1/6 - Epi 266 ... Hugwa ve ... Chipko ve ... Bhaago ve ...

Friday 1st June

Anniversary month starts :)

So Khushi never managed to answer the question ... goon interrupted ... thought so ... 
And we get the long awaited HUG :)

And another one ... :">  ... the real thing, chipkofying really close ... I wanted the Blackmail scene, I got it ... sans the song, but good enough. More than good enough, they even had the hurt by thorns bit :)
Me very happy today !

And then lots of runnin' ... runnin' ... where in Delhi did they find such deserted areas and jungle? Ok, forget logic ... the hugs were worth it ... :"> 

Precap - oh man, you've been married for months, and you choose NOW to get up close and personal? With goons surrounding the hut? As potential for interruption, they're even worse than the perennial KMH, Anjali Di!

Note - when I like the episode a lot, I tend to get flippant :) Will make up in the edited post :">

*edited*
Since someone asked about the Blackmail scene, am posting the link for the video here
Mile Mile Do Badan

Episode starts with Arnav asking Khushi, 'how did you know I was in trouble?'
And Khushi remembers his words on the phone, 'Khushi, I love you' ... words that made her heart sing, soar to seventh heaven ... and then brought her down to earth with a jerk ... she knew her Arnavji, knew how difficult it was for him to express his feelings, knew the way they had parted with bitterness and misunderstanding ... then why had he said that? And that was what made her feel ...
She tries to tell him it was his phone call ... but before she can say anything, they hear a sound - the KN returning.
Would he have understood if she had said it was because he said those three words? Would he have retracted them the way he always did? Would she have been able to say the reason at all? Or would she have stopped where she did ...?

The sound of the kidnapper breaks their moment, and Arnav tells Khushi urgently to get down ... pretend they haven't met yet ... that everything is as before ... so that he can figure out how to overpower the guy and get them out ... he doesn't have to say it, she understands completely, and gets back quickly to where she was sitting ...
Mr Kidnapper is in leery mode again ... he tries to feed Khushi himself, and Arnav starts gritting his teeth ... then he decides against it when she doesn't want the food ... why to waste it ... then to brass tacks ... 'why were you following me?'

And he reaches out to touch her shoulder ... Arnav starts fuming ... Khushi gets to her feet and moves away as quickly as she can, sending a quick scared look at Arnav ... what should she do? And as Mr Kidnapper gets a bit too close, Arnav sees red, bites out 'Don't you dare touch her ... you ...' and in true Dharmendra style, rips off the grill, frame and all, with his bare hands ... followed by good old Bollywood dhishum dhishum as he knocks the pulp out of Mr KN ... stopped only by a terrified Khushi when he's in danger of going out of control, still punching the guy when he's out cold.
Then Arnav recalled to his senses by Khushi's terrified voice ... he stops and looks at her ... face tear-stained, eyes still terrified ...

'Theek ho tum?' ... his signature question ... and her signature answer is always 'haan, aap theek hain?'
Not this time ... 
She's not all right ...

She shakes her head dumbly ... and even as he looks at her, she launches herself across the room at a run ... straight to him, her arms going around him and holding onto him as though holding onto her life ... her feet lifting off the floor with the force as she cannons into him ...
And slowly ... for the first time, his arms lift in turn to hold her ... as tightly, as closely ...
As tightly as when he held her to save her from a moving car ...
As close as they were destined to be ever since they got engaged in front of Devi Maiyya with a bandage for a ring ... when Devi Maiyya appointed him her protector, to save her from all pain, be it as small as a bangle prick ... 
As close as when her earring tangled with his coat ... when he fell on her with her Devi Maiyya in his hands ... as caring as when he disentangled her from the first tangle she got herself into, a tangle of lights ... as protective as when he blew the mud from her eye ... as gentle as when he fastened her her mother's payal on her foot ...
as close as their first accidental close moment at Diwali, and the next not-so accidental one on stage ... and the deliberate one at the poolside ...
And still she holds him, crying with the joy and relief of finally being with him ... in his arms, where she belongs ... has always belonged ... and he holds her as though holding his life itself ... his nirvana, his absolution ... his and only his ...

