Sunday, September 30, 2012

Weekend Discussions, Weekly Shiddats

Shiddats ...

Shyam exposure to start slowly, Arnav to grow a brain, Khushi ditto. Both work together on this. Start with discovering his camera tricks asap. Tackle him with more dimaag and cunning like Khushi showed during the kidnapping rack, lulling him into a false sense of security, then exposing him with a big dhamaka ... this time with proof.

Anjali to take baby steps towards accepting her 'aap bhi naa' is a scumbag ... but she doesn't want to admit it ... that's fine ... if she did, the show would be over. A small rift between the siblings when Arnav realises that Anjali went behind his back to meet Shyam ... as he realises the extent of the damage he and the family members have done Anjali by keeping her cocooned. Khushi helps him sort out Anjali, by getting out of her Di Ke Liye mode and helping Di face facts, rather than hiding them.

A cute funny love story for NK where he keeps asking Khushi's advice, much to Arnav's annoyance ... of course Khushi messes things off and on and Arnav has to step in. Finally though, both Arnav's and Khushi's efforts pay off when they work together.

Arnav battles his demons slowly and the whole truth of the past emerges ... hopefully including sabotage by chachaji, so that Arnav's mother did not actually commit suicide ... thus laying his demons to rest about his mother abandoning him.

A whole new story about revenge on Chachaji ... that is if the show lasts that long. Shyam can be retained as a stooge of the Chachaji, or using Chachaji as his puppet, the way he used Dadi. So far they haven't given Shyam a real reason to be such a villain, apart from lust for Khushi ... so either give him one, or make him a puppet for somebody else. And clarify his motives clearly.

Lighter tracks about Khushi trying to settle into Arnav's world and adopt his more Westernised ways in public, while retaining her klutzy self in private.

Less noble shiddats ... in other words, more MIG ones Wink 

Honeymoon for Arshi in London. Day Dreaming
A proper first date with soft music, romance, a close dance, the works.
I don't think they can beat the night of the big C that was/wasn't Wink ...  so let them not try.

Friday, September 28, 2012

28/9 - Epi 353 ... Happily Ever After?!

Friday 28th September

 Quick update: Am a bit nonplussed ... what happened here? No conditions, all past is left behind, Arnav wants to move on, he doesn't blame Garima, he only blames his dad ... somehow it all seemed a bit unreal. Seems some major reworking of tracks has happened almost overnight. Makes for a peaceful weekend, so I'm happy ... I thought I would spend the weekend fuming!

Good thing ... the wedding is completed with all riti rivaaz, pheras are done, Khushi is welcomed home as Mrs Arnav Singh Raizada.
Shyam twitches in impotent fury ... now that was fun!!ROFL
Dadi is dispatched back to her ashram ... after seeing Arnav's acceptance of Khushi ... even better.
Nani warns Arnav to be good to Khushi ... aww, I love Nani.Embarrassed
Anjali is thrilled for Arnav ... his happiness is most important ... some redemption for Anjali.
Mami gets some come-uppance from Payal finally.

Shyam twitches some more and installs a camera in Arshi's bedroom ... the man is a pervert!!!

So now what? Show ending?

Episode:

When I first watched the episode on Thursday, I was left with a bad feeling.
When I did the update with the details of Arnav's flashbacks, I started changing my mind, but the last shot of the cold eyes of Arnav as he spoke to Khushi about nafrat, dard and jhooth overrode.
After watching Friday, I went back to Thursday's flashbacks and saw ... yes, the change had happened ... I hadn't put it together.

I said on Thursday that the flashback of Arnav's mother and the rose bush was very obvious, very different from the usual subtle storytelling that is the hallmark of IPK. I stand vindicated ... this is where the overnight track change happened. Tongue

So I repeat Thursday's flashbacks ...
Arnav's mom and the rosebush ... don't punish the innocent for the sins of the guilty. Sometimes we don't understand immediately what is right and what is wrong, but never hurt the ones you love, the ones who love you.
And Arnav's flashback of Khushi after that - don't keep me waiting today. His promise - No, I won't.
She is the one he loves, the one who loves him. Can he hurt her? Punish her for the fault of his father?

Flashbacks of the drive ...
The night Arnav died and ASR was born ... his father's betrayal, his mother's death, his Di's marriage broken ...
Khushi's advent in his life ... the times he put her in danger and then saved her ... punishing the innocent.
Their growing closeness ... the first person he could talk about his mother with - would his mother be happy? Teej, he broke her fast, her concern for him when he went missing, his worry for her when she went missing ...

Daadi's words briefly surface ... her maasi shattered his world ...

But Khushi rebuilt it ... she and he are meant to be ... the temple bandagement, the bangle break ... when she hurts, he hurts even more, he can't rest till he soothes her hurt ...
But he gave her the biggest hurt of all ... the forced marriage. Punished her for the sins of Shyam ...
Yet she never hated him ... the airport farewell ... the kidnapping, when she gave her all in trying to find him, save him ...

