Samrat Gunjan

In the character sketch of Samrat, Gunjan crept in. Not because I intended her to, but because she is now such an integral part of Samrat that she is there with him all the time.
Samrat - the lonely poor little rich boy. Whose friends mean the world to him, because of his lack of family. Maybe that's why, subconsciously, he kept Gunjan as a friend for so long. Because his friendships lasted, while love - he really hadn't seen much real love in his life. Absent/missing parents, no family life, no brothers sisters, he lives alone and cultivates his cool dude image as a cover for his essential loneliness. He needs the crowds and their admiration to hide it. So he plays to the crowd, his mask always firmly in place, and will defend his friends to the last, because they are the only people in his life that matter. Witness his care and concern for Dia always - he's never been mean to her during the show, even when he found out she had caused the rift with Gunjan. He accepted her word that she had done it 'accidently', closed his eyes to Dia's envy, because he didn't want to lose her either. Witness his concern for her and anger towards RV for her humiliation. Even when Sheena put forward an impossible condition of leaving Gunjan, he never yelled or shouted or screamed. He showed his disappointment and walked out. The only times he shouted or showed his anger was when his friends were under attack - at RV for Dia, and at RV, Sheena and Dia's chamchas for Gunjan. Oh and at a poor harmless spot boy when he was disturbed - again about Gunjan. But Gunjan is special - he could take on the world for her any time.

Samrat and Gunjan started with teasing - something I personally didn't like. It carried on to start a friendship which was superficial initially on his part - for a bet with his then best friend. And to his surprise, the girl he had no time for, didn't actually think much about, turned up to do something she feared the most in her life - court attention on stage - just for him.

Probably no one had ever done anything for him - for Samrat, ever before. He did things for his friends - because he needed them. But here was Gunjan, forgetting her own fears and terror, just to keep his image intact, because he had promised she would sing. There - on stage - as she sang with tears in her eyes - he saw her for the first time. She had managed to conquer her fear - only for him.
A start of a friendship, shy, hesitant. He still didn't really want to be seen much with her. It hurt his cool dude image. And she respected that. Probably she was used to it and genuinely grateful for what she saw as his unselfish help in conquering her fear. So she turned around to help him in the only way she could - with his studies. The whole basketball camp fiasco and his lies. Gunjan knew that he had lied, but she still stuck to her resolve to help him. She saw the mask and the imperfect boy behind it, and she was still there with him. She didn't expect him to be perfect. A first for Samrat and the stirrings of his guilt. She thought he had helped her out of the goodness of his heart, what would she do if she knew the truth? But Gunjan abhorred lies - so he determined to tell her. Fate intervened not once but again and again - so he took the easy way out - God didn't want her to know the truth, so he kept quiet.
But God did want her to know - and so did a jealous Dia, who could see the growing closeness between Samrat and Gunjan. A heartbroken Gunjan showed for the first time, the steel inside her which was what hooked me to her character - she would help Samrat because she had promised him. And she did - till the end of the exams. But she could no longer be free, relaxed with him - she's transparent to the core and hiding her feelings was impossible for her. He had betrayed her trust, which she had given with such hesitation and doubt, and her heart was broken. Samrat sensed her disquiet, her discomfort, asked her about it - and she told him with more steel than he had thought she had, that she will keep her word. But her smiles had disappeared overnight and he missed them. Missed them more than he had thought possible, found himself wondering about her more and more. She was always on his mind - why had she changed overnight?
Exams over - he managed to confront her and without beating around the bush, she told him what is wrong and walked off without looking back. Samrat looked after her and his heart broke. And he knew hers was broken too - and he did it.
He's in love. He just doesn't know it.