Saagar Kote
Netflix’s ‘Gajab Raat’ is a tale of conflicted characters, moral battles, sacrifices, and responsibilities. It centers on the challenges faced by corrupt Delhi police officer SI Ajay Nirvit on a particularly unpredictable and dangerous night. He reluctantly assumes responsibility for investigating a case involving a girl who was thrown out of a speeding vehicle in a public place. This proves to be one of the toughest cases of Ajay’s career, as it not only tests his judgment about right and wrong, but also his life. With the girl’s life at stake, Ajay must do everything in his power to save her from powerful adversaries who want her dead for a very specific reason.
Once Ajay takes the girl to Mansarovar Hospital for immediate medical attention, it becomes clear to him that he must now face several dangerous players, each with a different strategy to restrict him. Caught between his own corrupt ways and his unlikely empathy for the girl, Ajay realizes he is indeed in a precarious position. In the story, Arya Sahni and Suneeta Chaudhary are two characters who stand at opposite ends of the moral spectrum and play a vital role in conveying the film’s message. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Arya Sahni is a Fictional Character Who Symbolizes the Value of Honest Journalism
After much confusion about the girl’s identity, ‘Gajab Raat’ eventually reveals that her real name is Arya Sahni and that she is a journalist with evidence against a powerful politician. Arya is an imaginary character who reflects the sacrifices that honest journalists make in the pursuit of truth. Although not based on any real-life journalist, Arya symbolizes selflessness and situational awareness. She is a strong-willed young woman whose actions make her a target for powerful people with secrets to protect. While covering an international conference in Poland on pandemic preparedness, Arya comes across something that instantly upends her life. She learns that Suneeta Chaudhary, a prominent Indian politician, is secretly making a deal with both Indian and foreign businessmen to deliberately create panic in India regarding a new virus.
This illegal deal allows foreign vaccine companies to enter the Indian market by exploiting public fear, thereby generating profitable cash rewards for Suneeta from the companies. Arya’s discovery of this incriminating secret places her life at risk as she scrambles to secure the evidence and flies back to India to expose the truth. ‘Gajab Raat’ portrays Arya as a courageous individual not afraid to stand up to power. This very quality of hers prompts Suneeta to activate a scheme to have Arya murdered. But when Arya is kidnapped by a CBI officer who intends to kill her, she jumps out of the car in the nick of time, and the case is eventually taken over by Ajay.
For most of the story, Arya is confined to a hospital bed, fighting for her life. Despite being severely injured, she makes it out alive, with Ajay’s help. Arya’s character appears to be a real journalist because of how she conducts herself in tough situations and shows resilience. She even swallows a memory card containing crucial evidence to ensure that it is not destroyed. Arya is comparable to the characters of reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey in director Maria Schrader’s ‘She Said.’ Arya’s sacrifices add to her character development, making her a truly positive force in a broken world.
Suneeta Chaudhary is an Imaginary Character Who Represents Corruption and Abuse of Power
The true villain of ‘Gajab Raat’ is Suneeta Chaudhary, a fictional politician whose actions symbolize moral decadence and apathy. Though she is not based on any specific real-life Indian politician, Suneeta broadly symbolizes how absolute power can sometimes corrupt absolutely. The film doesn’t reveal what position she holds in the government, but simply presents her as a politician with elite connections and an acumen for business deals. In the name of pandemic preparedness, she secretly makes deals to earn crores of rupees for her own benefit. Suneeta’s character is also utilized as a warning sign by the narrative, examining how her authority makes her assume that she is beyond consequences and rules. Suneeta also uses every resource at her disposal to get Arya murdered, but ultimately fails because of Ajay’s actions.
One of the most important aspects of Suneeta’s character is how calm and composed she looks even when she is orchestrating the most heinous plans. This quality makes her a dangerous individual, capable of going to any extent to save her image. While Ajay is also corrupt, he still has some capacity for empathy, which Suneeta completely lacks. This is the fundamental difference between Ajay and Suneeta, who end up standing on opposite sides of the conflict regarding Arya. Suneeta’s speeches, her behavior, body language, and other skills make her feel like a real politician. Ultimately, both Arya and Suneeta are very significant characters whose actions convey the film’s complex and intricate themes.
Read More: Gajab Raat Ending Explained