Conflict raises its head again ... which is bigger? The hatred for Garima? Or love for Khushi ... and Khushi's love and trust for him?

The last flashback ... when he thought Khushi died for him ... the flashback that sent him over the edge ...
The dead are gone ... but she is still there, she is alive ... he can't bring back the mother who left him, but he can make sure he doesn't lose Khushi ... because if he loses her this time, he may never get her back ...

The fire went out ...
Yesterday I said ... Arnav died, ASR returned. I stand corrected. (what can I do if tracks change overnight? LOL )
ASR died ... Arnav returned. Only for Khushi. Only because of Khushi.

Now moving on to Friday Tongue
Not much decoding or explanations required once Thursday is re-decoded Tongue Married and lived happily ever after ... till the next dhamaka!

Starts with a repeat of Thursday's dialogue ...
I'm standing here today, only because of you ... where there is only pain, deceit and hatred ...

And Khushi stares at him, her worst fears coming true ... the change she saw in him when he entered, he is not the same man ...
She sways and almost falls ... he catches her ... and his face changes, softens ... yes, his decision is correct, because whatever happens, he cannot let this girl down ...

Khushi, by bringing me here, you've given me the answer to all my questions ...
Bringing him to a point where he had to stand and face his past, he had to stop running away from it ... he had to face it, mourn for it ... and then put it for once and for all firmly behind him ... and move on.
Khushi was right ... he is not the same man any more ... the black shadow of the past that always clung to him, darkened his life, is gone ... 

His blood on her maang ... filmy Wink but effective ... his answer for the waiting family to see ... including one very frustrated Snakewa ROFL  who called instantly for reinforcementsROFL ... Creepwa, do you really think Dadi will be able to change Arnav's mind now? You are becoming as delusional as your wife!!!

I'm sorry, Khushi ... I got a little late in coming ... but I always had to come ... 

And the family starts rejoicing ... Nani, Anjali ... Garima shows her heartfelt relief  ... one last glance at Anjali, the other person besides him affected most by the haadsa, she nods vigorously, happily, encouraging him on ... yes, time to put the past behind them and move on with life ...

And he turns back to Khushi ... Khushi, I want to marry you ...I want to spend every minute of my life with you ...
And Khushi stares back at him, trembling happiness dawning again ... as she stands vindicated ... her love, her faith, her courage ... all led up to this one point ...

A heartfelt hug, sheer joy, love and relief in her face, peace and happiness in his ... as the entire family rejoices ... except for one fuming Snakewa again ... how much I loved his expressions today!!!ROFL 

Khushi ... I knew you would come, I knew you wouldn't leave me alone ...
I told you ... I can't live without you ...
It all came down to this one truth, the biggest of them all ...
The tender loving wife surfaces ... as she caresses the wound on his forehead ...

Snakewa tries his best to sway his wife ... but loving sister is back, and she's not having any of it ... so many times in the last few days she's seen how utterly happy Arnav is with Khushi in his life, happier than he has ever been in the last fourteen years ...

Nani cautions him ... she's happy for him, but he should never do anything that might hurt Khushi in the future ...
I absolutely adore Nani ... what a Naani-saas she is!!! Exemplary ... outstanding ... perfect ClapClapClap

Khushi shoots him a worried look, Garima also has a moment of doubt ... but Arnav is clear ... he wants to put his past behind him once and for all and move on ...
And he holds Khushi's hand and moves towards the mandap ... the past lies behind him, the future is there to look forward to ...

One last BFTP, which now turns into a WFTP - Whimper from the Past ... Daadi returns on Shyam's urging and tries to change Arnav's mind again ... stern, unforgiving ... have you forgotten her maasi is responsible for your parents' death? How can you ignore this truth?

The biggest truth is that I love Khushi ... there will always be thorns, but I can't hurt my rose because of them ... my mother tried to tell me that years ago, but it's only today that I understood it. 

And he puts the blame squarely where it is due ... a married man, his father broke the trust of two women, and then couldn't face his sins and killed himself ... it was his fault and no one else's.

Glad to see blame for infidelity being placed where it is due ...
And good to see that elders can also be wrong, and be told off for it ...
Though I would like to see Dadi realise the error of her ways and especially how she has been played by Shyam for a fool.

Khushi tries to hold Dadi back ... well, that's Khushi ... it would have been surprising if she hadn't ... but Daai is as rigid as ever ... because of Khushi, she's lost her grandson ...
Errm, Dadi, because of Khushi? The entire family has accepted Khushi because they know her, your prejudices never allowed you to reach past your blinkered thinking and try to see the truth ... and you blame Khushi for losing your grandson? As blind as ever ... as blinkered as ever.

