Characters like Gabbar, Rancho, Munna bhai, Jai-Veeru are eulogized since an extremely long amount of time, and there’s no dubiety that they are legendary in their own way. But, what we fail to reminisce about, are the impactful characters from dailysoaps. It’s veracious, that most of the soaps’ characters are shallow, the writing is weak, the direction is cliché. Everything is just below norm. Yet, there are some dramatis personae who make their presence felt and make you fall in love with them. Perhaps due to the actor’s zeal, or perhaps due to the writing or many a times due to a mixture of both.
Now, we’ll list down those characters who make you covet they were real. Please note, there are no rankings, since it is just a list.
Arnav Singh Raizada (Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon)
Barun Sobti didn’t cross the gauzy line between acting and overacting while playing a punctilious character of a brusque tycoon. Normally, actors tend to overact when they get to personate such characters. For eg. Shivaay Singh Oberoi from Ishqbaaz. Shivaay is a kindred character, but the actor impersonating the role is overacting that character. That was not the case in Arnav’s. Arnav differentiated two things. He wasn’t a hubristic man. Yeah, he was inconsiderate of others, he was churlish, he was careless, but he didn’t overdid that character. He didn’t go over the top. He did everything, but in the limits of realism and conviction, unlike Shivaay. Everything was crude, and with immense conviction. His subtle expressions used to make me laugh my heart out. His tranquillity was an ace up his sleeve for him. He used the quietude as his supercalifragilisticexpialidocious weapon.
Mohan Bhatnagar (Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha)
If this soap were a film, then this character rendered by Kunal Karan Kapoor would’ve been one of the pre-eminent characters executed. He might even would’ve gotten an award for the prortrayal. It would’ve been remembered for years and years to come. The show is tweaked from Neil Simon’s ‘The Goodbye Girl’. No, It’s not a sad, woebegone story of a mother and her children’s endeavour. Rather, it’s a mirthful rom-com due to Mohan Bhatnagar’s saccharine loving nature who was a neighbour to Megha. The character of Mohan Bhatnagar was the cardinal spotlight. His merriment nature, fun loving attitude, his presence, it’s just ineffable. The chemistry that he shared with the mother and children is a jouissance to watch. And yes, the panache in which he says,’chavanni’ made me adore him even more.
RK (Rishabh Kundra) (Madhubala)
This one had something disparate in him. He had a MO, an aura. He was perfervid, powerful, but without shrieking, without shouting. Because he had that firmness in him. Vivian D’sena picked up a pizzazz, a pizzazz of delivering the dialogues, and this struck me. It seized my heed. Made me look more close into him. I haven’t seen much episodes of this soap. But, what I did watch, I reverenced him alot.
Sikandar (Kulfi Kumar Baajevala)
The part that Mohit Malik is rendering is really matured and a prudent one. I have seen this trouper depict a number of roles over the years. But this is where he is doing his unrivalled job. He is giving everything in. The scenes which he shares with his daughter really stir me. There’s this part I remember, I still remember it because of the credulous way he confronted his daughter. It looked really authentic and kosher. I could connect to the relationship and the feelings he shared. There’s this moment, a moment of dilemma in his life which he comes across recurrently. A dilemma between his daughter and his own blood, whom he had failed as a father. This is where I adore him the most. When he cries as a result of the dilemma, it vocalizes many things. He says many things by uttering nothing. It is beautiful.
Raman Bhalla (Yeh Hain Mohabbatein)
Raman Bhalla. I can bet that this character is enlivened only and only because of Karan’s performance. The writing is par, but the characterisation done by Karan Patel is something to desiderate for. He delivers his wit very sleekly. Karan just slips it in, like people slip bikes in between cars during jam. He not only totes the show, but also totes his co-actor. Sadly, the character built by Karan Patel with such sagacity and maturity is slowly fading away due to abysmal writing, and abysmal decisions taken by the writers and directors. The character is getting evanesced away due to lack of ingenuity and attention.
Sumit (Sumit Sambhaal Lega)
You cannot repudiate the fact that each and every character of this sitcom has done their job with purity and with a lot of unflagging. Because it reflects, the vitality, the dedication, the hardwork. But, specially this character, Sumit, played by Namit Das is a crackerjack. His timing, his performance, his execution, everything is prodigious. In dailysoaps due to long running tiring shows(thanks to the TRP craving producers), all the characters either wane away or turn into a plaguy element. And that’s where this show sets itself apart. Ending the show at the right moment, at the right time. This decision made this character more indelible.
Jethalal (Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma)
Yes, the longest and the oldest running sitcom of all time, probably even older than the Red Priestess from GOT, and as a matter of fact, cessation is not going to happen anytime soon. Though, what we really love to watch is, the character of Jethalal portrayed by the veteren actor Dilip Joshi. There’s no saying as to how much Dilip sir is deft or how experienced he is in this field. And this can easily be figured out by his impeccable character of Jethalal. The expressions says it all. Even if the character were taciturn, then too his expressions would kill us. It’d still make us go rolling on the floor laughing. Playing an umpteen amount of roles, Dilip sir has finally found the role which will complete him. Everybody is known by their roles for eg. Leonardo Di Caprio as Jack, Aamir Khan as Rancho, Shahrukh Khan as Raj. Homogeneously, Dilip Joshi as Jethalal. And I don’t even think so that there is any locum for that character other than Dilip Joshi himself.
Praful and Hansa (Khichdi)
Hansa- Praful, now what is character?
Praful- ‘Character Hansa’. Our neighbour Raju bhai, who’s english is weak. What does he say when his son does something incorrect.
Hansa- What? What does he say? He says, “Babloo isee carract kar”, carractkar, charactker, character. Ohhhhhhhhhhh!
Praful- *Does his iconic gesture*
We cannot forget such conversations of Praful and Hansa. They are a complete character together. When a duo of prodigious actors come together, this is what we get. Illogical, still convincing.