One of my big pet peeves with ITV shows is that sometimes the lack of a well fleshed out character graph for supporting star cast. At least in all the shows I have seen, supporting cast is just there as filler. I feel this is a shame because this is the perfect platform to really show us every characters journey in full because there’s no time constraints!
So after that preamble, let me start with a disclaimer that I absolutely adore the Sai-Shivani bond and Shivani’s character shown thus far. She connects with Sai because they both to some degree are muphat, both find joys in little things also, both face adversity with their chin up and head high. No matter how hurt they are they face the world with their armour on like a fierce warrior.
While I’m thrilled that they are showing some subplot in the story with Amey cheating on Shivani is being explored. I feel that the execution is too rushed.
For a change, I wish they would have done this in a stretched out manner. I wish they showed us a little different and little more background of Shivani so we can empathize and connect with her better.
For example, i was trying to create my own story for Shivani- if they had shown Shivani as a headstrong independent career woman who had her own business which maybe failed due to her prior husband duping her and how she’s lost her drive since then...and how she gave up on career because she felt like that’s what led to her marriages failing even though she really misses working. it would explain her life events. So far we see that Shivani only does part-time tarot reading. right now we see that she is this really sweet GF who doesn’t believe in the typical chauvinistic mentality that only the guy should pay and bear a womans expenses. She is ready to invest not just emotionally but financially in a relationship and support her partner. But we don’t have any explanation for where she gets the money from. Is it alimony from previous marriage or khandaani paisa. Alimony concept i understand but unless one partner in a failed relationship has been put in a situation where they were either unable to pursue a career (homemaker which is an unpaid job) or unfairly duped financially, most women in the modern day and should be able to be financially independent.
Here we get no explanations about why her previous marriages failed. Why is a modern khalayat ki lady who is well spoken and confident sitting at home doing tarot reading.
Also personally for me because she doesn’t have a fully fleshed out backstory I can’t fully connect with her current condition. I definitely feel really bad for her but in order for the audience to also be rooting all the way for shivani they need to show us more. Ek hi din main boyfriend se mila bhi diya, Sai ko doubt bhi hogaya and she attempted to clear her doubts by convincing bua to ask amey about marriage and bua who one dialogue ago said ki i no longer am interested in marriage has asked amey if he wants to marry her and the guys wife has come to shivani with nari Sena to throw black ink also. Little too much fast forward. Itni kya jaldi hai.
I know even the quickest and simplest backstory I suggested has some loopholes but it’s better than nothing. Like we could ask why would Shivani stay with family if she was a career woman. But they could give some explanations- either because business main loss hua so, or maybe that after 2 divorces she wants to live with her family no matter how bitter some of them are just coz she doesn’t feel as lonely as she would if she lived on her own. But agar side character ko bhi ek accha graph mile toh the story can be more engaging. And in future it will provide more subplot opportunities- they can show Sai support bua in rebuilding her business and when Sai is in trouble, bua can help her out because she is always gonna be grateful to Sai for being there when no one else was.
