#itv female leads

[middayblues]

Dummy's primer on Indian Television female leads!

Aka: Why Natasha isn't weak!

For a while now, I have been wondering about this new trend on ITV of the bahu that gives back as good as she gets it. Does she speak to our fantasy of telling off that annoying fufa or mami who has always pestered us and misbehaved with us using their age as a shield? Do we really believe that shouting at people can make them see sense?

The funny thing is that these leads are inadvertently dependent on someone for basic sustenance. They need to be protected, given shelter and food. They need someone to take care of them and yet they are the ones giving people lectures about independence and morality.

All our lives we have learnt however that actions mean more than words, haven't we? So why do we hail these ITV fls who are all bark and no bite?

Perhaps because it's easy and quick. We don't have to put in the grind. We don't have to invest the time in watching someone's journey. In a world where one is given less than a minute to make their point or they’d be swiped off the screen, the slow burn of a romance, the growth of a character in increments make us impatient. We have been trained to form opinions on the basis of a single statement, to jump to conclusions, to pass judgements and put people in neat little categories. We have been trained to ignore nuances, to disregard any contradiction that doesn't sit right with the image we have formed of people in our heads.

What I want to get at by this long winded introduction is that Natasha is neither weak nor a doormat even though the current ITV trend will have you believe otherwise.

Time and again, she has proven that she is a very strong girl and can fight her own battles. She doesn't need a man or anyone else to save her. This Princess can save herself.

She has always stood up for what is right and just. Or have we forgotten her first confrontation with Dhawal and the Makwanas?? I know the next thing people will say is that she wasn't a doormat then, she is one now.

Well, no. The reason that she laid into the Makwanas so hard then was because she was done with Dhawal at that time. She thought he was as bad as the rest of the Makwanas and if she never saw him again in her life, it'd be too soon.

So what's changed now? A simple thing. She knows Dhawal loves her, perhaps more than anyone he has ever loved in his life. She knows he'll stand up to anyone for her. He'll do anything to uphold her honour. And we should remember that until she wasn't sure of this fact, she didn't tell him she loves him too.

The naysayers will say that Dhawal apologised to Amba so his stand in the temple means nothing. But he didn't apologize for whatever he said? The entire apology conveyed that I'm only saying sorry because you're my mother. He doesn't want to lose her, doesn't want to walk out of his family. There could be a million reasons for that but one reason is that Natasha wouldn't want that for him. She did so much to reunite him with his family. Why would he undo all of that work on her part?

Natasha is not a Makwana apologist. She has never denied that they have done her wrong. But the fact of the matter remains that she considers them as her family. She cannot remain a bystander during their time of trouble because it isn't just Amba and Amrish who are suffering, it's the rest of them as well. The Bhabhis who love her and help her by exercising whatever little agency they have available to them. Chirag who treats her like his little sister. Golu, who is innocent in all this. (Bhaven is irrelevant here, as we all know)

It takes immense strength to stand against your own family for someone, especially when that someone has wronged you. But that is Natasha’s core trait. She has never been a ‘tit for tat’ kinda person. She believes in forgiveness. She once told Dhawal, “Pandya hu na maaf karne ka riwaz hai hamare yahan.”

She recognises that Cheeku’s revenge is wrong. He acquired Amrish's property by committing fraud. And it doesn't matter how justified his revenge seems, it is an unlawful thing. She wants him to return whatever he wrongfully acquired to its rightful owners. How is that a weakness on her part? How is having moral clarity, having ethics wrong?

And she has forgiven Cheeku. It's not like she is mad at him. She told Cheeku in a civil manner to return those papers, pleaded with him and even screamed at him but he wouldn’t listen. That’s the whole reason why she has resorted to lying. She is super guilty about it too, because at the end of the day, she loves her brother dearly.

Also she isn’t doing this for Amrish. She is doing it because what Cheeku is doing doesn’t sit in the set of ethics and principles she has grown up with. Another reason she has for doing all this is what she told Shashank. “In hallaton mein meri aur Dhawal ki shaadi hone nahi denge gharwale.”

She loves Dhawal and if inconvenience is caused to him because of some wrongdoing she will take the steering wheel.

Secondly, misbehaving is not the only way to retaliate. In fact the beauty of Natasha's character is that she doesn't waste her energy with people who are beyond saving. She demonstrated this during the clinic opening track. When Amba started her melodrama, she turned to the person who actually has power in Makwana House and who she thinks is capable of change (whether she is right about it or not, remains to be seen). She said to Amrish that whatever he decides shall happen, thereby showing Amba her importance of lack thereof in a very subtle way.

And she did this, when she worships her mother figures. She literally started loving the PS that she had hated all her life after one conversation with Rishita and Dhara’s ghosts where they explained to her how important PS is to them.

Also, when she was character assassinated at the temple by Amba, she tried to explain to her but Amba didn’t let her speak by involving the crowd and then Dhawal spoke up, and I think it is enough for one of them to stand up for what is right. Both of them don't have to say the same things and do unnecessarily tamasha. It just makes the point redundant and eats the screen time.

And after Dhawal calmed down, she did give it back to them by saying, “In logon se, inki wahiyaat soch se mujhe fark nahi padta. Mujhe sirf farak padta hai ki tum mere baare mein kya sochte ho.”

Natasha embodies a modern girl who doesn't care about the society so long as the people she loves aren't on the wrong path. And frankly, that is what it should be like.

Unless of course, you prefer to have the makers gaslight you by having every member of the ML’s family be vile to the FL and then her speaking up, saying things just to give that momentary satisfaction while she still lives on in that house, coz that doesn't diminish her self respect at all, does it?🙄 and finally turning into that breed of FL who finds an achha aadmi and gives lectures to anyone who even sneezes in her direction. If so, kudos to you! Best of luck. But I'd like to break this fact to you, very gently, that this show isn't the one for you then!

