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Disclaimer: I adore Annika. We've been watching Shivaay fall in love with her so deeply, we can't help but love her like he does. I'm not bashing ANYONE just expressing an opinion about Annika as a character.
She's an orphan who had to fight for everything in her life. She has had to pick herself up from falls alone so much that she has erected shields around her.
Invincibility Shield.
"Nothing can destroy Me. I have got Me. I'll pick myself up." Even if she lost so much, she's determined to show God that He can throw anything at her and she will face it standing.
Stubborn. Undefeatable. Full of spirit. She loves with such conviction and loyalty it just wowed Shivaay. He's come to trust her with his life now. "No matter what anyone says, or what I show, she always gets me. Even what i dont say."
I recall the first episodes where her life looked dire and difficult. She sat by the road and cried over her Fate because Shivaay had called her roadside trash. She felt like the trash he referred her as. That powerful image burned like a brand for me. Such was Surbhi Chandna's portrayal.
In the face of destitution, she gets up for Sahil. Picks up the squashed chocolate bar she's bought for the boy and fights another day for him. Because he depended on her. She wouldn't want her Fate to befall upon Sahil.
Chin up.
One day at a time, as they come.
Make the best of what we get.
Annika's mantras.
We watched her thumb her nose at the snobby man who wanted to ruin her just to prove a point, show his power. We watched him fail and cheered her on. Then we saw him begrudge the beauty of her spirit and slowly fall in love.
How she loved him! She adored him. She may poke fun at him, but for her, he is perfection. Anything that threatened him would have to face her indomitable chappal first. What did he do to win this kind of loyalty from those days?
Because she saw how he loved his family. How he fiercely defends them and is the shield from all threats, be it right or wrong. She identifies with that love and is in awe of it. He became her best example of how to take care of family. She learnt many things by watching him.
She's an orphan who had to fight for everything in her life. She has had to pick herself up from falls alone so much that she has erected shields around her.
Invincibility Shield.
"Nothing can destroy Me. I have got Me. I'll pick myself up." Even if she lost so much, she's determined to show God that He can throw anything at her and she will face it standing.
Stubborn. Undefeatable. Full of spirit. She loves with such conviction and loyalty it just wowed Shivaay. He's come to trust her with his life now. "No matter what anyone says, or what I show, she always gets me. Even what i dont say."
I recall the first episodes where her life looked dire and difficult. She sat by the road and cried over her Fate because Shivaay had called her roadside trash. She felt like the trash he referred her as. That powerful image burned like a brand for me. Such was Surbhi Chandna's portrayal.
In the face of destitution, she gets up for Sahil. Picks up the squashed chocolate bar she's bought for the boy and fights another day for him. Because he depended on her. She wouldn't want her Fate to befall upon Sahil.
Chin up.
One day at a time, as they come.
Make the best of what we get.
Annika's mantras.
We watched her thumb her nose at the snobby man who wanted to ruin her just to prove a point, show his power. We watched him fail and cheered her on. Then we saw him begrudge the beauty of her spirit and slowly fall in love.
How she loved him! She adored him. She may poke fun at him, but for her, he is perfection. Anything that threatened him would have to face her indomitable chappal first. What did he do to win this kind of loyalty from those days?
Because she saw how he loved his family. How he fiercely defends them and is the shield from all threats, be it right or wrong. She identifies with that love and is in awe of it. He became her best example of how to take care of family. She learnt many things by watching him.
Many ppl think Annika is perfect. To me she isn't. It feels so because Shivaay thinks she's wonderfully weird and the love story has been mostly shown in his perspective. She had always stunned him with her loyalty.
When she staked her honour to save him from murder charges. When she rallied to help him when Tia claimed pregnancy with his child. When he was gone, and an impostor had taken his place and endangered his family. When men threatened his identity as a fake, and she shielded him with her self to save him. Because he was Shivaay, and he is high up there for her. Slightly worshipful despite her sass. She puts herself in danger at the drop of a hat for him, it scares him.
It isn't clear for now, but at beginning she had a lot of arguments with Faith, but in Shivaay her belief is rock solid barosa "more than myself" kind. She's ever grateful he gave her a family to love. Not knowing how more to show her devotion, she wanted to touch his feet during Karvachauth, which kind of startled him a bit. Taking the honour & devotion, he kissed those hands instead, giving her respect of an equal.
This showed also earlier when she forced pain unto herself to break his heart and leave him, for him not to break as a person. She couldn't bear for him to lose his identity.
But what she didn't know was he had also fallen deeply in love with her. He too couldn't live without her, being apart had destroyed them both.
I am digressing. This is supposed to be about Annika. You get what I mean about how their story is often meshed together. Shivaay mentioned that a love story is about both the individuals not just one side, each one loves their own way, not one better than the other.
