Shashank & Anjali Gupta: Some Relationships Never Fade...

Based on the first week of Sanjivani 2, I'm curious to see how the senior doctors' storylines develop. This somehow feels more like the intended proper sequel of Sanjivani, in terms of carrying forward the characters of Shashank and Juhi, as well as a deeper exploration of Anjali's psyche. It makes complete sense to move forward with these three, and I am so glad that Mohnish and Gurdeep are back, with Sayantani joining them. I just hope they get the time and, more importantly, the care to develop further. Time will tell...

Mohnish was excellent as Shashank in Sanjivani, showing a seemingly stern and uptight professional who was actually more of a sometimes-awkward-sometimes-suave, compassionate but ultimately ethical man. And also a dork with an adorable tendency to make jokes, even in serious situations, to lighten up the mood. Shashank's bantering with his doctor friends and his never-ending flirting with Smriti - so much fun! And now Mohnish comes home to Sanjivani again, picking up almost like Shashank had never left. Yes, Shashank is older and graying at the temples, but his demeanor hasn't changed that much. He can still deliver sharp words with a soft voice and a half-amused, half-annoyed smile. He can still have trouble expressing his feelings to those he loves most - whether that was his infinitely deep, everlasting love for Smriti when they reunited after 6 years at the beginning of Sanjivani; or his "Papa waala pyaar" for Anjali now, whom he adored as soon as he first saw her a child...Also, he can still banter and joke around with people who know him inside-out, in that very characteristic Shashank Gupta way. So much deja vu!

To be honest, I was most apprehensive about how Anjali would be portrayed - and I still am, because it has only been a week and so far, so good. Anjali as a gynecologist, just like Smriti? I wasn't expecting that, but I love that it's an established fact in this show. The self-worth issues that come with being Shashank and Smriti Gupta's daughter...Those genes, as Shashank put it, are a heavy burden to carry...Anjali was always passionately driven towards being a doctor like her parents, even as a 6-year-old child, but living up to those legacies is indeed a blessing and a punishment. Sayantani has an extremely complicated character to play, and she has already impressed so much in her scenes with Mohnish and Gurdeep. The resentment and insecurity of being a capable doctor who will possibly always be in Juhi Singh's shadow, the frustration at having to constantly prove herself to her own father as well as her colleagues and seniors, the fear and vulnerability underneath the composed and professional countenance...and the deeply intrinsic love of a daughter who is terrified of losing her father, who means the world to her, professional and personal issues be damned. I'm REALLY hoping that they maintain this very realistic, complex character and let her find happiness, too!

I'm hoping there will be some clarity about Smriti in this show, because it would be wonderful to see her in some way, even if it is through dialogue or montages. If Smriti exists in the universe of this show, is she alive? Did she pass away? If she is no more, then is her absence from Shashank and Anjali's lives part of the reason behind their strained relationship...? In Sanjivani, the three of them were an incredibly close-knit, loving family, and it would be heartbreaking but a good storytelling opportunity to show that Shashank and Anjali never really were able to overcome their shared grief over her loss...and ended up trying to cope in different ways. As a massive fan of Shashank/Smriti and the way their romance and (re)marriage was developed and shown, I would LOVE to see Iravati and Mohnish together again somehow!

As Smriti said to Shashank once, "It's strange, isn't it? Sometimes, some memories and some relationships never fade..." So true...and with regard to many of the Sanjivani relationships, there are so many questions about how much continuity holds in this show. I hope we get at least a few answers! Those questions about Shashank/Smriti above? The same apply to Rahul/Juhi AND Omi/Chitra. Along with the newly-created mystery of what happened to Juhi...What happened to Rahul? Omi and Chitra adopted a son at the end of Sanjivani...is he going to find his way back? As Atul Joshi? Shashank's daughter and Omi's son bonding over shared loss and the difficulty of living up to their parents' reputations seems like something worth showing...let's see where this goes.