And Arnav is as rigid as Daadi ... Khushi, let her go.
Not even Nani tried to stop her LOL much to Shyam's fury ...

Arnav takes Khushi's hand again ... NK calls the panditji ...

Arnav and Khushi get married ... badhaiyan!!!!   Party  In an atmosphere of love, happiness, joy and celebration ... the most awaited wedding of tellyland Dancing   Party  Day Dreaming 

Loved the way Arnav kept stealing glances at Khushi throughout the wedding ... and she at him ... Khushi's flashback of her words - our marriage isincomplete because we didn't have the pheras .... now her marriage is truly complete ... loved the hug after the pheras were doneDay Dreaming

Why was Mami so sour-faced all through?

Arnav and Garima's brief exchange was a bit off ... or maybe I'm looking for future tracks LOL  Can Arnav really forget the past that easily? Or is this his momentary determination, the result of the hard decision taken and his determination to carry it through ... marrying Khushi was the most important thing ... the rest can be handled later.

Would love a conversation between Arshi later at night, when he tells her why he took this decision ... and if he includes a word or two about suspecting Dadi's motives, and not making the same mistake as he did with Shyam, it would be nice ...

A repeat grihapravesh ... Nani welcomes the bride ....
Mami makes some snide remarks about Arnav's happiness being most important for her ... Arnav silent, Khushi slightly troubled ... again, a sign of a new track? Too much happiness and sunshine is making me suspicious LOL
A repeat carrying the bride ... wiping out the memories of the hatred of last time ... now filled with happiness and love ...
Itni bhi chot nahin lagi ki apni biwi ko utha na sakun ... hayyee Day Dreaming 

And they lived happily ever after ... The End ...

Oh wait, Creepwa is up to his tricks again!!!
Phew! Thank God! Otherwise I would have thought the show just ended LOL

Thursday, September 27, 2012

27/9 - Epi 352 ... Unbreak My Heart

Thursday 26th September

Fultoo drama today.

Arnav continues to wallow in his sorrow ... a new flashback, his mother tells him ... don't punish the rose for the fault of the thorn. Apparently lil Arnav was as impetuous and unforgiving towards those who hurt his loved ones, as he is today. Will his mother's wisdom prevail?

Loved NK and Nani ... one a true friend, the other the wise gentle forgiving matriarch.

Sanaya was excellent when the fire went out and she sat down with that dead look in her eyes, and then started to move out as though in a trance.

Arnav's flashbacks while driving were very well done. A retracing of his past, and then his and Khushi's entire journey from the first day.

The last scene ... the look in Arnav's eyes was not nice. He has come back because he promised to ... that's all. And he will ask Khushi to choose between him and Garima. Khushi will try to convince him ... Garima will make the choice for her.

I hope that lockdown of Khushi's is coming real soon. Arnav needs to lose Khushi to learn that the dead are gone, but the living need to be taken care of.

Update:

Not in a very good mood after the episode, and also the rumors floating around. So be warned Tongue

Episode left me with very mixed feelings ... it was fultoo drama in parts, something IPK has stayed away from till now ...

Ignoring the first Tarzan bundolo call of Arnav and the furniture atyachaar Tongue
Arnav breaks down and cries like a child ... was this the first time he allowed himself to grieve for his mother?
The mother and son flashback ... very obvious as compared to IPK standards which are usually more subtle ... here the point was hammered home by his mother ... don't hurt the ones you love, don't hurt the innocent for the sins of the guilty, it's not right and you will hurt yourself too.
Does the emotionally challenged Bitwa get the message? His last flashback is of Khushi telling him not to make her wait, and his promise ... 'I won't'.
But the way Arnav threw the flower and walked off did not give me a very good feeling. Ouch
Did Arnav have anger management issues from childhood? Were there problems in his parents' marriage from the start? Or was this just an over-protective streak from the beginning? A Mamma's boy, turned into Di's boy after the death of Mamma ...

Khushi waits at the mandap, her hopes dying slowly with the dying flames of the havan kund. Yet her determination never falters ... she promised him she would wait, she promised she would never leave him ... she will keep her word, and she trusts that he will keep his. The love and the promise of the future will triumph over the demons of the past.He said in his mother's garden that she was his wife, his mother's bahu ... from that day on ... regardless of pheras, rituals ...
Loved the determination on Khushi's face, mixed with hurt and dread ... all in the eyes.
Garima apologizes ... her past has destroyed her daughter's future. Khushi tells her no, it's not her fault, she hasn't spoiled her future, Arnav will be coming any minute. Garima horrified ... she thinks Khushi has lost her senses.