And then they hear a sound, and spring apart ... coming out with jerk, from that bubble where only they existed ... and holding hands, they run ...

(Since this is now Bollywood movie, no questions entertained on logic ... how did they get out, how come they're suddenly in a jungle and a deserted one too ... the goons had gone for the night, why did they come back so soon ... etc etc )

Goons start the chase, Arnav Khushi runnin', runnin' ... goons are overweight and out of shape and Arhi manage to outrun them ... and hide behind a crumbling wall ... Arnav tense about the goons, but Khushi can't get over the relief of seeing him alive and well after all her tension and forebodings ... he shushes her even as she exclaims at his rope burns ... the goons see him peering out ... and Arhi dive for cover under a stack of empty boxes, clinging close to each other ...

Mile ... mile do badan ... khile, khile do chaman ... 
yeh zindagi ... kam hi sahi ... koi gham nahin ... koi gham nahin ...

Der se aayi, aayi toh bahar
angaaron se hokar jaaga pyaar
toofanon mein phool khilaye ... toofanon mein phool khilaye ... kaisa yeh milan
mile mile do badan ... khile khile do chaman
yeh zindagi ... kam hi sahi ... koi gham nahin

Honth vahi hain ... hai vahi muskaan ... 
ab tak kyun kar dabe rahe armaan
beete dinon ko bhool hi jaayen ... beete dinon ko bhool hi jaayen ... ab hum tum sajan ...
Mile ... mile do badan ... khile ... khile do chaman ...
yeh zindagi ... kam hi sahi ... koi gham nahin ... 

(I played this song during the scene, keeping the RV muted ... it was fantastic! The beat of the song is fast, while the song itself is a slow ballad ... and it brought out the tension of the moment, as well as the sensuality beautifully ... helped, of course, by ArHi fabulous expressions ... which I can't really do justice to in words, although I'm giving it a try :) For those who don't know about the song or the movie, the scenario is exactly the same - a married couple, with a huge misunderstanding between them, on the run from the villain who was in love with the heroine and has created the MU in the first place, again for money ... the couple are now deeply in love with each other, but the hero thought all along that his wife was still in love with the villain ... he has just realised she's in love with him)

During the actual scene they played Rabba ve ... a mini flashback as the goons run, Arnav dives for cover behind the boxes, a scared Khushi clinging to him for dear life, her eyes closed, trusting him blindly ...
And even as the goons prowl around, the two under the shaky covers seem to fade out the entire world around them, and disappear into their own world ... as the danger outside fades, and the awareness kicks in ... close to each other ... close than they've ever been before ...

Kyun khwaabon pe tere saaye hain ... dil kyun hai tanha mera ...
Kyun khaamoshi hai zubaan meri ... ashkon se keh paaun na ...
kyun dard hai itna ... tere ishq mein ...
Rabba ve ... rabba ve ... rabba ve rabba ve rabba ve ...

His eyes fixed on her face, searching ... her eyes lowered slightly, meeting his, lowering again, both only aware of each other, nothing and no one else matters ... or even exists ...it's just the two of them ... so close as to be almost one ...
And then they come back with a start to the real world, to the danger still surrounding them ... and hide again ... and all barriers are gone, because he's holding her close unconsciously now, naturally ... and they are one ...
(There was a change in body language after they came back to a sense of their surroundings ... Arnav kept holding her very close, very naturally, without thinking, as though knowing she belonged there, he knew she wanted to be there, she belonged to him and he was her protector ... the awkwardness gone on both sides, the closeness because they wanted it, an unspoken 'together because we are one'). 

