Posted:
So. I'm so annoyed right now , that I can barely write logically, but I also want to RANT and VENT.
FAIR WARNING : THIS IS AN ALL OUT 1000000% RANT
😡😡😡
So , I started watching Silsila because it looked different. It promised to handle tough topics , and offer a space to discuss taboo topics - not just EMA's and their consequence , but mental health issues, abusive relationships, female friendships. It even started out like that , until it's like all of a sudden the Creatives suddenly lost all sense of plot , logic , narrative or characters.
Yes, I get that Silsila was always going to about grey spaces , and people. What I did not realise , is that this did not mean layered , interesting characters , but merely 2 characters in black, and one in pristine white . THAT IS NOT HOW YOU CREATE GREY , NUANCED CHARACTERS . NO.
Can you please explain how Nandini did a 180 ? From being focused on her friend Mauli, and wanting the best for her , to this person I no longer identify with , or care for at all ?
The Nandini at the start of the show had my attention. She was meak, timid , terrified of her own shadow , defined by trauma , and somebody who expected abuse from every man she met. Despite the rather sudden Kunal - Nandini link, ( andI'll still accept, attraction happens suddenly), how did a nervous , anxiety filled nervous wreck of a woman become this woman who embarks on an affair without a concern for anybody else.
I fully expected the KuNan story , to take much , much longer to evolve. And then, when they dropped the whole physical intimacy with NO background , I expected to see layers . I wanted them both to regret it , to view it as a lapse , an impulse they gave in to. The narrative so far tells me to expect that , the story keeps showing me a fun loving - green tea making Kunal, and a Nandhini who loves her friend ,like she would a sister . WHERE IS MY GUILT CVs ? WHERE IS IT ? 5 minutes of tears , and two minutes of dialogue does not equal guilt.
Even in the most basic of stories , you'd have a what have we done moment , a point in time when the reality of the trust you've betrayed sinks in. And no matter how much you love the other person, you'd at least swear up and down that this will never happen again. You can't meet each other's eyes, or speak to Mauli straight. That, my dear CV's is how you show guilt.
Here tho bindaas the two had an affair. Chalo I even forgive the intimacy , lust does work like that , almost instantaneously. Where is my post reveal GUILT ? Kunal and Nandhini just seem relieved , almost like Mauli and marriage was some chain that had kept them bound together. It almost feels like Mauli is the third person in the story.
You can't give me a beautiful love story -like Kunal and Mauli's , and friendship like Mauli and Nandhini and then do a whole U turn .
More than even Kunal , I'm stunned by Nandhini . A woman who has been harassed ,humiliated and abused repeatedly has zero problems with intimacy ? Also CV's make up your minds -does Nandhini have anxiety/psychological issues or doesn't she ? If she does , then HOW do you explain the easy intimacy she has with Kunal ? If she's 100% OK,( thanks to Kunal the great's TLC) then cut it out with the tears and constant depiction of shivers. You CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. Also , a woman who knows what it feels like to be belittled and cheated upon, turns around and does the same thing to a friend ? Come on ,guys . It's almost like she has a diassociative/split personality disorder.
This Nandhini is obsessed , and on one level I sort of can see (if I squint, and shut the logical part of my brain) where she comes from.She's already had so much taken from her (her self worth, dignity as a wife etc) , that this is one that she cannot let go of. For her , I think they were trying to show that it's less about Kunal -and more about finding love, and safety ,security . Loosing Kunal for her means loosing herself, her safety and security . I think it's why she's desperate to legitimise what she has- by participating in pujas and seeking divine,(and therefore societal sanction). Perhaps the makers were going for a "love makes you blind" idea, but i like with so much of the show its badly done. I had hopes , that overtime , Nandhini would grow -" dress up beautifully, cook amazing meals" for herself , because she enjoys it , and not for any man. Sadly, it's as if Rajdeep has only been replaced -by Kunal, yet another man. In fact, in some ways far from growing as a character , Nandhini has only regressed.
One part of me loves the portrayal of Mouli, the other is pissed off. I love the way they've portrayed her conflict. The scenes at the court,and her cutting up the photographs hit me hard. The logical Dr Mauli ,knows it's past time to cut ties and move on, she's the one who filled for the divorce . But the woman who still accidentally calls Kunal ,Janaa is lost, confused and uncertain . I can feel her struggle and the pain. Her brain has comprehended facts ,but her heart is lost. I think Mouli herself put it perfectly -she's in a space where nothing makes sense , she can feel nothing , only this shor in her head.
On the other hand , I want Mouli to do a Maya. I know this would be way out of character, but I want her to slipper Kunal, and tell Nandini to find a house of her own, and GTFO of her life . I don't like this curled up crying alone , portrayed in shades of abla Naari white Mauli.
Aah Dr Kunal. God , I think the Cv's wrote Mouli's character first , then started with Nandhini , at which point they maybe started drinking, and were probably drunk out of their minds when they wrote Kunal. I mean, it's the only thing that makes sense. First you start out ,showing me this adorkable man. Kunal was so refreshingly different from the classic arrogant-I own the world types , I loved him . Then you show me a callous, selfish ,shallow ,cardboard stock type person. He cares about nobody, other than himself (no, not even Nandhini ) - he becomes the perfect narsicist.
I understand falling out of love , painful and ugly as it may be. The only thing I don't understand is this personality transplant. I thought love brought out the best in you , I can't even process what this is about.
Also I don't see love at all between Kunal and Nandhini. All I see is desperation on Nandhini's side and lust from Kunal. It's like they've shed their former selves, and regressed to lesser versions of their personalities .
Finally : the side characters , is one of the very few areas the show has consistently done a good job on.
Kunal's mom : I love this woman ,she's interesting , has depth and is somebody that reflects the change society should have . I'd love a back story based on her life.
Mouli's mom : I hate her . Which is why, I also love the way they've portrayed her. She's the voice of the masses in Indian society . Prefers her son to the daughter, and will blame the woman, but never the man. She doesn't care for Mouli's happiness , for her societal acceptance IS HAPPINESS .
Rajdeep: Somehow , far more than the scenes of physical violence ,I actually feel chills run down my spine when he quietly instigates things, or when he uses words. The scene where he egged on the societal women ,by pretending to be a broken, sobbing man freaked me out. I WANT HIS BACK STORY. Was he always abusive ? , or does he merely follow what he saw around him as a child ? I DONT JUSTIFY HIM AT ALL, but if we are going to talk about abuse , I'd like to have a male abuse POV as well. Did he grow up to be an abuser ,because he was abused ? Or is he just a sociopath?
DIDA : This woman annoys me at varying degrees . And yet, at the same time she's the true grey character of the show. Dida doesn't care what she has to do to get her family back. She doesn't even care what Kunal and Mouli think of. For her Nandhini is a temporary nuisance that has to be dealt with , a bump in the road. She will fix it -however she has to -weather it's faking sick, or drugging Kunal. For her the means don't matter ,the goal does.
They should change the theme song to " Kya se Kya hogaye Dekte Dekte" from Batti Gul, meter chalu. It would fit perfectly.
K. End of Rant.
I feel much better. 😆
comment:
p_commentcount