9/8 - Epi 316 ... SR woes ... and others

Thursday 9th August

Everybody in RM has troubles these days. :))

Khushi is very troubled about her absent pheras and soon to be present SR :)
Though a broken bed didn't really trouble either her or Arnav for too long :))

Dadi is troubled about missing Damaadji ...

Mami is troubled about Dragon Dadi ... and how to evade her searching questions ...

Payal is troubled about Khushi's klutziness and her own husband's spinelessness ... well, if she isn't troubled about the latter, she should be, especially after seeing the rather stiff spine of her Jethji.

Anjali is troubled about people noticing her mysterious phone calls ...

NK continues on his smooth, untroubled road ... even Dragon Dadi cannot stand up to his sunny irreverent blissfully untroubled self ... I love you, NK! :)) The NK-Mami-Dadi scene was hilarious!

Arnav ... troubled is not the word I'd use for him ... amused, gleeful, snarky, enjoying himself thoroughly ... apart from occasional moments of being completely befuddled by his pagal biwi ... but still enjoying her nonetheless ... and troubled doesn't describe his feelings about his appointed Suhaag Raat ... ;)
Hang on, does he have absolutely no remorse about the forced marriage now? :( Or is it going to come up somehow?
Seems Khushi has also confined the contract to the dustbin ... so I am going to stick my interpretation of last Wednesday's scene as the correct one. Both accepted the contract was just an excuse and that neither had any intention of letting the marriage end.
Barun was cute ... and Sanaya was just too cute today :)) So good to see the smiling, laughing teasing Khushi back.

I meant to say this yesterday, but forgot ... Arnav's recurrent fb of the terrace scene haunted him for months ... since the day he let it all out to Khushi, he hasn't had a single fb of the terrace again.
His nightmare of the past has haunted him since the start of the show .. or in IPK time, for the last fourteen years ... will that also be laid to rest after letting it out to Khushi? It certainly seemed that by opening up to her last night, he went back to his childhood today ... if not childhood, then very naughty flirty young adulthood :))

Nice, feel good episode, with some careful interspersion of serious scenes ... Arnav Anjali talk, decide to leave the past behind, and look forward ... but Anjali's mysterious calls have not stopped, Arnav is the next person to see Anjali talking to thin air ... Dadi is still worried about Damaadji ... and from the precap ... the cat is out of the bag ...

*edited*
Dunno where exactly we're going now ... is it towards a private renewal of vows? Seems so. Because Dadi, the last stumbling block, has been informed quite forcefully that Khushi is unalterably and unequivocally the bahu of the house, no questions allowed. So no need at all for a wedding for the family's sake.

Sometimes a sorrow bottled up inside for too long becomes a festering wound, which the moment it is touched, hurts so piercingly, that the patient dares not touch it. Even knowing that laying open that wound and cleaning it out, is essential for the healing process to start. And one sharp quick cut, which goes to the depths of the wound, is enough to slice it open, let all the poison sitting inside for so long, slowly start oozing out ... the first step to healing.

And so it was with Arnav. Anjali took comfort in mentioning her dead mother again and again, clinging to her memories ... but for Arnav it was such a deep wound that he couldn't bear to even touch it ... it hurt too much. Anjali, his Di, was mother enough, he didn't want to remember the mother who had left him at such a vulnerable age, abandoned him and left him helpless against the cruelties of the world.

Until Khushi came into his life ... and his heart ... showed him how to live again ... and assured him time and again, that she was always with him. Cute, klutzy, sunny-natured, innocent and mature by turns, she brought color, love and laughter back into his life ... and made him believe in happiness and love again. And when she assured him she was there for him, warts and all, she didn't want to change him, she didn't want to ask him questions he couldn't answer, she just wanted to be there for him ... it was the push he needed, it gave him the courage to finally make that first deep cut to the depths of the wound festering inside him for the last fourteen years.
"My mother committed suicide when I was fourteen."
Stark, brutal words, a stark painful truth which he had avoided voicing or even thinking about for the last fourteen years ... but last night, he faced the truth in all its ugliness.
The first cut is the deepest ... nothing else would hurt quite as much ... and the poison already started oozing out ... he slept peacefully at night after saying those words, and receiving Khushi's comforting hug and unspoken sympathy ...he wasn't alone, he had found someone to share his pain, and by sharing it, halve it, decrease his own burden.
And the shedding of the load made him stronger ... it made him approach the other person affected by the same pain ... his Di ... and urge her too, to look forward ... to make peace with their shared past, and move on.

