Exclusive: Colors’ Magnum Opus Dastaan-E-Mohabbat: Salim Anarkali all set for a major overhaul

By Mohnish Singh

on January 02, 2019

On October 1, Colors launched its most ambitious project Dastaan-E-Mohabbat: Salim Anarkali amid much fanfare, hoping it would fetch them huge TRPs. However, contrary to their expectations, the historical drama opened to average reviews and poor ratings. Despite being headlined by Shaheer Sheikh and Sonarika Bhadoria, two of the most popular television actors who play the titular roles of Salim and Anarkali, respectively, on the show, Dastaan-E-Mohabbat: Salim Anarkali failed to live up to its billing.

After receiving a lukewarm response from the audience, the makers tried their best to improve TRPs by introducing a plethora of twists and turns in the storyline, but to no avail. TRPs kept tumbling down further in the following weeks and soon emerged the news that the channel has decided to take charge of the project from Anirudh Pathak of Writers Galaxy Studios and hand it over to Abhimanyu Singh led Contiloe Pictures.

[caption id="attachment_141754" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Shaheer Sheikh[/caption]

However, according to the information available with us, Abhimanyu Singh did not show much interest in taking over Dastaan-E-Mohabbat: Salim Anarkali from Anirudh Pathak’s Writers Galaxy Studios primarily because of the latter’s unbefitting contracts with the cast and crew of the show. This left Colors with no choice except to take charge of the magnum opus in their own hands.

Now, a close source informs, the channel is producing the show under their own supervision. The makers will continue to do so until they find a reputable production house that agrees to take the responsibility and produce the historical drama as per the vision of the channel. It is indeed going to be an uphill task for any production house because the show has been shifted from the 8:30 PM slot to a late night airing time of 11.30 PM from January 1, 2019. It will be interesting to see if the channel manages to get TRPs at such late night airing.

[caption id="attachment_141726" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Cast of Dastaan-E-Mohabbat: Salim Anarkali[/caption]

We also hear from our credible sources that the track of Salim and Anarkali is nearing its conclusion and the channel will very soon introduce a new track revolving around Mehr-un-Nissa, who later came to be known as Nur Jahan.