Peace ✌🏾✌🏾

[chutkiandchotte]

ITV writer when they (not so accidentally) create abusive male leads and need to back track:

I KNOW! Let's add a track of damsel female lead unjustly suffering so he can rescue her and become a hero again.

ITV writers when they (completely by accident) write a flaw into their female lead:

OOPS! qUICk GET IN THAT FEMALE SUFFERING. hehehe now we never have to deal with pesky *eurgh* female character development.

ITV writer when they need filler episodes to get through a patch of rough TRPs:

Hmmm...shall we add an endless loop of female lead unjustly suffering?

ITV writers when they breath: FEMALE LEAD AND ONLY FEMALE LEAD (NOT OTHER WOMEN IN THE SHOW) S U F F E RING

[jalebi-likes]

Pet Peeves in ITV

- bringing back an ex

- suddenly presenting family to a character who was written and portrayed as being isolated

- intense religious vibes (in a non religious show)

- where the female lead is ALWAYS right, even at her stupid best

- bringing back an ex AFTER being married to FL

- man marrying two people

- two women fighting for one man

- fizzling out of romance/thriller/whatever the core genre is

- shows not taking the plot that’s right out in front and choosing every other stupid plot in the world

[scotianostra]

Happy 98th Birthday the Scottish actress Gurdrun Ure.

Every year when I get to this anniversary I have a wee smile, Gurdrun was born on 12th March 1926 in Campsie, Stirlingshire, making her probably the oldest living person feature in my posts.

A lot of people , even now thought that Supergran was played by Rentaghost actress Molly Weir who passed away in 2004 aged 94, and theatrical rag The Stage even confused the two in Molly Weir's obituary, but it was always Gudrun in the award winning series, I must say I never confused the two, I loved Supergran, the series based around a grandmother with super powers. I even found a picture tagged Gurdrun that was in fact Mary Ure in one source, as far as I am aware they are not related.

The show was made for Tyne Tees Television for Children's ITV and became hugely popular with people asking 'Is there nothing that she cannae do?'. Gudrun's enemy on the show was The Scunner Campbell played by the late actor and theatre director Iain Cuthbertson and the show was so popular it won an Emmy, and was sold to over 60 countries worldwide.

In the mid-50s, she decided to start using the name "Ann Gudrun" to make it easier for her audiences but, by the 60′s it looks like she had started using her real name, according to IMDb, certainly though by the times her bout of fame came about in the 1980s she had reverted back Gudrun Ure in a new climate of more acceptance of unusual names.

Gurdrun starred in Orson Welles' 1951 stage production of Othello and also appeared in 1953 film 36 Hours at the age of 27 under the artist name Ann Gudrun. She later appeared in shows including T-Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom, Midsomer Murders, The Crow Road, Where the Heart is and Casualty, the latter being her last TV role in 2009. She also appeared around the country on stage and on radio.

Oh and the name originates from the old Norse language, but is also nowadays has been one of the most frequently given female names in Iceland as Guðrún.

There has been a buzz kately that a big screen version of the show may be in the air, Tilda Swinton, an adopted Scot has been mooted for the lead role.

[eviltiddyprodnz]

so I ended up starting Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon recently because I saw a pretty cute edit on Instagram and thought why not.

y’all I wanted to be a part of the fun SO BAD but either I’ve lost my ITV tolerance and need to build it again or I’m just failing to connect with the show…

I’m on Season 3 (for some reason Hotstar divides the same show into the like 9 seasons 💀) and it feels like we haven’t moved at all. we’re moving at the pace of a tortoise and the thing is I’m aware of the spoilers so I keep waiting for something to happen, something to start and nothing does. In fact, I’ve realised that there’s still a very VERY long way to go before things get remotely cute 😭

I’m at the part where Shyam is beginning his psycho era and has paralysed Khushi’s bauji. Arnav is nicer to Khushi but like most shows I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s kind of the only thing that has me going but since I know it’s going to turn soon I’m kinda losing interest which is CRAZY because guys I actually sat through the entirety of Ishqbaaz and the Redux. I skipped the Niti Taylor era because I simply didn’t have it in me to watch more of that show 🙏 but you gotta realise the mess I sat through.

So everytime I want to drop IPKKND I keep telling myself you finished Ishqbaaz, you can sit through this but I guess I’m just finding it difficult. Ishqbaaz was low-key on TV steroids because SO MUCH was happening on that show all the time.

I was kinda tuned into every character for a long time. I don’t want IPKKND to match Ishqbaaz’ freak but apart from Arnav and Khushi I low-key dgaf about anyone 😭👎 Lavanya and the goat (a literal goat Lakshmi) are the other characters I don’t tend to skip over.

I feel like maybe I’ll slow down or take a break for now (I say this as I still want to watch the show because I want to see them fall in love! 😭) but I keep losing patience.

I think what I find super tiring is sitting through anything that isn’t the lead couple and I guess that’s where this show differs from the other ones I’ve watched. Ishqbaaz had 3 brothers as main characters and their parents and they were insane 😭 like truly doing anything !!! So while the female lead was forced to sit through the literal GARBAGE treatment the male lead gave her, you had other things going on.

I don’t really care for other characters for now and also know they’re going to turn on Khushi soon so it keeps pissing me off 😭

Khushi is the only person I root for. My sister is a klutz (god help her feet) and she’s definitely crazy to constantly come back to this house but she’s so loveable. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that way towards a character in ITV. for all the Ishqbaaz yapping that I did, Khushi reminds of Gauri. Like I get the same I’ll protect you from these losers energy when I see Khushi that I used to get with Gauri.

