13/3 - Epi 207 ... That First Touch of Your Hand - edited

13th Mar Tues

Might change the title when I edit ... but how many people were egging on bitwa to "Walk faster, idiot!!!!!" when Shyam was getting all set to put color on a very worried Khushi. And did Arnav even notice that Khushi was unwilling?!
More shiddats - Bitwa puts color on bitiya, bitiya puts color on bitwa, RRR is left gnashing his teeth :))

We thought Khushi would say 'Arnav is my pati, he will put color first' ... Arnav said it ... good boy! Few miles redeemed today.

Now Khushi's turn to be the tubelight - did she really not notice the killer looks being exchanged between Bitwa and RRR? Or was she too lost in the rabba ve moments? The rest of the R and G family also clueless as usual.

Liked the way the Guptas made up with Khushi - no fuss or grand dramatics, just hugs and tears all around and it was done. Sweet and realistic.
The song was very okay-okay ... would have been nicer to use NK - where has that boy disappeared to, btw? Felt forced in ... but again the making up between Nani and Khushi was nice ... and liked the way Arnav smiled to see that.

Long long rabba ve's today ... Arnav putting color on Khushi, Khushi on Arnav ... Barun has to get his expressions a bit better ... too grim all through ... 

Last bit ... liked the way Khushi was lost in her recollection of Rabba ve moments ... but *head desk* getting distracted by milk and bhaang?! Cv's dumbing down Khushi again x(
But Arnav seems to enjoy the chirpy crazy Khushi ...

We thought RRR wouldn't be fool enough to get Khushi drunk on bhaang, he wouldn't want the truth coming out ... seems RRR is a few shades dimmer than bitwa on the tubelight scale. Dude, you really think Khushi is going to spill about her undying love for you when she's drunk? Gotta be more delusional than I thought. She'll spill about her love all right, but for another person entirely ...

*edited*
I'm a little biased, I find ;) ... if Khushi is shown to be to childish, it spoils the episode for me ... on re-watch, I edited out that part in my mind ;) And the ArHi scene of putting color were just wow :">

So to start - Holi already started in huge grounds of RM - since they didn't go anywhere, am presuming this was supposed to be outside the house itself. And the PH has definitely got more funding - there were far more extras here than even at the Payash-ArHi wedding :))

Buaji and Garima arrive and some sweet-sour family scenes with Mami/Mama and Payash ... Khushi comes out, still worried, but lights up when she sees Garima, Buaji ... they freeze, her face falls, Payal puts an encouraging hand on her shoulder and Anjali steps in and so does Akash ... very sweet scenes as Khushi tremblingly puts color on Buaji and Garima, and they melt ... loved the little smile of tearful gratitude Khushi gave Anjali and the encouraging, smiling nod Anjali gave back ... for once, Anjali deserved the position of peacemaker, because she actually went out on a limb to do something ... and Akash gave her full support. Always felt Buaji did love Khushi a lot ... she knows her favorite color too ... and Khushi is back in the Gupta family fold ...

So Anjali, Buaji and Garima have been won over ... only Nani left ... and Khushi gets to work ... as tutored by Mamaji.
Only Sanaya can look so cute as very effeminate man with turban and obviously false moustache ... :))

O Meri Zoharajabeen ... evergreen song totally appropriate for Nani ... watched with varying reactions from Gupta ladies and Raizada family ... apprehension and approval ... and Arnav arrives in time to watch his wife in action manaoing his grandmother ... who is managing to keep her dignity and a straight face ... Jayshreeji is damn good here, can see that her anger is gone already, and she's just keeping up the facade ...
Arnav is lucky ... and Khushi was not quite right when she said he makes the mess and cleans it up - he makes the mess all right, and she helps him clean it up ... winning back both his family and hers to approve of the runaway marriage was all her effort ...

And he watches, just watches ... probably fully certain inside him that she will do what she set out to do ... no anger or even surprise on his face ... just an amused waiting ...
Khushi ends the song and exuberantly douses Nani with color from Nanaji's pichkari ... Nani shocked ... everybody shocked, has Khushi gone too far?! :-o
And Khushi is afraid she has ... Nani takes the pichkari and says no Holi for me ... Khushi removes her moustache and turns away dejectedly, and Arnav's face shows his upset and worry ... did she fail?
Nani stops Khushi ... and lets loose the pichkari of color on her ... now it's my Holi! And the whole ground bursts into applause, Akash, Payal, Anjali, Gupta ladies, mamaji ... and Arnav smiles ... she did it.
Loved the way Khushi ran to hug Nani ... and clung to her ... the love palpable ... again, Arnav is SO lucky to get a wife who loves his family as much as he does ... and the genuine deep affection, pride and happiness with which Nani wished Khushi ... the way Khushi knelt at Nani's feet in front of the entire crowd and begged for forgiveness for a crime she hadn't even committed ... have I mentioned how lucky Arnav is? Loved the way Nani's hand came to bless Khushi ... so Khushi finally got the blessings of the entire family ... and by extension, so did Arnav ...