Mr KN gets a call from his Boss ... and yells at his henchmen ... and Arnav Khushi are on the run again ... still holding hands ...
They duck down behind some bushes, the sharp branches dig into his back and he winces ... he asks Khushi for her phone, but the kidnapper has taken it ...
The phone which has Arnav's last message and the photo of the signed papers ...
Arnav stands, almost hitting some more branches which could have taken his eye out ... Khushi puts out her hand to save him ... hurting her own hand ... and he gets angry - he doesn't want her to hurt herself for him ... she retorts back that he does the same for her ...
Equals ... always have been... and they both now know it ... how similar they are, have always been ... he risked his own safety to save her from a moving car, from a crumbling building, when she stayed up the whole night to look after him ... how they always went out on a limb for the other ... 

And they're on the run again ... and it's night ... they see an abandoned hut (but of course ;) happens in all the best movies and serials) and go inside ... Khushi's injured hand leaving blood mark on the wall (was it bleeding all this while? ... sorry, forgot ... no logic!) ...

Putting all the Payash scenes together ... did Payash or the cv's think anyone would be even remotely interested in them today?
So Payal was mad at being stood up on her date by hubby dearest ... hubby dearest had completely forgotten about said date ... he didn't take her call because he was busy, he never told her to wait for so long ... and he forgot about all movie plans ... Akash apologises, promises her he will take her out, then remembers he has an official party, she should come with him ...
So Payal gets all worried about what to wear for an office party ... Akash pretty unhelpful ... 'you'll look good whatever you wear ...'
Compared to the problems Khushi and Arnav are going through at the moment, dressing for an official party doesn't seem like a very big deal at all ... so Payash were uninteresting, except that we do need a parallel track because of screenspace  ... keeping ArHi onscreen 18 minutes out of 20 every day without a story for two months brought down TRP's, so cv's don't want to repeat the same mistake. Akash knew how to be a besotted fiance, but has no clue how to be a loving supportive husband ... will Arnav be able to give him a few lessons now?

Precap ... feeling hot hot hot ... regardless of lurking goons ... well, ArHi always had a KMH, first it was omni-present Di, now it's kidnappers ... ArHi can't seem to catch a break!

Thoughts - :)

The first hug -
'Theek ho tum?'
Her usual reply - 'haan, hum theek hain ... aap theek hain?'
Khushi - What she means - I'm ok, I can look after myself, I don't want anyone to bother about me, because I'm a bother anyway, I'm a burden to most ... I don't want to burden anyone further ... because I'm afraid that if I do, they might think I'm not worth the bother, and throw me out.
Like they always do every time she makes a mistake - when she returned late for Payal's wedding and it broke, when she refused to marry Shyam for so long, when she married Arnav in the middle of Payal's wedding.
She has to be the one to shoulder burdens to look after her adopted family, she needs to be needed, she needs to belong ... she doesn't dare to need others because they may not be there for her ... 
And he's been telling her for ages and ages ... you're not alone, lean on me, trust me and I'll be there for you ... 'Khushi, you can't do everything alone ...'
But she never did ... and he felt it a rejection of himself ... he offered her his shoulder, his help, his protection so many times, and every time she brushed it off, said she could manage on her own ... she didn't need him ... maybe she didn't want him ...

But not this time ...
Emboldened by those three words he said ... words she needed, because his actions so often confused her ...
Emboldened by her own awakened feelings ... we always said that once Khushi realizes what she feels for Arnav, she will be simply unable to hold back ...
Strengthened by the newly received insights into Arnav's behaviour patterns, the nuggets she received from Nani, from Anjali ... he hides his own pain, his own feelings under a cloak of anger, he punishes himself for the hurt of his loved ones, he will do anything to protect the ones he loves from hurt, even if it means hurting himself ...
In Nainital, bewildered by his disproportionate rage when he beat up the guy who dared to push her, she asked him, 'what would you have done if he had really hurt me?' Today she got her answer ... he will do anything to protect the ones he loves ...
And that includes her ...
And so she gives up the need to be needed, to be the one shouldering the burden, the responsibility, to be the strong one ... and surrenders it to him ... she dares to admit that yes, she needs him ... ... she can't do it all alone, and she doesn't want to ... she wants to lay all her burdens on his shoulders, and let him take care of them ... and of her ... because she belongs to him.
She's not all right ... she's scared, she's hurt, she was terrified that she would lose him, ... but now that he's there, everything will be all right ...

