20/8 - Epi 323 ... Badle Badle se Aaj Mere Huzoor Lagte Hain

Monday 20th August

Some major dhamaka is coming ... when we get such ArHilicious episodes, it means that things are going to blow up soon :(
Oh well, till then, enjoy the ride :)

Pyaar insaan ko badal deta hai  ... never was this so true as in the case of one hardened cynic named Arnav Singh Raizada, who never believed in love ... till he fell in love :">

And now his nearest and dearest can't recognise him ... the man who never believed in rituals, stays up all night googling to learn about each one ... at least, I presume that's where he got his new found knowledge, considering the riti rivaaz queens of the family, Di and Dadi, along with everyone else, were dumbfounded at this development :))

In between googling riti rivaaz, he also finds time to gaze wistfully at the moon, and at his empty bed, remember flashbacks of significant moments and tie them back to rituals, gaze lovingly at his beautiful bride as she dances happily (reminded me of the Holi moments) ... allows, no, make that requests Buaji to tie Raksha dhaga ... leaving no stone unturned, no rite unperformed ... making sure this bond is irreversibly tied :"> the tighter the better, the more rites, the stronger the bond ... :">

And of course, last but not least, wastes no time in dragging above beautiful bride away from the crowds to steal a few romantic moments alone with her ... in another DDLJ rip-off moment :"> (I have to say, this one came close to the original, although SRK-Kajol are still unmatched for me) ... and steals a few kisses from very willing bride ... who's only worried that someone will interrupt the moment ... and she helpfully lists all the KMH's they have had till date ... Di (the biggest), Buaji, Dadi and the worst culprit ... Aman's phone :))
Khushi, you forgot HP :))

Bad thing ... she kind of ruined the romantic moment :))
Good thing - she warned Arnav what might happen on SR, so hopefully he will make sure, Di, Dadi, Nani, Buaji, HP, Lakshmi ... and the rest are nowhere around ... heck, if he's got any sense, he will take Khushi off to a deserted island for a few months after marriage :) :">
Another good thing - she accepted she was Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada :):"> Loved that last shared smile :"> :"> :">

More good things in the episode ... long list today :)
Loved that Arnav heard that Khushi defended him to Garima, heard Buaji saying how much Khushi loves him, that she got slapped defending him ...
Loved that he overheard Buaji telling Anjali about raksha dhaga, Anjali helpless that he wouldn't allow it, Buaji telling Khushi, Khushi telling Buaji not to bother him, after all he loves the family so much ...
Loved the midnight scene, Khushi replacing Salman Khan with Arnav's picture :"> and remembering him ... Arnav looking at the other side of the bed and missing her ... :"> Khushi saying smile now, I am yours, and Arnav smiling ... 

Loved the flashback of the bandagement ... Arnav remembering it, telling her that she was already his, and Khushi accepting it :">

The other characters -
Akash spoke up!:))  Did he really tell Shashi babu not to come, or was that an attempt to grow a backbone and defend his wife's family after watching Bhai's sterling performance? :)
Dadi didn't create a ruckus, but she did make some pithy comments, with justification too ... how can a girl's parents stay away from her roka? So did Garima make the excuse to Akash or did Akash make it up himself?
Mami continues to be annoying ... hasn't she realized that one is rude to Arnav Sigh Raizada's wife at one's own peril?
 The return of the Creepwa ... what medication is he giving Anjali?

*edited*
Quick edit ... I need to pack :))

Continuation of Friday's scene left me a little disappointed ... so what exactly did Arnav drag Khushi into the bedroom for? To tell her that she was his already? Or just to annoy Dadi and make his point that he would follow his own way regardless? Setting up for the change of heart to follow ...
And also for her change of heart ... her acknowledging that she is his already, so do all these rituals really matter? Not between them ... they're only for the world. 

Khushi had some cute one-liners today ... 'bolna kya seekh liya ... hum hi ko chup kara dete hain aaj kal ...' sweetie, he could always shut you up, actually ... and you him ... that's why you're such a great combination.

Buaji Anjali talk ... which Arnav overhears ... Buaji wants to tie a raksha dhaga on Arnav, Anjali apologises that he doesn't believe in all this, Buaji accepts gracefully, although a little disappointed ... yes, she understands his point of view, and won't force him ...

R family leave, with some updates from NK ... 'kal dhokhe mein milenge ..' :))

Buaji hugs Khushi ... and talks again about the raksha dhaga ... again Khushi defends his point of view ... 'he loves you and respects you, isn't that enough? And if he doesn't believe in all this, we shouldn't force him, should we?'

