Let your laughter rule over stress

In a life where we all are running day night to achieve something or the other the only relaxant that can heal any sort of depression, anxiety or frustration is laughter. And here in the heart of the nation Samir Nair led Applause Entertainment, the content studio from the Aditya Birla Group, brings a comedy drama titled Mannphodganj. The series is the adaptation of the book Band Baaja Boys by Rachna Singh that received rave reviews in the national media. The story revolves around a 22-year old girl Binny Bajpai who challenges the customs and traditions in Mannphodganj, a small town near Allahabad (now called Prayagraj). Amitosh Nagpal’s screenplay paints a picture of real life families in small town India, who stand hesitantly, but promisingly, at the cusp of modernity. Pranati Rai Prakash, a popular fashion model, semi-finalist at Miss India 2015 and winner of India’s Next Top Model season 2, plays the central role of Binny Bajpai.

 The series is directed by Ghajini and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy fame Vikas Chandra. The happy-go-lucky girl Binny Bajpai, is the centre of attraction for the men of Mannphodganj. Her father Brajesh, owns a lingerie store in town, which her mother Kumud had brought along as dowry. When Binny’s plan to escape the middle-class life fails, this classic tale of crisscrossed lovers becomes a bitter-sweet story of her infatuation filled revenge escapade. Atul Srivastava, Alka Kaushal, Anurag Sinha, Farmaan Khan, Abhinav Anand, Kritika, Aru Krishank and Samar Vermani also play key characters in the show.

Talking about how such a story-telling style helps the spectators in uplifting their mood, Sameer Nair, CEO Applause Entertainment says, “Light hearted, comedic family dramas allow us to push the boundaries of storytelling, to get closer to the real issues that face modern India in its small traditional towns. Mannphodhanj brings together the perfect combination of a well-written script, a fantastic team of show runners Tony, Deeya Singh and director Vikas Chandra, and a wonderfully talented cast of actors.”

It is quite a common scene that a brilliant idea or even script is produced bu the ultimate production goes all wrong. A showrunners role in this field has always been considered very important. But Tony Singh feels very deifferently. He is humble and shares, “I always wanted to create such a show and it has turned out to be a beautiful amalgamation of something that is fun, desi at heart and youthful while being real. It was wonderful working with the star cast of the show. And the brilliant writing and direction, as each episode unfolds, is sure to keep the audiences hooked onto the show.”

Director Vikas Chandra speaks up about his experience of making this series, “Mannphodganj is a very light hearted comedy show. I always wanted to direct a show which the audience can relate to and I am grateful for trusting my vision. I am thrilled to work with such outstanding/gifted cast and can’t wait to have audiences consume it.”

Previously comedy dramas such as Taarak Mehta ka Oolta Chasma and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai has proven to be favourite to audiences ranging from 10 to 80. Mannphodganj also aims to be a household name among spectators of all ages.

The comedy web series has hit the floor and major portions has already been shot but the release date or the channel in which the series is going to be aired is yet to be confirmed by the makers and the production house.