I also think they both have a great knack for comedy. IPKKND is getting slightly into the phase where Arnav and Khushi’s interactions are less yelling and throwing daggers at each other and more just awkwardly vibing and Khushi’s SOOOO FUN 😭😭😭

but the plot is soooo slow. y’all I think it’s 2 FULL more seasons of Lavanya and ASR and Shyam for some bizarre reason not getting caught. Like…. someone help me through this.

and I know all of their asses are going to turn on Khushi and bully my sweet sister once ASR does that classic blackmail wedding. She’s already been through so much. WHYYYY 😭💔👎

I’ve just realised this is a rant with no point because I might still go and watch that show. I guess I just wanted to vent because apart from the main leads everyone just frustrates me. 💀

Also Shyam getting to exist for SUCH a long time on the show is crazy….

someone save my Khushi because I’ll take time getting there 😭😭😭

for now l’ll take a breather lmao. ITV truly is a test of patience 😤

[tellywoodtrash]

hey TT how's it going?have you watched 'Animal'.. obviously Ranbir and the actors did good but the way this director depicts violence against women so easily makes me feel icky about watching this no matter how well acted this is. And isn't it funny that suddenly Tripti Dimri's fan following has increased by tenfold after her sensual scenes with Ranbir even though she did amazing movies way before all these?..so 'sex sells' really is true in some cases..sorry had to share my weird opinions.

On a lighter note..I can't believe I'm saying this but apparently I kinda fell for the last actor I thought I'd ever fall on itv.. *I'm so embarrassed to even say the drama name urrghhh* alright so 'Kundali Bhaigya' right?the never ending show..they did a generation leap and obviously among the new two brothers there I fell for the 'bad boy' Shaurya JUST CAUSE he has AMAZING chemistry with the female lead. He is the villain so I'm pretty sure it's gonna be tough to get them together cause apparently people like the main good guy Rajveer a lot..???but a lass can dream right?..tharkipana Leke doobegi mujhe 😩

Watched a cam print torrent coz no way in hell am I giving money to bs like that. I just wanted to see if it was as bad as ppl were saying........... And it is. Lol. What a wankfest temper tantrum of a movie. Stupidly self-indulgent tripe.

Lolllllllllllllll, tharak ne achein achon ka game baja dala hai. It's ok. It's a better coping mechanism than most everything else out there. Watch your little toxic man be a loser, and dream of kissing him under the moonlight, girly!!!!!!

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hey jalebi, read your jibe about Arnav keeping numb for whole post-kidnaping scene, Honestly it hell bothered me how Arnav couldn't standup for khushi until she tells him he could see truth in her eyes and I was like wtf!!! It was so disgusting that nobody tried to stop Shyam's blasphemous comments on khushi's character but Arnav being more silent hurt me. He haven't told truth of what had happened, never investigated or brought truth out even after all shyam had done, nor thought of putting him in prison, Khushi being khushi never even blamed anyone except herself was ultimately A indian bahu move. I really wish they had better story line but who am I? I was barely 10 back then😂🤌 who dint have idea about ipkknd except the fact that my family was obsessed with it and all I could grasp with my non-hindi thought process was there's a pale girl with weird clothes and a angry guy who keeps shouting at her and she shamelessly kept gravitating around him until he realised she is his true love and then loved her back, end of the story 😂. Until I have turned 17 when I started watching ipk for real and started loving it along with hating for poor storyline hypocrisy sometimes!!!

Hello Hello,

I wonder if there were some scheduling conflicts and the actor was not available hence they wrote the lines around. But also, in the very little that Arnav says they wanted to establish that now with the whole world against Khushi, Arnav 'believes' her.

They tried to do a 'closure' of the terrace scene and half heard misunderstandings but I think it was a misfire.

Ok, one thing - there's nothing shameless to be attracted to someone you don't want to see.

That is literally the theme of the show. To be attracted to people you do not want. IPK did have a really great storyline compared to its fellow shows but I do think they hammered a lot of ITV expectations into khushi - thus give as a very intrusive inconsistent character.

I will never understand why they let Arnav be abusive post wedding. It should've been a cold wedding, not an abusive one.

Also Arnav and Khush's attraction/love to each other has very little to do with reciprocity. In fact neither realizes really that the other person reciprocated all the feelings.

I do wish Khushi was much better written - and sometimes the female leads on ITV have gotten better with time (Anika, Sonakshis, Tara). And I largely believe it is Sanaya Irani who made Khushi absolutely amazing.

Best,

Jalebi

[kittenwithabelle]

PUTTING THIS AT THE TOP, TERFS DNI.

Now that that's done, I want to take a moment to be annoyed at the British Labour party. More specifically,at Kier Starmer.

Now, when Starmer first won the Labour leadership he was the sort of person who would go on mumsnet and fight for transgender people. No longer it seems, when asked directly on ITV what he'd say to someone who says that "a transgender woman is a woman and should be allowed on a female ward" he replied "I disagree"

Coupled with the Shadow Equalities Minister meeting with the LGB Alliance, leading to the group posting that their talk was "productive" Labour, of course, has said that she was right to meet with them.

The Shadow Health Secretary has also stated that he disagrees with stonewall saying "Trans women are women" and regrets standing by it previously.

so that's the equalities minister, the health secretary, and the PM who would be against me if Labour get in in the next election.

I just want to know, who exactly I'm supposed to be supporting? Both major parties want me and people like me to stop existing.

Like, I know the Torys are worse, but that's not exactly a difficult competition to win. My option seem to be "Vote for a party that will outlaw you, but slower than right now" or "Throw a vote into the void"

I just feel so lost.

[sogno-ao3]

Hey, how are you?

Thinking about Mollie's origin and culture, could you recommend a book or movie?

In fact, I'm going to start reading Jane Eyre under the influence of Still Waters ;)

hello! thank you for such an amazing question. since you said "origin and culture," it really got me thinking on what I would consider as influences for Still Waters and how I came to conceive of Mollie & the story in general...

I think there have been three main influences: literary classics, kdrama, and fanfiction--a mix of high and low culture. This mixture is reflected in Still Waters; readers may choose a surface-level read, or they may choose to read more deeply into the thematic elements... either is perfectly fine and neither is preferable to the other.

In each category, I'll list a few works with some relevant links to books, movies, TV shows, etc. You also might be interested in a post I made awhile back discussing books I've named in the work.