But we saw the immense growth of Shivaay, from a man steeped in prejudice and class ,ridiculing the notion of love. Now he's an Ishqbaaaz for Annika and it was a beautiful journey. I see how he loves Annika, see her through his eyes.
But I do not identify with Annika as a woman. Maybe it's because I was raised to be independent and to always be willing to learn new things. It's one thing to be accepted as you are, it's another to keep improving yourself for your own sake.
Yes,Annika is an orphan and she may have never been in safe and secure environment as she is now, to begin learning to better herself.
If we can feel the slightest annoyance at her insecurities as a newly married woman, then we should be prepared for the time when they have proper disagreements soon.
It came before. If you recall,Annika tried to help him sew a button and (pretended to perhaps) failed. He felt for her, but he propped her up saying "These days there are ways to learn everything if you want to learn" I loved it when he said that, and have been waiting for her to take a step to better herself now that she doesn't have to fight for survival under Shivaay's TLC.
Go for culinary classes (make him a cute chef teacher too why not for Pete's sake?!).
Work in the fashion industry with Rudy (break out Ms Shivani & Ms. Kohli's runway experience and set some REAL TRENDS).
Start a home business with Jhanvi and Gauri (When she comes back ) ANYTHING. Just don't end up like Pinky, hanging around waiting for son and husband to have spare time for her.
Please Harneet. You gave Gauri empowerment by giving her Internet Chachi & English classes. You gave Bhavya her badass-ness. Please give Annika something, make her relatable. Don't just have Shivaay saying sorry for hurting her feelings all the time. You know i love ya and mean well for this show.
When she staked her honour to save him from murder charges. When she rallied to help him when Tia claimed pregnancy with his child. When he was gone, and an impostor had taken his place and endangered his family. When men threatened his identity as a fake, and she shielded him with her self to save him. Because he was Shivaay, and he is high up there for her. Slightly worshipful despite her sass. She puts herself in danger at the drop of a hat for him, it scares him.
It isn't clear for now, but at beginning she had a lot of arguments with Faith, but in Shivaay her belief is rock solid barosa "more than myself" kind. She's ever grateful he gave her a family to love. Not knowing how more to show her devotion, she wanted to touch his feet during Karvachauth, which kind of startled him a bit. Taking the honour & devotion, he kissed those hands instead, giving her respect of an equal.
This showed also earlier when she forced pain unto herself to break his heart and leave him, for him not to break as a person. She couldn't bear for him to lose his identity.
But what she didn't know was he had also fallen deeply in love with her. He too couldn't live without her, being apart had destroyed them both.
I am digressing. This is supposed to be about Annika. You get what I mean about how their story is often meshed together. Shivaay mentioned that a love story is about both the individuals not just one side, each one loves their own way, not one better than the other.
But we saw the immense growth of Shivaay, from a man steeped in prejudice and class ,ridiculing the notion of love. Now he's an Ishqbaaaz for Annika and it was a beautiful journey. I see how he loves Annika, see her through his eyes.
But I do not identify with Annika as a woman. Maybe it's because I was raised to be independent and to always be willing to learn new things. It's one thing to be accepted as you are, it's another to keep improving yourself for your own sake.
Yes,Annika is an orphan and she may have never been in safe and secure environment as she is now, to begin learning to better herself.
If we can feel the slightest annoyance at her insecurities as a newly married woman, then we should be prepared for the time when they have proper disagreements soon.
It came before. If you recall,Annika tried to help him sew a button and (pretended to perhaps) failed. He felt for her, but he propped her up saying "These days there are ways to learn everything if you want to learn" I loved it when he said that, and have been waiting for her to take a step to better herself now that she doesn't have to fight for survival under Shivaay's TLC.
Go for culinary classes (make him a cute chef teacher too why not for Pete's sake?!).
Work in the fashion industry with Rudy (break out Ms Shivani & Ms. Kohli's runway experience and set some REAL TRENDS).
Start a home business with Jhanvi and Gauri (When she comes back ) ANYTHING. Just don't end up like Pinky, hanging around waiting for son and husband to have spare time for her.
Please Harneet. You gave Gauri empowerment by giving her Internet Chachi & English classes. You gave Bhavya her badass-ness. Please give Annika something, make her relatable. Don't just have Shivaay saying sorry for hurting her feelings all the time. You know i love ya and mean well for this show.
(ppl mock me for writing something so long and being petty, pls refrain from negativity. I love all characters of IB , save for Pinky, and see all their characters as part of a whole story. Not comparing Gauri with Annika, or Annika with Bhavya or anything. Each character is different. Thanks for understanding)
CID
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
