31/1 - Epi 25 ... Pride and Prejudice

Friday 31st Jan

He thinks she is guilty .. she knows all about the gun smuggling, and he will make her confess it, come what may. Besides, he's smarting ... his pride just got rubbed in the dirt, with the failure to collect even a shred of evidence against the Thakur. A slip of a girl ... and he can't get the better of her?!

She thinks he, and with him, the entire BSD, are guilty ... they killed her parents, her sister-like friend, Bindi, and now he killed her husband ... she will never forgive him. Besides, she's angry ... he made a fool of her ... gave her the bait of freedom, allowed her to return home ... only to try to trap both her and her mother-like Maami-sa. She will never allow him to defeat her or cow her down ... she will fight!

Both mired in their long-standing prejudice ... both smarting with hurt pride.

Good Parud scene to start off the episode. Sanaya was brilliant ... Paro's voice was soft, her face, her eyes scared, but her tone determined. Paro doesn't need to shout or rant or even speak loudly, to make her point. She's scared, but she will take the fight to the lion's den. 

The roti making scene between Dilsher and Paro was very sweet .. the gruff, bitter man, who doesn't want to accept any help which might indicate his helplessness at his disability ... he salvages his pride by saying a woman makes better chapatis than a man because she's genetically engineered that way. :)
He wonders why Paro came back ... Paro remembers Rudra's threat of burning her village if she did anything to herself ... she had no choice. She can't betray her village ... and she can't take her own life.
Dilsher tells her to eat ... Paro tears up at the first hint of kindness she has seen in days.
Dilsher asks her what if someone from her village comes looking for her? Paro can't tell him that's not going to happen.

Rudra gets told off in no uncertain terms by his CO. Get some proof ... or else.
Aman is not allowed to call Paro by name. Better to keep her a nameless entity.

Mohini kaaki is still ranting ... even a smidgeon of prasad is accompanied by free-flowing insults ... she is completely insecure about her carefully built up business being taken over ... or worse, ruined.

Paro vows that she will not shed any more tears.
She asks for a sign from Bholenath that she's doing the right thing by staying and fighting Rudra ... Dilsher brings her the aarti ka prasad ... sign received and understood.

Rudra comes home, still smarting from his ticking off ... he likes the rotis ... taunts his father about eating the rotis made by 'that woman' ... gets taunted right back, they weren't made by 'that woman', they were made by 'the girl'. And a muft ka suggestion ... 'she makes good food, why don't you marry her?' 
Chalo, sasurji has given his blessing to the union. She won his approval the moment she called Rudra 'jallad' ... obviously she is a good judge of character!

Precap ... Rudra's plan of sending Paro to Birpur was a disaster in more ways than one ... Paro was seen on the bus heading to Chandangarh. So Thakursa is on the way. Fortunately, so is the Thakurain.

30/1 - Epi 24 ... Deceit Exposed

Thursday 30th Jan

Rudra's deceit exposed to Paro ... he never meant her to go free, he was using her to trap maamisa. Paro wriggles out of the trap ... this time.

Thakur's deceit exposed to thakurain ... he doesn't know where Nandu is, he was trying to spare maamisa the heartbreak. Thakurain buys it ... Thakur wriggles out of the trap ... this time.

Kaaka-sa is quite an interesting character ... he is not an Ahemji! I discovered how he has tolerated his wife's rantings all these years ... he ignores them. No wonder she is so frustrated. Vibheeshan's wife was beautiful ... ROFL!!!! Mohini kaaki's face at that one ... ROFL ROFL

Precap was the best ... timid Paro faces her biggest fear ... and prepares to fight him.

The episode:
Starts with Paro's conversation with her Bholenath, she thanks him for returning her to her home ... and asks him if something is wrong. Bholenath is always merciful to his devotees ... he lets her in no uncertain terms she is being had. Rudra and Aman are about as stealthy as a herd of elephants, and just as conspicuous ...
And Paro is smart ... she's innocent, but do not make the mistake of equating innocence with dumbness. Rudra just did. To his peril.
Paro remembers her glass bangles clinking, and quietly slips them off, her payals ditto (how come her payal didn't make a noise in the haveli?) ... and proceeds to give Rudra the slip ... quite comprehensively.

In the meantime, the family sleeping in the courtyard has a disturbed night ... first kaaka's coughing ... for which his DIL dutifully gets him water, but wakes up the rest of the family to do so ... then mosquitoes, for which Samrat dutifully lights a coil ... to which Sumer objects ... this mother son duo are such whiners. Apparently the father and older son are used to the whining though ... it doesn't noticeably bother them.
Kaaka-sa waits for Mohini to finish ranting, asks her 'are you done? Can we sleep now?' ... and promptly proceeds to do just that.
I could feel Mohini kaaki's frustration ... I really could!!!

Back to the middle of the night action in Birpur ... Paro gives her pursuers the slip ... this girl is one smart cookie. I like her!!!  

Rudra and Aman spend the entire night searching for Paro. She probably got back in time to have a good night's sleep ... in a proper bed too! 

Thakur makes an elaborate show of calling Nandu baisa ... connects and has a brief conversation ... and smartly disconnects the phone before maamisa can speak to her.

Not smartly enough ... Thakurain notices ... and questions him instantly. He wriggles his way out ... this time. 

Morning ... Rudra returns home, and has a brief war of words with Sumer at the door ... these two are sworn enemies. 

Mohini kaaki has more to rant about ... her DIL made a good breakfast ... but for Taya sasurji, not for her. On request from her sasurji, of course. Mohini sweetly likens him and his brother to Ravan and Vibheeshan ... the comparison rebounds on her ... leaving her spluttering! 

DIL is not well ... what ails her?

Rudra enters his quarters in a foul mood ... he's lost his prime, and only, witness ... only to find that a) he hasn't lost her after all and b) prime witness just turned hostile. Very, very hostile. As hostile as is possible for a meek mouse like Paro to be. 

29/1 - Epi 23 ... Softening for the Kill

Wednesday 29th Jan

Not a bride ... only a witness. 
Rudra clears any confusion his father might be labouring under right away. And appoints him guard.
Dilsher tells Paro his son is mad. And he's not being no guard.
Rudra wonders when Dilsher started getting affected by a woman's tears. And advises him not to bother.
Paro is shocked to know Dilsher is Rudra's father ... Rudra is back to jallad again. Rudra does not like her taunts.

Kaaka kaaki sa and family prepare to camp out in the courtyard ... to keep an eye on Rudra? Didn't really work, they were all fast asleep.
Mohini has a big problem with her DIL ... another mystery to unfold. Liked the way Samrat silently comforts his wife ... the silent reassurance, the holding hands ...

Paro baisa is not giving up so easily ... she tries to get the curtains loose ... and hurts herself in the process.
Rudra's anger when he sees her escape attempt ... gone with the wind when he sees her hurt bleeding hand. He binds her hand ever so gently ... while Paro stares at the change ... the anger gone, only the caring left. Maybe that emboldened her to speak out again.

Paro's defiance ... even when held by brute force, her back against a wall, she can defy the man, tell him that she will never stop trying to escape ... after all, what can he do to her that he hasn't already done? What does she have to lose? And she won't eat, thank you very much.

Maybe it was that defiance that decided Rudra to change his tactics ... browbeating her, scaring her, keeping her captive hadn't worked ... time for some trickery and deceit. Maybe he belatedly remembered his CO's words ... sympathy might work where force doesn't.
So he tries ... he really does. He tells her she's free to go, if she eats her food. He even feeds her with his own hands, when her bandage prevents her from breaking the burnt roti ...
She doesn't believe him. He promises ... 12 o'clock. One more hour. And watches as Paro stares fixedly, desperately at the clock, as though willing it to move faster ... watches as she eats absently the food that he puts in her mouth, her eyes not moving from that clock ...

And he keeps his promise. At 12, the door opens, he escorts Paro out ... stopping as Mohini stirs, moving again to hold Paro's wrists, to stop the clinking of the glass bangles ... holds her wrists as naturally as though he does it every day, has the right to hold her ... while Paro stares at her wrists held captive ...
Throws a shawl around her as naturally, holds her hand to put money as naturally ... and he lets her go.