Nani wants to color Khushi, even Mami chimes in (wow, I never noticed that on first watch, so it's actually the entire family won over - Snakewa doesn't count, of course) ... Arnav smiles and prepares to leave, his Khushi is finally part of his family ... and time for Snakewa to act Cupid again ... he seizes the opportunity to try to color Khushi again ... and Arnav stops in his tracks ...

RRR is now getting dangerous ... he has stopped caring completely what Khushi wants or doesn't want ... it's all about claiming her ... he starts walking purposefully towards Khushi ... and Arnav (finally!) into action, starts walking in the same direction ... (Dia's Note - walk faster, idiottt, forget the style!!! though have to say, he looked damn good in that white shirt striding ahead with that grim look :">  totally hero ishtyle)  ... Khushi tries to protest to Nani, but is overruled, and stands petrified and actually helpless for once, she can't refuse without creating a scene ... and she closes her eyes in revulsion and fear as his hand reaches out ... and opens them again as the color doesn't come ... to find Arnav standing in the way, holding Shyam's hand, physically preventing him from applying color =D> ... and she steals instinctively a little further behind Arnav for protection ... 
One minute, jeejaji ... I will put color on Khushi ... pati jo hoon ... I'm her husband, and don't you forget that. I reserve the right to touch my wife ... and not allow scum to come anywhere near her.

Gupta ladies relieved, Shyam frustrated and furious (just the way I like to see him ;) ) and Khushi stares with a mixture of disbelief and thankfulness ... again loved the way her eyes close as Arnav reaches out to touch her cheeks, accepting his touch and his right ... and then looking into his eyes as though searching for something there, something she wanted to see, hoped to see ... and Arnav looking back at her, still grim, but was he searching for that something too?

Anjali comes forward in surprised delight ... Chotey never plays Holi ... ah, but he does for his Khushi, if it's to protect her ... was he protecting Khushi or his Di's marriage there? did he even think about his Di at all, or was it all about 'that scumbag will not go near my wife' ... and will he start to think about which one it was? And what 'his wife' thinks and wants in all this? Did he even see her reluctance, her fear, her helplessness, as RRR approached her?

Mami sharp as ever, remarks, Chotey has started doing lots of things he never did before ... Nani instructs Khushi to put color back on Arnav ...Anjali remarks that not everyone has the good fortune of putting color on Arnav ... Khushi is nervous, Arnav starts to leave but Anjali stops him, and Nani orders Khushi ...

An exchange of looks ... delicious irony as Anjali takes the thaal of color which Shyam is holding and holds it for the right person ... Khushi moves towards Arnav, still nervous, unsure, wondering (here's where I felt Arnav's expressions were off - too grim ... shouldn't he have been searching her eyes too? Wondering what it was she wanted? why was she reluctant? Was she reluctant at all?) 
Anjali encourages Khushi with a small smiling nod ... Khushi takes the plunge and puts color on his cheeks, hesitant, nervous ... he looks away but at the first soft touch of her hand (Sanaya has beautiful hands), he looks at her and then can't look away again ... the public acknowledgement that they are husband and wife, they have the right to touch each other ... as the crowd applauds, and Nani, Anjali, Guptas, Payash, Mamaji all delighted ...
They look away from each other ... again hiding their feelings ... he reaches up to touch his own cheek, the color she just put ... she reaches up to do the same to her own ... and look at each other again ... both so pulsatingly aware of each other ... alone even among the crowd ... as though it's just the two of them ...

Nani - Love can move the biggest of mountains, this is just Chotey, what say, Anjali ...
A thoughtful Anjali ... yes, Nani ...
And Khushi Arnav look at each other again ... is that what this is? One unwilling to acknowledge, one afraid to ... and Arnav denies it brusquely ...

Khushi lost in her rabba ve moments of Arnav applying color to her cheeks ... till she gets distracted by bhaang making ... and gets to work herself :) Clarifies that she has made thandai but never actually had it herself ... again, only Sanaya can look so cute with that red gamcha tied around her head and that impish smile on her face as she enjoys herself thoroughly :"> ... distracting Arnav from his serious conversation all over again as he stares at his quirky wife ... with another half-smile on his face ...

And Shyam decides that she has to drink bhaang ... so that he can find out the truth of her marriage ...

Edited - new offscreen Holi pics from FB - they seem to be having a blast! SaRun are damn cute ... :)