And Buaji teases her ... 'yes, of course we shouldn't ... after all, he's a little sanki ... and who is defending him here ... our very own maha Sanka Devi! The first time you defended him, you got a slap from Amma ... yet again, you're defending him?'
And a little laad-pyaar vaala teasing ... 'you love him very much, don't you?' Parents are always so happy to see their daughter happy with her husband ...

And Arnav overhears again ... Khushi defending his beliefs or lack of them, and his right to those beliefs ... and hears the reason Garima slapped her ... again because she was defending him for that forced marriage without any riti rivaaz ...
They should have included a flashback of the first slap from Garima after the wedding ...

So Khushi, the firm believer in riti rivaaz, has accepted her husband fully, including his lack of beliefs in the rituals she holds so dear.
 And Arnav realizes that finally ... that she's been there for him all the time for so long ... So why can't he accept her fully, including her faith and her beliefs ... after all, what does it really cost him?

And here comes the change in Arnav ... from going along unwillingly with all the rituals because they were forced onto him, he never believed in them, he changes to a willing participant, ready to go the whole way, not because his Dadi or anyone else wants it, but because Khushi believes in them, believed in her dream wedding ... and now he will give it to her ... willingly ... for her sake.

Arnav comes back for his phone ... Khushi hands it to him ... a soft, very serious 'thank you' ... and she looks at him wondering a little ... the 'thank you' was too serious just for a forgotten phone ... as is the look he gives her ...
'Thank you for being there for me ... for understanding me ... for accepting me as I am ... for loving me as I am ...thank you for being you ...'

'Bye' ... her attempt to fit in with his world ... not a namaste or 'milte hain' this time ... her turn to reach out and meet him halfway ...
'Bye ...'

Garima returns, still in panic mode ... Buaji is annoyed and scolding, Khushi is concerned ... Garima just wants to know if everything went off properly ...
And Khushi and Buaji both notice that Garima is uncharacteristically flustered and worried about something ...

Night ... Arnav in bed, thinking about Khushi, looking at the empty side of the bed next to him ... her side ... starts to call her, decides against it, because she might be asleep ... in her usual taekwondo pose :)
But she's not ... she's giving up her first love for her last ;) ... out goes Sallu bhai, in comes Arnav Singh Raizada, her dream prince, her rajkumar ... now he is the only one who will figure in her dreams ... and Khushi smiles happily and a little shyly ... and indulges in some dreaming of her own ... as she looks at the moon and remembers her prince ...
Some telepathic communication via lunar satellite ... :"> Love the photography here, Khushi in her night dress through that blue tinted lens, looked absolutely beautiful (go easy on the night make up though, Sanaya!) as she gazes softly, wistfully at the moon ... and on the other end, so does Arnav, again looking so good through the blue tinted lens ... identical expressions of love, wistfulness, longing, yearning in their eyes ...

And Khushi addresses her scowling rajkumar again ... 'you can smile now at least ... you've won, I'll be yours very soon ... come on, smile!'
And of course he does :)

We could have had a small night phone conversation here ... both in bed, whispering to each other ... I just called to say 'good night, love you ...'
What's the rush?!!!! :(

Roka starts ... Sanaya looking gorgeous, and the lehnga colors actually looked good together ... liked the lehnga border, although the lehnga itself was very light ... loved her makeup with the silvery green underlining her eyes ... :">
Dadi and Mami welcoming the guests? Why not Nani? And how exactly are the families going to explain this repeat roka and haldi and mehndi and wedding ceremony when Khushi has already been publicly announced and accepted as Raizada bahu six months ago? Are they going to give an excuse that it's being done for Dadi's benefit as she wasn't here for the ceremony and the ceremony was rushed as it was, so they're doing a repeat? Whatever it is, there should be some explanation given ... logicwa is completely on hold here!!!

Bauji tries to explain Garima's absence ... Dadi is not interested, she seems unsurprised, expecting an excuse ... probably this confirms her suspicion that Garima is the Garima she thinks she is ... hence no surprise at her absence. And Buaji is annoyed with Garima, she should have come ... (a voiceover again ... added at the last minute?)

Again Khushi should have touched Dadi's feet ... if Arnav touches Buaji's and so do Payash, why is Khushi not doing so? Scared of rejection again?

NKism ... roktok nahin, roka ...:)
And Anjali, with newly grown baby bump, is ready for the rasam to start ... Arnav takes Khushi's hand and leads her to the stage ... Payash follow, also hand in hand ... chota bhai is finally following the right things from his bada ;)

And Arnav shows off his newly googled knowledge on rasam sambhar :)) ... now that he's decided he's doing this wholeheartedly, he's going the whole way ... bride stands on right, Di does her tika, Buaji does his, and Buaji can tie the raksha dhaga too, he doesn't mind at all ... if we're following rasams, might as well do them all ... this time they're going to follow all the rasams to the T ...
Much to Di's surprise, and Khushi's delight ... and everyone else's shock ... Dadi is trying to decide whether she's happy he's following all the rasams, or upset that he didn't do so on her say so, but only to please his wife ... Buaji is delighted and touched that he will tie the dhaga ...
Khushi can't believe it ... 'you'll tie the raksha dhaga?!'
'If we're doing everything according to rasams, why leave this one out?'

