Best Male Character Created by Balaji! - Page 7

This is a fantastic topic and my first post in the KS forum........

I have been watching indian programmes from quite sometime. After reading all the interesting posts I like many here am a complete fan of PM(hiten). For me this was a character of the millenium and such characters only come once a while. I am short on words to praise hiten. This is the reason why I still watch the character karan Virani with the same enthusiasim I used to watch PM. In addition, no matter how weeping karan virani is he has garnered tremendous viewership and exclusive style of a weeping, emotional puppet.

As far as the other characters are concerned Jai Walia and Rishab Bajaj are very powerful characters. But for me Pm and karan Virani come first as I just adore hiten tejwani. I dont find any other characters interesting enough to call them the best male characters although there are some extremely talented and good bunch of actors. Iqbal khan as Angad and Cezzane khan as Anurag are truely sensational although not extraordinary.

Rajeev Khandelwal has been one of the hottest subject in this post and my comments on him are that he is a good actor but not as good enough compared to others in the list. His character Sujal Garewal was exceptional but to be fair it was his fan following rather his looks that made him more unique. Even after his exit although ratings falled by a great proportion viewership was still not dropped as it was among top 15 most of the time. Ejaz khan is one more actor who has good looks but has a long way still to prove his mantle. He is a hardworker and maybe among the top 5 one day but he aint too good as others at present.

Krishna, I am not Rajeev's biggest fan… if my friends are to be believed I am his biggest critic! U haven't really come across Rajeev's biggest fans…trust me it is big enough to take on all actor's following together, and I so mean it… I have faced enough brickbats myself, so I can vouch for it!

I am ready to agree that Rajeev isnt a good actor if u can tell me how did he manage to win TV personality of the year the same year he won the Best Debutant award? And how did he manage to win it again the next year also? That award is believed to be the biggest award in the ITA cause that has instituted to honour no one less than Mr. Amitabh Bachchan when KBC began, because they thought all the other categories that existed was very small for Big B! And personality award is given for being Rajeev Khandelwal and NOT your character… for ur character u are given the Best Actor award!

How will u explain an actor who goes up on stage to collect his Best Actor award and his acceptance speech says he is surprised to have won it, cause he believed that Rajeev was the one who deserved the award. And that actor was none other than Ronit Roy himself in ITAA 2004! The next year at the ITA 2005, Apurva said something similar that he wont let the award fool him into thinking he was the best in the year! And didn't Hiten go to the press this year crying out loud that Rajeev deserved the award and not Ram? And before u conclude that hiten and Rajeev are best buddies… they are not, Hiten would have lost his job at Balaji if he was! Now how can this 'Non-Actor' command so much respect & adulation from his fraternity esp when it is a very competitive world out there?

How can u explain a complex character like Sujal Garewal turning into a cult figure esp when he came at 11 in the night portrayed by a person who did a –ve role in one of Ekta Kapoor's Kya hadsa Kya Haqeqat for around 10-13 episodes? How did Sujal manage such fanfare when he was threaded the thin line of positive and negative for 8 months? It wasn't his jodi with Amna which did the trick…cause Sujal and Kashish romance lasted for 3 glorious days and the 4th day she was engaged to his best friend and from then on they have been poles apart! So no jodi factor worked… but yes those 3 days was so beautifully done that their pair is still the talk of the town! How did Rajeev manage to pull it off being a non actor?

Have u ever seen in the history of Indian Television where in the protagonist's marriage was celebrated as event of a lifetime by the channel and its production house? I am sure u wont have heard about that… but for Sujal's wedding a leading jewellery line sponsored diamond jewellery worth some 20-25 lakhs as an audience price! And the entire promotion was done in a way to show Sujal being grateful to his supporters for having stuck with him through out and wanting to share his happiness with them! Ya, u may say it was a major event in the show, but then they could have sponsored that for anyother character… why Sujal? and why not Kashish's numerous wedding? U need someone big & worth enough to put that kind of money on! And I don't understand why such a huge jewellery line will invest on Rajeev, the 'Non-Actor'!