Paro leaves nervously, looking back as though to check he's not following her ... not yet ready to believe its true, that she really is free ...

Of course it's not true ... Rudra-sa is following her all the way to Birpur. With Aman as back up.

But Paro baisa isn't as innocent and naive as she looks ... and mirrors are handy embellishments on one's clothes ... more than simply decoration.

28/1 - Epi 22 ... The Prodigals Return

Tuesday 28th Jan 

One point explained ... the big haveli ... which looks more like a small palace ... is in Dilsher's name. Nice to have these things cleared up.
Does that explain why Mohini kaki took such pains to throw out her older brother-in-law so many years ago? And why she is so furious to see him back? And Dilsher's younger brother, Rudra's kaka, is in no hurry to overthrow his brother. Thus adding to Mohini's frustration. No wonder she has fed poison to her sons since their childhood ... the bad blood between Sumer and Rudra is of long standing duration.

Mohini kaki's older son is stable, the younger one seems to be as volatile as Rudra. Quite an explosive combination, this is going to be.
The sons did have a point ... if Mohini kaki has built up the cottage industry they run, they're entitled to the profits.

So Rudra had not gone to Laila ... he went to get his father. Father and son have a strange way of showing their affection ... but they are all each other has got ... so they stay together. And now that Rudra has gone back to his family home, his father's exile ends as well.

So they return ... just in time to prevent Sumer from breaking open the door guarding Paro's prison ... a frightened Paro inside takes the time to wonder at a multi-sided mirror ... and even smile.

A tearful kaka welcomes his brother home ... and an equally sentimental Dilsher returns the hug.
These Ranawat men seem to be cut from the same cloth ... all are harsh on the surface, and completely sentimental at heart. Wonder whether Mohini's two boys are the same, or are they made of sterner stuff, like their mother?

Family politics in the Ranawat khandaan ... Mohini kaki is supremely bit*** even in her obeisance to her BIL and in his introduction to her family ... never allows Dilsher to forget his humiliation.
Rudra watches narrowly ... can the grown up man figure out what maybe the child Rudra never could ... how Mohini's sweet tongue sugarcoats the barbs she shoots from it?

Rudra takes his father into his locked prison ... and for a moment, panics when he can't see Paro anywhere. Till his father sees her ... perched on top of a cupboard.
She saw a mouse.
A very simple rational explanation.

Dilsher asks a very simple rational question ... 'you didn't even call me for the wedding?' 

Rudra is not amused ... neither at Paro's perch, or at the amount of time she takes to climb down. So he 'helps' her ...
And we get the first Rangrasiya Ve ... in front of Daddy??? Cool!!!

MU perpetuated by Rudra ... feeding his new bride with his own hands. What has he told his father?! 

27/1 - Epi 21 .. Roaring Fire, Gentle Rain - Rudra & Paro

Monday 27th Jan

Rudra - the destroyer. Roaring fire, his third eye if opened, will consume everything in its path.
Paro - gentle rain. She calms the roaring fire, quenches the mighty flames and soothes the raging storm.

*edit*

He brings her to his home, his sanctum, the place of his childhood, the place he was happy, the place he lost his happiness ...
His sole mission ... to keep her safe ...

Kaki-Maasi furious ...
Kakasa happy to see him back ... for him, Rudra is beta
For Rudra, Kaka is Constable ...
And the division of the house is done ... the boundaries are drawn ...
Rudra came equipped with all the essentials to demarcate his territory ... and does it pretty darn quick too!

Kaaki even more furious at her husband's tender heart ... she has trained her own sons better ... they will get rid of the interloper. So she thinks.

Paro wakes up ... to find herself in a dark world ... her only comfort, her mangalsutra ... false comfort, if she but knew ...
She explores her jail ... some girlie pictures ...
And a name scrawled on the wall ... Rudra ... the name of her lord, Shiva ...
Does the sight of the name ring a bell for Paro? Not long back, she complained to Lord Shiva that her intended husband did not have His name ...

Rudra forages for essentials for his captive ... he brought the rope and curtains and nails and other paraphernalia, but forgot the basics ... food. So like a man!

Rudra returns to the safe room ... starts opening the boxes and exploring the spoils of war ... pitifully little ... some nuts, some sweet pickle ... which might be spicy, he warns Paro ... and some ... atta.
Maybe he brought the wrong box.
She looks at him, at the flour spattered over his face ... she wants to say something ...
He sees her looking at him as though she wants to say something ... she looks away.
He checks his face in a make shift mirror ... looks at her again ... so that's what she wanted to say ...
Cleans, preens his mooch ... all okay now ...
Silent conversation ... the eyes said it all ...
Presentable again, he offers the last item ... water .. in case she feels thirsty. He's done his best under the circumstances.

Emboldened by the first normal tone she's heard him use, she plucks up the courage to ask ... 'where am I?'
Where she's safe ... where no one can reach her ... and where she can reach no one.
He's going out for the night ... gentlemanly behaviour from him ... she will stay locked in, out of earshot of anyone, so no need to scream ...
But she's safe, no need to worry.
Rudra's concern keeps peeping out, no matter how hard he tries to smother it.

He makes to leave ... her voice stops him ...
'Rudra.'
Just one word ... he stops in his tracks.
Did it feel like the first time he had heard his name? In that soft, hesitant, sweet voice ... no hate, no hurt in it ... just his name.
'That is your name, isn't it? It's the name of Lord Shiva.'
He knows. Big deal.
'Rudra. The destroyer.'
His face doesn't change ... doesn't betray the hurt ... he's heard it all before. That's what she thinks of him.

The soft voice continues.
'Destroyer ... of evil.'

Parvati sees the god in Shiva, through the burning anger, through the strange exterior, through the matted locks and ash smeared chest ... she sees the Lord Shiva, destroyer of evil.
Paro wants to see that too ... she wants to see the good in this harsh man, who has been nothing but hard and cruel to her ... but there has to be some goodness in him.
But he's shown her all the goodness he's capable of ... the sparse food, the jug of water, the fact that she's still alive ...
Paro is not done yet ... you say you fight for freedom, what about my freedom ... you say you kill traitors, but you have killed my loved ones ...
Rudra's anger, never very far from the surface, rises again ... they were traitors ... they deserved to die.

So he wants to kill her too, doesn't he?
He stares at her incredulously ... she thinks that?
Well, let her think so ... he will kill them all, if they betray his country.

She doesn't believe him. Her people are not traitors. Her husband was not a traitor.
His fury rises again as he sees her clutching her mangalsutra ... why does she hold on to that worthless thing? To the memory of a worthless man, who would have killed her?
And maybe fury because it reminds him that she once belonged to another man, however briefly.

She tells him to stop ... he says she started it ... but stop he does.

She's had enough ... he controls her life, but he will not control her death ...

No ... she cannot kill herself, he won't allow that ... he is Rudra, the destroyer ... if his Paro is hurt, he will destroy the world ...

Kaka tries to stop Rudra ... take this house, it's yours ...
Mohini kaaki was NOT happy at that one!
Rudra lays down more orders ... no more workers, the division stays.
Mohini kaaki hits him where it hurts ... he is like his mother ... selfish, grasping ... hiding his eyes won't hide whose son he is.

Mohini kaaki waits impatiently for her sons to return ... while Paro tries to shout for help ... not knowing if anyone else is even there in the house that is her prison.

Tomorrow ... more action! The cousin brothers return ... and one is as hot headed as Rudra!

Great episode!!! The PaRud scene was The Scene of the Day ... fabulous performances by both actors ... the raging fire in Rudra, the gentle softness of Paro ... the softness today did not hide the resilience of the girl, bending time and again under the blows being dealt to her ... yet she is not broken, not by a long way. Sanaya's subtle underplaying of emotions, the soft determination in her voice were a perfect counterfoil to the raging fury of Ashish's Rudra. 

24/1 - Epi 20 ... A Visit to the Past

Friday 24th January

How scary would it be to be alone in the world, know that your loved ones had abandoned you ... and then learn that they think you dead. If there was any hope that someone might come looking for her, that hope died as Paro learned of the elaborate deception Rudra had engineered. No one knows she is alive ... no one but her captors ... she is completely at their mercy.
What a completely frightening, terrifying place to be in.