Beautiful review of Sanjivani Week 1 episodes by you, dear! ❤️

Well analysed ⭐️

S2 with just a week's episodes is introducing the flow, feel, flaws of characters while laying the foundation of the reboot,honestly for most parts the characteristics are deployed but their development & synergy is yet to get in real gear 😊

Dr Shashank is the spine of Sanjivani- The hospital as well as the show, all characters somehow bring in the connect, conflict through him, he draws out debilitating welled overpowering prejudiced emotions out of each,totally calm composed in control, shaking or stirring him seems impossible even to his opponents he sublimates,inspires beyond the call of duty .. a righteous icon, naturally his equation with others is convoluted & layered - especially around two important women,both have talent & vulnerability and look for validation, an unspoken strong bond of kinship - his daughter, Anjali, questioning around rights & his mentee - Juhi refusing to listen to answers around rightful .

Its up to the CVs to create a sensible silent build-up around attitude & aptitude, keeping the relatable balance in the narrative alive whenever these two interact .Hopefully there'll be less dubious villainous stances & more clipped underscores with ensuing emotions to enact as both Sayantani & Gurdeep are stellar performers 😃

Originally posted by: Sparklingstar22

I have a request. Can anyone give me any information about Shashank's married life? I am a new viewer, in the sense that I haven't watched the earlier seasons. Who is Anjali's mother? How many kids does he have? Where is his wife now?

Copy pasting, whatever little available on Web 😃:

S1:

" Mohnish Behl plays the character of Shashank who happens to be very strict disciplinarian but very soft from within. His lady love is Smriti played by Irawati Harshe. Both of them are the senior doctors of the Hospital. Now let me introduce you to these 4 young dynamic doctors. Rahul Mehra, the son of the famous cardiologist of the city, comes from a family of doctors. He is smart, handsome and dreams of becoming a great doctor. Juhi Singh, the beautiful, cute and bubbly girl comes from simla....who has come this far just with her firm determination and dedication. Omi Joshi - He is a person who strongly believes that more than medicines, a smile can drive any pain or suffering. Simran Chopra, the spoilt brat of a very rich father who owns the hospital yet very gorgeous and Rahul’s best friend. As time flies, Rahul comes to know that he is in love with Juhi. Juhi never reciprocates. But there is a past of Shashank which nobody is aware of. Shashank and Smriti were once a happily married couple. They part their ways because Shashank is in the Operation Theatre for some crucial operation and could not attend the operation of his only son Karan who falls from the terrace which eventually takes the life of the child. Smriti could not forgive Shashank for this and they get divorced. When they get divorced Smriti is pregnant and she delivers a baby girl about which Shashank is not aware.Dr Smriti Malhotra she has been raising up the daughter of doctor shashank for the last few years and now is back to get her daughter what is rightfully hers, her father.

Now they are in the same hospital...still having strong feelings for each other."

From DMG:

Riddhima comes to know that she is Nurse Padma's daughter and not Dr. Shashank's real daughter. Nurse Padma and Dr Shashank gets married.

Originally posted by: ms.nitya12

Copy pasting, whatever little available on Web 😃:

S1:

" Mohnish Behl plays the character of Shashank who happens to be very strict disciplinarian but very soft from within. His lady love is Smriti played by Irawati Harshe. Both of them are the senior doctors of the Hospital. Now let me introduce you to these 4 young dynamic doctors. Rahul Mehra, the son of the famous cardiologist of the city, comes from a family of doctors. He is smart, handsome and dreams of becoming a great doctor. Juhi Singh, the beautiful, cute and bubbly girl comes from simla....who has come this far just with her firm determination and dedication. Omi Joshi - He is a person who strongly believes that more than medicines, a smile can drive any pain or suffering. Simran Chopra, the spoilt brat of a very rich father who owns the hospital yet very gorgeous and Rahul’s best friend. As time flies, Rahul comes to know that he is in love with Juhi. Juhi never reciprocates. But there is a past of Shashank which nobody is aware of. Shashank and Smriti were once a happily married couple. They part their ways because Shashank is in the Operation Theatre for some crucial operation and could not attend the operation of his only son Karan who falls from the terrace which eventually takes the life of the child. Smriti could not forgive Shashank for this and they get divorced. When they get divorced Smriti is pregnant and she delivers a baby girl about which Shashank is not aware.Dr Smriti Malhotra she has been raising up the daughter of doctor shashank for the last few years and now is back to get her daughter what is rightfully hers, her father.

