29/4 - 2/5 - Chhanchhan Epi 21- 24 Purvi Re-Marriage

Monday 29th April ...
Uma Ben furious with Hitesh's parents and forbids them to allow HP marriage. Apparently it's a question of her prestige.
Manav is a bit flummoxed as to why his mom said different things to Hitesh and his parents. Since he has good insight, he realises his teeny weeny brain cannot manage the situation ... besides, Chhanchhan is the hero of this show, not him ... so he dutifully calls her.
KRS-UB ... RS remind UB again about runaway bridegroom, and inform that he has now become joru ka ghulam and ghar jamai. Striking , if not terror, at least very healthy fears in UB's mind ... apparently her lack of trust in her children extends to hr laadla beta too. This sounds like just the kind of thing he would do.

ChanMan ... badly written, skipped some vital dialogues ... how did CC assume that the girl is ready for the marriage? Manav only spoke about the boy and his parents. First thing was to check with the girl. Shubhchintak lady should be ignored ... if she is truly shubhchintak, she will welcome the marriage ... if she doesn't, she isn't. Besides, elders are not always right all the time.
Eyelock was badly placed, badly directed, badly edited ...

Uma Ben works on Himanshu to find out identity of Manav's new friend. Warns him not to tell either Manav or his girl 'friend'.

Tuesday 30th April ...
Himanshu fixes a meeting for UB to see Chhanchhan.
Manav-Hitesh ... again badly written ... did not understand why Manav suggested court marriage here. Suggestion should have come after UB threatened Hitesh's parents. Manav should have just counselled Hitesh to meet Purvi and get her answer. The question of marriage, where, how, when could come up only after Purvi said yes.

Manthan gives court papers to Babuji, who tells him to tell the date to UB. Manthan wants a lawyer, Babuji says no. This is a family matter, only UB will handle it. She saved the house, the business, everything.

CC-Purvi-Hitesh ... nice, and the actors are all decent, makes so much of difference! Purvi and Hitesh conveyed the hesitation, the awkwardness, the emotions, so well ... *sigh* when you see good acting from the side characters, really wish the male lead was better, would make so much of a difference!
So Hitesh and his parents got convinced seeing the newspaper ad of Purvi's classes, with the denouncement of dowry ... Hitesh mouths all CC's dialogues which she had given Manav, and CC realises that Manav's friend is the very same Hitesh ... ah good, one loop closed.

Manav totally smitten, staring at CC's pics ... UB comes in to fish ... and asks about his dream girl. 
Farhan was bad in this entire scene ... he is totally erratic! ... speaking with his eyes closed and NO expression on his face!!! Really?! And his reactions when he hears that Hitesh is Purvi's ex-groom ... blank!!!
Manav shows some sign of brains by saving CC's number as Himanshu ... then loses his brains again and leaves the phone in the room for his mom to pick up. Another near-miss ... but of course. Anarkali saves the day by barking. Another lie for Manav ... Himanshu has a new dog in his neighbourhood.

Chhanchhan-Purvi ... Purvi scared, CC counsels her.
Isn't Purvi going to speak to her dad at all? One loop left dangling here.
And another mirror image scene as Purvi asks CC what kind of life partner she wants, and CC describes Manav ... Loved Sanaya's expressions here, soft-eyed, dreamy ...


Wednesday 1st May ...
When did they decide to meet in the cafe?
Cafe scene was cute though ... liked all three, Hitesh, Purvi, CC. Farhan was meh. Hitesh bhai is all ready and eager for honeymoon! Manav clueless like all men, CC has to drag him away so that Hitesh can grab a few moments with his blushing bride.
Court marriage already decided ... still didn't understand why. It should have come after UB threatening Hitesh's parents. CC and Manav will do the shopping.

UB has fixed new rishta for Hitesh. Hitesh's parents are less than overjoyed ... not that UB is bothered.
Was glad to see that Hitesh's parents knew Hitesh had gone to meet Purvi ... would have been nice if Purvi had thrown in a dialogue about talking to her father too.

CC explains to Manav why she called him away ... CC still worrying about Purvi, Manav is too busy gazing at her with smitten looks to think about anything else.
SN - I think director told Farhan, look smitten, so he's trying to look smitten, with that silly grin on his face. Arey bhai, react to her dialogues also! 

