Posted:
Firstly, let me clarify...I LOVE ACP Taaribaaz. He is needed for more than just the current plot, and I'm hoping he'll be a permanent addition, and that he doesn't turn into a third brother for the OBros. But more than just liking the actor, this entry was needed for the past 30 episodes, and I say better late than never. Why? Because for a story that was supposed to be in development for 2 years, Gul has, for over 100 episodes, made an absolute basic mistake in the characters she has created. We have 10 plus main people --but no foil!
Shivaay Singh Oberoi's characterization all along is that he is a seriously aggressive, alpha male. However, with absolutely no foil for his aggression, the story has been a problem for the audience--whether we were conscious of it, or not. Remember how each of us grabbed onto the idea of Siddharth Vikram Rana, when we basically heard his name a few times? We imagined him flirting with Anika, defying Shivaay in business deals, wrote him into the main Ishqbaaz story in fiction after fiction. Well, that is an example of us, the audience, trying to unconsciously find the missing foil character in our Ishqbaaz story.
This is actually story-writing 101. No story in literature is created without at least one foil character-- who is the hero's mirror, who is not evil, but certainly isn't good, and who has huge flaws when you compare him to the hero. The foil is not a friend, is not a secondary hero or a sidekick. Those, as we know, Shivaay has. The foil however, is a character who equals the hero in strength and in intelligence. Foils are a total contrast to the hero in beliefs, in background, and especially in personality (like we saw today).
Shivaay Singh Oberoi's characterization all along is that he is a seriously aggressive, alpha male. However, with absolutely no foil for his aggression, the story has been a problem for the audience--whether we were conscious of it, or not. Remember how each of us grabbed onto the idea of Siddharth Vikram Rana, when we basically heard his name a few times? We imagined him flirting with Anika, defying Shivaay in business deals, wrote him into the main Ishqbaaz story in fiction after fiction. Well, that is an example of us, the audience, trying to unconsciously find the missing foil character in our Ishqbaaz story.
This is actually story-writing 101. No story in literature is created without at least one foil character-- who is the hero's mirror, who is not evil, but certainly isn't good, and who has huge flaws when you compare him to the hero. The foil is not a friend, is not a secondary hero or a sidekick. Those, as we know, Shivaay has. The foil however, is a character who equals the hero in strength and in intelligence. Foils are a total contrast to the hero in beliefs, in background, and especially in personality (like we saw today).
Harry Potter's foil, for example, is Draco Malfoy.
Ultimately, however, the foil supports the hero in the final fight. He isn't the guy you like, or you root for. He might get a love interest, but not someone from the main character list, or an important heroine. But he is not a villain. He's the "good bad guy."No one likes the foil, especially the hero and his friends. But without him--the hero is unbalanced, and the story goes nowhere.
With Shivaay, we havent had that character yet, which is why the story has been really kind of all over the place. We had Siddhath Vikram Rana for a hot minute, and I thought he'd be the ideal foil hero--then, of course, he's gone, settled happily due to Shivaay, so woh bhes gaya pani main. Without a proper mano-a-mano takkar, Shivaay risks turning into--well, into a cruel, very hard-to-tolerate hardass, which is what we've been seeing for weeks as the plot progressed without a foil character.
The female heroine, btw, cannot be the foil, the love interest, comic AND the angel of the house. The strains we are seeing with Anika's role indicates that she is being used for too much, too frequently. She cannot be the Taaribaaz, the Oh jaana romance, the wacky detective AND the Maata-rani-ki-kripa answer for every single thing that happens. For a show with a huge cast, she was being overused. But without anyone else to offer any real opposition to Shivaay, she has been placed in the foil role that in writing terms, cannot be played by a heroine.
I think the O Bro dynamic has suffered also. Many people have pointed this out--that Om-Ru don't contribute anymore to the story. They don't need to fight with SSO, but they were becoming wallpaper. This is because SSO has been created as an alpha male, and he does not have a natural counterpart in the house. Rudra is submissive, Omkara is detached. When the hero doesn't have a an "equal"male he can depend on/fight against, the hero reads as overly strong. He weakens other males, taking on an un balanced, caretaker role --like we've seen with Om and Rudra.
But even that sidelining, with SSO treating Om-Ru like children will now change if the foil stays. The foil changes other men in the story, giving them something outside to fight against, to join with the hero. In ONE scene, with the ACP introduced today, we saw Omkara becoming a partner to Shivaay, which happened only when an outside male of equal (though different) power challenged the hero.
With Shivaay, we havent had that character yet, which is why the story has been really kind of all over the place. We had Siddhath Vikram Rana for a hot minute, and I thought he'd be the ideal foil hero--then, of course, he's gone, settled happily due to Shivaay, so woh bhes gaya pani main. Without a proper mano-a-mano takkar, Shivaay risks turning into--well, into a cruel, very hard-to-tolerate hardass, which is what we've been seeing for weeks as the plot progressed without a foil character.
The female heroine, btw, cannot be the foil, the love interest, comic AND the angel of the house. The strains we are seeing with Anika's role indicates that she is being used for too much, too frequently. She cannot be the Taaribaaz, the Oh jaana romance, the wacky detective AND the Maata-rani-ki-kripa answer for every single thing that happens. For a show with a huge cast, she was being overused. But without anyone else to offer any real opposition to Shivaay, she has been placed in the foil role that in writing terms, cannot be played by a heroine.
I think the O Bro dynamic has suffered also. Many people have pointed this out--that Om-Ru don't contribute anymore to the story. They don't need to fight with SSO, but they were becoming wallpaper. This is because SSO has been created as an alpha male, and he does not have a natural counterpart in the house. Rudra is submissive, Omkara is detached. When the hero doesn't have a an "equal"male he can depend on/fight against, the hero reads as overly strong. He weakens other males, taking on an un balanced, caretaker role --like we've seen with Om and Rudra.
But even that sidelining, with SSO treating Om-Ru like children will now change if the foil stays. The foil changes other men in the story, giving them something outside to fight against, to join with the hero. In ONE scene, with the ACP introduced today, we saw Omkara becoming a partner to Shivaay, which happened only when an outside male of equal (though different) power challenged the hero.
Shivaay has been outclassed by the first male foil this show has introduced, so I PRAY TO GOD this isn't a 3-episode arc, and we keep ACP Taaribaaz until at least Episode 400. If you recall, with Harry Potter, the main tension through all seven books was between Harry and Draco Malfoy. Enemies like Voldemort come and go--a proper foil character is still there in the hero's life, 20 years later, as they are loading their kids onto the Hogwarts train.
So Gul--banda ko rakho, please. Cute bhi hai, foil bhi hai, Prinku BOHOT needy for a love interest bhi hai. Story telling ka 101 ab rakh doh, yaar.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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