Viraat Bothered Me (Monday ' 28th May 2012 episode)
(Tuesday, 29th May - below)
I have been pleased with Viraat, i.e. Kushaal's performance for the past several episodes. I think he has improved greatly in the emotional scenes. He is able to portray the silent anguish he feels at his loved one's suffering quite well, and even the actions he has been taking lately, of distancing his love from his need to have her well again, is something along the noble line so very acceptable to the general viewers who love a good 'sacrifice'.
Need vs. Want /Wish/Desire/Love.
Need wins, hands down, every time.
What has bothered me, however, in recent episodes is that little gremlin in Kushaal's work, a.k.a consistency; or lack thereof.
I liked his lazy 'Good Morning' to her ' the loving smile on his face was very convincing. It felt different to me than the smile he used to have when he hadn't realized his deeper feelings for her ' when Maya was around - yet smiled at her text messages and thought of her first thing in the morning then, too.
This is good acting. The subtle change in expression: the softening of the eyes, the deeper smile, the relaxing of jaw muscles, and that look in the eyes ' all bespoke love. Nicely done.
Then came the 'eating her breakfast' scene. What was that?
I get that it was the CVs writing that scene, but where was Viraat's concern for Maanvi? She is ill, she needs to eat; not feeling hungry is a symptom and yet she needs to eat. Need trumps love/friendship/keeping someone happy etc. She suffers more from side-effects as the chemicals affect her more without food in her system to mitigate the effects even a little bit.
Kushaal could have at least made a couple of token protests before eating her breakfast. He ought to have tried to get her to eat at least some of it by whatever means, not just the juice she preferred.
I didn't see an ounce of regret or unease on his face.
This, Mr. Tandon, needs to be understood by the actor. After so long, and with a daily Soap, I would think the actors knew the characters well enough to slip into the role with comfort without the CVs having to write out every little emotion or the director drawing it out of the actors. This was a let down from the actor.
Every nuance is not going to be spelled out. It needs to be emoted by the actors themselves.
Maanvi suffering and Viraat rubbing her back.
This was good. Very well done, Kushaal Tandon. Viraat was mostly convincing and believable again in his quiet pain and worry over Maanvi. Her suffering is obvious, but his reached out to us.
This is where I felt he has improved in the emotional scenes. The fear and alarm he felt, the need to do something, his inability to take the pain away from her, all was reflected quite well in the actions and emoting by Mr. Tandon.
Maanvi tried for some levity but the frustration that Viraat displayed was just right, believable, and completely apt.
This is one area in which I felt Kushaal did well. He did not have too much exaggerated histrionics, nor did he succumb to hysteria, and neither did he hold back from shedding tears that came from heart. Could he have done better? Undoubtedly. Is he better than before? Unquestionably.
A slight toning down might not be amiss. I state this, simply because I do not want him to get carried away and go overboard., He is just right now, and needs to maintain that.
South-east Asian viewers, and for that matter, the eastern and middle-eastern viewers as well, mostly tend to want to see extravagant displays of emotions ' whatever they may be ' before they deem it good 'acting'.
In my book, it is not.
At the end of the day, the quiet, the understated, is what stays with us. It touches us the most.
Leave hyperbole to the others, Kushaal, and stick with restraint. When you can convey all that a character feels with just the slightest raise of your eyebrows, the tiniest flicker in your eyes/eyelashes, the smallest flinch in your face, the softest tightening of your jaw, the gentlest flaring of your nostrils as you take a susurrating breath, you will have left a lasting impression felt more like a punch to the solar plexus ' felt by us Mr. Tandon, not just seen.
Eyes speak, Mr. Kushaal; use it.
Now for the recurring grouse: inconsistency.
All the convincing that Kushaal managed to do earlier, for me, was wiped out by the 'changing of bangles' scenes.
Note how totally unconcerned he is about Maanvi, how he barely glances in her direction, how totally oblivious he appears. Is this how Viraat would be feeling?
In an interview, Ms. Nia Sharma shared that what she finds the most boring is being a 'prop', i.e. standing around in 'family' scenes where she does not have dialogues or a part but has to be there for the 'group shot'. I fear this might be a peeve for Mr. Tandon, too. Understandable, but not good.
This is where one can reach out to the viewers and leave a lasting impression precisely because attention is not focused on them.
I often note all the others around to see what their reactions are, and if someone's emoting touches me I remember that and not the main scene players' often overplayed acting.
Family scenes invariably mean panning of cameras, zooms, and long-shots coming from various angles. This means that actors have to be in character all the time and cannot relax for even a second. One does not know when the camera will focus on them, and one must portray the appropriate emotions and reactions to whatever is happening center-stage.
This was where Mr. Tandon failed the viewers. His expressions were rather far from one of a concerned lover, a distressed friend, a caring partner. He cannot show his deeper feelings in front of others, but surely, after seeing Maanvi suffer not a few hours before, would he not be anxious on her behalf; would he not at least be by her side if not hovering?
Jeevika is doing the open caring for Maanvi, and everyone expects it.
Viraat needs to do the veiled attention bit and he is failing in that.
Consistency, Mr. Tandon, consistency.
Viraat need not wear his heart on his sleeve, but every time he is caught by the camera in family scenes or even in scenes where he is not top and center, he still needs to maintain the expression of concern, apprehension, and even trepidation for his love, Maanvi.
His eyes need to be on her, his gaze watchful; his actions and reactions always reflective of his worry over Maanvi's.
All his hard work of the previous scenes was lost, for me, because of the totally cavalier attitude in front of others. No one is expecting Viraat to be crying over Maanvi in public or making a pest of himself worrying over her the way Jeevika is. But precisely because Jeevika is so overblown in her reactions, that we need you to be subtle.
Touch us with that subtlety, Mr. Tandon, and the one character we will take away from the show will be Viraat Vadera.
*EDIT*
Side note:
Today's episode (Tuesday 29th May):
He was okay. No exaggerated emotions and no unconnected ones either. He was good in the scene when was he looking with silent admonishment at Jeevika for her overreaction.
Not a word, but he conveyed his displeasure and disapproval of her histrionics at Maanvi's hiding her condition; more so, he made it clear - as much as he can as only a day-vur to a bbhaabi - that such a public scolding of Maanvi was not appropriate. It could have been a whole lot better, but I won't quibble... too much!đ
That was the one scene that stuck with me. I liked it.
Yet the contrast side of his character was revealed, too - he understood Jeevika's position and sought to pacify an upset Maanvi by speaking for Jeevika.
These were well-written scenes that nicely juxtaposed Viraat's (also Virain's) immense patience and understanding of the situation while still underscoring on whose side they were ultimately - their love's.
Jayne
P.S A note on the wardrobe: Looked nice in the shirt and jeans. Tees - wide-necked - do not work for you.
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