UB-Babuji discuss the upcoming case. Treachery within and by the family.
Himanshu has fixed the UB-CC meeting. UB doesn't tell her husband about Manav and his girlfriend.

Hitesh reassures his parents ... they are still nervous. Hitesh sends them out of town till he is safely married.

Uma Ben-CC ... another near miss. UB catches another lie of Manav's. This is becoming a habit.

Thursday 2nd May ...
Some cute ChhanMan scenes ... ChanMan go shopping for Purvi-Hitesh, and have a good time together while doing so, both enjoy the time with each other, and are getting closer and closer. Nice thing is they genuinely enjoy each others company (or would, if Farhan could emote better). Chhanchhan makes Manav into a mannequin, tells him girls can judge best what looks good on a guy, he returns the favor by choosing Purvi's saree and bangles and telling her guys can judge best the same for a girl ... acknowledged with a glint of mischief in her eyes and an expression that says 'touche!' The bangle scene was cute ... 
And random salespeople remark on how good they are as a couple ...

Another near miss ... ChanMan go to book room at hotel for Hitesh-Purvi, same hotel where Uma Ben has meeting with Hitesh's new prospective in-laws ... a few near-misses there, not just one ... and another cute ChhanMan scene and some ChanMan moments as they check out the hotel room together.
Rather small for a 'special' hotel room!

Uma Ben claims that her children don't hide anything from her ... just as Manav with Chhanchhan a few paces away books the room ... nice touch of irony!!!

Chanchan family scenes ... Purvi checks out the shopping, Chanchan's family teases CC, much to her irritation ...  

At court ... Uma Ben arrives to sign papers ... lawyer wonders why she doesn't leave these random running around jobs to her sons ... Uma Ben not pleased ... there is division of labour in their house and she takes care of the court work ... More wheels within wheels here ... does Uma Ben not trust even her own sons? Or is there something she is hiding from them?

Purvi and CC discuss karmic connections ... and CC remembers Manav ... is there a karmic connection between her and him, that they kept meeting again and again?

Uma Ben sees the court notice for the wedding. And she is all aag baboola ... her nemesis, CC, strikes again!

Some nice segments and articles for the weekend 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Reel-smart-girls-take-over-prime-time/articleshow/19865771.cms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffWcWuczKmc&sns=tw
CC cooking :)

Team Sarun interview with Supriya P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zA02Ph6nd_Q

Sanaya Irani's exclusive interview with Team SaRun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7c0qeq0TmQ

Sanaya Reading Fan Mail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNVJ45if9gU

Sanaya Signing Autographs and bidding goodbye
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr7ahm12S7A 

25/4 - Epi 20 ... Past Meets Future ... or not?

Thursday 25th April

First half, light and cute ... Manav-CC lost in eyelock, family and friends enjoy the scene ... much to CC's embarrassment. Goodbyes ... till we meet again.
Thought there would be a phone conversation after that sign language ... no?

Chhanchhan's family has a good time teasing her ... next morning so do her friends.
Sanaya looks gorgeous in yellow.

Twist in the tail ... Hitesh wants to marry Purvi after all, and tells Uma Ben so. And Manav overhears the conversation about the marriage being cancelled due to dowry demands.
And Uma Ben is annoyed ... she is the deal maker ... no one else breaks the deals she makes, nor can they re-make the deals she breaks.

Precap - Manav asks Chhanchhan what should Hitesh do? This is going to be interesting.

*Edit*

Cute moments ... ChanMan lost in each others' eyes ... CC goes inside to get gifts, Manav follows ... says he's in love, CC drops the gifts ...
Sanaya does these scenes so well ... the blushing looks, the embarrassment, trying to cover up her own embarrassment as well as that from the remarks of her well-meaning but completely crazy family and friends ...
Manav sees more and more that his family is very different from hers ... 
Interesting ... Manav is actually quite clear sighted about his family and their shortcomings ... in one short visit, he can see the contrast so clearly. Most guys, in fact, most people, never can see the faults in their own family, maybe because they have grown up with them, and it is something very normal and natural.
Also Manav is in the honeymoon phase of falling in love ... everything about CC appeals to him!

CC sends off the orphanage kids with Rugved ... Manav thinks she will get on very well with his mom .... CC also quite happy at the thought of meeting his family. Oh boy!!! Little do they know!

