So, this one day I decided to re-watch one of my favourite Indian television shows ever, it went with the name Remix and it broke my heart when it ended. I clearly remember being in the 8th grade when this show started, a show that broke the clutter of the monotonous serials they have on TV, a show that finally showed how the young people in this country talk and a show that finally had characters we school/college students wanted to ape! Kids these days might laugh at the absurdity of Tia Ahuja’s third person dialogues and Ranveer Sisodia’s over-usage of the term ‘Banna‘ but trust me, when I was a kid, Remix was the shiz. A major part of that is because of the wonderfully weird character of Anvesha Banerjee Ray, played effortlessly by Priya Wal. She had red hair and she didn’t care, she was a badass from the word go and her chemistry with her friends and her love/hate interest Yuvraj Dev was the most entertaining bit of the show, so that’s why I list down 5 life lessons we should all learn from Sonia Ray’s offspring because trust me, this girl made a lot of sense!
1) Never conform to society standards of what’s considered beautiful
Anvesha never confirmed to what society deemed ‘beautiful’, she was gorgeous, sexy and smart in her unique way. The other girls mocked, teased and tried to be downright mean to her but Ashi? She didn’t give a damn. She owned Maurya High.
2) Don’t be afraid to be who you are
Even though she had a superstar mother who obviously got all the attention, Ashi was never a wallflower. From adopting a homeless kid to breaking up with Yuvraj because he placed a bet on her, Anvesha Banerjee Ray had strong opinions and principles and she never let them go however strong her feelings were!
3) Never let the inner child inside you die
We all know it was her pranks that helped Barney Stinson coin the term ‘legend-wait-for-it-dary’!
4) Fighting for the right cause is always worth it
Anvesha was a true rebel, while many people might say she was a rebel without a cause, I choose to believe that the girl had her priorities straight. She be-friended the underdogs, did not let the Queen Bee get to her, and dealt with heartbreak like a mature adult. Most importantly, she had the guts to try expose Yuvi’s corrupt politician father right in the first episode. I mean that that takes guts!
5) And finally, Bhaggu is there to listen, vent it all out!
Reports from the year 2005* suggest God did not respond until or unless people called him ‘bhaggu’ as ‘bhagwan‘ became too mainstream.
*Said reports were made in my head after a few drinks.