CHARACTER SKETCH

[Like in the past, I’m offering three language casts for all characters for the convenience of my readers’ belonging to different languages. But one of my friends suggested it is best to have only one set of cast which is a mix of artists from different languages. So the final cast, I’m providing as a list below. Each of my reader can choose the faces they want either from their own language or the final mixed language cast I’m providing.

• ·        TEJASWI –      Sonakshi Sinha
• ·        THARA    -       Priyamani
• ·        AZMIA     -       Parvathy Menon
• ·        ANJALI    -       Kavya Madhavan
• ·        ESTHER  -        Vidya Balan
• ·        JOANNA -        Kalki  Koechlin 
• ·        GAURI     -       Radhika Apte  
• ·        AARADHYA- Genelia D'zousa ]

1.      SONAKSHI SINHA/ NAYANTARA/ ANUSHREE as TEJASWI ( Teju)

                                    

Age: 30

Education: BA Literature (Batch 2009-2012), MA Literature (Batch 2012-2014), BA in Criminal Justice ( 2014-2017)

Occupation: Sub – Inspector of Police

Relationship Status: Still Single, Thank You

Virtue: Different, Authoritative, loves and dedicated to her job

Flaws: Anger, arrogance, attitude, indifference 

Biggest Dream: Already fulfilled; joining the police force

Is Tejaswi another adaptation of Angry Young Woman or is there more hidden behind that tag name? Tejaswi is in for a ride to realize some life lessons before it’s too late.

KAF (Kites are Flying) will take this ride with Tejaswi.

2.      DEEPIKA PADUKONE/ PRIYAMANI/ MANJU WARIER as THARA RAGHURAM/ THARA MAHESHWAR ( Thara)

                                                       

                                               

Age: 30

Education: BA Lit (2009-2012), MA Literature (2012-2014), MSc. Maths(2014-2016)

Occupation: Housewife

Relationship Status:  Married for 6 years

Children: 4 year old Son

Virtue: An individual of great caliber, intelligent, sensible, ambitious, patriotic

Vice: Can’t take decisions on own because of her upbringing, a detached person to everything that doesn’t interest her. Not a perfect cut out for ideal wife and mother role.

Biggest Dream: To qualify Civil Service and serve the country

Thara’s story is not uncommon in our society. A woman of substance held hostage inside the invisible threads of male dominated world. She is expected to wither away in the clout of patriarchal society around her.

Will she be able to achieve her dream of decades? Or will she become a weed over the decades? It is for KAF to explore....

3.      KANGANA RANAUT / NITYA MENON / PARVATHY MENON as AZMIA BILAAL/ AZMIA KHALEEL KHAN (Azmi)

                                                        

Age: 29

Education: BA Literature (2009 – not completed)

Occupation: Housewife

Relationship Status: 11 years of intolerance to continue or not?!

Virtue: Headstrong girl with dreams and talent; doesn’t go down without a fight, a bold soul

Vice: Belonged to a poor orthodox family which didn’t value a woman’s life

Biggest Dream: WAS to be educated and qualified enough to support her family. In simple words, be an ACHIEVER in life.

The actual purpose of a burqa worn by a Muslim woman is meant to protect her purity, by concealing her body. But the truth is, often it conceals not just the body. Azmia Bilaal aka Azmia Khaleel Khan is a proof of this statement. Religion is a way to God; but some use it as a cross road to hell. A budding rose was nipped in the bud; but Azmia stands for a brave soul. Even if she was not allowed to blossom, she for one won’t get withered away.

KAF is the story of Azmia’s struggle against her burqa, the orthodoxy practiced in the name of religion and above all the fate that was casted upon her. It is the fight of her life, for a life, and finally to a life.

4.  Kongana sen / SNEHA / KAVYA MADHAVAN as ANJALI PRAKASH/ ANJALI ASHOK ( Anju)

                                                     

Age: 31

Education: BA literature ( 2009-2012)

Occupation: Government Job, Secretariat 

Relationship Status: Married for 10 years

Children: 3 sons                

Virtue: Very cultured and traditional, loves her husband no matter what, dedicated completely to her family, loving and caring to others

Vice: very cultured and traditional, loves her husband no matter what, dedicated completely to family, loving and caring to others and none to own soul

Biggest Dream: To be the perfect wife, mother and have the perfect family that is often portrayed in the Utopian dream! 

She ran all her life trying to please others, fulfilling others ‘expectations of her. She never had a moment to take respite from this mad race, for herself. First it was about being the obedient daughter who made her parents proud. Then it was about being the well behaved daughter-in-law and the perfect wife. Then motherhood came knocking and that became another field to prove her credentials. In short, a girl who forgot to realize the meaning of ‘HER SELF’!