And Manav is all set to stock up on allergy pillls ... no more rukawat in meeting Chhanchhan.
Liked the little sign language "I'll call you."

Manav-Himanshu ... again, interesting that Manav has seen the contrast between the openness and warmth in Chhanchhan's family, and the difference with his, where everyone has to think a hundred times before saying a word. The casual open affection in her family, as opposed to the formality and strictness in his own ... while every member of CC's family knew about him and Himanshu, his interactions with the dogs ... they welcomed him as Chhanchhan's friend. And his own family has no clue that he even knows a girl like her. There seems to be no one he can talk to ... despite having three brothers, three bhabhis and a sister. Himanshu is much closer to him than any member of his family. 

And the reason is looming over the staircase, watching Manav and Himanshu ... Uma Ben. Who smells something very fishy when Manav actually sends Himanshu off.
Uma Ben really thinks this is the first time Manav has ever lied to her?! Little does she know ... the real reason Manav went to the wildlife camp, for starters ... 

Chhanchhan's family having a field day teasing her about Manav ... Chhanchhan trying very hard to convince them Manav is a friend, no more ... Daadi gets an admission out of Chhanchhan's mouth ...
But family decides to let CC take her time and her decision herself ...that's the way they have always done things. Given the kids the freedom to decide.

Uma Ben and bahus ... wake up the sleeping Kumbhkaran.
Uma Ben's background music is very irritating.
Hitesh arrives for a visit  ... and UB dismisses the bahus as usual ... they are not much more than servants in the house.
Hitesh upsets UB's apple cart completely, by declaring he wants to marry Purvi after all.

CC and friends ... Simple reads Purvi's horoscope ... a new twist in Purvi's life, blast from the past will meet the future. Purvi not impressed, every day her life has a new twist.
On to CC ... and more teasing ... a tall dark handsome guy will enter CC's life and take her away ...
Chhanchhan knows immediately ... more teasing ... and disposes of her friends in double quick time ... once alone, allows a tiny smile to appear momentarily on her face.She likes Manav, she really does ... but she already knows that his family is very different from hers.
Sanaya gorgeous in sunshine yellow ... looking younger and prettier in every episode! Every time she comes on screen brings a smile on my face.

Uma Ben - Hitesh ... Uma Ben tries her best to dissuade Hitesh, but he wants Purvi. And he has convinced his parents he doesn't want dowry or the land. He will marry Purvi without the dowry.And he is very firm on his choice.
Manav overhears the conversation ... is he seeing a new side of his mother? Hearing for the first time that it was the girl who broke off the wedding, and not his mother? And also the reason ... dowry demand.
And now Hitesh says he doesn't want the dowry, and his parents have also agreed. They just want Uma Ben's approval.
Hitesh looks like he is very decided on his choice. Uma Ben assures him she understands, and will speak to his parents.

But Uma Ben is not going to allow the rishta to be joined again. She made the alliance ... it was broken ... loss of face.
To save face, she announced that SHE had broken the alliance ... now if she joins it again ... more loss of face.
And in the meantime, Manav has overheard everything ... off to Chhanchhan for advice.

Liked the way it was done here ... the groom himself, although belatedly, took a stand, and managed to persuade his parents to back off from dowry demands. That's the only way changes can happen ... when the youngsters themselves take a stand and push the elders back.

24/4 - Epi 19 ... Meet The Parents ... Or Not

Wednesday 24th April

Meet the parents ... a fairly embarrassing experience for Manav, considering he's known already as Susu boy, and He Who Was Bitten in an Unmentionable Place, by various family members already. The problem with having a bindaas carefree family is that they can say the most embarrassing things. Kasturi Dadi was the cutest of the lot.

Meet the Parents ... or Not ... a narrow escape from bumping into Uma Ben for Chhanchhan ... of course, if they had met, that would have been the end of ChanMan's budding romance.

Am beginning to think I was right after all ... Sanaya can create chemistry with pretty much anyone.
I liked the ChhanMan scenes today ... Farhan is beginning to get his act together ... although voice still needs attention, but the right expressions are coming in. And Sanaya is a doll ... any guy would fall for Chhanchhan, with the sweetness of her nature, and her unthinking honesty. But how will she deal with Uma Ben?! 

