Olive .. Thanks for including my' Ode ' and write up [above ]on Shiv in your ' special collection series' ! I feel honoured and appreciate your gesture ! As informed recently ... I am away from home with limited internet access ---so not possible to come online as frequently as earlier !Originally posted by: OliveWellington
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Shiv Raj Shekhar: The Romantic Hero ---seetha An Ode to a Kingly Prince .
When Shiv was born and being grown in the realms of pen and paper
he became restless and jumped out of the script and showed he is not a napper!
He bolted with Sid on a white stallion galloping across all ravines
but landed on a lovely maiden's turf and was entwined in flowering vines !
Then began a golden saga...and a million hearts went gaga!
From Kashmir to Kanya Kumari all the girls,
Swooning and crooning and beaming and dreaming
Vent out shrills and went in swirls and twirls!
And the flaming ecstasy went on an international roaming!
With band, baaza, baarat, they gave him a princely welcome,
Soon he scaled new heights and is about to conquer a new kingdom!
You may say bravo Shiv, I will say good bid Sid!
You may say well bred Sid, I will say long live Shiv!
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Preamble
On May 14 th 2012, in the 1000th episode, Shiv (a. k. a. Sid) entered into the BV serial and the viewers' hearts like a Classic Romantic Hero !
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away ! That is what happened on that fateful day!! Shiv walked in with a radiant face with an assertive look and a well chiseled masculine body with an authoritative body language that marked his aristocratic presence ! The aura of love that surrounded him spread like a cool breeze carrying the fragrance in a floral garden. He has an ability to convert the radiant glow of love into a tender life -giving panacea with a longing smile, which always fills the viewers' hearts with incandescence and make them love him for rest of their lives! For both spectators and artists there is a need for variation to remain interested. In order to satisfy his viewers he found ways to excel himself by dwelling into deeper sentiments of the character of SRS to bring out the finest to darkest emotions of that character, to the extent that the viewers started adoring and idolizing him!
Siddahrth Shukla is an intense actor and a master of expressions, who can carry any challenging role with elan ! He has given his heart and soul and lived in the character of Shiv Raj Shekhar that he portrayed! Sid has an excellent skill in non-verbal...wordless communication ...his body language...facial expressions ...gestures...eye contact, posture, the tone and modulation of his voice following good pitch and pause system, everything in adequate measure ...a hall mark of a great actor !
We must appreciate, Sid is doing a fantastic job with his ability to express complex emotional feelings in such a great manner ! It is a pleasure to watch whenever he is on screen, portraying all the shades of a romantic lover, a husband, a loving son, a hurt brother, a devastated man in search of his identity, a relieved but anguished son and a frustrated father, successfully! He depicted the real pain of a son and then as a father in a superb way! At times his expression of passionate feelings look like non verbal quotations ! When he falls in love with Anandi, the way they communicate their love for each other, without touching ..not even with finger tips, but just with gaze, is a classic lesson in romance!
Every successful actor has to have two skills. One is a certain amount of acting talent, which usually comes from a combination of natural ability and constant training. The second skill, and perhaps the most important is, knowing how to emote in a specific situation in a particular manner ! Sid excels in both of them ! So far, in the BV story, Siddharth shukla got the best opportunity to showcase his talent in the formative stages of his character as Shivraj Sekhar and instantly established himself in the minds of audience of all age groups of men and women, especially with young girls! While doing so, he reassured his admirers that, whenever required of him, he can put in stellar performances, of which we got a glimpse, while dealing with his son's kidnapping, recently.
The Paragon
The sturdy SUV was visible from a long distance in which a prince is coming like a mighty king !
In the prelude, Anandi, the award winning Sarpanch of Jaitsar was in great danger ...as a messaiah, Shiv Raj Shekhar directly entered in to the scene ...in to our hearts as well, like a real fairy tale hero ! He watched from a distance, a village belle in peril ! ... with calculated risk and chivalry, like a Royal warrior-----involving gallantry , training and commitment to do service to others ...an ideal situation for an extraordinary person, who possesses honour, courage and courtesy, to exhibit his valour ---- saved her and left an everlasting impression on her mind. His entry itself infused new life and hope for Anandi and a promise of brighter things to come for the viewers!