Literary classics

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

Gutenberg, BBC 2006, BBC 1983

Like Still Waters, Jane Eyre is a coming-of-age and romance with an older man with a dark past. I've read it many times by now, and it's so fascinating to observe how my relationship with it has changed--I used to think of it as the epitome of romance, but now I have much more nuanced thoughts about it. There have been many more adaptations than the ones I have listed; it is also fascinating to see how differently people interpret it... which dovetails my experience--this book seems to grow with people as they change.

Works by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park: Gutenberg, ITV

Persuasion: Gutenberg, ITV

Both of these works feature introvert women as protagonists; many people around them tend to underestimate them because they are naturally quiet and outwardly obedient. Persuasion is also the classic example of slow burn and mutual pining.

Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston

Goodreads

This work is a coming-of-age myth/memoir featuring a Chinese American female protagonist. While it's not a romance, Woman Warrior showed me how flimsy the divider between fantasy and reality can be, and how language can be used to blur the lines. It's also written in first person.

Korean Dramas

When I was younger, I watched many kdramas. I think what really impressed upon me at the time is how small gestures can mean so much to someone, the softness that men could exhibit, and unfortunately for all my readers, how much I loved the tension & anguished pain before the main couple finally got together (or not)...

Some kdramas I'd recommend: My Lovely Sam Soon, Coffee Prince, Crash Landing on You, To My Star 1 & 2.

Fanfiction

Some of you might be amused to know my very first work on AO3 was an explicit M/M oneshot in 2014. I've been reading and writing fanfiction for a long time; in fanfiction, one could transcend the mores of traditional media and remake relationships to feature more equality, male leads that did not have toxic masculinity, etc...

When I watched Peaky Blinders for the first time, I immediately felt that Tommy's relationship with his mother was quite pivotal and yet never explored. I also hated that the Chinese people in the series were relegated to decorative ethnic roles. If they had swapped out Chinese for Japanese, it wouldn't have mattered a bit to the story... and so the idea for Still Waters came surprisingly quickly out of my discontent!

I would informally posit that the past few years of the rocketing popularity of spicy romance novels has largely been due to fanfiction and how it was able to push the boundaries and show publishers what people in our subpopulation actually liked... it was fanfiction where I read my first slow burns coupled with expertly written smut that to this day, are quite a bit better than what I read in a traditionally published book.

Here are some fanfictions I'd recommend:

[Redemption of Love] Fandom: Lord of the Rings, Pairing: Legolas/Thranduil

[Going Live] Fandom: EXO; Pairing: Kai/Reader

[Redamancy] Fandom: James Bond, Pairing: James Bond/Q

[Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love] Fandom: Harry Potter, Pairing: Draco/Hermione

[Beginning and End] Fandom: Harry Potter, Pairing: Draco/Hermione

[my life is better when we're together] Fandom: Kuroko no basuke, Pairing: Midorima/Kise

[In Darkest Knights, The Brightest Sparks] Fandom: Batman, Pairing: Batman/Harley Quinn

[brian-in-finance]

https://www.revamp-magazine.co.uk/lauren-lyle?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-revamp_mag&utm_content=later-30175435&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio

Link to interview and there is an Instagram Story.

Thanks for the message, Anon.

Lauren Lyle

9 October 2022

Necklace / Maria Black // Dress / Missoni // Photographer: Stewart Bywater

Interview & Editor: Owen James Vincent

Stylist: Ben James Adams

Hair: Joe Pickering Taylor

Makeup: Maria Asadi

Photographer’s assistant: Hannie McBride

Stylist’s first assistant: Linda Houtsonen

Stylist’s second assistant: Fatima Koko

Cover Design: Emily Curtis

A big thanks to Georgia & Ellie from Public Eye & Sorcha Adamson from Arch The Agency

With ITV drama 'Karen Pirie' coming to an end. We got to chat to Lauren Lyle about her time on the show, preparing herself for the role and behind-the-scenes stories.

Dress & Gloves / La Musa @ Cult Mia

Hi Lauren! Thanks for chatting with ReVamp Magazine. Has 2022 been good for you?

It has, i’ve been very lucky to travel a lot for work from LA to the very most Northern Island of of the UK so i’ve seen some amazing sights. A grey whale in California and a colony of grey seals in the North. It’s been such a good summer in London too. After working away loads it felt cool to reconnect with my friends and actually live in my newly renovated apartment.

Do you remember the first production you worked on?

My first ever proper acting job was The Crucible at The Old Vic on The West End. I couldn’t believe it. TV wise it was either a BBC comedy called Radges which was hilarious and written by now a very successful comedian Fern Brady. Or it was Holby City! An absolute right of passage for a UK actor, i’m honoured to have got an episode before it ended.

Shirt / Letoit // Trousers / ArmedAngels // Shoe / Grenson

You’re the lead role in the ITV crime drama ‘Karen Pirie’. How has the reaction been so far?

It been crazy. I’m quite overwhelmed, and even Twitter which can be a horrible place is largely very positive. I’m so happy everyone is loving it and despite not wanting to read reviews it is good to know even rival papers are agreeing that is a great show. I knew we were making a good thing and its such a relief now its finally out.

How did you prepare yourself for this role?

I read the scripts a million times, watched all the detective shows I could, and created my own big wall which outlined the case and all the suspects. It was very intense wrapping my head around the case and every little details but a real pleasure diving in and immersing myself. Then when it came to line learning it was just repetition repetition repetition. And then sometimes the pub alone, with a half pint and my script.

Jacket / Dagmar // Shoe / Grenson

What was it like to be part of Val McDermid’s world?

Very cool! She’s created such iconic characters and much loved worlds. I was slightly daunted a the prospect of playing a character so many already loved from the books knowing I might not be everyone’s Karen they imagined in their head, however having done it once with Marsali as a book character from Outlander I knew this was our version and people would hopefully honour that. Which they have.

Do you think we need to see more female representation in big roles such as Karen's?

