New Delhi, Aug 10 : It’s a common saying that art is like life.However, in the case of the third season of “Rangbaaz,” it appears as if life is imitating art with the storyline of the online series in line with the rumbling political events in Bihar which have unfolded as an unstoppable thriller on the 9th of August, Tuesday. In a bizarre way the Zee5 web series features the Nitish Kumar-like Rajesh Tulang’s character Mukul Kumar, who is constantly in conflict with the Lalu-inspired Lakhan Rai (Vijay Maurya) over the latter’s inability to give up of his beloved “baahubali” Haroon Ali Beg, played by Vineeet Kumar Singh.Beg is modeled on the the former Sivan MP and feared don Mohammad Shahabuddin, who succumbed to Covid-19 in the year 2000.
According to the story in the show The character of Mukul Kumar and the slick Lakhan Rai appear friends, who are very civil yet polarized.Mukul Kumar appears gentle and submissive in the presence of Lakhan Rai, however his eyes speak a different story.
His manner of speaking shifts once he becomes chief minister.
It is interesting that Laloo isn’t portrayed to be the snob that the media made Laloo out to be.He appears to be an individual who is aware of his politics and is aware of the workings of power.
If anyone ever asks which characters the two are influenced by, they can find a line that will give away the answer.
In one of the conversations, Mukul Kumar, talking about Beg and Beg, says Lakhan Rai doesn’t have a “chaara” (option) which means to remove him from the party.Lakhan Rai explodes upon hearing of the word ‘chaara’ , and says he dislikes the word.
Evidently, the word play is about ‘chaara’, which is evident in the “chaara ghotala,” or fodder scam, that resulted in Lalu initially resigning as the chief minister replacing his wife Rabri Devi, and later spending a lengthy period in jail.
In actual life, Nitish and Lalu (who was President of the Patna University Students Union, was also the Bihar Chief Minister’s top political official) started their careers in politics with the Jayaprakash Narayan-led anti-corruption campaign against Indira Gandhi.
In 1977’s historic general elections, Lalu became an MP on the Janata Party ticket from Chapra at the age of 29.Nitish was a spectator.
Finally, Nitish, who referred to Lalu as his “bade bhai” (elder brother) was elected to the Bihar Assembly from Harnaut in Nalanda district in 1985.
In 1989, NItish made his entry into the Lok Sabha from Barh (he won the seat in the midterm elections in 1991 too) on the Janata Dal ticket, backed Lalu’s nomination as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and one year later, he supported his good friend’s bid to become the Chief Minister.
At the time, it was believed that ‘bade Bhai’ would yell out his ‘chhote Bhai prior to making any important administrative or political decision.
However, Nitish Kumar’s ambitions got in the way of their friendship.
The break occurred on February 12 1994 in which he did not agree with Lalu’s wishes and his wishes, joined the ‘Kurmi-Chetna Maharally’ in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.He later formed the Samata Party with George Fernandes and led his party to the 1995 Assembly elections, and came back with the majority of seven seats in the House of 324 (Bihar was at that time a single state).
After the electoral crisis, Nitish and George -ironically as two ex-socialistshave joined forces with the BJP-led NDA in 1996 and joined the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.Since then, Nitish has been a Union Minister (1998 to 2004) and Bihar’s Chief Minister (2005 from 2005 onwards) and even while Lalu is seeing his political fortunes fluctuate and ended in in prison due to of his involvement in the infamous fodder fraud.
Nitish was, however, in the BJP group, but then walked out, enjoyed an unplanned honeymoon with Lalu’s RJD that is now led by his son Tejashwi Yadav and it ended just as abruptly as it began.Nitish returned with the BJP until he announced his breakup on the 9th of August, Tuesday.
Nitish is returning with Tejashwi and Lalu has returned to his life.
As the new installment of the Nitish saga unfolds the second season of another political drama based on Bihar’s gripping modern history is set to stream on SonyLIV on August 25.
“Maharani 2” will be the second installment to see Huma Qureishi’s Rabri Devi leave the seat of chief minister for the Lalu-inspired Sohum Shah character, in the role of Amit Sial’s Nitish Kumar is sat in the background and is fishing in difficult waters.
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