And the Raizadas wait as well ... NK furiously trying to call Arnav.
Payal tries to move Khushi from her vigil by the havan kund, so does Buaji ... but Khushi will not move.
He will come. He promised me ...
Mami throws in some taunts ... why doesn't somebody shut her up?!!! Anjali actually tries ...
But Khushi is adamant ... he will come ... stubborn, determined ... she will not break her promise. He can't leave her ... eyes slowly going dead ... but one last fight as Payal tries to move her ... no! She won't go. She won't break his trust, her promise ...
Did not like Buaji's slap ... Khushi wasn't hysterical or losing it ... but Buaji is breaking down as well with grief for her niece ...
And Khushi swears she will not move till the last ember is glowing in the fire ... and she knows he will come before it dies.
Filmy ... redeemed slightly by the understated acting by Sanaya ... and her eyes ... Cry hopeless and determined at the same time ...

Arnav's long night drive ...
Technically a great scene ... the flashbacks on the windscreen ...
But the way he was driving, an accident was inevitable!
Arnav reliving the past ... the night it all happened, the night Arnav died and ASR was born ... Anjali's first wedding, his parents' argument, his father's deceit, his mother's death ... the shot that changed their lives ... Anjali's marriage broken ...
And then Khushi's advent into his life ... she fell into his arms, which led to his defaming her ... he sent her to the car park, endangering her life, then saved her ... he sent her to the guesthouse, endangering her yet again, then saved her ... was he punishing her for a crime she hadn't committed? The crime of reminding him that a simple middle class girl like her had destroyed his parents' lives and his? Destroying the rose bush for the sake of one thorn?
But she held on to him for the first time that night ...

And then she came closer ... the first person he shared his loneliness about his mother with, sought comfort from ... do they really become stars? And she gave him comfort in the form of her belief, her faith ...
Would his mother be happy to see him, he had asked ... she hadn't answered then. But the night they lay together under the stars had given him his answer ... or so he had thought. Yes, his mother would be happy to see him with her ...
Teej ... he broke her fast. Mehndi ... her worry when he went missing, she was concerned for him, she cared for him. Ambulance moment ... and he remembers the panic when he thought she was lost to him ...
Growing closeness, growing feelings ... he can't do without her ... what if I'd lost you?

But Daadi's words ... the other woman, the one who destroyed his home, his family, took his parents away from him ... that other woman is Garima ... her aunt. Is Khushi guilty by association? Or is she the innocent rose?

More flashbacks ... the temple bandagement, the bangle break ... and then the forced marriage in the dark silence of the temple ... with a bride in tears ...
Yet she didn't hate him ... the airport farewell when she begged him not to leave, because he mattered ... but he left her ...
The kidnapping ... she knew he was in trouble, she came to find him, she almost lost her own life doing so ... she saved him ...

Humein bharosa hai ... aap par, aapke pyaar par ...
The woman who destroyed this family, made you both orphans, is Khushi's aunt ...
Cherish the rose? Or throw out the rose bush because it has thorns?

His last flashback seems to give him his answer ... she fell over the cliff ... he thought she was gone forever ... the flashback which drives him over the edge (and into a tree Wink )
And finally her name torn from his lips ... 'Khushi!!!' 
Has he made his decision? Did the remembered fear of losing her forever make the decision for him?


Waiting by the fire, Khushi knows instantly ... Arhipathy at work again ... she knows he's in trouble and she runs hysterically ... stopped by a worried, firm yet gentle NK ... he knows she's hysterical with panic ...  and she stops, and looks back at the fire as though it has her answer ... it's gone out.

She was right. Arnav just died. And ASR returned.
And with him, Khushi seemed to die as well ... as she runs back to the ashes in the havan kund ... the last embers burnt out ... staring with shock and dread.
 'No ... no ...' as though her last hopes died as well ...
Sanaya rocked this part ... Cry  ... the dead, defeated lost look in her eyes, the blankness, the numbness ...Cry

And Nani rocked the next ... as that wise gentle lady forgets everything except her love for Khushi, her grief at the girl's sorrow and heartbreak ... she knows how madly Khushi loves Arnav, she's seen her grandson come back to life after fourteen years because of Khushi, seen him happy after fourteen years ... and she rushes to comfort her, give her strength, hope, courage ... the girl who never lost her courage, her spirit, who now sits like one dead ... 

But Khushi rises like a living corpse ... and leaves from the mandap ... she knows he is gone, lost to her ... the marriage she was waiting for will never happen now ...

Garima breaks down seeing her daughter so lost ... and Khushi turns back for her Amma ... only to be stopped by a hand holding her dupatta.
Arnav.
Or ASR.
As Khushi looks at him, it starts dawning slowly ... this is not her Arnav.

He ignores Anjali, Nani ... he even backs away from Khushi when she bursts out that she knew he was in trouble ... only when NK asks angrily 'where were you?' does he answer ... his eyes only on Khushi ...
"I was looking for answers to some questions, answers which I haven't found yet ...'
And she stares at him, her fears crystallizing ...