When he succeeds in bringing the horse to a halt in the rescue bid, Anandi was curious to know what he said to calm down the horse ...he says I said in horse's ears that It is not so easy to run off with the sarpanch of Jaitsar! With that dialogue he has given an inkling of the upcoming romantic story to us...the spark in the eyes of his maiden couldn't be missed! He inquisitively observed her, interacted with her in his official endeavours; captivated by her inner strength , fascinated by her decisive and assertive nature ,he started loving her, which has given him a distinctive quality and a special aura to his persona !
True leaders have the task of finding the spark both in themselves and in others too! ...Shiv was to show this emphatically in the later episodes !
With Shiv's entry, the story line has taken a new turn and along with, created an idyllic tavern that brought in a new class of committed audience, intoxicated with appreciation, young girls and women from near and far, to admire his chivalrous and protective nature , to adore his noble deeds.. who started to pay divine honour to him ...to value his thoughtful discourses...and are mesmerised by his majestic presence !
Shiv is good looking, idealistic and a great human being to the core ! He struck the right chord of love in Anandi's heart ! The arrogance, the masculinity and romance was well showcased by his energetic natural acting talent! The display of traits like...goodness , tenderness, tiffs, verbal volleys with Anandi, which are a part of his personality, was a complete delight to watch on screen !
He tried to understand the intricacies of Anandi's life and her struggle to withstand the consistent turmoil and observed her from a distance and time and again offered himself to help, save and guide ---but always projected himself as a student of her teachings and ideology, just like a love smitten conquering hero !
A paragon of masculinity , his iconographic attributes are his extraordinary strength, courage, ingenuity, virtue, which are some of his characteristic traits. Shiv used his wit on several occasions when his strength did not suffice. By questioning and conquering meaningless archaic traditions he can be said to have made the world safer for mankind ! Shiv was an extremely passionate and emotional individual, capable of doing both great social service for his people, as well as exhibit matters of his heart as tender feelings by sending bouquets of flowers to his stubborn maiden Anandi ! A tall virile man , with rugged good looks , there is something festive in his presence, his voice is always calm and authoritative, his body language is always assertive , commanding and self-confident, compelling to be respected and obeyed !
Charisma is his greatest asset ...this changed even the pensive mood of Anandi and she also started watching him with inquisitiveness and she could not hide her appreciation that manifested as teasing smiles on her face ! Viewers were instantaneously mesmerized by their on-screen and off- screen dazzling chemistry! Rich imagery is associated with Shiv and Anandi's love story and it gets portrayed at many different levels of intensities from time to time.
The sweet anticipation of their union as a mark of consummation of their marriage...triggered interest and passion in the minds of viewers and dreamers alike and in every house the TV sets were intently watched with their much anticipated SR !
The most beautiful part of the entire period of Shiv Raj Shekhar wooing the pensive and introspective Anandi, is his musings with his smiling eyes...and their mutual musical expressions with their looks / glances ... Shiv's every smile while watching and talking with her made so many young hearts to skip some beats many a time ! His innocence is camouflaged by his alluring smile and his naivety in the field of love becomes obvious on many occasions, as he fumbles for words and in his actions, while trying to confess his love for Anandi...or in his longing for her and his attempts to be with her and to woo her, resulting in many blushes which make him go crimson in his face ! He became famous for his infectious smile with well exhibited sparkling teeth and then on, young girls started calling his smile, a bunny smile! Shiv's smile occupies a wide range in the scale of happiness: from a simple light hearted smile to a riotous laughter, encompassing everything in between. Teasing and laughing with Anandi , being amused and carefree or simply feeling frivolous and naughty in her company...whenever he was cheerful, he used to give the impression that all is well in this world , there is joy all around and good cheer everywhere!
His fury and tempestuousness are scary to his victims, as was visible ...when he challenged the violent and drunk Jaggiya in the middle of the road to save the poor veg vendor, while saving the innocent child bride he even challenged the local hard core goons and his punches to that arrogant marriage party head for performing child marriage, for harming Dadisa and for pushing Anandi outside; the display 0f outrage over their audacious behaviour and disobedience, the fury caused by an offence , the rage evoked by disrespect shown to Anandi, anger over the injustice being perpetuated to the small child... probably the viewers have seen his ferocious best in that scene !
His compassion for Anandi when she lost her mother was unequivocal and he offered full support to her, became a pall bearer and tried his best to console her and to bring her back to normal condition. He stood beside her like a pillar of strength while fighting with the evils of the society.
While emoting the subtle and painful anxiety of Shiv, caused by presentiment of evil and a feeling of helplessness evoked by mighty and cruel claim of Jaggiya that Anandi still loved him, in a bid to get back Anandi at any cost, the sorrow and deprivation felt by him in that situation and facing a certain death of his strong and classic 'first' love, the actor, Siddharth Shukla showed his mettle as an actor!
