I read Anirudh getting lot of backlash from many viewers to the point that people think Bon is better off without him. Reason Anirudh not being firm with Mini, for being gullible, a fool and I dare say more than any of his faults, it's the ardent love viewers have for Bondita.
I accept that sometimes I do get disappointed with him or scratch my head for him being impulsive and emotional. Then I remind myself if Anirudh had not been impulsive and emotional, he wouldn't have married Bon in the first place. I firmly believe that if Bon had been a man and was in Ani's place, she would have come up with some jugaad to save a little girl's life rather than getting into a marriage. That's where they differ and I like Anirudh here.
There is a difference between wanting to be a revolutionary and actually being a revolutionary. The difference between a wish and a reality. Anirudh is in the transition stage where he is failing, falling and learning to be better. Bon's driving force is her tarq, whereas Anirudh is his empathy, to strongly feel for something.
He is extremely guilty right now, desperate to save Bondita because his actions landed her in grave trouble. He wants to save her, apologize to her and protect her at all costs. That is love, yes but not the kind that exists between husband and wife.
He had dreams of marrying Mini, maybe a teenage crush and thought it was love. It took him sometime but he is out of that zone completely now. But that doesn't mean he will stop being concerned towards her or care for her especially when he feels he broke her heart, let her down and she is still trying to support him. He is feeling uncomfortable with her proximity, is awkward around her. That's the first major step.
I don't think he is two timing them or cheating Bon in any way. Him oscillating between the two, giving preference to Bon slowly over Mini are a very natural phenomenon. Ani being confused is totally relatable. But what matters is he is learning from his mistakes and trying to do right by Bon. Bon might be in trouble because of him but his life is no less a mess. He is trying to do right by everyone and if Binoy and Mini had been good, it would have been a easier journey. Now, he is learning all by himself.
And such things take time and I think this transition of Anirudh is very realistic. Anirudh for me is a man who is emotional, gullible, impulsive but a hero in making. A man who gets easily manipulated by his loved ones, who takes impulsive decisions and regrets his actions later but a hero who accepts his mistakes and works his ass off to rectify them. A man who genuinely respects and cares for every woman around him.
Bondita may not need Anirudh, she might be a star who can burn on her own and carve her own path.
I would personally feel proud to have a man like Anirudh in my life in any form, be it brother, friend or a husband. For me, he is a hero irrespective of Bondita.
Rotten tomatoes and chappals are allowed.