Anjali-Arnav ... Arnav goes to a disturbed Di, sitting with the album Khushi unearthed ... and brother and sister try to comfort each other (after ages I liked a bro-sis scene). Arnav tells her they need to move out from the shadows of their past, the trauma of their childhood ... it's in the past and it should stay there, not overshadow their present. Arnav is ready to do that now ... is Anjali? She has two 'pasts' to deal with - the remote past of their childhood, and the more recent past of her second broken marriage ... a tough thing for any girl to face ... trauma not once, but twice.

Khushi-Payal ... always liked this sister bond, am so glad they have revived it :) Payal counsels Khushi like the calmer, wiser, mature older sister she always was, before she became a Raizada zoo inmate ;)  ... don't worry about Dadi, see how much your husband supports you, what more do you need? He supports you in front of everyone, he said you have the complete freedom here to do what you like ... you're lucky to have a husband like him :)
Methinks Payal is contrasting her own husband ... unfavorably. Akash, you need to step up to bat here, otherwise you will be cast in the shade by your own brother ;) Start by defending your wife against your taunting mom for starters.

And Khushi stops worrying about Dragon Dadi, and gets lost in much more pleasant thoughts .. of Hotwa Hubby ... yep, he was rather nice today, wasn't he? :"> And supportive, and sweet, everything a girl dreams of ... maybe he deserves a reward ...
Arnav bitwa sorting out clothes, not knowing Christmas is coming early this year :)) ... Beautiful Biwi comes and gives him a hug ... HH is startled at this uncharacteristic behaviour and thinks something is wrong ... he turns with concern in his eyes, ready to sort out whatever is troubling her ... awww :"> :)
Khushi says she's sorry ...
Arnav promptly tells her it's not her fault, she doesn't need to apologise ... :"> :))
Khushi says she's not saying sorry for what happened downstairs, she's saying sorry for something else ... very meek, mild, subdued, bheegi billi demeanor ... HH getting even more worried ... she turns to pick up something and returns ...
I saw you without clothes ... that's why ...
Baffled HH ... when? how? Why didn't I know this? How did I miss this chance? :)) Excuse me?
BB, with very sorrowful, penitent face, holds up a nude photo ... Baby Arnav in all his birthday suit glory ... :)) :)) :))

Suited booted Arnav suitably embarrassed, wants photo back ... BB, not looking remotely penitent or bheegi billi now, in fact looking positively, wickedly gleeful, dances out of reach ... he runs after her, she dances around the bed, he does a neat tackle and both fall on the bed ... and it breaks.
=)) =)) =))
And they both burst into laughter. :) 
Barun and Sanaya must have had a ball shooting this ... and been so relieved they could actually laugh out loud!

Khushi says she's never seen him laughing like this before ...
Arnav replies that the bed hasn't broken like this before either ... and HH and his BB enjoy a completely beautiful moment of shared laughter and fun, teasing and mischief ... their first really happy together moment ... one that will always remain a precious memory ... how their bed broke :))
And Arnav being Arnav, seizes the opportunity, and grabs his picture back and runs ... from an indignant Khushi :) :">

DD-MM-NK :))
Dragon Dadi pacing downstairs, like a lioness balked of her prey - the first prey of any self-respecting strict saas looking to exert her authority, is her new bahu, but Arnav bitwa put paid to that one ...
Khushi is my wife, she can do what she wants, go where she wants, see what she wants ...
So DD can't bully Khushi, she's out of bounds ...
Next target ... dancing Manorama Mami ... I love it when one bully is troubled by another :))
Poor MM, dancing along blissfully unaware of impending storm ... senses the traffic cop hand of DD and stops abruptly, her smile wiped out on seeing DD's frowning face ...
'I was listening to bhajans ...'
'Do you have  no manners?'
'Y ... yes ...' :))
DD makes inquiries about missing Damaadji ... MM says no one of that name lives here :))
SN- If DD is such a traditional conservative lady, why would she expect to see Damaadji here? Shouldn't she be asking instead, where is his and Anjali's house, where do they live? Presuming that Anjali has come to maika for delivery, but has her own home otherwise. And demanding that Damaadji come to pay his respects ... but not expect that he actually lives here.

