Originally posted by jpalagrawal
Ahhh... Bee, when you say everything with such heart and intelligence, I am left speechless. I was in tears when I read your post. Indeed characters can be like people when we come to care for them.
When we come to a daily soap, it is amazing the amount of things that we are willing to ignore. We know that we have to look the other way as the show tries to depict a realism and therefore we have to forget that we are looking at a staged set, camera angles, some clumsy editing, etc
That said, we are not able to ignore
truth in our characters. Yes, we can forgive the fact that Guddu has two shirts hanging in the closet he shares with RJ, despite the fact that he is there for a month, but we cannot forgive a character portrayal that fails us.
When Guddu was being mean to RJ, this story did not interest me. I started to gain interest when I saw Guddu's vulnerability and how he could fall for RJ. How this tough rough character needed someone like her to complete him. I think about the hospital scene with Guddu's parents, in which Guddu mostly appears irritated with RJ. He had begun to see her stubborness and have respect for that, but there did not seem to be any real warmth. Fantastic portrayal of how awkward they are around each other. When he came back from the hospital I really think that he could have left.
The warmth from Guddu of course came when she defended him. And you could see how this tough guy (with a soft side who loves his mother is estranged from his father) really needs this. He needs someone to give an unconditional love and acceptance.. I am not saying RJ gave him that, but he saw in her the opportunity for such things in her. A little bit of Guddu wants society to look at him as a decent guy and accept him. The look in Guddu's eyes when RJ says that she is there for him as his wife always was a brilliant moment. His eyes looked up at her with a child-like beauty. Heart stopping to watch
With warmth came his attraction to her physically. That makes complete sense. More than RJ, Guddu is very emotional and impulsive. He is also more expressive and in touch with his emotions
Later with IM center we see again from Guddu's perspective how he relishes someone supporting him. Because of her seeming belief in him, he changes. He wears a suit, becomes polite at the interview. Again for someone like Guddu, it all makes sense. He is a giver. When someone does something for him, he wants to give back. And he does give back to RJ by changing. he changes slowly but still stands his ground (temple).
The rest was believable too. Jabbo reminding him of the challenge and Abhi was masterfully thrown in to make him jealous.
The scene on May 13 was the best I have ever seen. Only because he is drunk Guddu is able to bare his soul to RJ like that. He bares his pride and refusal to be something other than he is AND he bares his desperate need to be what RJ most wants in her heart. There are no words for me when I saw this brilliant performance. The agony of Guddu was sheer poetry that day.
I was okay with the accident. He was quite drunk and really it was not anything bad in the character development
I was also fine with how RJ and him treated each other after the accident initially. He said too much. He revealed himself to her and she to him. But now she has to take care of him. He is upset that she saw him desperate and does not want any favors from her.
By the way the look in Guddu's eyes when Kukkan is talking to him was so beautiful. Again a long look in such expressive eyes that no talking was needed there. Again, he wants to believe that she cares for him so desperately that it broke my heart
I was even fine with this couple remaining angry with each other and not talking about it. Yes, RJ ran to clear up the puja business, but this was different. While he questioned her character, she also had lots of questions about his. They are young and for either of them to broach the subject was also to remind the other person as to what was revealed that day. What was revealed was that this relationship was something other than a formality. And Guddu was not going to talk about Neelu, why should she talk about anything?
Okay, I was fine here.
If Guddu was the same Guddu, that man would have limped the hell out of that house the minute he could. The challenge has no meaning. How sickening to think that this woman was turning you into a another guy. YUCK
This is for me when the cloth that was Guddu's character started to unwind. The Guddu I knew would NO way do anything remotely Abhi like anymore. He would have gone back to his room above the carom club and MAYBE come back if he remembered that he signed a paper with his name. But there was no way he would be anything but the bad boy Guddu Shukkla
NOW COMES STRANGE DECISION WITH CHARACTER: Why? Why ZEE TV WHY?????For me last Wednesday was indeed hard to stomach. Why would he consider apologizing to the Mammis and Mammas when they almost killed his mother? Why would he do anything RJ suggested that was "decent and right?" Why would he listen to her at all? He is not stupid. All these things are what Abhi was like right? Why would he consider changing himself even an iota?
I agree that is when Guddu started to be a caricature of himself. When slammed his hand on the counter, to me that was watching not Guddu, but a comical one so easily manipulated. That was not Guddu anymore. I was watching a silly puppet. That was the moment right there when I was like
Oh God, what have they done?So Bee that is my analysis of the unwinding of this beautiful character.
That said Bee, I do want the show to continue. Because this character was so beautifully offered to us, I am willing to overlook the silliness of last week.. Maybe the show can get back on track if the viewers are there.
For some reason ZEE felt that the new viewers need to see a more comical Guddu, changed, giddy in love. Oddly he remembers the challenge but cannot remember that his wife may be trying to change him into another man (gross). I have no reason as to why Zee thinks this new Guddu,, who forgets the fact that his wife wants him to be some other guy is letting himself be changed into that guy? WHY?
I accept what you want. I want the show too, but not at the cost of compromise of the story track or the characters in the name of bringing in TRPs. That is like totally killing the essence of the story and its characters. Then the characters turn out into caricatures and the actors are forced to fulfill their parts. I feel bad if they have do that. I don't want anyone to go through such nonsense, more so for the BBAT folks because these are really a talented bunch, be it the creative team or the actors.
I only wish BBAT tells its story and goes out with dignity. For that, Zee needs to give the CVs a free hand and lets them tell what they were intending to tell in the story rather than pressuring them with the TRP-gun every now-and-then and asking them to change the content. If the content is good, show is well-placed for viewer-ship and is marketed well, TRPs will automatically come.
For BBAT since the content is good, all Zee has to do is the latter part instead of tempering with CVs job.