'Khushi, when I fell in love with you, I never knew our pasts were so connected. And I didn't know that the past I'd been running away from for so many years, I would come face to face with it on my wedding day.
Khushi, today I'm standing here only because of you ... where nothing exists apart from pain, deceit and hate ...' 

Arnav has to do a U-turn for me to have any respect for him tonight. The dead are gone, the living are to be taken care of ... yes, he's been running away from his past, refusing to look at it in the face, accept it ... but today he has to make the choice ...
Can he face his past today for the first time? Look at it, accept it ... mourn for those lost ... and move on? Because life is for the living ... not for those dead.
Or will he let his past take over his present and future again? As he has done for the last fourteen years ...




Wednesday, September 26, 2012

26/9 - Epi 351 ... Broken Trust, Broken Promises, Broken Hearts

Wednesday 26th September

He will come ... he promised he will come. 

Jiji, he will come, won't he? Tell me he'll come.

Khushi's heart break, her confidence slowly ebbing away ... Sanaya made me cry again. 

Nani ... a true matriarch ... graceful even in her grief.

Payal ... loving, supportive older sister and loyal daughter.

Akash ... grew a backbone ... loved it! Having his wife kick him in the face seemed to spur him into becoming a man.

NK ... a true friend ... he even managed to shut up his annoying Maasi.

Anjali cried and cried some more ... Shyam wept crocodile tears and told her the wedding is off. Looking forward to seeing the smile wiped off his face for once.

Dadi fortunately made her exit very soon ... hopefully she's spilled all the venom accumulated inside her for fourteen years.

Garima begs Shashi's pardon ... for a mistake she made before marriage ... we still need the full story on that one, but appears that Malik Sr was a cad similar to his son-in-law, and led an unmarried girl up the garden path.

Arnav still trying to fight fate ... the cruel ironies of his life ... the one woman he loves, he can't live without, is the daughter of the woman because of whom he lost his mother.

Sanaya was superlative. No one to beat her in emotional scenes.

Barun was not so good today ... the Feb breakdown was better. Or maybe it was because his role was slightly unsympathetic ... forgetting all about his bride waiting for him at the wedding mandap while he fights his personal demons ... a fourteen year old trapped in a twenty-eight year old's body ...
But today he's not 14, he's a man, and there is a woman who depends on him, who's waiting for him ... a woman he has made promises to ... at the least he owes it to her to go back and face her ...
Grow up, Arnav!

*edited*
Thoughts:

Characters:
Grandmothers -
Daadi ... a bitter hatred filled old woman, caught in a morass of old-fashioned beliefs and hypocritical morality ... a woman whose need for revenge on the entire world for the loss of her son, blinds her to the needs of her grandchildren, and shuts her off from the wisdom and maturity that age normally brings. Garima caused her son to stray, her DIL was too weak to stop her son from straying, Arnav blamed his father for straying. She can't punish her DIL because she's dead, but she can punish Garima by ruining her children ... and if collateral damage is her own grandson and his happiness, so be it. Revenge is her only motive.

 vs
Naani ... a true matriarch, graceful even in grief, even in the midst of her sorrow over her lost daughter, she finds the compassion to reach out to Garima, she knows that the fault also lay with her son-in-law ... she remembers the grandson who was lost to the world for fourteen long years and has just started living again, just started embracing life and happiness again ... she forgets her own grief in her sorrow and worry for him.

Mothers:
Mami ... a loving surrogate mother- yes. But wisdom and maturity have bypassed her ... easy for her to point fingers instantly and unfairly at both Garima and her daughters ... lashing out to relieve her own sorrow, without caring for the sorrow of others.
vs
Garima ... a mother to two girls not her own ... yet she's willing to take all the punishment for her sins on herself, but begs for those daughters to be spared ... punishment for a sin she never even committed ... judging by her talk, she was as blameless and victim of deceit as Khushi was with Shyam.

Sisters:
Payal ... came into her own today ... a loving supportive brave-hearted daughter and sister, holding strong for her heartbroken sister and mother ... especially her sister, because she's been through the same trauma, she knows the feeling. Loved the little gesture of Payal towards Nani ... Payal has not forgotten her role as bahu even as she fulfills the one of sister and daughter.

vs
Anjali ... holding strong? She doesn't know the meaning of the word. A sister? not that one either. Only when Shyam exults about the broken wedding and how shattered Arnav would be, does she even recall her brother exists. Till then its all about her own sorrow. Not even a glance to spare for the girl who's going through the same situation that she did so many years ago, the girl she knows brought her Chotey back to life. 


The Support System:
NK ... what a friend! ClapClapClap Any girl would be proud to have a friend like him ... Maturity bypassed his aunt and came directly to him ... he earned total respect for shutting up Maami politely and firmly today.
Akash ... seems like the Raizada men only appreciate their women when they're scared of losing them! Tongue Loved his staying back with Payal, helping to sambhalo Khushi and Nani ... 

