Posted:
Hello All! I am very honoured to be opening my first den (you better make it good!) and with permission from our esteemed friend and mod Jyoti I have dedicated it to the character of Adi, whom I feel is being criminally underwritten at this point in favour of unmentionables we all detest. So this den is to say, we want more Adi Sir facetime, Halla Bol! 👍🏼
Here I go...
Here I go...
Apart from Maan and Geet themselves, Adi has been the only character that has remained constant through all the ups and downs of GHSP. His character has provided us a much needed connection with the golden days, whenever the circus got too difficult to handle (especially the marriage filler fiasco) and he has been an excellent, loyal and dependable companion, right hand and friend for the two leads as well as a breath of fresh air for us when things got really hard to bear. It is a different story that neither the actor nor the character got his due after the original writers left, except in brief spurts but I hope that shedding more light on what the character means to us in the context of the show will encourage any silent stalkers with power, AHEM, to include more and more of him on the show so we can enjoy both a great character and a good actor as well as feel that connection with the best days of the show.
ADI'S TRADEMARKS
Stammer - Adi is by nature a very humble and soft spoken man. This is further highlighted by his stammer, which becomes especially prominent when he is faced with his boss, Maan Singh Khurana. However, don't be fooled by the quiet and sensitive exterior because what Adi doesn't have in brawn and social skills, he makes up for in strength of character. He stands up for what is right, no matter the risk to himself and is unafraid to voice his views. This was especially visible in the scene after the KH party where he tells Maan that Geet wouldn't have lied about not knowing the time of the party and that anybody could have sent an email from his computer. Despite the fact that Maan warns him of the implications of making such a statement without proof, Adi stands by it. This contrast makes the character really interesting. On the one hand, he spends most of his time with his head bent and his voice shaking but on the other hand, when it comes down to right vs. wrong, you won't find anybody with more strength of character and conviction.
Laugh - This is one of the most endearing things about this character. It once again highlights his social awkwardness. He is not your typical hero, with a smouldering stare and a six pack. He doesn't create tension, he breaks it, often with this laugh. The scene I always remember best is when Maan and Geet have just come back from HP after the adhura confessio scene and Geet storms into the office in a sorry state. She creates an extremely awkward situation for everyone in the room, which Adi dispels with his trademark laugh. It is only then that Maan comes to his senses, being so love struck and all, and gets everyone to leave the office room. Adi laughs when he is nervous, in disbelief or when he s under pressure and usually all three come from one person. Maan Singh Khurana, around whom Adi's professional and often personal life revolves.
Wardrobe - Adi's wardrobe fits his character to a tee. He is a straightlaced, no-nonsense guy but also something of an awkward but adorable geek. He wears formal shirts and ties, and I think is one of the most best dressed characters on the show, according to his role. His clothes are in appropriately neutral colours which reflect that he considers clothes more functional than aesthetic. His hair and glasses, slicked into a side parting reinforces the geeky image while also showing that this is a "good boy" who prefers neatness over style or fashion. When you look at him you can't help but echo Pinky's sentiment of "HOW CUTE!"
ADI'S RELATIONSHIPS
Adi and Maan
Although at first it seems like Adi is something of a slave to Maan, we realise fairly quickly that there is a relationship of deep mutual respect here. Even though Maan respects Sasha because of her history with his family and the good work that she does, it is clear that he favours Adi's opinions over hers as Adi better understands Maan and what he is looking for. Sasha is constantly trying to suck up to Maan and deep down he sees through this and respects Adi for his honesty and integrity. He also trusts Adi's judgment implicitly as he hires Geet on Adi's word and is convinced by his arguments in her favour over Sasha's arguments against her. Another instance of this is when Maan doesn't really listen to Geet's presentation as he is lost in "other thoughts" and to cover his own negigence he asks for Adi's opinion and trusts it without question.
Adi is also aware of the trust that Maan has in him although he is very humble and never takes it for granted, not letting even one instance come up where Maan could doubt his intentions or his actions. In some ways because of this tacit trust between Maan and Adi, Adi is the only one that can deal with him and calm him down. I believe that the character of Maan was in dire need of unconditional and pure love, which he didn't even feel from his Dadi at the beginning of the series. In some small way, Adi provides this stability and security for him while never allowing Maan to feel weak for placing his trust in someone so he is able to maintain his position as possibly the closest person to Maan in his lonely existence. When Maan needs to transform into a driver to win Geet back, it is Adi whom he takes into confidence and Adi who helps him. Other than Geet, I feel it is Adi that gives MSK a sense of security without compromising his pride.