In that situation while facing earth-shaking and heart-wrenching pain and grief which can set any one on a path of self-destruction, Sid as Shiv excelled by dwelling deep into his talent pool and bringing an array of expressions on to his face to display all those feelings of being overwhelmed and helpless. Dread, faint-heartedness, agitation, discomposure, panic and timidity are the shades of emotions that overtook him at that moment -- an ironic juxtaposition with the conventional view of a hero of glory ! The utmost sorrow caused by the prospect of losing Anandi forever, the anguish evoked by moving away from his love, the feeling... as if his own soul left him, leaving him as a life-less man at that moment, are all there to watch!
Later Shiv realised how he misunderstood his lover's cool and calm disposition and admitted his mistake and then rushed to search Anandi like a true passionate, romantic hero...and later obeyed her teasing orders like a Classic lover ! In this entire high drama ...Shiv withstood the challenges of a projected betrayal to transform from a benefactor to become a worthy romantic lover with his characteristic trait of frequent introspection! He was less vocal and conveyed his intense feelings with his facial expressions and with a smile or with his unique caring nature.
Whenever he was nearer to Anandi, Shiv was awe-struck and felt as if he came across a divine power ...a beauty that is remarkable and never seen and imagined before! Shiv's expressions while realising the inner and physical beauty of his love ...his emotions and feelings, the astonishment caused by seeing divinity, a magical beauty, are a treat to watch. Shiv's appreciation of the idea of love' as a marvel that goes beyond the routine and the mundane, is communicated in a captivating and refreshing manner! Shiv stands tall among all the contemporary TV serial heroes as the greatest romantic hero!
Even though Dadisa drew a line and ordered Anandi & Shiv, after Diwali, not to meet before marriage, driven by his yearning to meet Anandi, he steals some moments with her just like any one eager to taste romance...but later in the temple, reminded and reprimanded by Dadisa, he promises not to meet her till marriage...like any youth in love, respecting the sentiments of elders. True to his word , when Anandi comes to his bungalow for selecting jewellery for their marriage .. Shiv stands behind the curtains.. just like a full moon covered by temporary clouds, and talks with her, even though his heart was longing to see her face and to meet her and have a private moment !
Inspite of being a DC and belonging to an aristocratic family , Shiv respected and gave due regard to Anandi's and CM s' sentiments, and agreed for a Samuhik Vivah [ Group Marriage ] along with all other village couples and thus demonstrated that he is nearer to common people at heart too!
Shiv had shown his subtle feelings reflecting self control and inner conflict commendably, while dealing with the self conscious and hesitant bride Anandi, after their marriage. His patience and the level of understanding he had shown is well appreciated by all, especially by every female viewer ! His complete dedication to her and giving her due respect and dignity and keeping her on a high pedestal, shows how Shiv's character is unshackled, forward thinking and liberated! He has been a thorough gentleman, a passionate lover, a persistent admirer , an ideal husband and a lovable companion to Anandi! At times his passionate feelings looked like non verbal quotations.
The family man
He is a thorough family man. He values the family bonding most. First he convinced his family regarding Anandi's past and made them realise her worth! Sanchi's disapproval was not taken seriously by him and here he was a little bit assertive. He followed all the traditions and celebrations for the sake of happiness of his family!
When the events posed questions and raised suspense regarding his real mother and when he was in a pensive mood, he expressed his heart felt feelings only to Anandi! In that entire episode he has shown his pain and suffering with subtle expressions extremely well! This track is rather a tough one as the character goes through a lot of emotions like shock, exasperation, annoyance, and indignation.! Sid deserves a big applause and appreciation for bringing out the emotions of shiv so brilliantly ! After realising his lineage Shiv's balancing act with both his mothers shows his wisdom and maturity... by embracing Ira first and then acknowledging Chotima later, he has shown great understanding of a mother's pain and its intensity!
In Sanchi's suicide episode he has shown darker shades of his character, for a small time though... with clouded intelligence, he believed the words of his sister and shouted at his wife and went on to support his family in that hour of crisis as any brother probably would have done! ...demonstrating that after all he is a human being and that...to err is human! But Shiv showed his logical thinking while revealing the truth of his sister and he supported the law and stood there when Jaggiya was being released from the prison and asked the entire Singh Parivar for their forgiveness. Later just like a truthful person, he admitted his misapprehension before Anandi and asked for her remission in a romantic way! What a love smitten husband he has been !