The Leads ... Hero/heroine ... which is which? 
Arnav ... I felt bad for him. An emotionally scarred boy ... his emotional development has stopped at age fourteen ... he saw his mother betrayed by his father, he saw his sister betrayed by her fiance, he could not protect one, he vowed to protect the other ... not having the maturity at that age to understand that his promise was unrealistic and impossible. He's realised that with Anjali now ... some growth over the last six months, thanks to Khushi and her loving support. But will he finally be able to break free of the emotional baggage surrounding his mother's death, and learn that there are some things which are written by destiny, and not within anyone's hold? His parents' marriage broke, his parents gone ... not because it was any person's fault ... probably not even his dad's alone ... but a play of circumstances ... a game of fate. An man who needs the support, wisdom and guidance of his soulmate to find his way out of the darkness of his past, needs her courage and strength to put it behind him and face the future. 

Barun ... did not impress much in the initial breakdown ... the flashbacks and the expressions were out of synch. I wonder if he knew what he was emoting to ... it was a bit OTT, considering that the shock was only the discovery of the other woman's identity. He knew the other details already. The flashbacks were all about Khushi ... so did that mean that he took so much time coming to a decision about what to do? Forgetting that she was waiting at the mandap?
Or maybe it was because the role he played was slightly unsympathetic ... forgetting all about his bride waiting for him at the wedding mandap while he fights his personal demons ... a fourteen year old boy trapped in a twenty-eight year old's body ...
But today he's not 14, he's a man, and there is a woman who depends on him, who's waiting for him ... a woman he has made promises to ... at the least he owes it to her to go back and face her ... Confused 

 The last part when he breaks down and cries ... that was good ... it made me feel that this is the first time he has allowed himself to break down and cry like a child at his mother's death. He needed that catharsis to move on.


Khushi ... I don't know what Gul intended for ASR ... but for me, Khushi is the true HERO of the story. Over the last two episodes this has shone through. The strongest character in the show (despite the butchering) ... she holds strong for her mother, boldly yet politely faces the Dragon Daadi ... she's strong enough to fight for her marriage, stop Daadi from extinguishing the sacred marriage agni ... she has been through hell and back for Arnav, she has stood with him against everyone and everything ... she has had the courage to stand against him when she feels he's wrong ...

She kept silent during the first forced marriage even when she didn't know why he did what he did, but she trusted that he had good reason ... she broke ties with her own family to stand by his side ... and this was when she didn't even love him. And now the love has grown, flowered and bloomed, acknowledged by both ... she has for the first time placed her trust in someone other than Devi Maiyya, she promised him she will never leave him, she asked a promise in return ... not to betray her trust in his love ...
She kept her word. Will he? 

Sanaya ... Fabulous, stunning, stellar, brilliant, amazing, heartbreaking ... I'm running out of words to describe her performance today. She went through the entire range of emotions ... from defiance, anger, determination ... confidence in her love ... her firm intention to wait for him ... then that firmness, that confidence ebbing as she remembered his teasing words ... if i let you go once, I won't catch you again ... the instant panic, almost hysteria ... no, he was joking, he didn't mean it ... looking like a child for reassurance to her sister, he didn't mean it, he will come won't he? ... the change in body language as she sits at the mandap alone ... waiting ... hoping ... and slowly hope fading into despair ... and anguished heartbreak ...
I didn't even realise I had tears running down my cheeks as I watched her ...

Sanaya ... take a bow!!! Take several!!!  Clap

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

25/9 - Epi 350 ... Bomb Blast from the Past

Tuesday 25th September

Not just a blast ... a bomb blast. And it brings the promised devastation in its wake.

Arnav shattered by the explosion ...
On one side the echoes of the past ... the darkness he struggled with for fourteen years, his parents' arguments, his mother's suicide, Anjali's shattered dreams, his torn childhood.
On the other side, the promise of the future ... the woman he loves, the woman who loves him unconditionally, who turned a Beast into man ... who brought him back to life, brought him out of the shadows into light again ...  

And as expected, Dadi chooses her time well ... as Arnav struggles with the explosion, she goes to set off the final blast. And exposes Garima in public. With Arnav struggling with his demons, and unable to upset her plans, the wedding will be called off.

One could ask Dadi why she stayed quiet too ... why she chose this moment to expose Garima.

The Raizadas all ranged on one side against the Guptas ... Nani lost a daughter, Anjali a mother, Mami a sister ...

But Khushi too lost both parents, Garima too lost a sister and brother-in-law ... and Khushi is firm in support of her Amma ... she does not tell lies. And Dadi already admitted to one lie ... she told another one to Arnav earlier, that she had just come across the photograph.

