Disclaimer: Before proceeding further, kindly keep in mind that this might be a controversial post and may want to make you feel defensive of a few and attacking of a few characters. If you cannot handle any particular character's appreciation or any particular character's criticism, You have the option to stop right now. I have kept all my likes, dislikes, and prejudices aside for this post and have tried to be completely objective for this. Proceed at your own risk.
I have a query to the makers of the ITV shows. Are there only two categories of characters (mostly) in an ITV show:
- characters who support leads (especially female lead).
- characters who oppose leads (especially female lead).
Is that all there is to it? I mean the characters who support the leads (especially female lead) are termed good. And the characters who don't are termed as bad.
Let's see--
Those who support the leads (especially Sai)
- Ashwini- She is shown as a good person. But she initially used to taunt Patralekha without provocation (and no anger towards Virat).
- Mohit- He is shown as a dreamer and a big supporter of Sairat, especially Sai. He stands up for his Vahini, Good (Maybe because she stood up for him, when no one else did) But he never stands up for his own wife. Is he waiting for the day when Karishma would take a stand for him first? Why can't he take that stand first, for her?
- Shivani- She says many things (when she is present in the show, that isđ¤Ł) for Sai, in her defence. But I have never seen her doing anything of that impact for Ashwini. (If she did and I missed, feel free to correct me).
- Devyani- Will avoid her (due to her mind's condition).
- Pulkit- He talks about eternal love and stuff but didn't really do much for Devyani. But he is shown as a good person. He is in team Sai.
Those who are against the leads (especially Sai)
- Bhavani- The woman is evil incarnate. But the same woman loved Samrat. The same woman chose Ashwini for Ninad (God knows why) But those things remain hidden and not given much importance. Now, when they had to show her somewhat melting towards Sai, they brought in an uncovincing plot to show Sai winning her heart and for this, they even displayed non-existent love in Bhavani's heart for Devyani too.
- Ninad- The man is disgusting. But he used to be a good soldier (not because of his bravery, but because he felt guilty for the man who died for him). He is also a good uncle to Samrat and a good brother to Mansi (He not only kept them at home but expected his son to be good to his elder brother) But these traits (though shown briefly) are easily brushed under the carpet. They even vilified this thing to project that they did it for Mansi's money. Why it couldn't have been left as a good deed at their end?
- Omkar- This guy is not given an individuality. (These are the type who are most dangerous) was completely with Ninad in helping Samrat and Mansi. And he was with them in their vile acts as well. But. He is also a loyal husband to Sonali (Till now, at least). And that trait is used not to appreciate, but to give comical effect and thus undermine this quality.
- Karishma- The girl is a manipulator and chuglakhor and a liar. She is an opportunist but she was hurt for Samrat when he went missing. But every time, there is a chance for her to be a good person, she is shown rejecting it. The day she joins team Sai, she will be shown as a good personđ same is the case for others too.
- Patralekha: She actually cares for Bhavani. She was wronged by Virat even though she was wrong too. But Virat is shown moving on and living with dignity. But Patralekha's pain and hurt is being undermined by her constant beizzati rant and her lack of self-respect. She is shown in a negative light and she is shown always bitching against Sai. I am pretty sure the day they decide to make her a good person (if they do) it will be achieved by her being shown good to Sai (or because of her) and not separately.
My point is that these characters have both flaws and virtues. But whether their virtues will be highlighted or their vices depends on how they treat Sairat, especially Sai. If they are good to Sai, their virtues will be maximised to gain the impact. And if they are bad to Sai, their vices will be maximised to gain the impact.
This is mostly the case in t.v. serials. I am reminded of a T.V. show where a cheater and murderer did not only go scot free but also got reverence of everybody because she was the mother of the male lead and was a huge supporter of the lead couple.
I just hope characters are shown more in grey light instead of black/white according to how they treat the leads. But I know all hope is not lost. I remember one particular show where a woman did not like the male lead. She was the elder sister of the female lead. And she remained like that till the very end. But she was not shown in bad light. She was a good, strong, and independent person even though she was against the couple. And her dislike for the male lead remained intact even when she decided to unite them.
All I want is grey in the characters irrespective of how they treat the leads or the female lead. (Not black or white depending on their equation with the leads).