No wonder she would prefer to be dead.

This time, Paro didn't faint ... she was knocked out.

A visit to the past ... as Rudra takes Paro back to his old home ... and takes himself back down memory lane ... a journey to the most painful place in his heart ... a time when a young boy waited for his faithless mother to return ... but waited in vain.

An aunt twice over ... kaki and maasi ... the double relationship seems to have doubled only the dose of sweet poison she doles out to brother-in-law and nephew both.

Sweet memories in the old home ... memories that have been buried deep, but struggle to surface nevertheless ... memories of happier times, of laughter and love ...

While in Birpur, the Thakur sheds crocodile tears on the demise of Paro Baisa ... and checks in private if the news of her death is confirmed. Rudra and Aman are a step ahead here ... the post mortem report is fixed already.
Paro's maami requests for her daughter Nandini's return ... throwing the Thakur into yet another fix ... he has no idea what happens to the girls once they cross the border, and neither does he want to know. They were always only the means to an end.

Rudra's kaaki recognises Rudra, because he has his mother's eyes ... the eyes that don't allow his father to forget ... the eyes that are a curse.

Nice to see old flashbacks, and to see the little Rudra again ... the PH has planned well, and shot proper flashback scenes ... they bring the past to life. 
And will Rudra even tell the family he has a captive girl in his quarters? I thought he would declare her to be his bride ... but will he? And most importantly, when will Paro get a change of clothes?! 

23/1 - Epi 19 ... Deception

Thursday 23rd Jan 

Paro calls Rudra 'jallad' and asks his CO to keep him away from her. CO is more sympathetic to her situation and tells her she needs to rest.

Aman makes sure to tell Paro that she's calling Rudra the wrong name ... he just saved her life. Aman did not like Paro calling Rudra 'jallad'!
Paro registers the statement ... Rudra returns and stares at her with reproach hidden in his eyes ... she looks back, the hint of an apology in hers ...
voh bhi hai kuch aadha aadha, voh bhi hai adhoori 
And Rudra spends the rest of the night doing guard duty ... not taking his eyes off her.
Rudra is becoming Othello-esque in his obsession with Paro. He doesn't want to let her out of his sight.

The CO tells Rudra ... keep Paro alive, and make her talk. Rudra has a plan to keep her safe.
The line I really liked from the CO ... the villagers have been fed poison against the BSD with their mother's milk. Make sure we don't add more poison from our side.
A very sensible piece of advice ... would apply to all armed forces stationed in conflict areas where there is always deep distrust from the local population.
Doesn't seem to register much on Rudra though ... judging by his later actions.

Aman isn't happy that Rudra is tying Paro's hands ... their CO said to treat the prisoner with sympathy. Apparently a seat belt is too much sympathy for Rudra ... a rope will have to do.
Besides, do they have seat belts in those jeeps at all?

Aman is doing a Lakshman ... his sister's name was Parvati. I think he's trying to follow his CO's orders to show sympathy to Paro, especially since his boss Rudra is failing so abysmally at it. It works ... somewhat ...
Paro asks, 'was'?
Aman says she died ... had cancer, found release. Paro's eyes show her sympathy, but her own misery comes back to haunt her ... 'wish he could have given me release too ... why did he bother to save me?'
She doesn't want to live, she has nowhere to go, no one to live for ... why did Rudra save her? He can just kill her now.
Rudra saved her because she's his witness, and for no other reason.
Paro is not happy at that ... she gets back at Rudra ... by trying to run away the first chance she gets. She might as well have saved herself the trouble ... Rudra finds her immediately.

That was a temporary glitch for Rudra, nothing more ... they meet another platoon at a meeting point, where Paro will be shifted to a safe spot ... but before that can happen, Rudra's jeep blows up ... with Paro in it. And a very loud stage dialogue from Aman ... 'Oh no, sir ... the girl is dead.' 

News is relayed immediately to Tejawat ... and the man is delighted. Paro baisa, thank you so much for your ultimate sacrifice. 
Thaku-sa is such a deliciously evil villain ... good to see him back. I love the guy! Every time he smiles and raises that one eyebrow!

And Rudra proceeds to fetch Paro from where he has safely hidden her away, handcuffed, of course ... he's not about to trust her an inch, especially after her abortive escape attempt. Paro follows him, but not very wilingly .... kicking and screaming ... and biting ... her mangal sutra falls, and she wants it back ... and what Paro wants, Paro gets ...
And as she stares at her mangal sutra ... the promise of a dream ... Rudra intrudes, her harsh reality ... and tells her with savage intensity ... no one else wants her alive as much as he does.

The world thinks Paro dead ... the deception has succeeded. And Rudra drugs Paro and takes her to a safe spot ... his old home. 

22/1 - Epi 18 ... MU's Blow Up and Family Skeletons Tumble Out

Wednesday 22nd Jan

Quick update as daughter leaves tonight :)

The first scene, as expected, deepens Paro's mistrust of Rudra even further ... far from being grateful to him for calming her during her nightmare, she throws a hissy fit at him being so close, draws all the wrong conclusions and literally throws him off the bed ... much to his infuriated disgust.
Rudra looked rather petulant and sulky at Paro's accusations ... his face said, 'what's with you, woman ... I saved you from injuring yourself, and you're shouting at me!'
Or in IPK lingo ... "What The ...!" 

Mallu nurse comes in to fuss over Paro, and tells her that she must 'kaana kaa' if she wants to go back home ... Paro obediently breaks into a song ... and Rudra is stupefied ... another 'What the ...' moment for him. Aman translates, not without a grin, the South Indian accent ... nurse said 'khaana khao', not 'gaana gao' ...
Good thing ... else Rudra was sure Paro had lost her mind. He can't believe how innocent this girl is!
SN - couldn't they have gotten another singer? The most mis-matched voice compared to Sanaya's speaking voice!!! But the scene was funny ... Paro seriously singing ... Rudra staring as though she had lost her mind, and Aman barely managing to hide his grin.

Chacha's wife and daughter-in-law make their entry ... wife is rich bit** ... who also happens to be Rudra's mother's sister ... and furious with her sister for betraying the family honor and running away with another man. So she is related to Rudra by ties of blood, not only marriage. And she hates Rudra almost as much ... the troubled child obviously found no sympathy or maternal care in her.
DIL is standard brow-beaten DIL. Chacha is standard joru ka ghulam.
They seem to be a wealthy family ... the haveli is grand.

Evil doctor tries to poison Paro with red medicine ... Rudra catches him in the act and gives chase ... but evil doctor stabs him with a forceps and runs away. Rudra manages to rush to Paro's room to check on her and collapses at her bedside after removing the poisonous IV line. Paro is not impressed.

Paro complains to Rudra's CO that she's not all right, she wants to go home ... she needs a change of clothes (that I agree!) ... and please keep that jallad away from her.
Rudra gives her another petulant sulky look ... he's already thinking of himself as Paro's personal protector, and can't believe she doesn't appreciate his feats of bravery on her behalf.

Precap ... Rudra has more trouble ahead of him ... Paro is not the demure shy girl he thought she was ... she's a jungli billi! Complete with teeth and claws! 

21/1 - Epi 17 ... Breakdown

Tuesday 21st Jan

What an episode! The start scene and the end scene had me on the edge ... the middle scenes filled in the gaps and rounded the edges nicely.

A parched Paro panics again on seeing her nemesis Rudra ... who faints on seeing her ... or rather from his unattended wounds ... finally!
And Sanaya deserves all the acting awards this year for the scene which followed ...a half-crazed, delirious Paro goes into shock, pulls the gun on the unconscious Rudra, but can't bring herself to shoot him ... his chacha manages to talk her out of pulling the trigger on Rudra, only to find her point the gun at her own temple, utter hopelessness, despair, grief written on her face ... he talks her into dropping the gun and she does so and collapses into helpless racking sobs ... the gun goes off, the shot startles her again ... her wide terrified eyes show her panic ... then she collapses in a final breakdown ... her tears splash onto Rudra's eyes and revive him slightly ... and chacha gets him dragged off to hospital ... about time too!

