Niranjan Agnihotri Mask/UnMask

Credits

Content: Dsr11, Dakshaavi, sg2013 and all the EBPians who dissected the character of NA from time to time

Script: sg2013 aka Suchi

Photos: Perfect Clicks by Madhu di

PerfectPix at twitter https://twitter.com/1perfectpix

Disclaimer: NA FAMILY PRINCIPLES effects not only the family but having said that, i am attempting a character analysis of NA as portrayed in EBP. A VERY dark CHARACTER who lives for Himself and abuses others one way or the other. Yet i want to understand this character, how he became what he is.

The Portrayal

A person depicted as a fundamentalist when it comes to religion. A soft spoken person with immense self control enjoying great respect in his family as being the most humble and loving father bending to the wishes of his children and his wife's strict rules.

Niranjan agnihotri, owner of Agnihotri Empire, respected for his immense contribution to the education field, opening over fifteen schools and colleges including charitable institutes for education of women.

credit @madhu di

Niranjan Agnihotri, a loving father to Shlok Agnihotri who trusts his son more than himself. He brought him up for the purpose of being his heir. Niranjan Agnihotri sees himself in his son and considers him to be his pride. A question though arises: whom does niranjan love most, his son or his empire?

credit @ Madhu di

Niranjan Agnihotri, a disappointed father to Varad Agnihotri who has lost hopes in this son because he is not like him(NA). Varad's ideals of life are different from Niranjan and probably that is why he does not like Shlok and Varad's interactions. He demeans Varad in front of Shlok. He deliberately praises Shlok instead of Varad to create jealousy between siblings as he knows Varad is inclined towards Vanayak who also does not like Niranjan's ideals.

credit @ Madhu di

Niranjan Agnihotri, an abusive husband of Anjali Agnihotri. A wolf in sheep's clothing. For the whole world and the family, Niranjan Agnihotri is the most respectful person who upholds great virtues and morality, but in reality he is a woman batterer, a male chauvinist. Under the veil of progressiveness, he is the real source of repression and oppression implemented by Anjali.

Niranjan Agnihotri has been shown to consider women inferior and using Anjali as a pawn. Women in the house are being made to follow such customs that are highly degrading to women and are directly ordered by Niranjan. He has never been shown to directly communicate with Sojal and Jyothi.

The Man Behind The Mask:

Niranjan is an orthodox and old principled man. He enforces old traditions in his house, where women are considered below men so much so that even they are imposed on little Kavya who is even punished for not following them.

Niranjan is an insensitive person. His behaviour with his kids gives us an idea of how insensitive he is. He has two sons and two daughters yet he is insensitive to them.

His daughter Jyothi is in a very pitiable state but he doesn't show her any compassion. He even sides with her abusers and gets displeased to see her bruises because in his view whatever happens between husband and wife should be confined to their bedroom and no one should know about them.

credit @Madhu di

This point was also emphasized when he was displeased of Shlok seeing Aastha crying outside her room where anyone could see her. Otherwise he is happy that Shlok shouts at Aastha in room and acts loving in front of the family.

He is disappointed in Varad because in his view he does not fulfill his expectations. Varad is more like his kaka, Vinayak. Varad has chosen a different profession may be because he knows of his father's corrupt ways and does not want to be its part. His views about women are also opposite to Niranjan.

He is fond of Shlok only because he sees him fit for the position of Niranjan Agnihotri's heir. He is insensitive to Shlok's emotional needs and manipulates him emotionally as Shlok is an emotional person. We all know how he has been manipulating Aastha and Shlok's relation for his own purpose and is satisfied that Shlok has married Aastha to avenge for Niranjan's disgrace. Now the question again comes, the love of Niranjan and Shlok "iss pyaar ko kya naam doon"?

Next daughter, Puja, it is enough to say that no one even cares where she is...who knows what happened to her!!

The man lives for his pride and ego, the main reason for mask to society as well as family. Niranjan is obsessed with his public image. Even at home, he talks extra sweetly to little Kavya but makes Anjali enforce rules on her too. He wants to be in everyone's good books, even his enemy's. Hence, his good behavior with Kirloskars. No matter how angry he is, he doesn't show it. He lets others do his dirty work. Anjali does most of his dirty work at home. Outside, he manipulates others to get his work done.

credit @Madhu di

He hides his real face from everyone. He performs puja like a priest to goddess Lakshmi but does not even value the women of his family. Why? Does he realize he is wrong? Why is he so insecure if he believes himself to be right and powerful?

credit @Madhu di

He is a corrupt person who can trap anyone for his benefits. We know how he has trapped Avdoot and his daughter for his benefit. Niranjan is a shrewd person and achieved success in business with the help of corruption. Like Abhay, he might have lived off his in laws and later may have done some fraud in business and stole the business from them, got caught and sent to jail? Agnihotri House is called "Anjali Niwas" which might have been anjali's parents and Niranjan kept the name to show off his respect for women.

credit @Madhu di

He is a master manipulator who he even manipulates customs and traditions and even his own kids for his "matlab". As per his own words, he uses Chanakya's rule of "saam, daan, dand, bhed" to get things done -

Saam (by using nice words),

Daan (by offering something of value and luring),

Dand (by punishing)

Bhed( by dividing/separating).

credit @Madhu di

There is more to NA than that I have managed to script for us all.

There is more to him as he cannot see other than black or white, he does not want to acknowledge about his own shades too and also the grey shade of Shlok so Shlok must show him his black self only or else he will consider him white?

But NA knows Aastha is Swati's replacement for Shlok and he has already warned them about her. NA acknowledged the fact that "Shlok will only give happiness to Aastha and nothing else" in front of Kirloskars and he knows that well...so is he really unaware of the grey shade?

There is more to Niranjan. .

He knows Shlok's true feelings(iss pyaar ko jo marzi naam do) for Aastha and even then he says that "you are my shadow in relations too". Is he buying the hate showoff of Shlok towards Aashta?...I don't think so. Then is it that NA was not like this, but he changed and that is why he sees his shadow in Shlok?

If this has always been like this in Agnihotri household, why did Vinayak say that "time changed for bad" "now it will change for good"?

Why did Niranjan want Shlok to marry Aastha when he knew Aastha would be Swati's replacement for Shlok and he will protect her even from Niranjan?

Why did NA chose Aastha when he knew she will be a threat to his rules in the house, did he underestimated Aastha or overestimated Anjali? Or is it that he loves Shlok so much he is willing to take the risk?

Why did he let the girls live unlike abhay?

Now the question for which I may be bashed and I added the disclaimer too,

Is there any role of anjali in being who NA is now?

If yes, what could be that role? Is it that they both made each other what they are today? Like a vicious cycle?

(I again add, whatever the reason, I am no way justifying NA's abuse towards Anjali)

Without going into the medical details as is neither required nor appropriate, I would categorize the reasons of blindness roughly into three:

Problem in eye, may be cured or replaced by donation

Problem in the neurons that connect eye to brain, don't know can be cured or not.

Problem in the brain center for sight, incurable.

I wonder which category NA belongs...!!

Originally posted by: Sg2013

Beautiful work lachii. Waiting for the unamsking.

Originally posted by: dsr11

👏 Great effort lachii. Thanks. It helps in understanding the character better.