TOI: Negativity getting popular on TV-Shashank

Whether the demand is of The Script or audiences', there are a number of positive characters who have recently turned khalnayaks and are enthralling audiences with their newly acquired shades of grey. Some such characters who are now playing the baddie's role include Rajini (Shrenu Parikh in Byah Humari Bahu Ka), Jagya (Shashank Vyas in Balika Vadhu), Pradeep (Pawan Shankar in Kya Huaa TeraVaada), Ayesha Kapoor (Chahat Khanna in Bade Achche Laggte Hain), Thakur Vikram Singh(Varun Badola Phir Subah Hogi), Shamsher Malik (Bhupinder Singh in Madhubala — Ek Ishq Ek Junoon).

So is it the popular audience demand that leads to a twist in the storyline and a dramatic change in the character's image? Producer JD Majethia of Byah... says, "From day one people had predicted the story of the show based on its title. But we wanted to have an element that cannot be predicted, some surprise. A curiosity factor, an element of suspense is important. Moreover, a makeover of their favourite characters is loved by people. Rajini's negativity adds spice to her character and a new dimension to the story." Sometimes the flow of the story is such that a character has to swing between positive and negative shades. Actor Mouli Ganguly says, "Anushka is a go-getter; but she is not negative. She put in everything and made an effort to make the relationship work. Pradeep feels that if he has another relationship, it is okay, but he can't see his ex-wife with another man."

An edgy drama with twists and turns keeps viewers hooked to a show, but how do actors react to their image makeover on screen? Shashank Vyas says, "I am really enjoying my work now because there are so many shades that I get to portray in this show. Playing this mean guy with spicy stuff is interesting and challenging." Well, the love-hate relationship existing between characters is what makes these actors swing between positive and negative on screen. But the new baddies are adding a fresh perspective to the story and are grabbing more eyeballs...