 KAF deals with how Anjali Ashok learns about herself. It is a tale of Anjali’s discovery of her ‘self’.

5.      VIDHYA BALAN/ ANJALI / MALLIKA as ESTHER EVA EPPAN/ ESTHER EVA LOIS ( Eva)

                                                         

Age: 31

Education: BA Literature (2010-2012), MA Literature (2012-2014), B.ed

Occupation:  Teacher at St. Mary School 

Relationship Status: 6 years of happily ever after

Children: One daughter and one son – 5 and 3 year old

Virtue: Capable, perfectionist, God fearing, obedient, well mannered

Vice: Cleanliness freak, obsessed with four person syndrome, a tiny winy bit of inferiority complex, and a bit too fond of luxurious lifestyle

Biggest Dream: To have her own fairy tale with her prince charming and angel like kids! 

A girl born and brought up in a God fearing middle class family tends to have some common traits. Like for example, she is God fearing, values family and relations a lot, knows the value of money and handles it carefully, tends to be responsible and capable in a very early age and have life goals that are realistic and practical for herself. Esther also had these qualities. But she was not just a commoner. She had fire inside her which she douched for practical reasons. For her, having a job is more important than establishing a career. Security and stability is more important in a married life. Protection and care is what she expects from the institution of family. Amidst all this practicality, the feisty Esther got lost. 

Will Esther evolve herself from the graveyard she pitched for herself? It’s for KAF to say.

6.      KALKI koechlin/ TASPSEE/ SHRINDA as JOANNA JOYCE (Jo)

                                                          

Age: 29

Education: BA literature (2010- 2012 batch), Bachelor in Journalism and Mass communication (BJMS)

Occupation: Journalist

Relationship status: Still Married, No thank you

Children: One daughter – 3 year old

Virtue: Cool, easy going, takes life as it comes, strong and bold in her own style

Vice: Never shows her real emotions and has a violent streak at times, an air of superiority complex

Biggest Dream: To become a successful ‘and’ satisfied individual.  

She is someone you can never figure out fully. At one moment, she is the most strong and sensible, play it cool kind of a person. And at the next, she will be at your throat screaming her lungs down if need be. She is the perfect blend of coolness and violence, of sensibility and immatureness.

 KAF is also the bildungsroman (coming-of age) of Joanna Joyce and how she deals with the situations in her life shedding her ego.

7.      RADHIKA APTE / KRITI KHARBANDA / RIMA KALLINGAL as GAURI KRISHNA/  GAURI MADHAV

                                                          

Age: 29

 Education: BA literature (2010-2012), MA Literature (2012-2014)

Occupation: Credit officer, Union Bank

Relationship Status: Married for 10 years, will be divorced in months

Children: One daughter ( 5)

Virtue: Practical, down to earth, sensible, mature, realistic

Vice: Have fewer aspirations from life; often very hard on herself.

Biggest Dream: Dreams are not for real life...

She is a girl who only wanted a normal life - a secure job, a loving family and security in life. And she had it all and was really happy with her life. But suddenly when the wild card in the deck threw away her well planned life for the next 30 years, she could do nothing but pick up the leftover pieces and start over.

Will she be able to, forms one part of the crux of KAF.

8.      PARINEETI CHOPRA/ GENELIA D’ZOUSA/ BHAVANA as AARADHYA ABHIRAM ( Aaru)

                                                              

Age: 29

Education: BA literature (2010-2012), MA Literature (2012-2014)

Occupation: Handling father’s business, and philanthropist 

Relationship Status: Happily married for 7 years now

Children: One son (6) and twins – 2 daughters (3)

Virtue: Frank, good at counselling/advising, mature, persistent, strong mindset

Vice: Lazy, aimless, judgmental, frank, has a pinch of ego and superiority complex 
Biggest Dream: To love passionately, to work passionately, and to live with contentment

She is someone who wishes to be invisible and spent most of her life inside her beautiful home away from the noises of the world. She wants a simple life, where she is available for all the needs of her kids, be a loving wife to her husband and have a decent lifestyle with nothing excess or less. And she got a straight out of a fairy tale prince charming for husband, lots of children whom she loves, financially successful life and a business heritage to take forward. To top it, she is also involved in social services which seem to be her cream area. She fairly had an easy life and anyone would wish for a life like hers.

But is her life as easy as it seems? Or are there fissures on the wall? Fairy tales are loved and cherished by majority but how does it feel to live one? It’s for KAF to tell us.

Aaradhya is going to be the spokesperson for the majority of the story.