And why is that every oct-16 u have Sbs doing a full fledged Rajeev special for the last two years, just to give Rajeev all the Bday wishes that his fan send him? And why is it that every Valentine days for the last two years u have Rajeev hosting it?

Coming to his 'Damp' performances in Timebomb, CID and LRL…

Time bomb:- He played a senior field officer, ACT! The entire show ran for 24 episodes, each episode being a hour in real time! The format was such that he couldn't allow his character to grow on you. In most cases it happens that we like a character if he is able to relate to us emotionally… and that mostly goes to the opinion we form about the actor himself! Varun Awasti(Rajeev's character) didn't strike an emotional chord with me either…that was because he wasn't meant to, you were not supposed to sit and cry with him, you were supposed to go through the trill & tension with him! He is out there as a hardcore ACT agent who is desperately trying to save his Prime Minister and his country in a matter of 24 hrs! In such a situation he was all over the place, even before u can relate to the prev scene he is off somewhere else doing something else! And he did it with so much ease, I can safely say he is the best in action we have today! What was Rajeev's victory is that he was being the lead in what was Pradhan Mantri's Sequel which by itself was a very popular show 4 years back and it had an accomplished actor like Kay Kay in the lead! Kay Kay was still there in this show… and Rajeev held his ground with competency and ease be it in front of acting greats like Kay Kay. Rajat Kapoor or Aamir Bhashir! Ketan Mehta(this guy makes movies for National Awards! & who I think is qualified enough to make calls on who is a good actor) refused to do a sequel to Time Bomb because Rajeev refused to be a part of that show! And yes, Time bomb had the honour of dislocating Kyunki from its top position for 2 weeks a task which even Srk's Kbc hasn't achieved! I am not cooking this story… u surely can find those articles in the their respective archieves!

CID – well, the main reason he did that show was because the producer of the show was behind him for the longest time to do CID! So he agreed for a 3 episode cameo! The main reason they wanted him was to rejuvenate the CID viewer's interest in the show that has run for 8 years now! And in what role did he come? As the new CID Chief after Acp Praduman was ousted out of his office! If they just wanted his cameo, they could have approached him with a case where he just plays another criminal or victim or could have got him as Acp Pradyuman's asst! They didn't have to get him into the place of a veteran like Shivaji Satam, it could have very well back fired… but he was appreciated a lot in that! So much so that the producer of the show himself made an appearance to introduce the New Acp Pritviraj and came back to see him off! Now a 'Non-Actor' getting so much attention… what is wrong with the world?

LRL – I do agree it isnt doing as well as We(I mean the Rajeev fans) expect but a lot is got to do with the channel it is aired on, but even then it was lrl which has got SAB Tv into the main focus! Coming to his acting I have to disagree… Capt Rajveer Singh Shekawat is by far Rajeev's most restraint performance. You know it is very easy to be flashy and all over the place… but restrain is something only great actors can carry off, it is very easy to go overboard and over act… but the right amount of restrain is what distinguishes actors from Good actors!

Capt Shekawat is an army officer at the end of the day and when u are playing a Army Officer ur protocols have to be very very accurate! Just watch Capt Shekawat in his uniform the way in Rajeev carries off the honour of that Uniform is enough to prove what an actor he is, let alone the perfection of his posture and the way he talks!

Krishna, I know u don't think Rajeev is an actor in the 1st place and fair enough, u have ur choices… but please don't give Amna the credit for Rajeev's work! If Amna can really make someone look good and act well… then I think Gurpreet Singh will be in line for a National Award and not to forget Rohit Bakshi for the oscars!

