19/12 - Epi 145 ... The Consequences of Anger

19th Dec Mon

Time and again, Arnav made decisions guided solely by his anger. And those decisions always came back to bite him, to hurt him. The unfortunate part was, it wasn't only Arnav who got hurt. There was always collateral damage, in the form of the feelings, the upset of his family, the damage he did to Khushi, and through her to Payal, and now, the latest, to La. All his decisions regarding La were made in anger, be it the decision of getting her into RM in a live-in relationship because of his anger with Nani and her pressure, the decision to marry her because of anger at himself and his own weakness with Khushi, the decision for the engagement again due to anger at Khushi's engagement ...

And now he faces the consequences of those decisions. The decisions which caused major collateral damage - to La. He feels bad, yes he really does. He has begun to realize that the consequences of decisions made in haste and in anger are far-reaching - today he has hurt an innocent girl, hurt his family, their feelings and their family pride, their name and honour. As for Khushi, let's not even go there.

Epsiode starts with La again (okay, he's hurt her, and she's been brave and incredibly decent about the whole thing, can we now move on?). Can sympathise with La not wanting any more of his sympathy - she wanted his love, he couldn't give it, now all she wants is for the evening to get over and to get out of here.

Khushi brings Payal down to Akash ... Akash holding her hand, brave boy! Arnav and La come down arm in arm, La leaves Arnav as soon as possible and stands alone. Nani asks her to dance ... poor La doesn't really want to, Arnav looking at her in more sympathy ... La drags Khushi onto the floor with her. Dance was a bit weird, random guy popping out of nowhere, the SBS segments were better! Ends with Arnav staring at Khushi again, La notices and is in tears, and Khushi is sure something is wrong.

Khushi drags La away in private, Arnav takes his family away to speak in private ... well done! No public tamasha!
La finally tells Khushi ... there is nothing between her and Arnav any more.
Arnav tells his family he and La are not getting engaged - after warning them not to get emotional - useless warning with Anjali around! Nani is angry and justifiably so ... first he demanded the engagement, that too in a hurry ... and now at the last minute, he is backtracking.
Arnav says he is not answerable to anyone for his actions, it's his life. And Nani also says what Khushi told him ages ago - your life is joined to that of your family, you are not alone, your decisions affect not only you, but each and every one of us too.
Yes, they do, yes he is answerable to them all, whether he likes it or not, whether he accepts it or not ... his earlier decisions have all been made in anger, in the heat of the moment, and now the consequences are coming back to bite him. And they bite his family as well, as well as the girl he used for so long as a pawn in his anger with Khushi.
But now, no more. The knot has become so entangled, before he goes any further, before he makes any more calls on his life, the knot has to be cut ... it is too tangled to unentangle now. Anjali is upset that it's too late ... he tells her that if he doesn't take this decision now, then it will be too late. An engagement that hasn't happened yet is still easy to break, a marriage is far more messy.

So he manages to hold firm ... isolated in the middle of his family ... no one really understands him, except for the girl he has set free from the knot.Will Khushi? Or will her guilt get in the way?

Mami tries to use the opportunity to postpone Payash, but Arnav and Nani hold firm. Payash engagement will happen.

Nani will not go so easily, though, Arnav will have to explain. But that will be later.
Anjali asks how La is, her tender heart worried again for another rejected girl. Arnav feels guilty, he really does. But guilt is not a good enough reason to change his mind.

Khushi and La come back to the gathering, Khushi wants to fire Arnav right away, La stops her. Khushi is sure Arnav is responsible - what will she do when she realises that in a way, she is responsible? She and the strange bond Arnav has developed with her?  La manages to restrain her till Payash are safely engaged! But Khushi sends dagger looks at Arnav, La apologetic ones ... and Arnav actually looks far more apprehensive at the thought of tackling Khushi than he did at the thought of tackling his family. Interestingly, he knows without even thinking about it that he will have to face Khushi. What will he tell her? That he broke his relationship with La because of what he feels for Khushi? Obviously not, but how does he get out of this one? He needs to plan a counter-attack to protect himself.
Khushi takes La's hand as though La is a child she has to protect and drags her away - don't play with the mean boy any more, sweetheart, he will hurt you!
Khushi is as fiercely protective about the ones she loves as Arnav is. Another similarity!

Payash engagement happens smoothly, and Arnav announces that the second engagement is not happening. Loved the way the whole show was handled by the Raizadas - no washing dirty linen in public, no major public tamasha, the family maintained their unity and dignity in public - this is the way an educated, cultured family actually would conduct their affairs.

Felt bad for La again ... maybe somewhere in some corner of her heart she was hoping that ASR would change his mind at the last minute and re-claim her ... but no, he was sure, very sure that this decision, NOT for once taken in anger or the heat of the moment, was the right one for him. And for La, too ... no woman wants to play second fiddle in her husband's life, or to feel that another woman has more control of influence over her husband than she does.
Interestingly again, Shashi babu seemed to nod slightly at the news. As though he had sensed something between Arnav and Khushi already.

After the announcement, Arnav looks at La again, and makes to speak to her, Khushi stops him angrily, ready to protect her cub, La drags her away ... not this time, Khushi, it's no use. Anjali joins them, worried for La, and Arnav and Khushi are left facing each other. And again, Arnav looks actually apprehensive at the thought of facing her.

Precap - very interesting ... please Khushi, tell Arnav that your fiance broke your trust, but NOT your heart! That had already been broken by Arnav!

Interesting play of contrasts - Khushi who believes in love, in 'happily ever after's' and  'made for each other' couples, was ready to accept a marriage based only on what her family deemed suitable ... while Arnav who professes not to believe in love or fairy tales, broke a relationship which was found suitable by his family, for a yet unnamed, unacknowledged feeling of love.