Loved Khushi ... you go, girl!!! And Payal rocks ... finally the Gupta sisters return! Clap

And the burning question still is ... WWAD? What Will Arnav Do?

*edited*

Some rambling thoughts here after an overnight flight ... Wink

It's not a simple choice for Arnav ... Khushi alone is a no-brainer, he will not desert her. Not only can he not betray her trust in him, he cannot live without her.
But Khushi comes with Garima, and Khushi made that very clear today. Khushi will not desert her mother, the adopted mother who took her into her home and her heart when Khushi was lost and alone, who gave her a mother's love and never let her feel the lack of a mother after her own died ... who instilled the morals nad values in Khushi that she holds so dear today ... yes, and who never failed to scold and rebuke Khushi when she felt Khushi was out of line, or in danger of committing a mistake. No, Khushi will not desert Garima, nor will she stand for her insult and humiliation, she has full trust in her mother ... as does Payal.
Garima must have done something very right to raise two such strong daughters.

So Arnav will have to choose between Khushi and Garima together, or no Khushi. And to do so, he ... and Anjali ... will have to come to terms with the past ... they will have to accept that their parents' marriage was not ideal, and that the tragedy was not due to the other woman, but happened because of the parents themselves. His parents were responsible for taking their own lives, no one pushed them into doing so. Unless of course there is more to the story ... Ermm

Also, no other woman can shake a marriage if the foundation of that marriage is strong ... and that is what Arnav will have to accept. He has done so already to some extent ... he blames his father more than he does the other woman ... but when he comes to know that Garima too was victim of deceit the same way that Khushi was, will he be more ready to accept that she was not guilty of breaking up his parents' marriage, but was a victim herself?
I think Arnav will come to terms with it sooner than Anjali, because he has started shaking off the shackles of the past already ... he has started trying to forget the bad memories, remember the good ones and move on.

Nani, the wise matriarch ... she also asked Garima why she withheld the truth for so long, and added that they could have ... cut off quickly by Dadi, Dadi didn't want anyone to work anything out, she wanted this marriage stopped, end of story. By fair means or foul. And she used foul.

Anjali definitely the more damaged of the siblings, regresses to five year old ... why did you do this with my Mamma? What harm did she ever do to you? Is this what Anjali feels about Shyam as well? Why did Khushi do this to her, what harm did she ever do Khushi, why did Khushi ensnare her husband? Not her mother's fault, or her father's, only the other woman's.

And finally ... the part I loved ... Khushi, a fierce daughter standing up for her mother, refusing to allow her to be hurt, humiliated, called names ... she trusts her mother, she loves her, is proud of her, knows the sacrifices she has made for her two adopted daughters, and without knowing the whole story, or even needing to, she knows her mother could have done nothing wrong. And she will not stand to hear her insulted. She understands that Dadi lost a son, Nani a daughter ... Di lost parents, Khushi can understand that because she is in the same boat ... but that doesn't mean she points fingers at others, or allows them to do the same.

Not a word about Arnav, not a care for the fact that this was her long awaited wedding day, and the people insulting her mother were her in-laws ... a daughter stands tall, proud by her mother's side, solid as a rock ... and makes her parents faces glow with pride. And Payal joins her. ClapClapClap
With daughters like these, who needs sons? Big smile Khushi didn't need Arnav's support today to fight for her mother ... she could do it on her own, thank you very much. And neither does Payal want her husband's wishywashy support ... she stood her MIL's insults for a long time because they were aimed at her ... but not a word against her mother can she tolerate.
Nayi Soch indeed ... hope this Khushi - the old fiery Khushi ... is back to stay. And Payal too ... hope Deepali changes her mind and stays on, if this is what she's going to be like.

Sanaya rocked today Clap always love her in such scenes. Low-voiced, firm, respectful yet determined and strong ClapClapClap
Payal with her few dialogues, was great support.
Dadi was good ... she was hateful as she was meant to be ... her thirst for revenge driving her into blindly destroying her grandchildren's future ...
Why was Garima holding on to her mangal sutra? There is more to Garima's story than has been let out. She was good, especially loved the way she said so brokenly ..'maa hai hum ...' ... the reason she kept quiet, became weak ... only because of her children ... fear for her daughters' happiness kept her silent. Even now, taking all the humiliation, begging for forgiveness, not raising a finger at the man involved ... only to safeguard her daughters' happiness.

More thoughts Wink

Loved the way Khushi's first thought for Arnav's absence was a worried 'is he all right?' Knowing that only if he was not all right would he be late today ... and cutting off Buaji for saying anything ashubh, yet unable to stop herself from asking the same question the next second.