Doctor tries to talk some sense into Rudra ... not happening, he's too worried about Paro's whereabouts ... where is the girl?! Aman tries to calm Rudra, again not happening, he wants Paro under his eyes every minute, she has to be near him ... because she's their most important witness ... yeah, right. 
In the meantime, doctor, who is actually the hired killer, gets ready to pump in a bright red poison into Paro's iv line ... just so that no one can miss it. And of course, is stopped by the timely entrance of Aman, under Rudra's orders ...

Rudra's chacha makes his introduction ... so Rudra and he have not met for the last fifteen years...
A very nice scene ... a loving chacha, who misses both his brother and nephew, tries to reach out ... a bitter Rudra, reminded again of old wounds, refuses the outstretched hand ... refutes the proffered relationship ... but the tears in his eyes say otherwise.

Doctor on late night rounds, is annoyed to find that Paro has been shifted into Rudra's room, and her security and care hijacked by Rudra ... his chance stymied again ...
Rudra doesn't take his eyes off Paro for a second ...

Doctor dispatched ... he's not giving up, he leaves a sedative for Rudra under the guise of antibiotics ...

Aman dispatched with a curt 'Good night, Aman' ...
I like Aman! :)

Rudra, still watching Paro, almost takes the tablet ... but Paro's nightmare starts just then with a shouted 'nahin' ... and he doesn't take the tablet ...

Paro's nightmare ... a breakdown, even in sleep  ... the shocks and trauma of the day bring back the old nightmare ... as Rudra watches in helpless horror ... and then struggles to contain her struggles ... and succeeds just as her hand clasps his rudraksha ... protector of Paro always ...

Inka saath hai jaise maati sang kumhar ... 

Maati ban jaave hai murat, laage iska haath

Chhaap tilak dono ki hove 

Jab hove yeh saath 

Precap ... so the doctor succeeds in his task, but is caught by Rudra ... will his poison work, or will Rudra save Paro in time?
SN - of course he will save Paro in time ... he's the hero and Paro the heroine :)))

20/1 - Epi 16 ... Shadyantra

Monday 20th Jan

The Thakur leaves nothing to chance ... Paro baisa, we will miss you, but you must die.

Paro may be an uneducated village belle, but she's not a wimp ... no weeping and wailing why her maami-sa disowned her, she knows exactly why maamisa did so ... but the blame for that goes not to the Thakur, but to the BSD, and to Rudra in particular ... of course maamisa disowned me, you klutz, because if she and the village had acknowledged me, you would have wreaked havoc in the entire village. It's all your fault. You're an animal! 
So many years of brain washing by the Thakur have had their effect.

Rudra is even more furious ... he knows that by not acknowledging Paro as their own, the village stymied him completely ... and far from blaming them and hating them for it, and in turn betraying them, Paro makes his life more difficult by blaming him! She's not going to bend in a hurry!

Have to say, Paro caught me completely by surprise in that scene ... I did not expect a feisty Paro this early!! I thought she was dead from inside at the betrayal by her village ... but she wasn't ... not so dead that she couldn't comprehend why Maamisa had done what she did ... and her anger towards the BSD and Rudra is only building more and more.
So Paro leaves Rudra speechless, helpless and even angrier than before ... no food for you till you tell me what I want to know! 

Thakur is the next man in a bind due to a beautiful woman ... his Thakurain. She wants Paro back safe and sound. So does Maamisa ... she understands why Thakursa told her to disown Paro, she did so ... but now she's only worried about Paro.
Thakur repeats the same words to Thakurain and maamisa that Paro said to Rudra ... it was necessary to save the village ... seems like Paro already knows how the Thakur's mind works ... will this prove useful later?
Maamisa doesn't care, she's only worried about Paro ... Paro, who lost her parents, her husband and now even her village ... She's even ready to be banished from Birpur as long as she can go with Paro. So Maamisa is dispatched ...
But Thakurain is a different matter.
Hence the new shadyantra ... Paro must die.

Rudra wants to hear what Paro is saying ... turns out it's nothing useful ... only a prayer. He allows her water ... after tasting it himself ... to Aman he says that's necessary because she's their only witness and hostage, anything she eats or drinks, will be only after he tastes it.
Okayyyyy ... he is official taster?

Rudra-Laila ... she calls, he needs release ... release for his frustration at being bested by a beautiful girl? A girl whom he wants to believe is guilty, but his heart seems to say she's innocent ...
Laila cares deeply for Rudra, her light frivolous seductive talk is a cover, because she knows that's all he wants, all he will accept ... when she discards the cover to show her real concern for his wounds, he doesn't want it. He comes to her for one thing alone ... and she'd better remember it and not talk about anything else. Least of all, about the beautiful dulhan who is his captive ... why did he even take her captive. He doesn't want to hear that question, much less answer it.

Thakurain is not going to give up easily ... Thakur has to admit defeat.
Again talk of when Thakurain came to him ... leaving an already existing family?
She doesn't hear Rudra's name ...
Is Thakurain Rudra's mother?

Paro whimpers on the floor in captivity ... murmuring the childish rhyme she whispered to the camel to take away its pain ... who will take away hers?

Thakur's men have found a renegade BSD officer to do the work ... get rid of Paro. Man gets to work, while Thakur apologises to Paro baisa ... sorry, Paro, not your fault, I just need to kill you anyway. 

Rudra gets back to work, staggering a little from his wounds ... for heavens sake, man ... there is bravery and there is bravado ... usually preceded by the word 'foolish' ... if you want to show you're brave, get your wounds treated and refuse the pain killers, to refuse treatment for wounds is being foolish!

Killer reaches Paro ... so does Rudra ... and episode ends ... damnnnnn!!!! Paro holding gun in precap ... on Rudra ... double damn!!!

SN- hope she gets him to bandage his wounds! She seems to be a smart girl, much smarter than he is!

RIP, Suchitra Sen

On a completely different note, RIP Suchitra Sen, who passed away on Friday in Kolkata at the age of 83.

I have loved her in all the Hindi movies I saw her in, especially Aandhi, one of the best films I have ever seen, and Mamta - these are the ones I remember. She was also in Bambai Ka Babu with Dev Anand, and of course in Devdas, the original one with Dilip Kumar. A classic breathtaking beauty, an extremely graceful and dignified lady and an actress par excellence.

Some tributes

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Suchitra-was-the-Sir-of-our-unit-Gulzar/articleshow/28956241.cms?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Dharmendra-on-the-actress-who-affectionately-called-him-D/articleshow/28959135.cms?intenttarget=no

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Suchitra-Sen-came-like-a-whiff-of-fresh-air-to-Mumbai/articleshow/28971469.cms?intenttarget=no

17/1 - Epi 15 ... Abandoned

Friday 17th Jan

A pawn in the battle between two men, abandoned by all her near and dear ones, by her village, her family, her world ... the living dead ... the emptiness in her eyes shows her hopelessness ...

But before that ... Rudra tries logic with the Birpur residents ... why have none of your daughters ever come back home? For any festival, any mourning, any celebration ...
But the villagers are silent ... their Thakur is their God, and if he says sacrifice, sacrifice it is ... even of their own daughters ...
It seemed to me that Paro was the only one registering his words, absorbing them ... maybe filing them away in her mind ... will the truth of his words strike ehr later?

Face off between the Thakur and Rudra ... zinging one liners between the ice cold serpent and the raging young officer ... and the Thakur disowns Paro with a sweet tongued blessing ... 'be brave, be strong ...' not before Rudra blocks his way to Paro ...
Rudra is already becoming protective about Paro ... his disgust and disbelief at how the villagers can abandon her at a word from the Thakur ... the abandonment both disgusts and infuriates him ... he can't believe that Maamisa can disown her own adopted daughter, can forget ties of blood ...

Aman's entry was rather good today ... Thakur forced onto the back foot. For once Rudra had brought reinforcements.

But Rudra has to retreat, and he takes Paro with him ... she breaks free and runs to Maamisa pleading for help, she's scared, she doesn't want to go with them ... Maamisa stays unmoved, and finally pushes her away ... 'I don't know you ...'
And Paro breaks ... the last straw, the final blow in a day that has been full of them ... Paro is shattered and goes without protest or fight with Rudra, her eyes dead ... her world as she knows it, is gone ... her life as she knew it, is over ...

