9/9 - Epi 72 ... Hurt feelings and sweet revenge

9th Sept
After reading the initial comments on the episode, I thought I wouldn't like it at all. After a really explosive episode the previous night, sounded like the cv's had gone back to their amnesia and usual waywardness in character development ...also sounded too much like GH brand of juvenile humour - bubbliness = stupidity.

But on watching, I felt differently. First half - unqualified 'like'. Payal getting annoyed about the police episode, and ASR, Khushi manaoing her with that OTT nautanki Sholay scene was very cutely done, and completely in character for Khushi. Time and again it's been showed that Khushi is the one who picks herself up first, and tries to bring a smile to her family's face - from the Roop Suhana song, to the Goli Maare song and now the Sholay nautanki. It's as though the cv's are showing us another contrast between Khushi and Arnav - both have troubled pasts, she is an orphan too, but while his past made him turn all bitter and twisted and cynical, she has learnt to face life with a smile, to always look forward, and to try to bring a smile to those around her. He cloaks his hurt and bitterness with coldness and cynicism, and vows never to get close to anyone again, to stay away from all emotional entanglements, while she hides her pain within herself, and doesn't let anyone see it, disguising it with her 1000 watt smile. Maybe for fear of being abandoned again?
So yes, I liked the Sholay scene, Khushi nautanki, and then Arnav belatedly coming to her house to check, the relief on his face to see that she was all right, then the range of emotions as he gets alternately angry at her words about him, a hint of ?regret when she talks about his anger, and then when she seems to feel his presence and turns towards the window, her face soft, as though looking for him, his face is equally soft, half-questioning, as though to ask ... do you feel me too? The way I feel you?
But then she goes back to nautanki, and his face hardens again, as though thinking, here I was out of my mind with worry, and here you're safely at home doing nautanki! And he drives off, and she looks at the window again - did she see his car go by? No, it couldn't be, could it?

The Khushi Shyam scene - *sigh* Khushi looking soft, young and utterly innocent and ravishingly beautiful in her simple pink salwar suit and open hair ... hope Arnav sees her at some point like this, he's going to go completely crazy! Liked the scene - Shyam probing as to what happened at RM, Khushi doesn't really want to tell him, they both exchange simple confidences about life, till she tells him, stay like this, don't get angry and leave like you did the other day. And he talks about making mistakes in his life, which he wants to suljhao - but then later he thinks of Rani Sahiba as his meal ticket, so what is he going to do about Khushi? He is definitely in love with her, but he's not going to jeopardise his marriage for sure.
In the end, though, he asks Khushi again, so what did happen tonight, and she finally tells him, in a single sentence, which shows her hurt and her pain ... a hurt which is now deeper and personal, it's not just anger, but pain too - Arnav Singh Raizada again talked about her 'aukat' and left her in the middle of the road alone. And her tone shows her hurt ... why again and again does ASR bring up her haisiyat and make her feel small? Does he think so badly of her? But she covers it again with a smile and leaves.
Typical Sanaya - hurt, pain, unshed tears in few words ... 
And Shyam vows to avenge her tears with ASR. Does he have another agenda as well, or is Khushi his only reason?

So Shyam is very much entrenched in the Guptas house, he's become their confidante, the one they trust ... it's a talent he has, because he's the same in the Raizada house as well. Everyone loves him, trusts him ... when his truth comes out, it will cause major, major upheaval in both homes. As to what he will do, remains to be seen - he can be an ugly customer for sure, but added to which, a dangerous one, because he is intelligent, and cool-headed, unlike the two hotheads Arnav and Khushi.

The second half was the part I had issues with - Khushi playing dangerous pranks with ASR? But turns out, on watching, she conferred with the mechanic about what to do, so her prank was foolish but effective, stalling a car is not the same as causing a blast, the only problem I had was that she's caused ASR a lot of monetary damage, and if he decides to claim it, she'll be working as a slave for the next ten years for him! And in view of the fact that she knows what money means to them at the moment, she should have been more careful. As for the prank itself - he left her stranded and alone in the middle of the road late at night, when his grandmother had entrusted him to drop her safely home, she has left him stranded in his own house in broad daylight, with other cars at his disposal - pretty much sums it up for me. He's still way, way ahead on the meanness scale.

Going on and on to La Blah about marriage was irritating, though - why doesn't she concentrate on ASR and forget about La?! La is not going to change, just do what you have to for a month, earn your salary and leave! Liked the fb of the sindoor, though ... oh yes, Arnav Singh Raizada has started to matter to Khushi, why and how, god only knows. He certainly hasn't done much to encourage it - except that maybe Khushi did see that he forgot his ego long enough to call her back home only for his sister, and she saw his feelings for Anjali and a glimpse of his vulnerability then. But with her ... nothing.

The prank with the phone - methinks that's going to be her undoing ... did she change the ringtone? Now that was cute and funny ... and if he outpranks her on that by putting it on silent, and then gloating that he won on that one, but without the meanness, but more as though it was a prank between two equals, then it will be nice - the beginning of a change of equation between them, the first thaw, the first time Khushi has managed to extract a playful Arnav from deep within the Rakshas ASR.

So yes, although it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, I now really want the Arnav-Khushi equation to start changing ... it has to be really well thought out to stay different ... so let's see what the cv's come up with.

Links
part 1
Part 2

HT Brunch article on BALH and IPKKND
The uneasy romantics on the idiot box
Article bang on in many aspects - *rofl* at the line about the current top show on Star Plus!