Always. I think telling this story through the lens of another young woman who also knows what it means to be nervous walking home at night is relevant and important. The case is very personal to Karen and the subject matter is to me, so i definitely feel proud to be opening up that conversation further into the mainstream. I’ve had lots of amazing messages from women saying that seeing a vanity free, funny, relatable woman on screen is so refreshing and reassuring.

Earrings / Maria Black // Dress / JC Pajares @ Cult Mia

Have you got any funny behind-the-scenes stories?

I got my parents into the final scene of the whole show as extras. It was quite special to bring them to work and show what I do. We did one take where we picked up half way through the scene and on one told my mum so she started acting out the very beginning of the scene. She stalled the whole take and accidentally got in Chris Jenks (The Mint’s) shot. Luckily the director through it was hilarious and filmed the whole thing.

Lastly, have you got any plans for the rest of the year?

I have just finished another film and i’m preparing to go away to an Island to shoot another one which will take me up to Christmas. Then it will be Christmas dinners and sleep.

You can catch the last episode of 'Karen Pirie' on ITV tonight at 8pm or watch the whole season on ITV Hub.

Revamp

Remember… I got my parents into the final scene of the whole show as extras. It was quite special to bring them to work and show what I do. — Lauren Lyle

[phantom-le6]

Film Review - When Harry Met Sally...

To finish up my film reviewing backlog ahead of getting back to reviewing TV series, I’m taking a step away from my usual options to check out the 1989 Bafta-winning rom-com that is When Harry Met Sally…

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

In 1977, Harry Burns and Sally Albright graduate from the University of Chicago. Harry is dating Sally's friend Amanda Reese, leading to Harry and Sally ride-sharing to New York City. Sally is attending journalism school there and Harry has a job waiting.

During the drive, Harry and Sally discuss their differing ideas about relationships; Sally disagrees with Harry's assertion that men and women cannot be friends as "the sex part gets in the way". They stop at a diner, and when Harry tells Sally she is very attractive, she angrily accuses him of making a pass. They part company in New York, never intending to see each other again.

Five years later in 1982, Harry and Sally find themselves on the same flight. Sally is dating Harry's neighbour Joe, and Harry is engaged to Helen, which surprises Sally as it seems uncharacteristically optimistic of him. Harry suggests they become friends, forcing him to qualify his previous position about the impossibility of male-female friendships. They separate, concluding that they will not be friends.

Five years later in 1987, Harry and Sally run into each other at a bookstore. They have coffee and talk about their previous relationships; Sally and Joe have broken up and Helen has left Harry for another man. They agree to pursue a friendship and have late-night phone conversations, go to dinner, and spend time together discussing their love-lives.

During a New Year's Eve party, Harry and Sally find themselves growing attracted to each other and share an awkward midnight kiss. They remain friends and set each other up with their respective best friends, Marie and Jess. When the four go out, neither Marie nor Jess is attracted to Harry or Sally and instead immediately fall for each other. Soon after, the two are engaged.

One night, Sally tearfully calls Harry to say that her ex, Joe, is getting married. Harry goes to Sally's apartment to comfort her but they end up having sex. Harry leaves the next morning, feeling awkward and filled with regret. Their friendship cools until they have a heated argument at Jess and Marie's wedding reception. Harry attempts to mend their relationship, but Sally feels that they can no longer be friends.

At a 1988 New Year's Eve party with Jess and Marie, Sally misses Harry. He is spending New Year's Eve at home, watching Dick Clark's 16th annual New Year's Rockin' Eve. Before midnight, Harry walks around the city. As Sally is about to leave the party, Harry appears and declares his love for her. She claims he is only there because he is lonely, but he lists the many reasons he loves her. Harry and Sally marry three months later, exactly 12 years and three months after their first meeting.

The film contains several interspersed segments of older couples discussing how they met. The true stories, gathered by Nora Ephron, are reenacted by actors. The final couple interviewed, before the closing credits, is Harry and Sally.

Review:

As I understand it, the general rule of thumb for romantic comedy is that it’s a genre primarily aimed at female audiences, and certainly that’s part of why most such films tend to not come up on my personal film radar.  Being a man, I’ve typically taken the view that since such films aren’t going to be aimed at me, and I can’t recall seeing trailers for such films coming up that caught my interest, the genre wasn’t going to be up my street.  However, a while ago I caught the end of this particular film during some late-night channel-flicking, and having seen it flagged in those countdowns of certain films we get on UK TV every Christmas season, usually on Channel 5 or ITV, I was intrigued.  Plus, my eldest honourary niece has developed a bit of a liking for late 80’s/early 90’s comedies, so I figured it might be something she’d enjoy (bearing in mind the film is a 15 and said niece turned 16 back in January).

So, with all this in mind, I gave this film a try, and while it’s not quite as funny for me as other comedies, I can see where this film might have got some good laughs among its main target audience.  The fake orgasm scene is, of course, a major comedic moment and one that I think men of a more modern sensibility can laugh at alongside female viewers.  After all, it’s been a long-standing thing in western society that men don’t always consider female pleasure in the bedroom and can’t always set their egos aside enough to learn how to improve in this regard.  That said, some jokes are perhaps less applicable today, as are some of the assertions made by the film’s characters.

The main example of this last point is Billy Crystal’s character of Harry asserting that the male desire to have sex with women prohibits any chance of platonic friendship between men and women.  Now whether this film is proving or disproving this assertion, the reality of real life certainly disproves it.  The main flaw in the assertion is that all men would all be attracted to women and have a desire for sex with them, but this is not true, even if we leave aside those in society that come under the LGBTQ+ labels that were lesser-known and not well represented back in the 1980’s, or at least not well-represented.

