A tribute to Dev & Radhika-Video Index: pg2, post2 - Page 70

Originally posted by: misti73

Angie liked your VM. Radhika and Dev in the beginning of CB1 were all about innocence. It was actually Radhika who reeled me into CB1 and made me watch the show. Dev came much later on. There was something in her that intrigued me. The original writers of CB1 did a brilliant characterisation of Radhika...she was a mixture of innocence, poignancy ...somehow I used to find her as someone who is althougha member of this family but yet is not...she was an outsider who is standing who is just watching. I am not writing about Radhika in the later part of CB1 but Radhika in the first year,specially during the first 6 months.

Misti, thanks. I was stuck by how innocent both were in looks as well as actions. I started it watching it after 70-75th episode onwards on and off. I liked Radhika's simple looks as well found her character intriguing. Dev became the favorite from the time he stood up against Amma and talked about discrimination when they went to phool Bangla. I like the opening sequence they showed in earlier episodes where Radhika is looking wistfully at this Shastri family where she is an outsider. She is even looking very wistfully at her father who is hugging Vishaka. That's why I felt that she didn't even feel that closeness to Shastriji. It was only Kanha who was her confidant. They showed that even she was attracted to Dev at the first sight and is thinking about him constantly. Then she is talking to Kanha about not having any right to feel like this about any guy because she was not worthy enough.

Radhika's character later on became very one-dimensional when all she could talk about was Vishaka ignoring everything Vishaka was doing against Dev and his family. So that's the time I did not like how her character was being portrayed. Before that they showed her extreme reluctance in pushing Dev towards Vishaka but was forced to do so by Amma/Devki combination. Then they did improve her characterization from the engagement time onwards where she was unsure of herself but slowly gained confidence because of Dev.

As for Shastriji...I always thought that he expected perfection from Radhika and this is what Radhika was afraid of...falling down in her fathers eyes and in some way loosing that love, a love which might not have been perfect father's love but a love that in some way did stand up to amma's actions and behaviour and to certain extent the society too. As for the charity case...I didn't see that in Shastriji, to me he was a very traditional, conservative father who probably believed that one should not openly stand up to elders however wrong they are...maybe to him that would have been disrespecting his mother. Shastriji did question amma but he should have done more, which maybe his upbringing and beliefs stopped him from doing so. ...He in his own way tried to protect Radhika but he did not have the courage to openly rebel. He did stop Radhika's remarriage to Keshav when she said that she is already married to Kanha, he did stand up against society then but he never stood up against society when Radhika was not allowed to enter the temple. So as a father I used to find his as a very very weak father, but I also found him very real because people like him do exists in India. Actually there are many families that are like this, where questioning elders and openly pointing out their mistakes is still looked down upon because people think that it shows disrespecting the elders.

I wrote about Shastriji after watching first few episodes. I agree that he was a traditional, conservative person living in a conservative society. But it was as if feelings for Radhika evolved over time. He of course didn't stand up for Radhika against the society because it affected his livelihood of running the temple. But they showed a different behavior from him in the beginning. He was taking Vishaka's word and had allowed different standards for both of them as far as giving education, material comforts were concerned. So Radhika was doing all housework, wasn't allowed to go to college or go to same school, was given floor to sleep rather than the bed and was not given the milk whereas Vishaka was given that regularly. It seemed as if he started relying more on Radhika once Vishaka started disillusioning him. So Radhika seemed to him like a true daughter who got his values. Of course he always expected perfection from Radhika and Radhika sacrificed endlessly to provide him that. So in the beginning, he gave in when Amma insisted on Radhika not attending the wedding. He also used to forbid her to go to relgiious functions because it angered the society. Later on he stood against that same society in sindoor episode or when he stood up against Amma when she was trying to marry Radhika.

It may be that he brought her home against the will of Amma. Of course Devki never had any say in anything where Shastriji was concerned. So he let her endure the abuse to make up for angering Amma. Of course no evolution was shown in Shastriji later on where we wanted to show his realization that how much he wronged Radhika by not speaking up against her abuse. The top show of colors is on the top because there they have shown that evolution of Dadi's character where she has changed after feeling remorse. Among other things (how no loopholes were closed or how characters were brought down or how no one except Radhika was ever punished), the other big disappointment was they never showed evolution of such important side characters like Shastriji.

I do agree with what you have written above about such characters existing in the society. Also his character made sense as it explained Radhika's actions to a large extent (talking about first six months of course). To me Shastriji's character was brought down first when he tried to stop Amma from leaving Radhika's wedding despite knowing that she was a criminal who had tried to damage Radhika's hands. Then his character was brought down completely in the second year after Vishaka returned. From that time onwards, I just couldn't like that character and didn't want to see him along with Amma/Devki/Vishaka.

Originally posted by: instcris

Great ideea, Angie with your last VM. the scenes are perfect for the lines of the song and they are so young and innocent in their feelings one to other like a spring. Thank you!

Originally posted by: instcris

Angie, I saw a hindi movie in this week. Has a very beautiful song who speek about faith and love.

Radhika and Dev passed by many difficulties but the flame of love doesn't desappers.

Can you, please, make a VM with RaDev love story?

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si6BGXJ2EZo&feature=coliKe[/YOUTUBE]

Originally posted by: why6

Cristina, this is a nice song. Too bad that creatives of CB1 copied the ending of this movie for their fire track in CB1 and this song that repelled viewers. Let me think about this song and see if I can make it using some earlier scenes.

Originally posted by: JustShanta

what pun ' the flame' ! !
how we besieged the Creatives not to go that way . CV's were ?? fill in the blanks.
,then it all went downhill from there !
remember first saw this movie i say but they r kids! first pangs of teenage love

Angie u 'll do equally great giving your version of this song as u did with other VM's
how r u Angie, how r u Cristina ?
me ? i'm counting down the hrs, soon RaDev will touch down in TnT 👏
miss the activity on this forum

Originally posted by: why6

Hi Shanta, I am fine.

Yes, I remember how forum viewers were in denial when the spoiler first came as nobody could believe that the story would go that route.

So I assume you have bought the tickets for the event. So have fun and share your experience.

Yes, I do miss interaction of the forum.