The stricter the parents, the more rebellious the kids ... and the more they hide from the parents. While Chhanchhan's family knows every detail about Manav, Uma Ben still has no clue about this new friend in Manav's life. Also it just struck that Manav did not tell his mother about the boy in Mansi's life, and preferred to deal with things on his own.

*Edit*

Just to add ... I found it very interesting ... and amusing ... that Uma Ben's list of virtues she does NOT want in her bahu, are all culled from her encounters with Chhanchhan. Chhanchhan seems to have made a very deep impression on Uma Ben. Considering that Uma Ben is such a shrewd judge of character, and has zero tolerance for fools, shows that Uma Ben already recognises Chhanchhan as a worthy adversary.

Am loving the way Sanaya is playing Chhanchhan ... especially the ChanMan romance. It is so sweet and real ... so different from the dhak dhak romance of Arshi ...  yet it builds its own sense of anticipation, and gives you a good feeling ... even though we know the storm is coming. Sweet everyday 'boy meets girl' romance.

Loved the little scene outside the cake shop ... the way Chhanchhan first plays innocent, then confesses that she returned the allergy pills, so that Manav could get them ... because she wanted him to attend the party ... and her sudden shyness as she realises what she just said, and the quick cover up ... which leaves Manav very satisfied indeed :)

The new promo ... loved the little sign language of "Call me?" "I'll call you ..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMgkHY95h_o
Aww ... first love ... the shyness, the smiles, the fears, the anticipation, the heightened tension, the heartbeats ...

23/4 - Epi 18 ... Are re re Yeh Kya Hua

Tuesday 23rd April

Manav -Uma Ben ... Manav manages to get out of sticky questions about new old friends ...

Uma Ben busy doing good deeds for mandir ... after all, election ka sawaal hai ...
Manav and Himanshu ready for party, Manav butters mom and leaves quickly ...
SN - Farhan needs to improve ... couldn't figure out whether he was buttering UB or was genuinely impressed by her good deeds.
UB realises beta haath se nikal raha hai ... time to tie him down ...

Chhanchhan's family prepares for dog party ... complete with games for dogs ... and teasing for Chhanchhan ... father also joins in ... entire family is having a good laugh!

Chhanchhan's mom is cool ... and very amused ... Manav is bemused ... yeh kaisi mom hai. She doesn't mind a "Mom se saavdhan" notice on the gate ... but does mind the bad photograph. A mother more different from his own, can't be imagined.

UB leaves to suss out rishta no 1 ... I thought she liked Kaumudi, but seems not really.

Chhanchhan and Manav ... Are re re yeh kya hua ... Manav spellbound by a laughing Chhanchhan ...

And both hiding their attraction behind white lies ... CC pretending she had no idea Manav was planning to attend the party ... Allergy pills? Really? What are those? You had them? And the biggest whopper - I never knew you were planning to come ... CC, really??!!! :)))
Manav is no better ... I just came for Himanshu ... it's time I did something about my allergy, dogs are everywhere, can't avoid them ...

22/4 - Epi 17 ... Underhand Tricks and Allergy Tablets

Monday 22nd April

Manthan sneaks on Manav ... yeh kaisi family hai bhai?

Uma Ben has no intention of letting her DILs join any computer classes whatsoever ... however she's stuck in them herself.

Chhanchhan getting her dogs ready for the party ... Puch Puch was the star of the episode That dog sits like a toy dog ... mine was so jumpy!!!

Manav decides to attend Puch Puch's party ... only for Himanshu's sake, of course. Himanshu is not fooled, of course.
Chhanchhan is sorry Manav can't attend the party ... because his friend will be lonely without him, of course. Chhanchhan's friends are not really fooled, of course.

Chhanchhan buys allergy tablets.
Manav wants allergy tablets.
Chhanchhan returns allergy tablets.
Manav buys allergy tablets.
And I didn't even know pet shops sold allergy tablets

Chhanchhan's family and friends are getting more and more amused about Chhanchhan's sudden concern for Manav and his allergies. 

And Uma Ben is getting more and more suspicious about Manav's new found love for dogs, and new found 'old friends'

*edit later*

Sanaya with Noreen Khan 22/4/2013
Link of audio interview

18/4 ... Epi 16 - Snatching Victory from Jaws of Defeat

Thursday 18th April

Totally ROFL episode ... was laughing throughout ...