For those who may not believe me, consider the following.  First, not all women will appear attractive to all men; with the multiple variances in factors of physical appearance, personality, intelligence and other factors, a lot of men will find a reasonable number of women unattractive.  Second, not all men will be drawn to the same factors.  There are preference differences to consider in terms of looks versus personality, senses of humour, what physical attributes they might be drawn to and so one.  Third, the way in which you know someone may have an impact; for example, do you want to risk ill consequences in your working life by dating a colleague?

Also dated is the way the film approaches relationship trauma; both Harry and Sally experience break-ups in the film, and neither of them deals with it well by any modern standard.  We see Harry have an outburst about it at a later point, while Sally appears to spend a long time in what I would guess is denial, only for a change in her ex’s love-life to finally break her emotional dam.  Much like when I reviewed Star Trek: Voyager and came upon the Tom-B’Elanna episodes, this film feels like it could be readily be used as a guide on how not to handle relationships.  In the event anyone was to do a remake of this film, or a sequel for that matter, I would be interested to see this aspect of relationships handled in a more modern real-life manner rather than reverting to just whatever is deemed to “work” for TV and film, even if in reality it’s showcasing something potentially self-destructive or toxic.

Beyond the two leads, the only other cast member I recognise to any extent is Carrie Fisher, and it’s nice to find a film outside of Star Wars that she was in.  The whole cast does a good job, and as a romance story of this era, it’s not bad.  Comedy-wise, it’s ok but not by any means tickling my funny bone as much as the strictly comedic films I’ve enjoyed from the same era.  As I’ve noted, though, that’s probably more because I’m simply not of the target gender for this film, and that’s totally fine.  I’m sure many people in the target audience would rate this film very highly, and fair play to them.  For me, though, I’m inclined to grant a score of 7 out of 10.  This concludes my film reviewing for the time-being, and once decorating work at my house gets to a point where access to my Blu-Ray player isn’t interrupted, I’ll be back on TV episode reviews with the pre-Batman TV drama Gotham.

[anotherfanaccount]

Itv show rant blog 2.

Husbands being annoying and not supportive at all. Mother-in-laws being mean.

And of course the female lead has to endure it all to show strength. And will be happy just by the bare minimum of two love words by her Pati Parmeshwar.

Kill me now.

[chutkiandchotte]

On gold-diggers

So if you watch any amount of Indian tv at all, then you are familiar with a common belief in the world of rich people of ITV (and IRL as well of course, this is how audiences think too), that poor women are always on the make, looking to trap rich husbands for a better life, the double edged sword of the term "gold-digger". I uhhhh rambled a bit on this topic.

The idea of the "gold-digger" is so ingrained that we all instantly understand the negative power of it. We may object with horror and anger when the asshole hero, or his backwards family levy this charge against our beloved female lead; but we, the very same audience won't hesitate to turn around and levy the very same charge against the "vamp" character; the girl in tight clothes who drinks alcohol and *gasp* has no sanskaars - like clearly, SHE is in it for the money, otherwise why would she put up with such a toxic boyfriend?

(like of course it cannot be that the vampy girl is sticking around for the same reason that WE the audience are falling for this toxic male lead despite knowing how much he sucks - it cannot be that she finds him hot & values his good qualities & as for the bad qualities, he's just a traumatized lil baby, i can fix him! - no, that can't be it, because then it feels uncomfortably close to relating to the vamp, and that cannot happen, of course!)

no, she, the vamp, only loves his good looks and his money and his hotness, she doesn't love his "true" self at all, she's a GOLD DIGGER!!! we revel in the power of the gold-digger charge, and how it humiliates her.

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what inspired this rant? i had an intense argument with someone on another platform, about Lavanya's character (from IPKKND). this person insisted that Lavanya was a gold-digger who never loved Arnav. But La is rich, I argued. So what, she said. Even if she is rich, she isn't as rich as Arnav. Arnav is 10000 crore guy, Lavanya is just 1000 crore girl. A gold-digger. She just wanted him because he was a "catch" while Khushi wants him for his true inner self. But La put up with his family for his sake, I argued. She did so much to please him. Well, this person said. That's the proof. Lavanya tolerated all of Arnav's and his family's BS without objection, hence, she MUST be a gold-digger. didn't I know? rich men are always targets of "girls like Lavanya". of gold-diggers. she kept using that word over and over again for Lavanya, probably because by then she had realized how much it was pissing me off. (what can I say? i can definitely be an easy target for trolling at times).

internalized misogyny often goes like - most women are sluts/stupid/useless/greedy schemers/<insert other sexist tropes>, but I - I will prove myself worthy of men's affections by being not <sexist trope>, then maybe I won't suffer the negative consequences those other women do!

and yes, I speak from personal experience. what woman HASN'T harboured deeply toxic thoughts borne out of internalized misogyny at least once in her life? we live in society, how do we escape it's influences?

and caught in these confusions, when we read stories, we project.

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there are, of course, real life cases where there are women who (to quote Amy March) look upon marriage as an economic proposition and make matches based on financial gains. the horror!

of course, that its both men and women, who make decisions about marriage/love based on money, doesn't cross often our minds when we think about gold-diggers. that in desi society at least, majority of marriages ARE economic propositions involving heavy financial transactions, is not at all the same topic. because those transactions are done by the elders; by the men in power, and their enablers. those are transactions that keep society running in its status quo. the horror! the gold-digging horror of it comes in, when its a woman by her own volition seeking to better her financial status as easily as she possibly can, without making any sacrifice or compromise! how dare she? how dare! doesn't she know the tax of living for a woman is sacrifice. you can't pass go without it.

and the OTHER much much larger parts of reality definitely don't exist while people are busy labelling women as gold-diggers. the parts where the leading cause of sudden death for women is murder at the hands of an intimate partner, where 3 out of 10 women have been abused by a partner (and this is just reported stats - who knows what the real figure is). And what about the reality where one of the key aspects of an abusive relationship is financial abuse & power imbalance due to the victim having no resources.

in India, especially, the sad, sorry, disturbing TRUTH is, justice is a monetary transaction. the richer you are, the more you can get away, especially in the matter of women, since as a society we are ever-ready to disbelieve women.

this is also why in this reality we live in, many girls families themselves INSIST on paying dowry - on sending more and more gifts even after marriage - because you know what they're buying? no, not merely a "respectable" husband for their daughter. what they are paying for is the safety, respect, and dignity of their daughter in her married family and their own "standing" in society. its a grand and most successful blackmail scheme; because everybody knows, the girl who brings nothing to her husband's house, is fair game for every other type of exploitation. she's got to pay her dues somehow.