MM tries desperately to prevaricate ... and begs bhoot pret to rescue her ... NK arrives :)) and tackles DD in his own inimitable way ... DD has absolutely no answer to his cheerfully irreverent untroubled self ... he doesn't seem to realise that she strikes terror into everyone's hearts ... he remains singularly unterrorised :))

'Don't you have any manners? When elders are talking, chotey don't interrupt beech mein.'
NK hastens to correct her ... she's got it all wrong ... 'I'm not Chotey at all ... and when did I go to the beach? There's no beach in Delhi, that's in Mumbai ...'
MM begs him to shut up :))
DD realises NK is beyond her control ... so she grits her teeth trying to be polite ... 'Can I have the pleasure of speaking alone with your aunt?'

NK is floored ...'Aapki goli ... nahin boli ... kitni sweet hai ... Aap aisa bhashan mujhe bhi sikha dijiye, please.' :))

DD is reduced to lowest common denominator of every single inmate of RM ... correcting NK's Hindi :)) 'Bhashan nahin, bhasha!'
NK blows her a kiss of admiration =)) 'Wow!' 

DD gives up ... 'bevakoof!' and retreats to re-arm herself ... and look for more suitable prey :))
Leaving innocently puzzled NK (was he really that innocent or did he do that on purpose? :)) ) and very relieved MM!

Family discussion on Janamshtami ... NK as clueless as La was last year, and asking similar questions ... Nani explains this time ... about Radha Krishna's pure love, unbound by the traditional trappings of society ... they didn't ever have pheras ...
And Khushi belatedly realises ... we have a problem, Houston ... or Arnavji ;) ... we didn't have pheras ...

Nani reiterates the importance of pheras ... the vows between husband and wife, which bind them together for seven lifetimes, after which they can be called husband and wife ...
Khushi is very worried about her aadhi adhoori marriage ... aiylo, ab tak yeh yaad nahin tha? :))
Or is it that she's just accepted her marriage as being permanent a very short while ago ... now the pheras hold more significance!

Slight commotion in the background ... as men move to repair one broken bed ... MM, inquisitive as ever, wants to know what's going on ...HP tells her, within earshot of entire family ... Arnav Khushi's bed broke ...
The entire family has instant MIG ... :)) :)) :)) and red-faced, completely embarrassed Khushi tries to hide her face behnd a diya :))
Arnav smirks in satisfaction as though the bed really broke in the circumstances everybody thinks it did :))

Anjali gets a mysterious call ...
Khushi tries to make her escape ... Arnav throws her into more confusion by winking at her ...
SN - okay, that was so not Arnav! :)) Looks like his confession the other night took him back to naughty childhood days all right ... progressing to flirty young man in double quick time :))

Arnav-Anjali ... mysterious shadows by the poolside ... and a visibly flustered Di ... are Arnav's suspicions raised?
And that adds one more to the list of family members who have seen Anjali talking to mysterious shadows/objects/herself ... Mami, Khushi, Arnav ... and Mami already told Nani ...