A dutiful D.C.
As a high profile collector he first entered the scene with great valour and in a chivalrous and gallant way ..to protect the Sarpanch of his district ! Shiv Jumped into action even before taking the charge as a DC, showing the level of commitment he has for his job !
He took very short time to adjust and assess the problems and needs of his district and to understand the geographic structure of his area, so as to define design plans for the development and well being of the district for which he is the highest authority! He worked hard to safeguard the interests of the people of Jaitser by taking up many welfare programs ... first an irrigation project , then to provide a primary school , to encourage the girls' education , to eliminate the biggest social evil.. child marriage and to nullify the negative and corrupt impact of the local MP and other political bigwigs ! His progressive thinking, tactical dealing with the villagers to win them over in the impossible situations while implementing the irrigation project in order to lessen the burden of the farmers and to provide the drinking water to the households, showcase Shiv's leadership qualities ! When a disease engulfed the area ...he extended help in every possible way to prevent its spread and to bring back normalcy in the affected area and people ! His commitment towards his official duty is such that once he even shouted at Anandi for putting off his mobile ...so that he could get a few moments of rest. Of course, to rectify and compensate for that, like an adorable husband he took his wife to Kashmir on a honeymoon !
After shifting to Udaipur Shiv supported Anandi's initiatives and tried to educate and bring the awareness in women ...to save themselves from the criminal attitudes of men with malicious intentions ! He adopted Amol to please his wife and to keep her happy. He fought fiercely when his son Amol was kidnapped. He depicted the real pain of a father in an excellent manner! The anger and helplessness at his inability to trace Amol, which was eating up SRS, came out at the right time with right intensity... The scene reprimanding the police force required energy and anger with right amount of fear and despair ...it was all there in his venting out emotional frustrations in a violent and fearful manner ! What a power packed performance it was ! While saving Amol from the beggar Mafia he saved the other orphans also and provided a safe shelter for them.
A Multi-faceted hero
The surest way to work up a crusade in favour of some good cause is, in a way to promise viewers, they will have a chance of witnessing extraordinary action scenes ! He promised this with his entry itself !
In the real sense Siddarth Shukla is well personified as Shiv Raj Shekhar who walked, talked and lived like a true romantic hero and continues to do so!
Let us try to assess the character of Shiv to examine to which class of heroes he belongs:
The Medieval hero... A man has to be seen as having a good moral character including chastity and obedience...Shiv never looked at any other woman after his meeting with his lovely lady ! Though Ashima was showing interest in him ...he never responded !
The Romantic Hero of Byron and Goethe ...A hero who is proud, moody, ruthless yet capable of strong affection... Shiv has some of these traits and was very individualistic who defined his own social rules! He was very assertive and always a decision maker ...never a follower!
The Aristotelian type hero... A tragic hero with a noble stature..his downfall is his own fault but for a greater cause! The most distinctive feature of the Aristotelian hero is his misinterpretation of a situation... a character flaw or flaw in judgment... Here Shiv is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding qualities and greatness about him !..Shiv firmly believed Jaggiya s words that Anandi continued to love him and took a unilateral decision to leave Anandi to the anti-hero, in the process almost destroyed himself for the sake of Anandi's happiness! Later he came to know about the facts and rectified his mistakes in a heroic but humble manner! So, he tended to be a tragic hero but not quite!
An Epic hero ... A Dheerodatta Nayak of Indian mythology.. a brave and noble character admired for great achievements or a leader who effected grand events for the welfare of the society .. Shiv's character as discussed, is gracious and righteous dotted with bravery and his career was filled with achievements and great events !
The Modern Hero...One who tries to create a pool of light in a world of dark shadows - to wage a war with the internal and external struggles and against evil practices and corruption in the society ...Shiv is just that and more! Shiv is a "good" person where integrity, honour, honesty, intelligence, wisdom, action, morality and love work in harmony to balance the person on the path of higher learning. He has imbibed all the traits of classic heroes with an extra dash of romance and concern for the society, to fit into the mould of an ideal modern' romantic hero!
It is sheer hypnotic to watch people getting euphoric with the grace and energy of this modern day hero! It has to be believed that what we saw of him so far is only a tip of the iceberg and a glacier of talent is hidden beneath his calm exterior, which would ensure a continuous flow of superlative performances !
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Indian Mythology
Chakravarti Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan
Shiv Shakti
Anupamaa