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so. when a poor girl marries a rich guy, it might seem like a fairytale on the outside. it might seem like, its every poor girl's dream. but in REALITY, what it is, is the girl signing up for a statistically much higher risk of being abused, raped, and murdered. not a dream so much as a nightmare.

yet, its always the woman's character that is on trial - SHE has to prove that she isn't a greedy schemer out for his money but a pure hearted girl genuinely in love - while all HE has to do, is stand there and be hot and rich; he never has to prove that he won't abuse her. heck, he will provide categorical proof of being a future abuser, and its absolutely no stumble in a romance path. the power of the word gold-digger is always hanging on her head; the hero as well as the audience, her lover and society, ever eagerly searching to judge her for the same; a little slip, and she could be in vamp territory!

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I tend to be...passionate...about my fictional people opinions. I have definitely heard "its just a story" many times in my life. But I disagree.

These conversations we have about fictional characters are reflections of our realities. And these are Indian daily soaps, not grimdark crazy premise sci-fic/fantasy HBO shows. The same court in which we judge fictional characters, also becomes a court in which we judge real people around us. This is the power of stories, the danger of them - they can reiterate the worst that is in us, reinforce our worst selves; or they can open us up to new perspectives and expand our empathy.

i mean we have seen SO MANY iterations of the angry anti-hero young man, embodying every trope of toxic masculinity, and then turning out to be a perfect husband at the end. character development and taming the beast. alls well that ends well. men can be fixed. sometimes love looks like hate. etc.

i long for a story where we see a heroine who IS a "gold digger"; who is practical, realistic, and smart, who has a career and ambitions but maybe has tasted too much of poverty to ever choose it for herself if given an option. who chooses and chases a guy because the thing that matters to her is financial security and an easy life. why does this girl always have to be the villain? if abusers can reform, why not gold-diggers? why can't SHE be hit with a character development stick, in the same general standard of dignity as a corresponding male lead, and learn some lessons and fall in love and become the best version of herself? and if she does get to do all that, why does she HAVE to be humiliated in some evil way, and/or die at the end, why can't she live, learn and have a happily ever after?

why, in fact, do we reserve so much passionate vitriol for the fictional female offenders - the vamps and the career girls and the ex girlfriends - the ones driven by jealousies and insecurities - while keeping infinite reserves of forgiveness for their male equivalents?

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No - Lavanya has to be a gold-digger, a hopeless harlot, for Khushi to be a perfect wife, for Arnav to be absolved of his sins against Lavanya as well as Khushi, for the audience to be in no danger of relating to a woman as evil and out of bounds as Lavanya, for us all to maintain our collective delusions that rich men are victims of those women, as opposed to being their predators.

EVEN in a show like IPKKND which went out of the way to have a different, ground-breaking narrative...there's this reading of the text. There's the cognitive dissonance to judge/hate Lavanya for certain traits while finding Arnav sexy for those same ones.

I don't think it is at all surprising that Indian tv can never seem to get over its madonna/whore complex - because honestly, we the audience, seem to enjoy it too much!

[the-hindu-times]

Pretty Woman The Musical

New Victoria Theatre 28/11/23

'Pretty Woman The musical' is, of course, based on the classic 1990 Julia Roberts and Richard Gere-led movie of the same name, which became the highest-grossing romantic comedy in the US ever. The musical followed the film's storyline, thanks to a book by the movie’s director, Garry Marshall, and screenwriter, J.F. Lawton. It told the story of a chance encounter between sex worker, Vivian Ward, and rich businessman, Edward Lewis, who offered Vivian $3,000 to be his companion for the week. The pair, although intending to keep their arrangement as purely business, found themselves falling in love as they get to know each other better. 

The original songs by Canadian crooners, Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, often had a decent enough hook, with one even sounding like another Adams' anthem, but there were too many lazy similarities and lifts from Cher's 'Believe' (even keeping the same lyrics, phrasing and melody at the same points!), along with hints of Cage The Elephant's 'In One Ear', which was trying too hard to be a bit from Hamilton. Apart from that, none of them were particularly memorable but were enjoyable in the moment. Nevertheless, the cast's delivery had great enthusiasm, particularly during the romantic number "You and I", which was prefaced with a mini performance of the opera 'La Traviata'. Violetta's (performed by Lila Falce-Bass) absolutely gorgeous soprano and Alfredo’s (Josh Damer-Jennings) strong tenor vocals left me wanting more of the same. Some of Violetta's operatic vocals reappeared in the middle of "You and I" and, although it was different, it didn't quite work as well as it was probably intended. The intertwining of opera and pop vocal was later repeated in the finale "Together Forever", with a much better result. 

Gregg Barnes' colourful, fun and beautifully executed costumes and wigs really brought the 1980s' Hollywood to life, with those sharp suits and oversized mobile phones. The contrast between the lively, rough streets and the supposedly opulent hotel created a striking metaphor with the elegance and grace of some of those outfits.

The heroine was performed by Amber Davies, who won ITV's 'Love Island' in 2017, has since starred in '9 to 5 The Musical', 'Bring it On' and 'Back to the Future'. Reincarnating the role of Vivian must have been a daunting task for Davies, yet she completely superseded expectations. She was effortlessly endearing, charming and confident - a force of energy with a surprising childlike nature and a sense of freedom. Playing a young woman who dreamt of romance and excitement, it was a joy to watch Davies on stage, and whilst she had a powerful voice, showcased especially in the song "I Can't Go Back", it was her manifestation of Vivian’s zest for life and hidden insecurities that made her the star of the show.