Among the actors u have mentioned apart from Varun, Ram and Iqbal I don't think high of the others.. simply because they fail to keep me hooked to their shows! The reason I admire Rajeev is lot is because not only does he act well, but he promises not to take his audiences for a ride! He will not give you anything less than what he promised u in the beginning of his show, and till date he has lived upto his promise. Atleast he values my time and energy of watching him… I don't feel like an Idiot sitting in front of my TV eternally waiting to make some sense of a show… irrespective of how everything around him goes wrong, he promises quality to his track… and that for me as an audience is more than enough!

What does Rajeev has to prove himself out of Balaji mean? Did Balaji give him some special drink or food cause of which made him act better? He still was the Rajeev who performed Sujal and ever since grown as an actor! Rajeev has proven himself to be an actor and that is about it! Ekta is surely is the most famous and powerful name on Indian Televison, but she is not the only one! She doesn't make star, The audience does! Why should Rajeev's work in KTH be credited to Ekta in anyway? And as far as Sujal Garewal goes… I have been reading 'I have seen 20-30 episodes of he isnt good…' well for all those I would say his actual test was after the intial 20-30 episodes! Sujal Garewal has gone through tribunals 100 times more nastier than Jai Walia! He lost the girl he loved to his best friend, He was let down by his own family, Punished brutally for something he never did, disowned by his family, his own wife got him arrested for a murder he never committed, got labelled Najaayaz when his father's 1st wife showed up … yet he came back stronger than before! And as far as how many dimensions SG had… instead of speculating, I would suggest u watch him! He will surprise u with what he can do and all that in the realms of logic and creativity in the right place, because Sujal Garewal came with the coldest. smart, sharp brain and an attitude to carry it off and has the warmest of hearts to live relationships with conviction, compassion and unconditionallity... the combination doesnt get dealier and multi-dimensional than that! But to know that or contest this claim u have to know him for all the 20 months he existed!

Rajeev is someone who i consider has a very strong creative sensibilities which helps him in understanding his role and the audience he is cattering to! And even before Ekta could spot the actor in him... he had done good for himself! Not many know that he has made numerous documentries on Child Education, Right of a female child and Woman rights! His work has been selected by none other than the Unicef for their child programme! And Yes some 18 years ago, when he was still 12-13, he has won the National story writing competition under the children category and has been given that award by none other than Late Mr.Rajeev Ghandhi, the then PM of India!

I def don't think of Rajeev as the best actor ever, cause for me when it comes to acting it is Amitabh Bachchan and the list ends there! But yes I maintain Rajeev is one most of the most competent actors on the small screen today! And I would suggest u watch his shows if you care before judging his performance because I don't think there can be so many fans of a person who cant 'ACT'! He def has great looks but trust me, the last thing u look at when he is performing is his looks! He might not have had an Acting legend to call him up and discuss his work, But he has been compared to the Legendary and the 1st Superstar Rajesh Khanna in the way he brings out the pathos and intensity in his rolesand this compliment has come time and again from 'competent' people within the Tv Fraternity & the Media at large... the latest one being Tony Singh of DJ Productions!

I know I am being unfair because u haven't seen Rajeev in his elements…

Luv

Anu.
Ps: I am editing this post, cause i forgot to mention about another fave of mine... Shabir as Rishi! I simply adore the character. As far Shabir i think he is too talented an actor and undoubtedly the most under utilised actor in the Ekta camp! He is much better than so many of Ekta's so called main leads! Lets see what he has to offer in Kayamat his 1st serial as the lead!

I have never seen any of the other shows so I can't really comment on the other actors or characters. JW is the only character I've seen and followed so for me it's only JW (RK). However, I'll admit the only reason I started to watch the show is b/c of RK/PD, not just RK. Their chemistry and love story with such intensity is what got me hooked on KS. Of course things are very different now since the whole PR and ONS fiasco. The only reason I'm still reading the updates is b/c of RK/PD, if either one of them were to leave the show or paired off with someone else I think that will be the end of it for me. I would like the Creatives to clear Jai's name from ONS as well, meaning complete redemption. As a viewer, seeing JW father kids with two sisters at the same time, it's GROSS!! This whole story line leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

In any case to answer your question, I think RK is a great actor but I only watch KS for him and PD together not just RK.

