Aaron Thiara, who plays Ravi Gulati on EastEnders, has addressed the possibility of his character returning to Walford after an abrupt exit following a harrowing mental health storyline. In an interview supporting Mind and the Ricky Hatton Foundation during Men's Mental Health Week, Thiara teased that Ravi's story is far from over, particularly regarding his relationship with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy).
Ravi's Downward Spiral
Ravi's recent arc saw him descend into a crisis after being drugged and hallucinating his deceased father, Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), leading him to violently attack his son Nugget (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury), who was subsequently diagnosed with epilepsy. The incident was part of a revenge plot by Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) and Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) after Ravi turned informant to avoid prison for his involvement in a drug operation that resulted in the death of Tobias 'Okie' Okyere (Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu).
Thiara described the storyline as a privilege and a responsibility. 'It's been a privilege to be trusted with something that holds a great responsibility to tell the story in a way that needs to be fully committed,' he said. 'I was aware heading into the story that I need to give myself to it in order to do it justice and tell someone's story. Look, pressure is a privilege, right? So is hard work. So I loved every bit of it.'
Sectioning and Absence
Despite Priya's efforts to get psychiatric help, Ravi's mental health deteriorated to the point where he considered taking his own life, leading to his sectioning and a diagnosis of complex-PTSD. He made a brief return to explain his release and intention to heal alone, then vanished from the Square. In his absence, Priya has begun an affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood), but Thiara hinted that a reunion might be possible.
'That seems to be what the fans want, so yeah, maybe something along those lines,' he teased. On his willingness to explore future storylines, Thiara added: 'I'm open to anything. I think what it does so well and with the actors and the characters within it is we go through all these nose dives into this story and pull out and we go to another story. So as an actor, you have to just be ready to be pulled in any direction.'
Looking Ahead
Thiara, who has played Ravi for four years, expressed gratitude for the diverse material he has been given. 'To be honest, I've been very fortunate to play such an array of different stories and different tones and colours and emotions. And I feel like having done four years, whatever they throw at me – I will go with it.'
Fans will have to wait and see if Ravi returns to Walford and whether he can rebuild his relationship with Priya. For now, Thiara's comments suggest that the door is open for a comeback.