Arnav-Khushi ...
Arnav gives message to audience ... don't worry about the numbers, the facts are good ...
Khushi interrupts with full haq, a peremptory tap on shoulder ... a muttered 'I need to talk to you ...' not interrupting his talk, but getting her message across nonetheless. She's getting this wife thing down pat these days ..
And Arnav is getting the husband thing equally pat :)) ...  tells biwi with a gesture to wait, and continues talking, hears and sees her muttering to herself  agitatedly ... about 'pheras' ... and stops his conversation abruptly ...worried biwi comes first ... aww :">
Hilarious ArHi conversation ...
'What happened?'
'Ask what didn't happen?'
Befuddled HH takes BB literally ... 'Okay, what didn't happen?'
BB corrects him - doesn't he know about figures of speech? 'Ask what has happened?'
Round in circles is where they're going, so Khushi rushes on before he can do more than look more confused ...
'What's happened is that we're living like husband and wife ...'
'Umm ... that would be because ... we are husband and wife?' Still trying to grasp - where's the problem here?
'We aren't! Only half ...'
A nod as though he's understood completely, but of course he hasn't, and he's pretty sure she will explain further ... she's nowhere near finished yet ... :))
'I realised today ... we're not really married at all ...'
HH still in a fog here, this is definitely not about the contract, that's been laid to rest ... 'And what brought on this brilliant realisation now?'
'Because we haven't had pheras! What every husband wife does, we haven't done at all!'

Could see clearly Arnav bitwa's mind took an instant deep sea dive into deepest depths of Gutter here and refused to emerge for the rest of the conversation :))

Khushi continues being agitated ... 'Everything is spoilt now."
Arnav is very quick to agree ... don't think he has agreed so fast to anything BB has said before =))
"You're absolutely right! We haven't done any of the rasams! So tell me, what do you suggest? What are all the required rasams? You know everything, right?'

Of course she does ... he is useless at all this ... Khushi happily takes over mantle of superior intellect here, completely unaware of the trap being set ... :))
"You don't know anything ... there is roka, then DM pooja, then haldi, mehndi, sangeet ... then phere, munh dikhayi and suhaag raat ...'
Stop right there ... we just reached the good part ... :))
'Yep! That's it. You're so intelligent!'
Khushi tries to look suitably modest :)) I am, aren't I? Glad you noticed :)
The trap is ready and baited ... 'What did you say right at the end?'
'Su...haag raat?'
'Yep. That one.'
Trap is ready to be sprung on unsuspecting prey ...
'We have to complete all the rasams ...'
Khushi gives small smile, probably wondering, was it so easy? No fight, no argument here?
'We'll start backwards ... with the suhaag raat. What do you say? Let's start ...'
Prey is caught in trap :)) Khushi starts backing in alarm as Arnav starts advancing ... he scolds her very seriously ... 'You said we have to do all the rasams ... and you're backing off at the first one? Changed your mind. KKGSR?'
'No ... yes ... I mean ... su...haag raat?'
Backed against wall ... nowhere to run ... 'Come on, Khushi, I won't eat you up. And we have to do all the rasams, right?'

And he leans forward as though ready to start the SR then and there ... and Khushi closes her eyes as though prepared for the worst :)) ... looks like she has no clue what a SR is really all about :))

Bitwa is having such fun teasing his very flustered BB... ok, give her a break here ... 'It's a deal. Tomorrow night is our SR."

She recovers enough to bluster ...'No! I was talking about the pheras only! Where have you taken this?'
And she makes a run for it :))
Arnav stops her momentarily, one last tease ... 'ok, listen ... Khushi looks back in consternation ... 'tomorrow night.'
She runs ... leaving very satisfied, smirking Arnav :))

Morning ... DD learns another lesson ... Arnav has dropped his father's name.

ArHi ... Arnav continues his teasing ... he's not letting this opportunity slip ;) ... 'Just wanted to remind you of our ... SR.' And Khushi is petrified ... but her dhadkan makes a reappearance :) :">
And what was packed in that suitcase? Clothes for Khushi for pheras? Everything she described for her dream wedding?

Arnav-Akash ... given the broken bed of the day before, Akash is also firmly MIG regarding the source of Arnav's good mood :))

Khushi-Payal ... Khushi's mind is only occupied with Arnav's talk ... pheras, SR ... Payal confirms that pheras have to happen before SR ... and confesses she was also very scared before her own SR :) terrifying Khushi still further =)) 'Why were you scared?'
Actually meaning, is there something to be scared about? because I'm petrified.

Precap ... and obviously SR, pheras and everything will be postponed because of Di and her nautanki over missing KP yet again ...or maybe she goes into labour with invisible baby ...