Nice post!

For me it has to be,
a)JW
b)Pratham
c)Angad

*Never watched KA, KTH, KZK or KSBKBT that often*

Sheen

Anu,

Your arguments leave no scope for any further debate yaar! This guy can actually hire you as your Lawyer!👏

I have never really watched Rajeev act, so its very tough for me to comment on him, considering I have seen him fleetingly in one or two serials and never as the 'Sujal Garewal' which he made legendary!

Coming back to the other RK, Ram Kapoor, I have seen almost all his previous work and now Jai Walia! So, I feel that I can express my view on him as an actor and his character as JW better!

Going by the response to the post (Which is excellent, thank you guys!) I think the most favoured of all Balaji Male Characters till date are Ram Kapoor, Hiten Tejwani and Rajeev Khandelwal, in a random order! All of them have done exceptional work in Ekta's soaps and have carved a definite identity for themselves!

I feel that a true test of an actor's real influence and of his charcter can only be proved when the Soap in question is over! Public Memory is very short and its pretty easy to keep a character popular as long as the Soap is running, but the real test lies in the fact that a character continues to be popular even after the Soap is over and finished!

Like Amar Upadhyay's Mihir Virani is still remembered, even 4 years after the guy left the Soap! Ronit Roy has more than filled the shoes, but Mihir was considered the Ideal Man of Indian Television till Amar portrayed the Role!

Similarly, Hiten is still best known as Pratham Mittal and no one who watched Kutumb could say that he wasn't the prime attraction of the show! Kutumb had no concrete storyline, it was more of a Cat and Dog chase between the Protogonists, but it was Hiten's incredible screen presence combined with his chemistry with Wife Gauri that set apart the Soap and made it immensely popular!

Coming back to Rajeev Khandelwal....Even though I never watched KTH, everyone around me used to watch it and invariably each and every person was a die-hard fan of RK and till date they lament the day he left KTH! There was an issue in the Hindustan Times (Delhi Edition) a few months back which talked about, Characters who have made a longlasting impact on the Televison viewing Public and amongst a lot of distinguished actors, there was Rajeev Khandewal too and it was written that he was the first typical Mills & Boons Hero of Indian Televison and he re-wrote the Saas-Bahu Saaga and turned the tide towards making Love-Stories on the small screen! This guy must have been good for him to be mentioned by a Leading Indian Daily in such good light!

Now Ram Kapoor! There was an article in the Hindu Newspaper (Again a very respected publication in India) which remarked that RK is the epitome of the Ideal Indian Hero, not just blessed with good looks but oodles of talent to boost! I guess, most of us here would agree on it! Leave his portrayal of JW (Which would certainly be remembered for years to come!) but even earlier, his performances in GEM and Dhadkan were noteworthy! But it took a multi-layered and complex character like Jai Walia to bring RK the name and fame that he had been missing for all those years he spent in this line! He surely has a huge fan base (Both male and female) in India and abroad and his winning the Award this year has been hugely applauded by the Media as well as the general public, proving that his performance as JW has been a truly remarkable one!

I guess only a viewer who has seen all the three of them, Hiten, Rajeev and Ram perform in their pathbreaking characters of Pratham Mittal, Sujal Garewal and Jai Walia can truly comment on who is the best amongs the rest!

I would say that all of them have done great work in their respective serials and considering the fact that Hiten and Rajeev are still remembered and loved as Pratham and Sujal, goes to prove the fact that they were mighty impressive in their character and performance!

RK as JW is truly ruling the roost today and is without doubt the best and most popular actor / character in the Industry, but it is still to be seen, if he will be remembered as JW after KS is done with and over!

