Writer Radhika's tweets about grey character! - Page 2

OK my 2 cents:

Grey are those who are neither fully good nor fully evil...there is a middle ground between white and black, thats where grey comes in.

Black is pure evil. These characters do no good, they only do evil stuff.

As of now, ranvir can be described as grey when he stabbed the thief but gave him money anyway...when he manipulated businessman to insult kabir and instigate him...when he maintains his dharmatma image in front of his family and world...whereas he is not so much of a nice guy inside.

When he can be termed as black: When he slapped anchal. If the cvs would have shown it as his subconsciousness, like it was when he felt like shooting kabir...he would have still remained grey.

When he sneaked into anchal's room and behaved like a psychotic obsessed person, that does not suit his shrewd calculated cold personality.

This is a lovely discussion, enjoyed reading all the replies:)

Originally posted by: ..Amri..

This is a lovely discussion, enjoyed reading all the replies:)

To me, a grey character is defined or delineated by the way the audience perceives him/her. It is as simple as that.

It doesn't depend on how monstrous the person has been, what he/she has done; what the underlying motive was, etc.

It purely depends on how the character has been delineated- so that regardless of how they might toe the lines of ethics and morality and even cross over to the dark side; they have the audience firmly by their side, rooting for them.

We might even be alarmed by some of their antics, we might even get apprehensive about where they are going, but we are on their side. Always.

For me Satrupa from Rishton Ka Chakravyuh is one such character- and like Ranveer she has also killed someone, but somewhere, the character has been so finely etched that we can't help but root for her. She is a part of a world where intrigue and deception are commonplace, she can be very cold and calculative, and needs to be so to survive. But the very next moment we see her grieving for her dead son, yearning to be closer to her rebellious teen daughter...and we are hooked. We can't help but root for her.

Maya or Ranveer on the other hand- somehow they appear completely black. Ranveer for example- the way he slapped Anchal for eg, and that monologue to his drugged wife saying how he can take advantage of her...after that, there is no way ANY female viewer will see him in a sympathetic light. At least, I hope not. Somehow, these writers are so lazy, they think that investing a character with a pitiful childhood redeems their evil deeds. But it doesn't work out that way.

Take Dexter Morgan for example- a heinous serial killer. He has killed many- but we still root for him because he is shown continuously introspecting, struggles with his sense of self, is conscious about his dark side that he calls "the dark passenger", makes relationships, and despite himself loves his sister Debra dearly. We see what went into making the person that he has become. And how one turn can drastically change him altogether, pushing him to either side of the line. Now THAT is exhilarating. Not this inept, broad-stroked and lazy writing that these people indulge in.

Originally posted by: anshvi

Exactly

Grey character is someone for whom the viewers can root for...when viewers feel conflicted , when they are not sure if character is wrong or right, whether he can be called categorically evil, when they know that his actions are wrong but still they can't help but understand him coz the intentions behind those actions are not entirely wrong but somewhat understandable!

Satrupa did kill someone but that someone attempted to kill her son...so her action was wrong but understandable...She is a well written character which can be called grey.

Here when Ranvir killed Gaurav , when he broke that thief's hand but admitted him in the hospital and deposited money in his account , when he use manipulation that all can be termed grey

But him slapping Aanchal , being creepy and obsessive that makes him negative

If Ranvir never physically hurt Aanchal or Kabir..If he was not shown as an obsessive lover then he could have been a grey character.

There is a thin line between grey and black and writers have crossed it comes to Ranvir because they really don't know what a grey character means

A creepy obsessive lover who can cross any limit in the name of love is not grey but a negative character...it is as simple as that.

Originally posted by: ..Amri..

Very true:)

And in a way, a grey shaded character makes us reflect on our own moral compasses, and how we might be tempted to push the boundaries in certain situations- we think of how we would react if we were to be placed in similar situations.

For me, the line with Ranveer was crossed with the slap and the rape threat. 🤢 There is no coming back from that.

^ I have read many theories on this forum..and gotta say, some of them were hella entertaining and had loads of potential than the actual plot!

Originally posted by: ..Amri..

^ I have read many theories on this forum..and gotta say, some of them were hella entertaining and had loads of potential than the actual plot!

The worst part is that there is so much potential to the characters...but they HAD to go the way of the run of the mill story. Ranveer and Anchal in particular have been butchered beyond belief

What bugs me more is the utter incongruity of certain things. A glamorous, glossy setting like this does not sync with the kundali crap that they showed recently. The Mauritius episodes hinted at a different kind of setting and the kundali ones at something else. First of all, the writers seem to be totally confused about their audience demographic. They need to make up their minds about whether they want to make a slick urban thriller or a mainstream TRP show watched in huge numbers.

^Haha, good luck to them then🤣

Originally posted by: ..Amri..

^Haha, good luck to them then🤣

You obviously can't please both. In the end they will fail, having not pleased either demographic.

The shift has been so drastic...Anchal in a bikini in the initial episodes and Anchal wearing a balloony sari and blouse the next morning after her pretend wedding.🤣

Ye dichotomy mere samaj ke baahar hai. Actually...kissi ke samaj ke baahar hai.

Edited to add: There is a derogatory term used on IF for the mainstream audience called TRP aunties😆 But i have a grudging admiration for them. They are tough old birds and know what they want. And the shows they watch deliver what they promise...i.e. drama, drama and more drama.🤣 I doubt whether they would want to watch Haasil which tries to be too many things at the same time: both subtle and melodramatic, both rural and urban, both bikini and bahu mode, and a traditional sort of killer/criminal who uses kundali to achieve his evil plans.😆 The dissonance is just beyond belief.

Sry, I often find it amusing in current age when people keep throwing around left right center this word 'TRP aunties' in general and attribute it for prime time late evening shows..quite understandable if aunties or grannies rather house wives are attributed for giving viewership to such TV shows that are aired by channels during afternoon or early evening slots when others in the family may not yet reach home or may be occupied in other daily activities.😳But for late evening TV shows when almost entire family assembles at home around dinner time how many average Indian households (be it urban or rural) continue to leave remote control completely with housewives, just asking? 😕