EastEnders star issues plea to fans as villain faces biggest crisis yet
One of EastEnders' stars has issued a plea to the soap's fans to 'see the person' and 'not the villain' as his character faces a huge crisis as part of an ongoing mental health storyline
Aaron Thiara plays Ravi Gulati(Image: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders are set to put one character through the ringer with a brutal mental health storyline, and one soap star has pleaded with fans to “see the person” and “not the villain”. Aaron Thiara, who plays Ravi Gulati, said he thought viewers might hold Ravi’s past against him but wanted them to simply see a “human being in crisis”.
Ravi’s mental health has been spiralling since January and is set to completely collapse in the coming weeks as he continues to struggle with having attacked his own son whilst drugged.
Some fans have been struggling to feel sorry for Ravi though, as only a few months ago, he was forcing Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) and vulnerable Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho) to work for his drugs gang. That storyline ended with Harry’s false imprisonment and pushed him into a drug addiction.
Ravi has been struggling for months(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
But, Aaron said that he hopes fans can look past Ravi’s history amid his upcoming storyline, which EastEnders worked with mental health charity Samaritans on. He said: “In these moments, I hope the audience can simply see a human being in crisis. Some may hold his history against him, but I hope people will see, not the villain, not the history, but the person underneath it all.”
He added details on what Ravi will be going through on the soap. “We’ve seen Ravi really struggling in the weeks leading up to this. He feels powerless and believes he’s unable to keep his family safe. On top of that, he has recently been experiencing night terrors, which have taken a significant toll on him.
“Because he’s not aware of what’s happening while he’s asleep, they are frightening both for him and for those around him. Eventually, Priya steps in and takes him to the hospital to be assessed, worried about him and wanting him to get the help he needs.”
As Ravi reaches crisis point, he is set to consider taking his own life. Lorna Fraser, the Head of Media Advisory Service at Samaritans, explained why the charity was involved behind the scenes: “Storylines responsibly reflecting experiences of mental health and suicide can help tackle stigma and encourage viewers who might be struggling to talk about how they are feeling.
Priya knows Ravi needs help(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
“We’re proud to have supported EastEnders with covering Ravi’s self-harm and mental health crisis sensitively and grateful for their efforts in making this as safe as possible. We hope it helps anyone watching to seek support if they need it.” Executive producer Ben Wadey added that the soap wanted to handle Ravi’s story with the “care and sensitivity it deserves”.
Something that pushes Ravi close to the edge is the bullying that his son, Nugget (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury), is facing after having an epileptic fit in front of some of his school mates.
Ravi faces huge pressure to keep his family safe and happy and doesn’t realise how much he’s struggling with that. “That’s what makes it so heartbreaking,” Aaron said. “He has spiralled so far that he can no longer recognise how unwell he is.”
He added that it was a “special gift” to share the storyline with Juhaim, his onscreen girlfriend Sophie Levy, and onscreen daughter Aaliyah James. Aaron said the “magic of EastEnders” was how everyone feels like part of a “family unit”.
He continued: “And just like any real family, that connection only forms through an immense amount of trust – trust in each other, trust in the work, trust in the vulnerability you all bring to the floor every day. We also understood that we had a responsibility with this story. It’s one that will resonate with a lot of the audience in very personal ways.”