Thanks once again for the great response guys! And I am pleasantly surprised to see people remembering SRK as Captain Abhimanyu Saxena in Fauji.....That was a long, long time ago....Almost 20 years now!😕 But see that is the thing with great characters, time does not fade them into oblivion!😃

Love,

MT

PS: My personal feeling is that RK will forever and only be remembered as Jai Walia for years and years to come! He has really made a long-lasting impression with his powerhouse performance and his character has truly stood the test of time!

Jai Walia
Iqbal Khan
Ronit Roy!

But In my opinion JW still comes first 😃

Originally posted by: mistletoe

PS: My personal feeling is that RK will forever and only be remembered as Jai Walia for years and years to come! He has really made a long-lasting impression with his powerhouse performance and his character has truly stood the test of time!

i completely agree.. i know i'll be reacting like that.. seeing RK - first thing in my mind.. JW😉

Jai Walia/RK - he's like d female version of jassi/mona singh 🤔😃

Originally posted by: nyzbabigyal

i completely agree.. i know i'll be reacting like that.. seeing RK - first thing in my mind.. JW😉

Jai Walia/RK - he's like d female version of jassi/mona singh 🤔😃

Navs,

You couldn't have put it better buddy!

Just like Mona Singh will always be Jassi, Ram Kapoor will now always and forever be Jai Walia and only Jai Walia!

This is the biggest compliment an actor can ever get, that he is remembered as his character by his fans!

MT

Originally posted by: mistletoe

Navs,

You couldn't have put it better buddy!

Just like Mona Singh will always be Jassi, Ram Kapoor will now always and forever be Jai Walia and only Jai Walia!

This is the biggest compliment an actor can ever get, that he is remembered as his character by his fans!

MT

well i know fo sure i'd be droolin ova JW.. till d day i die..safe to say he has made quite an impact😉.. thanx to me my mommy now hates pia and knows who jw is 😆😆😆 and RK truly deserves it - all d effort and hard work👏..leaves us wantin fo more... just like it should...

and did i put female version.. i meant male version of jassi 😆 not my fault.. i've pre cal and chemistry stuck in my head

Originally posted by: m3ghna

I think a true test of a character is whether it can see something through the ups and downs of storytelling. I have seen aboyt 20-30 epis of KTH when I was in India and thought that the role of Sujal Garewal was one dimensional of a obssesed lover of Kashish. There was no further definition or breadth to that character. I feel a lot of people can play that role. Also Rajeev from what I hear left at the peak. I think a true test is to see if a cahracter can survive all shades of storytelling. If he had stayed put and managed to potray the character through the dumps that would have been another story. A feel a true test of character is when you empathize even when you hate what they are doing and feel the pain and the betrayal.

JW is a multifaceted character. Also RK put so much definition, pain, intensity into the character that we wept with him when he cried, raged at him at his fall, suffered with him when he was broken and all through it we wanted him to win. Any other characted or actor KS would have bombed a long time ago. I think KS a serial without any parrellel story lines resting solely on JB having being butchered numerous times is still standing is a true accolade for the characterization for JW. Also I am not too impressed with the acting chops of Rajeev, he is not bad but no one would say he was amazing. RK is amazing as JW.

Will stop babbling. Don't know if I made sense.

Actually you made a lot of sense Meg!

I really agree with you here! An actor's true test is when he or she survives all the ups and down's of his character and yet remains popular with the masses as well as the critics!

That way, I have to say that JW is still pretty much popular with the Aam junta and the Media always has a good word to say about his performance (Have never read any criticism regarding his performance in KS till date!) Even though his character is no way near to what it was till the ONS happened!

But one thing more, I feel that half the magic behind JW is his chemistry with Bani, both as a character and as an actor! Most people view Jai and Bani as a whole entity, as a package and not really as Jai Walia and Bani Walia!

I can bet, that if JW and Bani are to be seperated and got together with different people, the popularity of their individual characters will dip down drastically!

I am not too sure here, but I don't think that was the case with Sujal Garewal's character.....Even though he and Kashish were never together, SG was still very much a popular character in his own right!

Ok, I might be completely off the mark here, do correct me please!

Cheers,

MT