She still can't believe it ... so he pinches her ... and they share a smile ... :">
Watched by Creepwa :(
X(

Ring exchange next ... and Arnav reminds her 'we've done this one before already ... remember I tied a bandage on this finger once?'
And the temple bandagement flashback ... when they had sworn never to see each others' faces again ...
'So technically, you are already mine ...'
'Since then ...' with a soft radiant smile ...
As both start to accept what Devi Maiyya has been trying to tell them for ages ... they were always meant for each other ... however hard they tried to fight it ...
Hopefully by the end of all the rasams and the accompanying flashbacks, it will be crystal clear to both that Devi Maiyya had decided their fate a long time back :)

And the dhols start ... amd VLR makes his entry to the appropriate lyrics ... 'dekho aaye, aaye chor ...'

I have to say this PH chooses its songs well and completely according to the lyrics ... this is probably the least well known song of Mohabbatein ... I didn't even remember the song or the movie ... so I heard the lyrics properly and they were picturized perfectly ... every time the 'aaye chor' line came, it focussed on Shyam, and the rest, with the lively dhol beats was a great background song for a festive occasion, without being intrusive in the least ... the kind of song people would dance to at a real sangeet ...
And the rest of the lyrics were very appropriately picturized ...
'pairon mein bandhan hai, payal ne machaya shor
Sab darvaaze kar lo band, dekho aaye aaye chor
Pairon mein bandhan hai

Tod de saare bandhan ko, machne de payal ka shor
Dil ke sab darvaaze khol ... as Arnav and Khushi join the dancing family, Arnav's face split in a wide grin, looking most un-Arnavlike! ... yes, he's broken all the bonds of the past which were holding his heart caged, now he's opened the doors of his heart and let Khushi in ...
Khushi's song from the previous sangeet ...
aathon peher dil pe hain taale ... his heart is locked, no one can enter it ...

Today ...
Tod de saare bandhan ko, machne de payal ka shor
Dil ke sab darvaaze khol ... all those locks broken open, his heart is free to love ... 

Arnav sees his Di smiling, passing out sweets ... and his face shows momentary worry ... he knows she has been through a lot ... but today she is happy, sharing his happiness ...
then he looks at Khushi dancing happily, the girl who has brought color, love and laughter into his life, who has made him live again ...
'Jinhe milna hai kuch bhi ho, kabhi mil jaate hain
Dilon ke phool to pathjhad mein bhi khil jaate hain ... 
Zamaana doston dil ko deewana kehta hai
Deewana dil zamaane ko deewana kehta hai ...

Le main saiyyan aa gayi saari duniya chhod ke
Tera bandhan baandh liya, saare bandhan todh ke ...
She broke ties with the rest of her world because of him, she became an orphan again because of him, yet she didn't betray him, kept the secret of the forced marriage from everyone else, and suffered for it ... today he knows what she did for him, what she went through for him ...

Ek dooje se jud jaayein, aa hum dono udh jaayein ...
Jaise sang patang aur dor ...
And today he's ready to return the favour, read to hold her hand and fly away with her away from everyone else ... she is his world, and if they are together, he needs nothing else, he is complete, his world is complete ...
And he does exactly that ... holds her hand, and takes her away ... to their own private world, the poolside ... as the rest of the family continue the celebrations :) ... and one chor continues his chori :(

Buaji tries to placate Dadi, but Dadi maroes one more snide remark about the absence of Khushi's parents ... after all, they're not her real parents ... Akash bitwa, taking leaf out of older brother's book, to the rescue ... =D>

ArHi ... Reprise of Diwali? Back to poolside, back against the wall ... Khushi protests feebly ... 'what are you doing ...?' 
'I'm looking at you ...'
'Why?'
Because she's looking drop dead gorgeous and he can't take his eyes off her, because she's officially his fiance/wife now and he has the right ... and because another of those tiresome rasams is coming up and he won't be able to see her for a day or so ... and now he's planning to do it right, so he actually will not see her ... so he's taking a good look at her, to last out those couple of days ...
And she doesn't mind a bit ... not really ... although with their record of KMH's ...
'Arnavji ... voh ... Di aa jaayegi ...'
*forehead kiss*
'aane do ...'

'Dadiji aa ja ...' doesn't even manage to complete her words through the breathlessness setting in ...
*cheek kiss*
'aane do ...'