And when she goes into his arms and hugs him, she holds onto him tight, as though absorbing him into herself, assuaging that ache, that need for him ... that black void she felt in her life ever since he went away ... as though by holding him close, she will draw his very essence into herself, ensure he never goes away again ...
And when she holds him close, her smile comes through her tears, she feels complete again ... safe, loved, protected ... he's there and her world is complete.

Arnav - he always was there for her but his own insecurities made him feel unwanted, unloved ... unloveable ... he was khadoos, angry, cynical, he was rough with her and even when he went out on a limb for her, he did it with a mask of anger and hate ... hiding even from himself how much she meant to him ... she told him she hated him, that he was unworthy of love, that it would be difficult for anyone to love him ... that he didn't deserve to be loved ... he didn't see her hurt, her pain behind those words, that she loved him despite all that, despite his harshness, his cruelty to her, she cared for him deeply ... she refused his helping hand, which meant she didn't need him, she didn't want his help ... and the insecure Arnav took that to mean she didn't want him ... she didn't even reply when he told her he loved her ... words that came with such difficulty to his lips, and she didn't say a word in return ...
And yet ... she's here ... she found him, he has no idea how she searched him out but she did ... and she's here, clinging to his hands through the grill as though she can't bear to let go, looking at him desperately as though scared to let him out of her sight, facing up to the goon fearfully, yet trusting Arnav to look after her, take care of her ... he told her to not let the goon know they had met, and she followed his unspoken instructions faithfully, trusting him again with her safety, her life ...
And when he asked her if she was all right ... for the first time, the very first time ... she said 'no' ... and ran to him ... for him to make it all right ... because she trusts him ... she came here to this dingy warehouse only for him ...
And his arms go around her slowly, he holds her tight, finally letting himself believe what his heart always told him, even as his brain remembered the damning terrace scene ... that she is his ... his world, his life, his love ... his and only his ... she braved everything to find him ... because he is her world ... and she is his ...and his world is complete.

An affirmation of love, of belonging, of finally being together where they belong, where they were meant to be ... with each other ... in each others' arms ... their world complete.

The second hug
Two hearts that beat as one ... hamari dhadkanein ek ho jaati hain ...
He dived with her instinctively, protectively, holding her close to him ... his only thought to hide from the danger surrounding them, the goons hunting so close ... and she held him close trustingly and went with him ...
And then ... the danger fades ... her eyes tightly shut at first, clutching onto his shirt as tight, holding onto him as though he is her anchor, her protector, as long as he is there with her, she's ok ... and then she opens her eyes and realises how close they are ... his eyes open and so does he ...

And this hug was all about awareness and their physical closeness ... and the comfort with it ... the complete acceptance ... an acceptance that began with her realization and his words on the phone, that continued with their first no holds barred hug ... now cemented with a closeness and an acceptance of that closeness ... as they return to a sense of their surroundings, he just holds her tighter still, and she burrows back into his neck in acceptance and surrender, for the first time letting go of her need to be independent and self-reliant, accepting his protection, needing it, and needing him ... he is her protector and keeper, and she is his, to have and to hold ...

The thorns scene
 'I can't stand it if you get hurt because of me ...'
'And what about you? when you hurt yourself in saving me?'

A final note - you hurt for me, I hurt for you ... you take my pain as yours, I take your pain as mine ... you protect me from pain, I protect you from pain ... we look out for each other, if you're there for me, I'm there for you ...
And she tells him in so many words that she understands now every time he hurt her, he hurt himself too ... he took her pain onto himself ... and she can see that now ... she can understand the hurt he gave her now, because she can see his pain in her own.
Equals always ... there for each other ... she's not your typical damsel in distress, or even the wilting princess to his brave Prince Charming ... she is his soulmate, his equal, his partner ... with him, by his side always.