Posted:
I know, I know. What can possibly be reviewed about a character whose layers haven't been uncovered to the viewers yet. But I couldn't stop myself from opening a thread on him simply because I can tell that he's a multidimensional character and that, at some point, we will see and/or peel away his layers one by one.
I want to review his character based on what we have seen so far. I do hope that his screen-space will be increased in order for us to get to know him better. Right now, I can only guess and make assumptions about him. There's so little to tell for certain.
Raghav's entry was powerful, to say the least. Filmy, yes. But powerful. When I first saw him enter the bus, pound on those goons -- I thought: "Well, here's a gunda type hero with major anger issues and obviously a personal hatred in relation to the system/cops." This was very intriguing to me because I've loved the angry, young man types with a tormented soul and a few rebellious streaks. Raghav's isn't a dark character, but he's a rough and tough character that I hope -- in spite of his mellow traits -- the CVs will keep rough and tough.
There's something troubled about him. When I look at him, I wonder where he's from and I imagine that he grew up on the streets of Delhi, came from an abusive home, witnessed assaults on women in his life -- maybe his mother or sister -- and, upon seeing that police wouldn't help, took matters into his own hands and swore to protect the weak. Maybe cuz he was one of the weak ones himself, once upon a time.
But what do we know for sure about our rugged Raghav?
- We know that he has a garage where he fixes bikes...
- We know that he is respected by a lot of people in his neighbourhood, including cops...
- We know that he's been in and out of jail [probably] for years...
- We know that he despises the cops and finds them useless...
- We know that he's not afraid of pain and/or ignoring the law to protect the weak...
- We know that he shares a past with the women's shelter and the women there...
- We know that he's a fast runner...
- We know that he enjoys boxing...
- We know that he's a man of few words, but full on action...
- We know that he has a bond with Krishna...
- We know that he has a friend in Sundar...
- We also know that he has strong feelings for Sia/Jhanvi...
Those are simple facts, really. But I'd like to know more about him. I want to discover his layers, his past, his fears, his happiness, what makes him tick. I want to know why there's something broken about him, what happened seven years ago, why he's bitter and angry, why he doesn't trust the cops, why he needs people to fight for themselves...
But in order to get to know Raghav -- gradually, of course, as I don't want his entire past and person unveiled in one go, but rather peeled away layer by layer with time -- he does need a bit more screenspace [not just with Jhanvi, but also a glimpse of his life when he isn't with Jhanvi]. His habits, daily do's, relationship with other characters, routines, etc...
There's so much to know. But most of all, I'm hoping that the CVs have invented in him a tormented past, something that became the cause of his anger and bitterness, of his fight and struggles with life and people, of the way that he is today. They've done it with Viraj, but his nature is remarkably different from Raghav's as he's a dark character. They were supposed to do it with Jhanvi, but somewhere along the way they slipped and now she's a flat character who -- hopefully -- will be given more layers and life.
But Raghav started out as such a powerful character that I don't want the CVs to lose any focus on him, his purpose, his past, as they did with Jhanvi. Here's a male hero who, in spite of being typical in the heroic sense, is distinctive from other male characters on the other shows today. He's strong, independent, firm -- doesn't compromise with his principles. It'd be nice if the CVs didn't ruin him. I love his softer streaks, but I have to concede that his rough and toughness is what makes him Raghav, the tormented protector. So long as that doesn't vanish, I'll be happy.