Eyes down, trying to think of what to say ... trying to think, period ... when she's having a major 'saansein ruk jaayengi' moment ... which is not conducive to thinking, only feeling ...
'Buaji ...' she gets even less words out this time ...
*cheek kiss again - other cheek*
'aane do ...' this was the softest, huskiest one yet ...

A quick look up at him and down again away from the heat in his eyes ... a heat reflected in the red of her cheeks ... and the acceptance of what's happening here between them ... something that started almost a year ago ... then in unconscious, unwilling attraction ... now in very conscious, very willing attraction, and love ... and closing her eyes in anticipation ...

'Amanji ka phone aa gaya toh ...?' reminder of that last poolside interruption ... you won't stop even if that happens? :)) The biggest KMH of all :))
'aane do ...' not really listening, the world could come to an end right now, and it wouldn't matter ...
Hang on a second ... what did she just say?! :))
'What?!'
And he actually stops and looks at her in disbelief, here he's lost in the moment, and this girl is thinking of Aman and his phone calls ...
'Aman will call now?'

She was just babbling without thinking in nervousness ... difficult to think when you're having trouble breathing ... she tries to put some sense to the nonsense she just said ... 'yes, he might call you if there was some urgent work ...' he's done it before, and interrupted things earlier, it wasn't that silly a thing to say ... :))
Apparently it was ... as he stares at her incredulously ... and then in amusement ... :)
'Khushi, you need to write a book ... 100 ways to spoil a romantic moment ... by Khushi Kumari Gupta ...'
She completes it ...'Singh Raizada ...' You said it, I am yours already ... with a soft loving smile ... a shared smile ... they know they belong to each other, with the love comes also the smiling, the teasing, the sharing of small, very private jokes that only a couple share ...
Yesterday when he called her KKGSR, she objected, the ceremonies were not yet complete, she didn't have the right to call herself his wife ... but today, she accepts it happily ... he's right, the rituals are for the world, for them they are husband and wife ...


Thoughts:
When this whole remarriage thing started, I was annoyed, because I wanted Arnav to go through all the rasams for Khushi's sake, because she wanted them, believed in them ... not because of society or the world or Dadi ...

And today I am happy ... I have to say, the cv's have delivered ... slowly and steadily building up the change, from an unwilling participant going through the motions, to someone who's doing this willingly, for the sake of his bride, knowing that it means a lot to her, and also that she might have forgone these things for his sake, but then she was the one who suffered, while he, being a man, got off scotfree. She believed in these rituals, she gave them all up six months ago because of him and the forced marriage, and she was the one who suffered then, and suffered again when the truth came out ... yet she still stands by him, defends him, covers for him. So going through all these ceremonies is such a very small thing he can do for her, it means so much to her, it brings such a big smile on her face, restores her honor and her dignity. And he will do it willingly, lovingly and with all his heart ... not bother to skirt the rules like he did for the shagun, but follow them all ... just for her. For his Khushi. Not just because Khushi wants to do them ... but because he wants to do them ... for her. 

Major logicwa loopholes still bothering me ... what is the rush???!!!
Why are loopholes in the story being glossed over? The wedding rasams will not be as stretched as they were for Payash, because lots of ArHi was happening during the Payash wedding, which took up much more time that Payash actually did. Understandable.
But lots of things are happening here too, which are being ignored. And the story telling suffers in the process.
Why are Buaji and Garima not asking even once about Shyam? Garima is excused, she has enough troubles of her own, but why not a small conversation between Buaji and Khushi, when Khushi tells her briefly that Shyam's truth is out, so he has been thrown out of RM, but not to mention this in front of anyone, especially not Anjali. Bas, that's all that's required.
Another small conversation between Payal and Garima, Garima making an excuse for not coming to the roka, Akash telling Payal not to worry, he will manage Dadi ...
What is the reason given for the repeat marriage to the family and friends of the Raizadas and Guptas? After all, Khushi had an official munh dikhayi, the entire AR office knows her as KKGSR, the entire Lakshmi Nagar knows her as KKGSR ... so the re-marriage has to have a reason for society, as it is being done ostensibly for society. Otherwise, the sensible thing to have done was for both families to go quietly to the temple and have a small private temple re-marriage with just the wedding ceremony and pheras. No real need for the roka, sangeet, mehndi, haldi etc ...

And a final crib, as we can never have enough of ArHi ... :)
Why not stretch the night scene between ArHi? A married couple deeply, madly in love, separated for a few days, we got a couple of cute phone conversations, which made them look and sound so natural ... we need more!

Am ignoring the precap ... ;) except to say, VLR Creepwa trying to make sure Rani Sahiba doesn't go into labour till the day of the wedding? Or better still, the wedding night?