And yet she won't sign the paper for Rudra ... much to his fury ... her eyes empty, dead, as though his words, his anger, his bruising hold, none of it even registers, much less hurts ... for nothing holds the power to hurt her any more ... she is dead from within.

Precap - Paro drinks from the same glass as Rudra, he says she is their ransom, their hostage.

16/1 - Epi 14 ... Desolation

Thursday 16th Jan

Desolation is when your dreams shatter in front of your eyes ...

When the painted figures you saw of your new life vanish into the dark like the shadows they turned out be ...

When the images of that dream mock you in the mirror with the reflections of their presence ...

When you mourn their loss while they still hang on you ...

When you're left alone in the world ... and there's no one to mourn your shattered dreams with you ...

Paro ... left alone, weeping for the loss of her dreams ... an orphan, the only dream she had, was to belong to someone, to belong somewhere, to live in a place which was her own by rights, and not a favour to an orphan girl ...
And she weeps in the shadowy darkness, her mangal sutra, her sindoor are reminders of what she dreamed, and how suddenly and cruelly those dreams were shattered ... a bride and a widow the same day ... wed and widowed within a few hours ...

Rudra ... caught up in the demons of his past, so abruptly recalled by that grieving mother ... a beautiful woman is not to be trusted ... she is a traitor, she has to be ...
 For once Aman is the more perceptive, and sees that Paro is in shock. But Rudra doesn't believe him ... will not believe him ... Paro is a beautiful woman, therefore Paro is lying ... he will wring the truth out of her if need be ...
The only answer he gets is a half stuttered, half sobbed 'you killed my beend' ... and a look of fear mingled with hatred.

Rudra gets the required rap on his knuckles ... less severe than I expected ... he lost all his men, and killed all the intruders ... now where is the proof going to come from?!
Rudra-sa, you should have contained your anger and captured the kaka ... he was unarmed and begging for his life ... instead you killed him, and Varun ... and took as witness, the only innocent person in the entire party ... the only one who didn't have a clue as to what was going on.
Another hero whose dimaag stops working when he's angry? Oh hell!!!

So Rudra swears that Paro will be witness ...  and off he goes again to Paro ... not before a warning from his CO ...  more traps are baited with honey than vinegar ...
So he gives her the bait of freedom ... undoes her handcuffs, and tells her to follow him if she wants to go back home ... Paro hesitates, not daring to believe him ... then follows him meekly ...

While in the village, the Thakur has lost no time in rallying his loyal subjects ... disown Paro baisa ... for her own good.

Rudra wants Paro to sign a paper saying she knows what the wedding party was all about ... Paro doesn't know, what's more she doesn't believe it ... she will not sign ...

And the final betrayal, the biggest blow to hit Paro in a day full of them ... Maamisa's refusal to recognise Paro ...

What I loved ... the little flashes of defiance in Paro today ... when Rudra was forcing her to speak, stammering with sheer fear, all she said was - 'you killed my husband' ... no begging, no pleas for release ... just that one sentence that defeated him ... 
And the one upmanship that followed ... 
When he told her to follow him if she wanted her freedom, she did not follow instantly ... she waited till he almost shut the door, as though gauging his intentions before deciding to follow ... he in turn, almost shut the door on her ... 
When he opened the door for her to sit in front, she went to the back instead ... he was her husband's killer, she would not sit with him ... he, in turn, started the jeep even before she was properly settled ... 
Her instant refusal to sign any papers in return for her freedom.


Today was Sanaya's day again ... she made me weep ... sheer and utter desolation, shattered dreams, and in the end, the shocked disbelief as she heard Mamisa's words disowning her ... 
And in the midst of it all, the flashes of defiance ... 
Rudra-sa doesn't know what he's taken on in this seemingly meek, mild demure girl ... 

15/1/14 - Epi 13 ... Devastation

Wednesday 15th Jan

A storm leaves devastation in its wake ... a storm is impartial in its destruction, no one is spared. The good, the bad, the indifferent ... the desolation spreads among all...

The bride widowed on her wedding day ...

The officer who survives the destruction but loses his men ...

The mothers who lose their children to a cause ... the cause may be just, noble, but death is never noble.

Paro's biggest dream turns to ashes in front of her eyes ... and the fire of destruction was lit by her nemesis, a BSD man.

Rudra loses his men, and one man's mother curses him ... a curse which has already blighted his life since years ... the loss of his mother ... a beautiful woman. And today he sees the destruction around another beautiful woman ...

Sanaya makes you weep with her when she cries ... today Paro wept, screamed with grief, and her screams were chilling ... even the presence of her nemesis in front of her did not freeze her into silence as usual ... her grief, her anguish continued to flow out in her screams ...
And her dazed incoherent mumble as she lay on the cold stone floor chilled further ... as Paro regressed into the depths of her childhood to reassure herself that this was but a bad dream, from which she would soon wake up ...

While Rudra sought to cauterize his physical wounds with alcohol again, but the mental woulds gouged at his soul ... the death of his men ... And the words of the bereaved mother pierced even deeper, as she cursed him with the loss of something he had already lost many years before ... and the always stoic man wept ...

But even as he wept, he knew not, that on the other side of the glass, a woman wept with him ... hand to hand, cheek to cheek ... as lost in her grief as he was in his ...

And when he did see her ... he stepped back in horror and revulsion ... for she was another beautiful woman, and she had caused another storm of destruction ... his father had warned him, he had grown with that warning ... and today he saw that truth in front of his eyes.
And his eyes grow red ... his only mission now to punish this beautiful woman ... as he charges to her prison cell ... and Paro looks up at him ... the hate in his eyes mirrored in her eyes ...

In the meantime, the Thakur enraged with the failure of his mission ... the Thakurain worried only about Paro ... but her worry helpless in front of the Thakur's rage and power ...

The precap is even more chilling ... Paro dragged to the village, in front of the crowd ... threatened to sign away the Thakur's freedom ... and Mamisa asks 'who is this girl?'
And Paro turns to stare at her in dazed astounded disbelief ...

Sanaya was utterly fabulous in the episode ... she makes her audience feel her every emotion. Her screams in the first scene when she sees Varun lying dead were soul stirring ... a woman who has lost everything. And in the starkly bare prison cell, one could feel her anguish, her near hysteria, the depth of the desolation wracking her body.
Ashish was very good too ... his held back emotions as he sees the bodies of his dead men, and listens in stoic silence to the grieving mother's cries, only his eyes showing how affected he is. 
The mirror scene was beautifully shot, the poignancy, the anguish palpable on both sides ... both were fabulous there ... 

14/1/14 - Epi 12 ... Rudra the Destroyer

Tuesday 14th Jan

 Rudra the destroyer 

Rudra the brutal animal

Rudra the Sunny Deol ka puttar   Sunny Deol of Gadar fame ... he who decimated an entire army with his bare hands. Rudra has been taking some lessons there! 

Action scenes very violent and explicit ... while in the background rang one of the most sublime songs ever sung in the history of Indian movies ... Vande Mataram by Lata Mangeshkar from the movie Anand Math. 

Why did Rudra bring only five men to counter what he knew was a force of 50-60 men? There's being heroic, and there's being stupid ... this was definitely the latter. No wonder his CO warned him to act with his brain ... was the entire platoon parked outside the Thakur's haveli to give a sense of false security to the Thakur? And how was that helpful? 

How many guns did the BSD miss in their search anyway? Varun had one hidden right under Paro's mattress ... apart from all the rest yesterday. 

Prince Charming's mask falls ... but Paro slept peacefully though the entire fight, including the unmasking, and woke up at the worst possible moment ... she didn't see her prince turn into a frog, but she did see Rudra kill him. 

And the mother of all MU's starts ... here!!! This MU is gonna be really tough to explain away ... seeing a man blowing her hubby's brains out in front of her eyes ... no woman is going to take too kindly to that. 

The good thing is ... Paro is definitely a widow ... no coming back from the dead for her Prince Charming ... errr Frog ... Only thing is, Paro doesn't think that's a good thing ... yet. And she's not going to think that for a long time to come.

