Arts is owned by none other than Ramanand uncle of Ramayan fame who will always be remembered for bringing geometry and fractals to the masses (remember the arrow fights in the dvanda yudh). Surprisingly, these folks have made some really good serials like Ramayan (before Luv and Kush got in), Vikram aur Vetaal, Dada dadi ki kahaniya, etc. But their recent crop of crappy serials is unmatched this side of the Hindukush.

As the text and images suggest, the serial can be described in one word - CHEAP. Cheap script, cheap cast, cheap suits, cheap gun replicas, cheap graphics and so on. This serial was made after scraping the bottom of a barrel that was licked clean by a pack of ravenous cats. I have seen four or five episodes and they have completely blown my mind. It doesn't get any funnier or more pakavoo than this. The perfect ambience for this serial would require 2-3 glasses of your favorite arrack and the company of a few rowdy friends (preferably those who cannot sit idle without passing comments).

The top dog in this serial is Col Dhyanchand. For those curious ones, he looks like a mix between Dr. Ambedkar, Subash Chandra Bose and singer Abhijeet. The Col runs Gurukul, a top secret outfit, designed to take on enemies of the state. Dhyanchand's outfit is largely nondescript except for the adrenaline pumping Hardayal Singh (who sounds and acts like Duryodhana in Mahabharat). The enemies of the state are notorious killers Karlos (with a K) and Kangaroo (pronounced Kungaarooo) who sport Jamaican outfits, fake braided hair and demoniacal laughter.

The inane plots in this serial are more than well backed up with a virtual barrage of cheap graphics. Missiles, helicopters, explosions, stunts and what have you done by Jo Lukhas, the mele me bichda huva bhai of George Lucas, operating out of Beguserai, Bihar. The serial is peppered with memorable characters - Shehezada of Jaffar (the crown prince of Jaffar who is dressed like Raj Kapoor in Anadi), a bald man with fake eyebrows known only as His Highness from the kingdom of ChooChoo (or something similar - I was too busy laughing) to name a few.

I cannot reveal much more because this serial is like divine revelation - you have to experience it to believe it. For the uninitiated, this masterpiece is available for viewing on the DD national channel.