The Adi-Maan relationship got yet another wonderful dimension in the Bankruptcy-Rohtak track where Adi and Maan really expressed verbally what each meant to the other. Adi said that the purpose of his life was to be with MSK and that he would follow him wherever he went. It was made even more profound by highlighting the relationship their families had shared for generations. The loyalty and sincerity we saw in Adi at this minute was truly touching and I would have loved to see this sentiment developed even further as Barry was truly doing justice to a character and a relationship that had hitherto been undermined since the original writers left. I also loved that it was Adi who finally found them at the Rohtak house and it was he who Maan trusted to bring Geet when he rushed off to the hospital to see Dadi.
Adi is one of the few people MSK could trust unconditionally in his life and I think this meant a lot in the life he had before Geet.
Adi and Geet
Well, if it weren't for Adi sir, we may as well not have had the legendary love story of Maan and Geet! It was Adi sir that had a sixth sense about Geet, despite all her efforts to convince him that she had not come for a job interview, and got her hired as Maan's secretary. Even though she was an unconventional choice, as Sasha pointed out, he saw her integrity, her honesty and most of all her need for a fresh start and recognised these as qualities that Maan needed, more than a sharply dressed or very modem secretary. And from day 1, Adi took full responsibility for Geet at the office as her guide and mentor. He was a foil to Maan who taught her through harshness and tough love, while Adi took the more gentle root and would sometimes be stern with Geet but always ready to help her make her way. It is while working together that they formed a strong friendship, which grew from the mentor-mentee relationship they started with. Adi was always hugely encouraging of Geet and ungrudgingly happy for her achievements. He also stood with her against Sasha, while they had no proof to show Maan. He voiced his concern ambiguously to Maan, putting Maan's trust in him on the line by claiming that Geet was in no way responsible for the KH party fiasco. That is how much he is willing to stand on the right side of things, that is, willing enough to risk a relationship of trust built over generations.
The real test of Adi's friendship, which he passed with flying colours was when he refused to tell Maan where Geet was even at the cost of his job or his life, after the pregnancy conference room confrontation. In fact it is he who helps Geet corner Maan in the conference room in the first place and even though he doesn't know all the details he helps Geet without question because she needs him and he is there for her. I also loved the scene and the jinxed farmhouse (Maan seriously needs to sell it. Nothing but bad stuff and MUs ever happen there!) where Maan pulls Geet out of the water and Adi and Pinky come to talk to her. Adi tries to stop Geet from talking to Maan because he knows he is in no state to be spoken to at the moment. This shows how much Adi knows both Maan and Geet because Geet is all ziddi and goes and talks to Maan and look where that landed them! Next time, listen to Adi sir!
After marriage also, Adi sir is always ready to help Geet, even at the cost of being honest with Maan. The file fiasco is a perfect example of this where he really lends Geet a hand, working with her for hours on the file, getting the support of everyone in the office and stalling Maan. He remains a true friend to her and I love the respect Geet shows for him in turn. She still calls him Adi sir, even though now technically she is his boss, because no matter what she can never forget those initial days when he was her only friend, guide and mentor, along with Pinky.
Adi and Pinky
Haye. How I wish I had more to write about this! All I can say here is that Adi and Pinky were both incredibly sweet as a potential couple and also provided comedy that actually made us smile or even laugh out loud. I am not even going to mention what we get in the name of comedy these days but highlight how much we would love to see more of this couple. Pinky was bubbly, outgoing and lighthearted while Adi was serious, introverted and nervous. However, he did have the jealousy equal to any man when Lucky was flirting with his girl! Barry had a good thing going even in the beginning of ML and I really wish he had continued writing because he was showing us things we absolutely wanted to see. The Adi-Pinky relationship was downright adorable and I hope we can see more of it soon because Adi deserves happiness after all he has put up with in the last 6 months!
Adi and Dadi
Dadi has a huge soft spot for Adi and also trusts him. Nobody would know, looking at Adi how many dark secrets of the Khurana parivar he knows but he is such a trustworthy person that he probably knows more about the Khuranas then they know about each other! Dadi trusted Adi enough to leave him behind in Shimla to look for Dev after Maan's accident and Adi did her bidding, once again putting his relationship with Maan on the line. This proves that when people trust him he is willing to sacrifice anything in the name of that trust!
IN CONCLUSION, I would like to say that Adi has been one of the most beloved characters on the show and we are incredibly lucky that no other show has snapped him up, taking advantage of how little screen time he gets on GHSP these days. He is very much available and universally loved by the audience so can we PLEASE see more of this wonderfully crafted and superbly portrayed (by Praneet) character?
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Episode take on page 2 😃
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