What I really, really liked ... Rudra wasted no time in trying to reason with Varun ... no long speeches about iss ladki ko chhod do, etc., etc. ... just a terse 'as you wish' ... and bam! I've often wished that heroes in movies did the same ... those long farewell speeches always give the opportunity for someone to jump in and spoil the action. 

This was basically the episode in a nutshell. 

The precap was amazing ... beautiful and sensitive ... Rudra Paro on opposite sides of a mirrored glass, so near yet so far ... two shattered souls, searching for their other half. 

13/1 - Epi 11 ... Rann Ki Reth par Rakth

Monday 13th Jan 2014

Bloodshed at the Border

The doli leaves for the border amidst tears of farewell ... Paro remembering Bindi every step of the way...

The border guards wait in anticipation for the kill ...

Tejawat is confident his plan has succeeded ...

The bridal party tries to get away with humble pleas, folded hands, calls to tradition ... the border guards are unmoved ... and Paro recognises her nemesis Rudra ... and the same conundrum ... protector or destroyer?

Rather sloppy search on the part of the BSD ... they didn't catch any of the guns hidden under the saddle bags? It takes a rather obvious attempt to hide the cash boxes to draw the BSD's attention.

Bloodshed at the border ... rann ki rath par rakth se rachi ... nafrat ki dastaan starts ... as a flummoxed Rudra confronts a terrified Paro ... did Rudra forget that Paro was to be the dulhan? Or did he not connect that she was the bride in this particular ill-fated wedding?
And Rudra stops in his tracks ... stops and stares ... as Paro stares back ... as time stops ... as guns explode while they stand enveloped in deafening silence ... and stare at each other ... one in shock, dawning recognition and confusion ... as he remembers a fragile terrified woman on the desert sands ...  one in terrified fascinated hate ... as she faces the embodiment of her nightmares ... the living fire, the dreaded destroyer ...
And we get that haunting melody again ...
yeh bhi hai kuch  aadha aadha 
Woh bhi rahe adhoori

... till Paro drops to the ground in a dead faint.

Where is Varun?! After promising to protect her for seven janams, he took off and didn't come back ...


SN - one point we were raising here was addressed ... the bridal party was taking cash back, not guns. Guns were only for their own personal use.

6th-10th Jan - Epi 6-10 ... The Wedding of Paro

Will edit post once I catch up with the episodes ... am travelling till Thursday.

Monday 6th Jan ... The Serpent, The Rogue and The Innocent 
Two men, both equally ruthless, both uncaring of the lives and emotions of others. Be it the Thakur, who uses the power of force, trickery and deceit to keep a village under control ... or Rudra, who uses the weakness of Laila for his own needs, both physical and duty related ... while the Thakur's goal is self and only self, Rudra's goal seems to be duty, but is it really? Or is it power in a different way? The power to avenge all the insults, the taunts he experienced while growing up, the power to not let anything or anyone hurt him ever again ...
And the innocent ... Paro ... who will bring a storm into the lives of both ... not because she is a harbinger of storms ... but by just being ... being herself.


Tuesday 7th Jan ... Borders and Brides
A wedding procession crosses the border, under the eagle (and not so eagle) eyes of the BSD ...
SN - finally saw a few of the 60 camels used in the shooting!
A groom proves his worth for a daughter of Beerpur. The sword scene set some alarm bells ringing ... a gentle poet is such a good swordsman?
A groom's family proves their unworthiness ... eyeing another daughter of the village, a soon to be daughter-in-law, or a girl mistaken as one. I'm relieved that Paro will not cross the border with this creepy family!
The groom seems smitten by the beautiful Paro at first sight ... can't blame him, she looks like a dream.
And the bride is as smitten with her gentle poet groom as he is with her.
A match made in heaven ... or is it? A short-lived romance, which will be killed before it has time to put down roots ...


Wednesday 8th Jan ... Dreams in Her Eyes 
Paro ... a simple girl, with simple dreams ... An orphan, she dreams of nothing more than a home, a family of her own ... a home where she runs her own rasoi, where she has the right to decide the placement of even a single nail on the wall. And all this with the man of her dreams, equally simple, as alone as she is, an orphan like her, a man whose dreams are in her eyes. A man who likes imli with salt on the side ... as she does. Her only small complaint is that she wanted a man bearing one of the many names of Lord Shiva ...
SN - the cynic in me did wonder if bridegroom Varun was just a wee bit too perfect ... but since he's destined to die very soon, probably not.

And on the other hand, the man of her nightmares ... as dangerous, as violent, as ruthless as the devil ... he bears the name of her beloved Shivaji ... and is as destructive and stormy as his namesake.

Thakurji overseas the settling of the bride price ... the guns ...
Bindi is on the way to extinction ...
And I am a little confused ... so the groom's party brought the gun parts across the border, and are they taking the assembled guns back? The thakur runs a gun assembly racket?

Edit - Thakur clarified today, he gets the gun parts, assembles them and sends the money back with the baraat ... he then sells the guns all over India and wherever else he can.

Thursday 9th Jan ... Innocence Tainted, Innocence Lost 
Poor innocent Bindi-sa! Her simple, unselfish, loving act of getting Paro and her to-be banna-sa Varun a few stolen moments together, cost her her life! And how smooth and slick was the fatherly serpent Thakursa, guiding her slowly, cleverly, away from the madding crowd to the far reaches of his lake where his pet crocodile lies waiting? A serpent indeed!
Thakursa doesn't tolerate too many mistakes ... tragically for poor Bindi! The Thakur is just about as black as he can be ... a villain through and through. And a thinking villain at that ... doesn't make too many mistakes in his planning ... or in the execution of those plans ... pun intended.

Unfortunately for him, he did make one ... Kesari. And Kesari, as expected, spilled the beans very quickly. So Rudra and Aman didn't kill Kesari after all ... the threat was enough.

Thakursa is quick on the uptake, though... within one episode, he realised Kesari had gone missing ... also realised that Kesari missing meant he would spill the beans to the BSD ... and Thakursa took corrective steps instantly ... get the wedding over and done with immediately, and get the smuggling party back on its way, before the annoying BSD comes in to stall his party.
And Rudra is, for a welcome change (for an Indian telly hero), equally smart ... he knew the Thakur would figure out Kesari was missing, that he would figure out Kesari would talk ... so he moves to pre-empt any moves Thakursa will make. Two men, both smart enough to recognise the other's intelligence, and both bent on outwitting the other ... who will win the first battle?
And Paro is the innocent pawn in the battle between the two men ... Paro, her life, her wedding, the most joyful occasion of her life ... all mere instruments in the hands of the Thakur and Rudra.

Poor innocent Aman ... he thought he was treading the path of the law by joining the BSD, Rudra just gave him a crash course on how to break the law while defending it. Aman didn't seem to mind the loss of his innocence, though!

Best for the last ... innocent Paro gets a crash course on how to woo her man ... from sultry vixen Laila. And Laila gets a small shock, when Paro, instead of mulling over the two types of men Laila described, both of whom would fit the description of her own banna, instead asked about the third type of man too.
Innocent sweet Paro showed a rather keen interest in her further education.
That scene showed a spark in the hitherto demure, shy Paro ... the first hint that Paro hides something unexpected underneath that quiet exterior. She is not all passive, as she seems to be.


Friday 10th Jan ... And the Stage Is Set ...

For the Rudra-Paro meeting ... and their story to start.
But we have a weekend to wait first :(

Also, for the Rudra-Paro story to start, we have a wedding to go through first ... the Paro-Varun wedding.
The bride is decked up by her mamisa and her Thakurain maasa ... Paro feels the pain of separation so close, so unexpectedly close ... and she cries ... a feeling all married girls would understand, especially those travelling to a far away place after marriage ... for life is never quite the same again.

Sweet, the way Paro first recounted all her unfinished tasks, as though crying for herself was not permitted, but crying over the tasks she had left undone was allowed ... then she couldn't help herself, and cried about missing her old friends, never seeing them again. A reflection of the gratitude she feels to those who brought her up? That she 'owed' them ... and all she did for them was to pay back what she owed them ... it was not her right. No wonder she was looking forward to her 'own home' ... her own place, where she truly belonged.
Thakurain is sweet, though ... she understands the pain Paro feels ... as any married woman would. She and Maamisa comfort Paro ... she carries her memories with her, and will cherish them in her new home.