Now they are in the same hospital...still having strong feelings for each other."

From DMG:

Riddhima comes to know that she is Nurse Padma's daughter and not Dr. Shashank's real daughter. Nurse Padma and Dr Shashank gets married.

Thank you so much for this.🤗

So that means Dr Shashank is married to a lady named Padma, and he had his son who died in childhood, and a daughter Anjali. Dr Smriti is his ex wife, and Anjali's mother. Ridhima is Padma's daughter whom he adopted.

Such a beautifully put together post. Iravati and Mohnish as Shashank-Smriti were indeed goals! ❤️Such a subtle, understated but mature and complex love story, it was. They really did compliment each other. The avi in your signature brought all those memories rushing back!

Like you pointed out, the strain in the father-daughter relationship here could be the result of their different ways of coping up with a loss as grave as Smriti’s death. Also, since you mentioned Smriti’s take on certain relationships that never completely perish, the fact that Anjali might be talking about an incident related to her mother might be further ascertained by her mention of the premature death of some relationships in one of the episodes last week.

But, yep let’s keep our fingers crossed for some sort of an appearance from Smriti, be it a sequence of flashbacks or a cameo.

I absolutely love how Anjali’s character has been handled. Even back in DMG, she was never portrayed as evil like they do in most shows. You sympathize with her loneliness, her insecurities and her father’s inability to communicate and share his feelings with her. All she needs is some validation from her father and although deep in her heart, she knows Shashank truly loves her, she wants some actual proof of the same. She is jealous of the people who actually get a chance to get up close with Shashank because he opens up to them in a way he would never do with Anjali. Because, for Anjali, he is not just a doting father, he’s also a righteous doctor. And of course, the society expects brilliance from her and those expectations strain their relationship even more.

Anjali is bitter but not bad. I’m glad Vardhan can’t influence her any better than he could influence Shashank. But, I’m worried with Juhi stepping in as the new Chief, Vardhan could actually manipulate Anjali and in turn, hurt her even more.

Ah, Omi and Chitra’s son has an actual chance of showing up according to the build-up and as explained by you. Again, fingers crossed!

And of course, last but not the least (as you can see by my ramblings😆), I’d definitely be looking forward to read more from you. It was such a good recapitulation of the story so far!👏

Amazing post 👏

Im already loving the dynamics between Dr Shashank and Anjali. Sayantini is doing a brilliant job and nothing to say about MB you've already said everything 👍🏼

Would love to see their story unfold in the upcoming episodes

Such a beautiful post. I hope they give the proper 'care' as you mentioned to Anjali and Shashank😊

Originally posted by: Swetha-Sai

Beautiful review of Sanjivani Week 1 episodes by you, dear! ❤️

Thanks so much! ❤️

Originally posted by: braveheartdoc

Amazing post

Im already loving the dynamics between Dr Shashank and Anjali. Sayantini is doing a brilliant job and nothing to say about MB you've already said everything

Would love to see their story unfold in the upcoming episodes

Thank you! It's a very intriguing dynamic that Shashank and Anjali share, definitely! When I found out that Sayantani was going to be THE Anjali Gupta, I was excited for the potential there, even though I had only seen a few random moments from Sayantani's previous work. The way she uses her entire body, especially her face and voice, to convey such vast emotions is incredibly impressive. She is right up there with Mohnish and Gurdeep, for me she has already earned her rightful place with them among the senior cast. And yeah, Mohnish is in a league of his own - I could write pages and pages about this particular character and how well Mohnish has played him...and it still wouldn't be enough! Here's hoping that this father-daughter duo gets time to grow together!

Originally posted by: Cute_Virgo

Such a beautiful post. I hope they give the proper 'care' as you mentioned to Anjali and Shashank

Thanks! Yes, that's the word for it, isn't it? Careful consideration and proper care to do justice to these two complex characters and their equally complex relationship. I'm very wary...but hoping that they'll get it right.