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I binged this show over the course of three days.
I had no intention of going past the second episode because that's usually the point where I go "Yeah, this isn't my cup of tea"; however, I ended up watching one episode after the other until the latest episode. I went into the show never having watched any of the casts previous performances and had anticipated a scorching love story. Instead, what got me hooked were two very unconventional characters of the show: Rangeela and Veer.
Veer is the heartless Master that has very little good in him. To the village, he is the cruel Master and the future leader but there is a side of him that he rarely lets anyone see. The soft side of him that has come to genuinely care for Rangeela. Although he treats Rangeela as his slave, whenever Rangeela faces danger (that Veer had nothing to do with), Veer's protective nature comes out. He ignored his own brother to check up on Rangeela when the he'd dived in to the well save Manmeet.
Veer and I have a love hate relationship. There are times where I genuinely adore him and there are times where I abhor him. Growing up, Veer has been schooled to treat others like scum and while he acknowledges that Rangeela is his slave, he cares for him deeply. He's a man that is awful when it comes to putting his emotions into words and is rather blunt when he tells Rangeela how important he is to him, yet his actions always speak louder.
Rangeela is his slave but he's also Veer's best friend and confidant. Veer puts Rangeela through various tests and tortures him (this is the time where I begin to get annoyed with Veer) both mentally and physically, but he treats him differently than the rest of his workers.
Rangeela, on the other hand, is the most conflicted character I've ever seen along with one of the characters that I would personally treasure had he been my creation. People have labelled him "spineless" and "a wuss" along with "they've butchered his character", but I think the writers have done justice to him because the bottom line is that he is a slave. Slaves aren't meant to have a spine, they're taught obedience and that's what Rangeela embodies.
I understand people want to see the romance budding between Rangeela and Shivani but you have to realise that Rangeela has been raised as Veer's slave. He's grown up knowing his status in the community and he acts accordingly. One that has grown up in a certain way will not just immediately throw away his life and fight the man that has cared for him since his childhood. Rangeela was saved by Bhishma and Veer reunited him with his mother, how can he fight against them just for the sake of a woman he was forced to marry?
This is where his internal conflict kicks in. Rangeela has been raised under Veer's shadow and he his personality is a mixture of his Master and his own. He can be just as cruel as Veer but his own personality stops him from making rash decisions. Between him and Veer, Rangeela is the more rational of the duo; opting to take a more understanding approach to a situation.
When you look at their relationship, it's built entirely on trust. Veer willingly trusts Rangeela with his life and so does Rangeela (we witnessed that when Rangeela didn't so much as make a face when Veer pulled his gun on him). Veer may have treated Rangeela as his slave but after himself, Veer has thought about Rangeela countless times. Rangeela's obedience made him into the closest thing Veer has to a best friend, and to some extent, a brother. Rangeela calls Veer "Malik" but he watches out for Veer when the man becomes reckless. Even when Veer makes hurried decisions, Rangeela is the only one that is able to talk him out of it or sway his opinions just a bit. The mutual trust they have established over the years won't be broken within a few days.
This trust is what worries me for the future because Rangeela's ultimate betrayal can have two outcomes for Veer. One that involves Veer becoming more understanding or the other that involves Veer completely snapping. Veer snapping would be the unleashing of a monster that has been suppressed within him since his childhood and if that is the case, then I want the show to end with Rangeela overcoming the beast and taking Veer's life. Countless times Veer has told Rangeela that his life belongs to him but it goes both ways. If there is anyone that has the right to take Veer's life, it's Rangeela.
However, a part of me wants to see a different approach which involves Shivani. Shivani is my least favorite character on the show because I can't seem to figure her out with all the crying she does. But, I would like to see her play a part in melting Veer's heart. I want to see a hopelessly in love Veer and while ideally Rangeela would be the perfect candidate to do that, keeping in mind the channel and the audience, Shivani will have to play the part. This way, I want the show to end with Veer's ultimate sacrifice and that is the sacrifice of his heart.
Let Rangeela and Shivani walk out of the village to lead their own life while Veer watches on. While initially Veer was the one who had everything, at the end, he realises that he was never the Master but rather the Ghulaam of his own blood. To redeem himself, he sacrifices his best friend and the woman he loves so that he can welcome the change in the village he now leads and set a good example.
This show has some of the most intriguing characters right now and the way the subject matter is being handled is commendable. Yes, there are some instances where the story seems to drag and is unnecessary, but in the end the writers seem to have a firm grasp on where they're going. While the pool of characters is nice, Veer and Rangeela have easily become two characters that I have come to adore (and hate occasionally in Veer's case); I just want the writing to do justice to them.
They deserve that much.
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