Arnav's typical reaction when he's hurt - his long lonely night drive ... his personal retreat into his 'peetal bartan' ... hiding away from everyone else till he gets over the worst of his pain.
When Anjali had her miscarriage, he wanted to do the same, he retreated from everyone, didn't even enter the same room ... till Khushi went to him he broke down on her shoulder, and she comforted him ... I'm there with you, you have to console Anjali, you're the only one who can do it, the one she needs ...' Khushi gave him strength, refused to let him hide in his 'peetal bartan', made him come out and face the pain and anguish of his sister, and battle his own feeling of failure ... she gave him the confidence that he had not failed, he had done his best ...
Today will he remember that strength she gave him? Will he return to her because he needs her at this hour? Faced again with the demons of his past, faced with the fear that he has somehow failed the memory of his mother by falling for the daughter of the other woman ... yet the paradox is that he needs that daughter to help him fight those demons, because Khushi is his strength, only with her at his side can he battle his fears and doubts, and find the solution to his dilemma.

Still more ramblings Wink

The way the dhamaka on the second wedding day plays out ... it should show how far the two have come in terms of their relationship with each other, and in terms of Arnav's growth.

On Payash marriage day, Arnav had barely come to terms with the fact that he loved Khushi, or rather, that he had feelings for her ... 'farak padta hai.' That was what he was going to tell her on the terrace that night ... Newly woken emotions, newly recognized feelings, the first flush of love ... the nervousness, the tension as to whether his feelings would be reciprocated or not ... Arnav that day was a young boy in the throes of his first love affair. A stage most of us go through during our teens or early twenties. But he had missed out on that stage completely, because he had bypassed that stage of life when he grew up so quickly. So this love was new, fresh, unsure ... and it stumbled and shattered at the first hurdle ... the sight of his love in the arms of another man.
At that time I wondered if Arnav had seen a similar scene with his dad and the other woman ... now it appears that he had not. But the terrace scene and the words he heard were enough to shatter that fragile new emotion, and to turn it into hate ... compounded by the fact that the man was the husband of his beloved sister, the only living link to his past, to his mother. Saving his sister was paramount ... but throwing away that love was also impossible ... so a good decision made for all the wrong reasons ... he married Khushi because he could not bear to lose her, even though he hated her for what he thought she had done to his sister. Which was doubly hurtful because it was a repeat of what had happened to his mother ... he had lost his mother to infidelity, he could not bear to lose his sister too ...  Did Arnav at that time dimly acknowledge to himself that his sister was as weak and fragile emotionally as his mother?

A child of fourteen is old enough to recognize infidelity, but not mature enough to understand that there can be more than one reason, and more than one person at fault. And a son, especially a son of an adoring mother, will naturally gravitate to his mother, and be protective of her. And so it was with Arnav ... a fierce protectiveness of his mother, all the blame on his father ...
The damning words he heard from his mother 'You never loved me at all, you didn't stop to think about our marriage, even about our children ...' ... these were enough to paint a picture of his father as the one at fault, the mother as the one wronged. And he never saw the other woman, so no real feelings towards her ... although as he grew older the realization came that the other woman should share the blame for his mother's suicide.

And Khushi's feelings for him were at a similar stage ... new, unexplained, unacknowledged ... but very much there ... trust in that feeling of love was lacking, absent.

Today ...
The love has been acknowledged. So has the trust.
Promises made, exchanged ... 'Khushi, promise me, you will never leave me, I can't live without you.'
And the significance of that promise shared ... she knows all about his mother's suicide, his vulnerabilities, his promise to shield his sister from the pain his mother suffered ... she has seen the vulnerable boy under the hard coat of the man ...
He has seen how much he has hurt her, by time and again misunderstanding her intentions, by failing to recognise the real woman under the bright, smiling exterior she shows the world ... like she has blown his cover, he has blown hers. She is the emotionally stronger one of the two, no doubt ... but she has her vulnerabilities too ... her fear of being abandoned, her fear to trust in love for fear it will be snatched away is almost as strong as his.

He has started to slowly come out of the shadows of his past ... started to look forward to the future, to hope that it will be bright, with a strong woman by his side ... a woman who loves him unconditionally, who has the strength to be mother, wife, lover, the strength to help him battle his demons, his sense of failure, his almost paranoid need to control his destiny. A woman who understands him and his flaws, and who loves him despite them ... a woman with whom he doesn't have to be Arnav Singh Raizada all the time, but can be the scared fourteen year old Arnav as well ... a woman who is truly his soulmate.
And he needs her ... Arnav has acknowledged that he needs Khushi in his life, that he is incomplete without her ... then when this new storm has hit, how can he battle it alone?

So Arnav will come back to the mandap ... to claim his wife. Not his bride, his wife. His ardhangini. Because she said she would wait for him. Because she trusts him, trusts his love. And because he cannot sort out this dilemma alone, he needs her help. And he is not afraid to ask.
And she will never turn him down, because she promised. She made a promise that she would never leave him ... she will be with him, because she knows he needs her.


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