UB shocked to hear a girl's voice on Manav's phone ... the setting for Manav's wedding plans continues to be laid ... or mis-laid... 

Chhanchhan's brain wave ... use UB for publicity ... UB and her rutba ...
Uma Ben's anger ... CC has thrown the gauntlet? I will pick it up!
Mahila Mandal visit ... oops, hang on ... can't do that ... hoist by own petard ...
SN - Supriya P is fantastic, it's a pleasure watching her on screen! Her expressions during the Mahila Mandal visit were classic!
And Chhanchhan is blissfully ignorant that she has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat ... so the computer classes are back on!

A few mis-connections later ... and Manav and Chhanchhan manage to connect ... a cute phone call and they agree to meet to exchange phones.
But the next kabab mein haddi is already in place ... Elder Brother Number One. And he seems to have his own agenda ...
Am loving Sanaya during the Manav Chhanchhan meets and conversations ... such a natural!

*Edited*
Chhanchhan answers Uma Ben's call on Manav's phone ... Uma Ben is surprised to hear a girl's voice. So does Manav have no female friends at all? 

Himanshu-Manav ... Himanshu offers to return Chhanchhan's phone, Manav refuses, he'd rather return it himself ... Himanshu asks if his family will allow him to meet a girl ...
Hmm ... my question answered ... meeting and having friends of the opposite sex is not permissable in Borasagar household.
Himanshu explains Manav's 'social work' to Uma Ben ...Uma Ben disgusted as usual!
Himanshu - Uma Ben interactions are hilarious!

Chhanchhan-friends ... pamphlet ready, the plan is under way.

Uma Ben's home ... the bahus don't eat at the table? They eat in the kitchen? Medieval family!
Uma Ben sees the pamphlet of her attending computer classes ... age no bar ... and immediately knows whose doing it is ... Chhanchhan's, of course!

Chhanchhan and friends re-start the computer classes ... with the help of Uma Ben's rutba

Mahila Mandal ladies visit Uma Ben ... all praises for her inspiration ... now they will all start computer classes like her, what an inspiration she is for all women! And they will go to the same place too!
Bahus are kept very firmly in their place here.
Uma Ben tries to play it down ... no, no, don't bother, you're too busy ...
But ladies are very firm ... we'll take our bahus too ... will you take your bahus as well?
Uma Ben is getting in deeper and deeper in the quicksand ... it's not so easy to be an example for women's progress ...
And Mahila Mandal reminds her about upcoming elections ... Uma Ben realises this is a golden opportunity ... so it's better to go along with the classes ... small defeat for a bigger victory.

Chhanchhan with friends ... the pamphlets have their effect and MM women join in droves ...
And the friends renew their vows ... including the dowry vow ... which has them all remembering Purvi's recent tragedy and all the troubles which followed ... a group hug ...

Manav's brother calls ... and is puzzled to hear a girl's voice ... he doesn't wait for explanations ... but he's wondering ...
Friends teasing Chhanchhan ... hehe ... cute! Sooo typical!!!Mr Susu is now Mr Bechara!

Chhanchhan and Manav finally talk ... loved the conversation, especially the way it started, with both knowing exactly who was on the other end, no 'hi hello' ... totally casual, friendly, normal ...
(SN - I DO wish Farhan was a better actor!)
Sanaya was soooo adorable in her expressions, especially the last exasperated 'pheoof' when she sees her friends giggling behind her!!! And Himanshu was hilarious the way he was creeping around behind Manav on the bed, trying to listen!

Chhanchhan and Manav meet ... and CC discovers that Manav is a mamma's boy. And that his house is like a military camp, complete with 'training' of the bahus ... the contrast in her home, where everyone is free to do what they like, and variety is accepted ...
Cute convo ... simple, normal ... she tells him about Sanju's call, he tells about the watchman's phone ... they know each other's nicknames ... exchange of gifts ... and an invitation to a dog's birthday party ... actually a normal conversation!
And Manav's brother sees Manav with girl ... which apparently is a very big deal in the Uma Ben household ...

So next week there is going to be some dhamaka ...

17/4 ... Epi 15 - M to M

17th April Wednesday

M to M ... Mushkil to Mauka

M to M ... