Neil Khanna must be the hot topic of today's discussion.
So even though I am not pleased with him, neither am I upset with him. It's more like a neutral ground. Why? Because no matter how wrong he was in the eyes of AvNeil fans, he was still very much relatable. And here is I will try and shed a little light on his character as an author.
As a man who strives to seek order and discipline, when someone pops up into his life with all misadventures following her lead, he is bound to be disturbed. Starting from the moment he met Avni he has some pretty crazy events going on in his usually sorted life.
I feel he is also a person who needs to be 100% sure of everything he believes in. So knowing the Mehtas who have always put up a good facade in front of him, he built an opinion.
Neil is not a diplomatic personality. He is pretty opinionated. Probably he knows the Mehtas for a long time considering his father and Dayavanti's alliance. So his opinion of them also took years to build.
He knows about Avni and her past like roughly, just around the edges. And that is also something he came to know from Ali and Nanno. I wouldn't say he doesn't believe them but then again since there have been no proofs against a single crime Dayavanti commits, he is not 100% sure of the whole truth. Hence, he isn't dead set against any of the Mehtas as of now though he doesn't hold them too close to his heart.
For him to hold regard for Dayavanti is a completely different issue because that is all about manners and upbringing. Also, innocent until proven guilty, right? And in front of Neil, Dayavanti has been nothing a good grandmother and head of the family wouldn't be! Even her manipulative shades have been witnessed by Shweta and not Neil. He has been kept in dark about the reasons for his mother's mysterious acceptance for the marriage.
Now let's look at his undying suspicions towards Avni/Ananya. But first, let's face it, Avni hasn't been very good at hiding her emotions. She gets carried away pretty easily whenever Amol/Aman is brought up.
Neil, being the observant one, has always noticed her nervousness whenever one of her secret doings are brought up. For instance, when he indirectly put her in the suspect's category after the bangle incident, Avni would freeze or avoid the topic or display sudden extreme emotions. She tried to play cool but always slipped.
Also, Avni barely manages to hide her smirks when the topic of Dayavanti being on the receiving end of a blow is brought up. She can hardly cover up her compassion towards Amol. The moment she realised Amol was missing, she slipped up. Locating the store room, fretting as if her life was suffocating, every single thing would have roused suspicion in any normal person's mind.
The fact the Avni is at the core of every poor incident around him, nags at him. Even when she is not at fault, she is being framed. Even though unwillingly, she has managed to capture his undivided attention and secured her position under his radar. Just when he thought that maybe he had made a mistake in judging her, Avni escapes the safety of his officer, misguides Neil and goes off on the rescue mission.
For Neil, who has too many people keeping too many things from him, it is hard to accept her unknown reasons to do without questioning them.
What he is looking for is clarity. He is not trying to prove Avni to be a bad person but the circumstances have made him doubt his already warring thoughts.
As far as Riya is concerned, she has always been naive and Neil knows that. By default every mistake Riya makes is either covered up by someone else or blamed strongly on another person which ends up making Riya a damsel in distress. Like Dayavanti, Neil knows planning and plotting is not something Riya could pull off so she is not a bad person in his eyes. Plus, the only time Riya could've been blamed, Avni happened to be there at the wrong time and with her award winning acting skills, Riya played the victim card and made Avni the evil mastermind.
It is basic human functioning that focus is a one tracked thing. When it is set on something, you can't shift it to another before you are satisfied with the first. So, Avni is currently the kingpin of Neil's focus and it would one way or the other end up being on Avni since she is a mystery he cannot solve.
And once the desperation seeps in, you use any means possible to do the task you have been trying and failing to do for a long time.
So I'd say, Neil doesn't think ill of Avni. He just cannot figure her out and each time he tries, he ends up be stumped or she ends up being in the darker limelight. He does not seek to prove her innocent or guilty. He just wants clarity.
In a very subtle way, Neil is also a control freak. He hates (maybe not hate, simply dislikes) not knowing or being in control of things. He likes everything organised and sorted. No scope for questions. And Avni has turned his organised haven inside out so Neil won't let her walk away without proper answers.
I have a lot more to write but I think this is enough for now.
Again, I am not defending Neil, nor am I bashing him. I am just trying to analyse his character and things from his point of view. Being a cop doesn't mean you never lie or make mistakes. It doesn't mean you are some goody two shoes with all things perfect. It means that you learn to deal with imperfections and get the truth out in the open even if that costs you a few moments of your honesty.
P.S. Or maybe our dearest Neil Khanna has something up his sleeve that would leave us stunned and falling for him harder! *winks*
Do leave your views.
~Red