And so Paro is taken to the marriage pandal, where Thakursa waits impatiently.
SN - the costumes were magnificent!

Paro asks about Bindi ... the moment the Thakur was worried about.   He promptly puts in a few poisonous words about the BSD.
Varun-sa is sweet ... aww ... he reassures Paro that he's there for her, she has nothing to worry about for the next seven janams ...
Loved that tiny barely there smile on Paro's face ... he reached to her through the thick cloud of her worry and upset, and she felt reassured, despite her worry about Bindi, and the Thakur's reminder of the BSD.

Aman arrives with an entire platoon of BSD and a fake search warrant. Thakur instructs to stall, and tells the pandit to speed up the proceedings. Pandit promptly starts reciting the mantras at double speed  ... much to the worry of Paro, Thakurain, Maami and Varun's kaka ... all for different reasons. Paro is disturbed, and it shows. She still hasn't forgotten Bindi.

Meantime, the gun packing also quickens to double speed.

Rudra is tapping away at his laptop in the meantime.

Sindoor - check. Mangal sutra - check. More guns and cash into boxes - check. Jaymala - check. Bridegroom looking happier and happier that Paro is almost his wife ... Paro still worried about Bindi.
Pheras - check. Rudra still on his laptop. More guns, cash - check.

Wedding over ... Paro now really worried about Bindi, and refuses to do her bidaai till she comes.
Uh oh ... Thakursa was afraid of that ... and ready with a story too. He hid the truth so as not to stall the wedding ... Bindi is missing.
Paro is distraught ... Thakursa is afraid Bindi has been taken off by the BSD.
Paro's scream is truly spine chilling ... Sanaya was just fabulous there! Paro's terror, her fear palpable, slicing through her at the thought of what the BSD might do to Bindi ... that naked fear and horror in her eyes as she staggered back ... she had to be held by both maami and thakurain maasa ...

And Thakursa adds more ghee to the fire ... Paro and Bindi were in danger of admiring the new BSD officer ... he nips that in the bud by pointing the finger of suspicion directly at Rudra. And Paro remembers her 'rescue', the glimpse of Rudra riding into the village, AND the glimpse she had of him at the sangeet ... yes, she did recognise him ...

Paro refuses to go ... she can't leave Bindi ...
Serpentsa Thakursa - yes, we have a snakewa here too - promises he will bring her Bindi back to her ... how exactly, Thakursa? from the croc's tummy? But he needs Paro to leave ... now ... his smuggling racket is at stake.
And poor distraught Paro has to agree.

Thakursa is smart ... he sees at a glance that the search warrant is fake. Case dismissed ... get the hell out of my house ... er, haveli.
Aman tells him that Kesariram squealed ... we know your secret about your smuggling. You're gone, mate.
Thakursa doesn't think so ... he's been playing these games a lot longer than Aman has.

Aman informs Rudra that they weren't allowed in, and is in a rage ... Rudra is satisfied ... angry men commit mistakes. He's won.
Thakursa is equally satisfied ... the BSD platoon is parked outside his front gate, the bidai will happen from the back gate ... he's won.

Bidaai happens ... a weeping Paro performs the last custom of throwing the rice over her back ... now her doli ready to head for the border.
The border is sealed ... Rudra heads for the border.

And the stage is set ... for the explosive Rudra-Paro meeting to happen.


EDIT - Sanaya's interview on Sabras Radio, UK with Raj Baddhan.
http://sabrasradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SanayaIraniInterview001.mp3

3/1/14 - Epi 5 ... The Past That Binds

Friday 3rd Jan

Don't know where to start today ... with the last scenes, the shadows of the past that hang heavy over both Rudra and Paro? Shadows that cast a heavy darkness over their present too ...

Or with the first few scenes ... the tender budding of new emotions, unfurling their delicate petals under the light of a hot desert sun ... two pairs of hazel eyes meeting again in the mirror ... words unspoken, emotions as yet unfamiliar, stirring in two wounded souls ...

Both are quiet, both are reticent, sparing of words ... keeping their thoughts imprisoned inside their hearts ... he is an emotionless soldier, his only relative his father ... she is a dutiful obedient daughter soon to be married to another. Yet why did Rudra stop and turn at the mention of Paro's marriage? Why did Paro caress his blood on her sleeve?

The episode - starts with the last scene of yesterday, Paro stands frozen by the fire, horrified at the sight of her nightmare coming to life, so horrified that she can't move a muscle ... frozen to the spot despite the heat of the fire ...
and Rudra comes running back for her , vaulting over the wall of flames, just in time to catch her as she faints into his arms ...
(SN - how can a person faint standing? Not possible!!!)
And he stands for a long moment, transfixed by the delicate beauty in his arms ...

dil ki dhadkan sooni sooni
saansein bhi adhoori
aadha aadha mile to hove
kamiyan saari poori
Rahe kyun rootha rootha, man basiya
Rangrasiya rangrasiya 
Rangrasiya rang jaave rang rang ne sapnon mein rangrasiya 

Till his men drive up and he carries her away from the fire to safety ... revives her with water with a worried Bindi ... stops his men from questioning her ... orders that she be dropped safely home ... Rudra, the protector.
And as she opens her eyes, the first person she sees is him ... unblinking, direct, his gaze on her, hers on him ... till he turns and walks away ...
Bindi tries to explain ... they were only carrying byah  ...
Whose byah?
Paro ka byah ... 
And he turns ... and looks at her again ... a question in his eyes ... as though asking ... your byaah? how can you ...?
And she looks down ... as though in apology ... yet with a tiny frown, as though asking herself, why am I sorry? Why is he angry?
Because you are his, and he is yours ...

His man tries again, overruled ... 'drop the girls home.' 
And two pairs of eyes meet again in a mirror ... meet and cannot look away ...
Till Rudra breaks contact again ... and Paro meets her old friend Rukmani the butterfly (or her great-great-great-great granddaughter)

Back in the haveli ... the Rajmata is very fond of Paro, like a daughter, it seems ... and is as bitter with the BSD as her husband.
And Paro touches a blood stain on her sleeve ... his blood ... a soft touch, a caress ... a memory, a man running to save her bag, then running back to save her ...

While Rudra cauterises his wound with alcohol ... and drinks the rest .. is he too, remembering ...?

Bindi is all praises for the new BSD officer, Thakur-sa is not pleased at all ... he hates the BSD!!!

Rudra investigates the dead man ... he's an infiltrator from across the border.
Cutting, biting words for his junior ... tired chasing two girls? And you let the main culprit run away? Go rest.
That officer must have shrivelled up in his shoes!

Memories of the past ...Paro's maami finds her mother's wedding lehnga for Paro ... and asks about her doll. Paro says she gave it away ... and she remembers the crying boy in the bus.

Rudra remembers his father ... bitter, harsh, still twisted in his memories of his unfaithful wife ... his refusal to come back to the place she betrayed him ... as long as Rudra's mother's eyes look at him, from Rudra's face, he can't forget his wife.
And by not forgetting, he doesn't allow his son to forget either ... beautiful women are not to be trusted ...
Both men trapped in the shadows of their past ...

And Paro trapped in the nightmare that is her past ... a nightmare that she can't escape from, no matter how much she tries ... a nightmare reinforced today by another BSD man and another fire ... another day that almost brought destruction into her life ...

Next week is the wedding ... and more fireworks! 

2/1/14 - Epi 4 ... The Serpent and the Storm

Thursday 2nd Jan

She saw the storm approach in her nightmares ... a menacing silhouette, leaping flames, red-rimmed burning eyes ...
The storm hit the way her dreams had foretold ... but with a twist ... the menacing silhouette turned rescuer ... her saviour, her protector ... the burning flames heralded his entry like a storm sweeping into her life, a storm which would engulf her ... 

The doll marked their first meeting ...
The twin mirrors marked their next ...

An episode where there was poetry in the midst of mayhem ... succour in the middle of a storm ... and the serpent in the deserts of the Rann.

The episode ...

Rudra is posted to Beerpur ... close to his birthplace, a place he has spent the last fifteen years 'trying to forget' ...