Our romantic lead was Edward Lewis, played by Oliver Savile, who had simmering chemistry with Davies‘ Vivian right from the very start; they complemented each other well.  The production also featured Natalie Paris as Vivian’s roommate, Kit. Paris, who originated the role of Jane Seymour in the smash-hit musical 'SIX', was a powerhouse; with some fantastic solo moments of outstanding vocals.  Equally entertaining was the versatile Curtis Patrick, who popped up in unexpected spots to lend a comic touch. He flitted from streetwise guide, Happy Man, to Beverly Wilshire Hotel concierge, Barney Thompson, barely breathing a breath. Lastly, there was the dynamic Noah Harrison as Giulio the hotel bellhop. The character said almost nothing, but his enthusiasm was infectious and it was impossible not to smile whenever he was on stage.  

Whilst the musical didn’t quite knock the stereotype of a female character who needed to be rescued by a wealthy man for her happy ending, there were efforts to emphasize Vivian’s business sense and create a relationship trajectory that found them sailing off into the sunset as equal partners. 

The finale was one big party; smartly placing the 1964 Obison & Dees hit song "Oh, Pretty Woman" at the very end, post curtain call. The iconic opening guitar riff lead the entire audience to leap up for a sing and dance, before leaving the the theatre elated and joyful.  'Pretty Woman the Musical' was an entertaining production that, at its core, focused on finding love and never giving up on your dreams. It was an easy and enjoyable watch for those who were already fans of the film and for those coming to the story for the first time. Within the same bracket as 'Footloose', 'The King & I' and 'The Bodyguard', tonight's show was a cut above 'Shrek' but didn't quite measure up to the quality of 'Jersey Boys', 'Life of Pi' or 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie'. If you want a fun night out with more than a smidgen of nostalgia, Pretty Woman delivers as a guaranteed crowd-pleaser but it may fade from your memory quicker than other musicals.

Mittal Patel

[celebritydecks]

Ewan Mitchell

Ewan Mitchell

Ewan Mitchell: The Soaring and Versatile Actor Who Is Captivating Hearts

1. Introduction: Ewan Mitchell

Ewan Mitchell was born on 8 March, 1997 in Derby, England. He is a well-known and rising British television and movie personality, model and actor. He withholds all details pertaining to his parents, siblings and extended family. Her mother is a housewife, and her father is a modest business owner, according to media reports. He is a very intelligent and talented actor and many girls have crushes on him because of his incredible acting abilities and ideal jawline. His net worth is thought to be around $1.5 million, per media reports. Although he occasionally joined female actors on the red carpet, he never had a romantic connection. His dating status was never disclosed to the media in any detail.

2. Career

Ewan Mitchell has wanted to become a famous actor since he was a young child. The Central Junior Television Workshop in Nottingham served as his training ground.

Ewan Mitchell’s early acting career began with the short film “Stereotype.”Later, he appeared in the movies “Just Charlie” (2017) and “High life” (2018). He was cast in the Amazon Prime Video original movie ‘Saltburn‘.

The Halcyon, The Last Kingdom, World on Fire, and House of the Dragon roles played by Mitchell demonstrate his range as an actor.

On Television, In the 2017 historical drama “The Halcyon“, Mitchell made his acting debut as Billy Taylor, a young man who was having a hard time figuring out where he fit in.

His breakthrough performance was as Osferth, a Saxon warrior raised by Vikings, in the BBC Two and Netflix historical drama “The Last Kingdom“. Critics lauded Mitchell’s performance of Osferth. He was able to express the character’s both vulnerability and strength, as well as his strength as a warrior and loyalty to his companions.

He played Tom Bennett, a World War II-era British soldier, in “World on Fire“.Tom Bennett is a complicated person who is having a hard time accepting the horrors of war. His own demons, such as grief over his friend’s passing, are something else he is battling.The critics praised Mitchell’s performance of Bennett. He received honors for playing a young man who is attempting to find his place in the world even as everything around him is falling.

Mitchell played Billy Washington in the ITV crime drama “Trigger point” in 2022. Billy Washington is a troubled young guy who faces mental health issues. He has a history of doing drugs, being violent, and running into legal issues. Mitchell’s performance of Billy serves as a stark reminder of the debilitating effects that mental health issues can have on people and their families. He makes Billy seem more real and human by bringing a sense of reality and humanity to the part. As a result, Billy becomes more likable and lovable.

Mitchell started as Prince Aemond Targaryen later that year in the HBO fantasy series “House of Dragon“, which is a prequel to “Game of Thrones” and an adaptation of George R. R. Martin‘s fictional history novel “Fire and Blood“. He was praised by critics for his performance in the show. Aemond is the son of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen. He is a skilled warrior and a natural leader.

3. Mitchell’s Potential to become a leading actor.

Mitchell is a fan favorite because of his talent for bringing complex characters to life, and his work will no doubt continue to wow audiences for years to come. He has spoken out for the value of diversity in the performing community. For other performers who wish to see more diversity in the field, he serves as an example. Mitchell is a gifted performer who has a promising career. In the future, he has the ability to break through as a major actor. He is a skilled actor who can take on a variety of parts. He is dedicated to his profession and constantly aspires to become a better artist.

[tellywoodtrash]

Oops! They killed off Maitree's husband the day after wedding and suhag raat was also cancelled by sasu maa. So we are headed to a pristine, pure as snow bride for the punar vivah. ITV ke chonchle: obsession with an untouched female lead!!! Now I know why surbhi's show went off air. Coz it tried to be different! I think my motivation to continue watching is waning. They will obviously kill her friend's baby, so that if she turns negative, Maitree and Ashish can get married. Do you think they will go ahead and use any other trope?

i don't even wanna know what the saas did to "cancel" suhag raat, as if it's a Zomato order or something.

soooooooo this is just chori chori chupke chupke. 🙄😒😮‍💨