Posted:
Hey guys,
A thought popped into my head while watching the past few episodes and I couldn't help but compare Natasha and Sona's characterisation. Ever since Sona has fallen in love with Dev, there have been many complaints about Sona losing the essence of her personality, lacking self respect and in general losing her fiercely independent self which to some extent is true. However, a character who has bothered me in regards to the points I just mentioned is Natasha.
Let's have a close look at Sona first. A self-made working woman who has dedicated her entire life to studying and her job as a nutritionist but secretly she harbours hopes of finding true love and of travelling the world. Her seemingly smooth life is turned upside down when he meets Dev Dixit, who is at first her worst enemy, having removed her from her stable job into a place where she didn't want to be. This is the phase in the show where I felt she lacked a backbone and needed to be more firm with Dev that it's not acceptable to get someone fired just so they would become a personal nutritionist. She did display some resistance but Dev managed to quell that pretty easily and sure enough she developed a liking to her job there (or more like her boss 😉).
However, she regained the self-respect when she would demand to be called Dr.Bose or when she would scold Dev for treating her like crap and that's how she managed to get a sorry out of him too. Another point that stuck out to me was how she never gave a fitting reply to Mami when she brainlessly taunted her. I would be so angry at Sona for not taking a stand but after a while I realised that Sona was just being smart. She knows there's no point in arguing and stooping to the level of Mami when you simply can't win in a fight with someone like that. She knows her worth and she doesn't need to prove that to Mami which is a sign of Sona's strength and intelligence.
Personally, I find Sona to be such a beautifully written character and so true to what women of the 21st century embody. The way she pushed away Dev's hand when he wanted to check her temperature, the way she kept a distance when taking that photo with Dev and her desperate attempt to remove that ring and flee are all indications of her resolve and how she wants to protect herself. The stand out moment for me was how, even in so much pain, she always has the best interests at heart for Dev and she isn't letting her heartbreak affect her existing relationship with Dev. She is strong, independent, loving and so very real. Sona has only emerged with a stronger sense of self and worth.
After that long spiel on Sona, I'll turn my attention to Natasha. She is shown to be more accomplished than Sona in almost everything. She earns more than Sona, she has travelled all over the world, she has better clothes and jewellery BUT she doesn't know her worth like Sona does. What astonishes me is that how she is completely fine with her father practically selling her off in a business deal in the name of marriage? I found it hilarious when she commented on how Dev didn't look excited about the engagement when in reality, neither did she. As Dev very aptly mentioned to Sona that "any boy would be lucky to marry Natasha" so why is Natasha settling for Dev when she has a feeling that her father is pressuring Dev to marry her?
Mr Gujral has praised his daughter in front of others to no end yet he feels that a business deal with Dev is the only way to also secure his daughter's marriage. Does he not have faith in his daughter to be good enough for a man like Dev Dixit without a business deal? To me, that's exactly what this situation is saying. If Natasha knew her worth and understood that she has worked hard all her life to be what she is today then she would realise that this is an insult to her very being. Also Dev always saying that Natasha is a "nice girl" is a reflection of how she hasn't been able to leave a substantial impression on him because it's clear that she isn't interested in this alliance either. More than Dev, it should have been Natasha who should have said no to the engagement but I hope that after this incident, she realises that she doesn't need to settle for the sake of her father.
p.s Sorry for the very long and random post but I would love to read your thoughts as well 😊
Shegufta
Cricket
Udne Ki Aasha
Veer Hanuman
Anupamaa
