Ok I love MayUr because firstly their characters are very interesting by itself... Many a times, in couples I find often that one lead overshadows the others... for me its none over here, because both characters have very interesting personalities, and are extremely complex and relatable
And you don't really get to see such characters in TV shows. I mean most of the K-soaps have heroines who are big sacrificing queens, ready to sacrifice their love and family and identity for the greater good, only to end up causing much more harm which is avoidable, with their foolish actions and sacrifices. Problem is, its hard to relate to such types of heroines. I mean, one common quality I find in each of them is they're totally god-like self-less, nobly striving to do the right thing... And human beings are hardly if NOT selfish... Its a fact of life... There is something everyone is selfish about, I'm extremely selfish about my laptop hogging it all the time, when I'm really hungry I'm very selfish to share food with others... I can be pretty possesive about my best friend, at times, wanting her to just hang out with me not with anyone else, Someone else can be selfish about spending time with her boyfriend/crush, perhaps to the extent that she gets seriously bothered when he spends a considerable amount of time with some other girls. someone else can be selfish about her time, she prolly doesn't want to waste it doing chores and menial tasks and stuff like it. But somehow usually in our Indian tv females who have these attributes are treated as the vamps... But I think people are much more complex than that, a girl who is really loving, caring and generous can also have some selfish attributes or flaws (bad qualities). And thats why its so refreshing to have a character like Nupur as a lead. She has got a heart of gold, but yet she isn't the standard good girl archetype in indian tv... you know the type that silently suffers all abuse, is extremely selfless, and goes around doing all her duties happily.... something I fail to fathom or relate to, I mean don't you find it weird how none of these heroines ever get bored or LAZY and just joyfully go around to temples, cooking food, doing all their duties with happiness. Well I surely wouldn't be able to muster the enthusiasm to get up at 7 AM everyday to cook tea and snacks for the entire family by myself.
Nupurs believable, and moreover she is pretty complex... and I can somehow relate to that complexity... One thing that strikes most about Nupurs character is that she's a very optimistic person... Always able to find the good/fun side in life, always able to roll up even when life has given her a pretty bad deal since childhood, what with the death of her mom and all. This is pretty evident with her reactions to rejection, like how even when she got bullied and alienated from the crowd in Bombay when she first arrived to college, she just mulled over it for a bit, nursed her wounds, but then come classes and then immedietly went back to normal. Even when Gunjan screamt at her for manipulating her for auditioning into TP, Nupur was sad, but got over it as soon as Mayank cheered her up. And that ability to stand up, smile and actually be optimistic about life even when it hasn't treated you well, is what, I think makes Nupur an extraordinary person. I think it is THIS quality that also makes Nupur strangely vulnerable as a person... Due to her innate faith in life itself, she is extremely friendly and has this tendency to trust people really easily as a result of which, there is this HUGE possibility that some people would take advantage of it or misuse it for their own wicked reasons. And its only natural that when one has such high expectations or such a positive view of life, that life would come crashing down on you when it turns super bad. So ultimately there is always this big danger than one day there'll come a fall from which she wont be able to get up, one day there'll come a devastation that will be impossible for her to overcome and move on from... And that'll be extremely sad to watch... But thats exactly why she needs a person like Mayank in her life...
Ok... I like Mayank, because I think he's a good guy who behaves exactly like a bad boy... and I find that an EXPLOSIVE combination for a TV serial... Like, he's extremely smart, super-decent, loves his mother to death... But his behaviour... not very friendly, distant, anti-social, unaffectionate (or you could say not so demonstrative of his affections - Nupur will surely have a tough time with this when she starts dating him), extremely sarcastic, seems to have this Darcy like arrogance to him regarding people, he seems to think he's above all, as if noone can match his brilliance/intelligence/commitment whatever you can call it... As if nobody is worthy in excel to be his true equal... Again this sort of arrogance is very different from the normal ego-based arrogance (where one boasts about oneself often, and tends to be super-duper vain), because he doesn't particularly boasts about or likes to talk about himself and his talents... Its more of like him looking down at other people as they don't live up to his idea of an ideal person who is an EQUAL to him in brilliance and intelligence. He helps them out, but there is that thought in his brain somewhere. Due to this, or perhaps a cause of this is his tendency to judge people very harshly. And thats what makes him character really brilliant and a total opposite of Nupur, because unlike Nupur who trusts people easily, even enemies, due to her innate faith in life and her optimistic attitude, Mayank finds it very hard to trust people, to trust the good in people... He's very cynical in a way, because I guess nobody lives up to his super-hard standards... Perhaps this cynical view on life and people could be an effect of his childhood, living with a single mother must have educated him to the difficulties in life in general, which is why he finds it so difficult to trust people in general, because he has learnt, that no matter how close they are, they can betray you... and the pain that comes after that, the disappointment, the disillusionment his mother must have faced... that is unbearable,... And so, really having all these high standards (regarding himself and others) is just a way of protecting himself and his mother from THAT pain. This childhood thing is also prolly why he is so independant, having a working mother, he prolly had to depend a lot on himself, and had to learn to do things at a young age when he should have been able go out and play cricket with the neighbourhood boys... He's used to working alone... And because of the high standards he imposes on himself, he usually works hard to exhaustion.
And now coming to why I like MayUr as a pair... they are opposites yes... but I love how they bring out the best and the vulnerabilities in each other (basically effect each other). Nupur isn't the type to hold grudges for long, she got over the humiliation and embarrasment she faced in college during the initial days, she got over her fight with Gunjan and the fact that she caused Gunjan to cry. But she can't seem to get over Mayanks uhh sarcasm and taunts... His words, ESPECIALLY his words (and him ofcourse) seem to affect her in a BIG way .... Similarly, Nupur who normally likes to be noticed and approved with the crowd, is usually at peace with Mayank only... Whenever he's around, she usually sticks with him, the crowd and the other kids take secondary priority... Like in the diwali party, she was just happy being with him, and also after the salsa dance performance, she was unable to enjoy the adulation because Mayank wasn't there with her. Also I think she finds an odd kind of support with him too, cause he's the only one (except Gunjan) she's able to be vulnerable infront of. It was just really easy for her to tell M about how lost and lonely she's feeling in Mumbai... And this works the other way round too, it seems only Nupur is able to penetrate this invisible barrier that surrounds Mayank... That is why in such a short period of time, they became SUCH good friends... And this is how she brings out the vulnerability in HIM. Also similarly, it seems that Mayank always seems to be more relaxed and chilled around Nupur. Though she might not live up to his perfect ideals, there is no denying that unlike others like CJ and the rest, with whom Mayank is either indifferent or formal, Nupur, with her small-town mannerisms, hyperactive imagination and clumsy and naive nature, manages to makes him laugh, smile, and genuinely enjoy himself.
Also there are true opposities... Not just in the superficial nerd vs nautanki way... He is indifferent, impervious to public opinion... He stands out... She however wants to FIT IN society... She cares a bit too much about what others think of her, wanting to be agreeable enough to fit their idea of a "cool" person. She trusts people really easily, and is able to see the good in everyone or every situation... He however, judges people really harshly and isn't easy to become friends with. Together they sorta complete each other...
Uhh thats it, sorry kind of went on a rant there....
Edited by meteora_smt - 16 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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