The magical chemistry of Dr Ahmer Ansari and Dr Zoya of Dhoop Kinare will hopefully be repeated in its Indian adaptation titled Kuch Toh Log Kahenge as Mohnish Behl and Kritika Kamra are all set to enact the characters on Sony Television.
In the capital recently for the launch, it was revealed that Pakistani writer Haseena Moin, who wrote Dhoop Kinare in two hours during a challenge set by a friend, agreed to give its rights only when she learnt that Kamlesh Pandey of Rang De Basanti was going to be writing it here.
Amidst much hype, the stars of the show share that they are eager to see the viewers’ response to the cult Pakistani serial.
Kamlesh said that knowing Haseena is his fan has made him more careful about not disappointing her. He said, “In this sub-continent, if you tell anyone that you’re rewriting Dhoop Kinare, you’d be met with cold stares and told, ‘How dare you?’ But I have taken that step and I hope it will be loved by viewers as much as we loved it back in the 80s. I watched Dhoop Kinare again and it had the tingling effect it had on me 25 years ago. It was a challenge for me to create the same feeling for today’s audience.”
The lead cast, Mohnish is playing 38-year-old Dr Ashutosh and 24-year-old Kritika is Dr Nidhi, are not banking on the original to get a hang of the characters. “I watched Dhoop Kinare at one go and loved it. I have tried to give my perspective to Dr Nidhi’s character,” said Kritika.
Mohnish on the other hand shared that he didn’t watch the serial consciously. He said, “It was my decision not to watch the serial as I didn’t want to influence my character in any way.”
Kamlesh also shared that when he saw Kritika’s audition, he wasn’t impressed and didn’t see Dr Zoya in her. He said, “Only when I worked with Kritika and other actors in a workshop, that she impressed me with her acting skills.”
Designer Madhu Jain, who has the serial on VCDs and admired the lead actor Rahat Kazmi said, “Dhoop Kinare is a legendary serial. All of us died to catch the episode on VCD. Rahat looked like Dileep Kumar and the intense chemistry he shared with Dr Zoya (Marina) is unbelievable. I doubt if Mohnish and Kritika can match Dr Ahmer and Dr Zoya. None of our serials can match the intensity they had.”
Kuch Toh...unlike Dhoop... will run into several episodes. Kamlesh assured that the spirit of the serial will be Dhoop Kinare. “I promise you that it won’t be another saas-bahu saga. This is a love story and is like a tribute to the original show,” he said.