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Ruqaiya - the love of Akbar's life, his companion and childhood playmate. If only she could see her portrayal onscreen at the hands of the CVs, she would rise from her grave and haunt them senseless! 😛 Or maybe she would visit the nearest neurosurgeon and question the possibility of early Dementia in the minds of the writers to justify her vengeance.
Honestly, what is wrong with them? When Smiley played Ruqaiya, she was a very likable personality inspite of the haughtiness or maybe because of it! Her interactions with Jalal were a pleasure to watch, and it was so entirely believable that she is his fav. queen. She had this beautiful mysterious quality to her. And I'm very sure she would not have run to attend to silly matters of the harem when her Jalal was in so much pain. She would been there, even if more as a friend than anything else. She would have comforted him and consoled him in his moment of great anguish. She would have stood up to Maham Anga, but won't have been needed to be berated for her lack of compassion for her husband.
I truly find it hard to believe that the same character can be played in such a different way by two women! Isn't the essence of the character the same? What happened to the sweet Jalal-Ruqaiya interactions that justified his dependence on her wisdom? What happened to the level of comfort and understanding they shared? The verbal duels they had? The one played by Lavina does not care two hoots about Jalal. She is so very secure in her position, and so unlike a childhood friend of his that she RUNS immediately to attend to paltry matters in the harem. I really expected her to snap at her eunuch about bothering her about such things when Jalal needs her presence. Instead without any urging, or a backwards look, she departs! Neither does she look very worried or tearful when Jalal screams in agony. She is similar to the draperies in the room, billowing about in her finery unconcerned with anything except herself.
Had she been portrayed similarly in the beginning, we might still have not reacted so much. We might have questioned Jalal's judgement in liking her above anyone else, but the clear distinction between the portrayal wouldn't have been too obvious. Whether or not a husband-wife have love for each other, friends will always have concern for the others' well being! The sole crux of Jalal-Ruqaiya relationship is that friendship they share and have been sharing for a long time. Just to portray Ruqaiya as a vamp and justify Jalal's falling in love for another woman, how can the CVs forget this essential point?? How can the writers spend so much time showing that friendship and forget it the moment the face portraying the character changes?
Ruqaiya stands there and proclaims Jalal has no heart, just on principle. On what basis is that conclusion being made about him? He is concerned about the 3 women in his life, he loves his Khan Baba, he respects him so much that he allows insubordination at every turn and agonizes over the decision to wage war on him. He berates Abdul but risks his life to save him - a mere cripple - from the clutches of Rajputana. If Jalal had any more heart, he would be regarded as one among the saints! What has he done that was so cruel as to have Jodha demand his head at every turn? For Ruqaiya to stand so confidently after having the HEART to desert him in his moment of need? Inspite of her nakhras, he teased her and treated her with respect. After scolding her in front of everyone, he privately went and apologized to her, telling her how much she means to him! And yet none whom he cares about, with the exception of Abdul, ever cared about him so much. Is that what the CVs are suddenly trying to show? Or are they as confused as we are regarding their portrayal of different characters?
If Ruqaiya had any brain or any heart, she would have stood with Jalal in his moment of need. If Jalal had no heart, he wouldn't have wept in anguish or cared so much about others. I'm beginning to think we are being taken for a ride regarding the storyline and its characters. The CVs are happily distorting facts and character sketches and expecting the viewers to not question them. I would say they need to get their act together before they lose the viewers they do have. The basis of a good love story is the consistency. And neither the story, nor the characters are consistent. Lines are harped on for the heck of it, just cuz once upon a time they sounded nice. There is no justification to why some characters behave a certain way or what the story is supposed to be. Wonder whether the creatives are getting enough sleep or whether they have become addled by churning out one kind of nonsense after another...
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