The thakur's true colors are revealed very quickly, all his loyal subjects are no more than pawns, the two girls included. A snake indeed ... the serpent in the garden of Eden ... or rather, the rattlesnake in the desert of the Rann.
Will the BSD officers who raided Kesari's shop recognise Paro later? Kesari is not taking any chances ... his life is on the line here.

Impetuous easily tired Bindi accepts a life, even though the more mature quiet Paro warns her against strangers ...

With good reason, as it turns out ...

Glinting mirrors signal a connection between two halves of a single soul ... the fire of the sun striking off the twin surfaces draws the two together ...

Nirbhaya re-visited, or almost ... now these scenes I find far more disturbing than the gun-toting violence ... because these are actually real ... they happen  

Paro left in the rickety rickshaw, fighting for her virtue and her life ...

And the man from her nightmares rides in to save her life ... demon turned devta ... rakshas turned rescuer ... her own personal Rudra-ksha ... He will ride through storms, cause destruction and devastation to the world ... but not let a hair of her head be harmed ...

A cracker of an episode ... am still trying to find the words to write ... but this has to be seen, not read. 

PaRud and SanIsh ... you rock!!!

Edited

Fabulous episode! Finally got some time today to write more ... the scenes have been running in my head the whole day and I've been itching to get them down in words. 

Rudra's Achilles heel is exposed quickly ... his mother and his past. An abandonment he has spent his childhood and adulthood trying to forget ... a few terse words ... 'bhoolne ki koshish kar raha hun'  ... a forlorn look in the eyes as the memories he is trying to shut out, come crowding back in ... but his duty is paramount, and he doesn't say another word. 

Paro's memories come crowding in too ... at the first sight of the BSD in the shop, her face freezes, and she seems to find it difficult to move, so strong is her instinctive terror, drilled into her through her childhood. She has to actually be pushed by Bindi to move ... 

The thakur's plans are exposed ... the girls were only messengers, he wants his money, honey ... if necessary, kill the girls, but get me the moolah ... or else Kesari dies. 

The glinting mirrors ... as though the sun itself was alerting each to the other's presence ... 

Paro's vulnerability in the vehicle was chilling ... frightening ... you could feel her helplessness in the strangled sobs, the gasping pleas ... Sanaya aced that scene, especially her voice. 

The Rudra Paro scenes ... no words. Both actors emote with their eyes ... her gratitude, her terrified relief when she runs from the last attacker for sanctuary behind her rescuer ... his eyes remain grim, so does his face ... hers red rimmed, tear stained .. his red with anger ... 

The juxtaposition of the two sets of eyes was pure poetry  ... as was the glimpse of the two faces in the mirror. Someone mentioned that in the past, the first glimpse a bride and groom had of each others' faces was in a bowl of water or a mirror ... that symbolism was used beautifully here! 

The roll in the sand ... I believe the sand caught fire at that point ... the chemistry was so electric! 

And the inverted dream ... the masterpiece of story telling ... the storm she saw in her nightmares, the flames she feared would burn her, the way they burned her parents ... the storm erupted into her life, but the man in the flames was a saviour, a protector ... he will wreak havoc in her life, but not let any harm come to her. 

1/1/14 - Epi 3 ... Rudra-Paroleela

Wednesday 1st Jan 2014 

Again wishing everyone a very happy new year! 

Today's episode brought many memories of Ramleela ... the havelis, the big water pond ... I could swear its the same one Ram swam across in the movie! ... and the general movie feel of the episode again. Outdoor shoots are really fabulous to watch on the big screen ... I could see the detailed carving in the jharokas of the thakur's haveli ... a sight which always fascinated me on my Rajasthan trips, and which is especially typical of Jaisalmer.

First five minutes was a repeat again ... the temple scene and Naag devta's choice of bride for the annual wedding. Seemed more like choosing a 'bali ka bakra' ... or bakri. The village rejoices, so does Bindi ... but Paro's reaction is more restrained, her smile hesitant. Fear of the unknown, being married to a strange man, sent off to a strange land ... the tension appears in her eyes, and never leaves it through the entire episode. She should be happy, she knows, it is an honor to be the chosen bride, for the Thakur will pay for the entire wedding ... but the fear remains.
The Rajmata is happy at Paro's choice ... she can fulfill her promise to Paro's dead mother.

Rudra reaches the border ... after his long bike ride ... and sees the five dead bodies of the jawans.

The thakur makes the grand announcement ... his wife at one jharoka of the grand haveli, Paro and her maamisa at the other ... Rajmata smiling happily, warmly, Paro's smile still hesitant, nervous ... till the Thakur goes into a rant about the dreaded, hated BSD again. Both the Rajmata and Paro lose their smiles instantly.
Is it just the topic of the BSD that made them lose their smiles? Or is it more? For Paro, it's the fear, the terror that the mention of the word brings to her ... a terror she lives with every day, tries unsuccessfully to hide every day ... but why did the Rajmata also lose her smile?
The villagers hate the BSD ... how much of their hatred is because of constant fuelling by the Thakur?

By the big water tank ... Paro lost in thought, Bindi comes to tease her, and Paro regains her spirit to chase after Bindi ... the girls' play interrupted by the Rajmata, who is happy for Paro and describes her ideal husband ... a soft, gentle man who would not kill an ant ...
Scene flashes to Rudra fighting with the five foreign infiltrators, and killing them, all but one (of course, he's the hero)  in rather brutal fashion ... The action scenes were done well, but I wish he would cut his hair! Liked the background music ... pumping, energetic Rangrasiya ...

Every time the Rajmata talks about Paro's husband, the scene flashes to Rudra fighting the infiltrators. The exact opposite of the ideal groom for the gentle Paro.

Rudra back at his command office, his CO is not happy with him ... you killed too many people, tone down, think with your heart, but act with your dimaag ... and breaks the news that Rudra is posted to Beerpur.
Rudra's face changes instantly, his eyes soften ...

Paro gets her maamisa an energised sewing machine to cut vegetables ... easy on the back, on her feet ... for who will do maalish when she, Paro is no longer around? Maami-bhaanji share a tender moment, Paro is more and more nervous about leaving the only home she has ever known, for the unknown. Bindi takes her off to see her new shaadi ka joda ... another tender moment between Bindi and Paro.

Bindi and Paro off in an open tempo with a group of women, to get her suhaag ka samaan, and Paro's imli ... Paro loses her dupatta for a moment to take in thefresh  air of Beerpur, maybe for the last time ... for once she is married, she will breathe only through the net of the purdah ...

Rudra is told about his Beerpur posting ... and is lost in memories ... remembered pain? The flashbacks indicate so ... the pain of losing his mother, the taunts of his schoolmates, the harsh stricture of his father ... 'beautiful women are not to be trusted, they are true neither to their parent, nor to their spouse, nor to their children' ...

So will they meet tomorrow?

Although the pace seemed the same as yesterday, the episode was more gripping ... Rudra got into action, his ruthlessness, his brutality showcased ... and towards the end, his remembered pain ...
And in contrast was Paro's extreme gentleness and softness, her tender caring nature ...
Two opposite personalities ...  hot sun and gentle shadow ... fire and calm water ...

TV This Fortnight - 1st-15th Jan 2014

Happy New Year to everyone here! Hope the new year brings you all loads and loads of happiness, health and prosperity! Love to all!!! 

Programs I'm watching ... new year and a new list !

Gustakh Dil ... still holding my interest, although Ishaana is getting annoying, and the actress shrieks too much!

Ek Nayi Pehchaan ... decent watch so far ... truly a hatke love story! A love story between saas and bahu!

Rangrasiya (of course ... that has its own post!)

Balika Vadhu (occasionally)

Anyone tried Yeh Jo Mohabbatein and BeIntehaa? I tried the latter, as it airs just before Rangrasiya ... so far nothing great, it's light hearted at the moment, don't think it will get serious, but on the other hand, it's touted to be a passionate love story so let's see. Surprisingly, the girl is unimpressive, while the guy is okay ... from the promos it seemed the other way around.

Also tried the former ... not bad, but not really held my interest to the point that I can't miss it ... lost track while I was away, and can't be bothered to catch up.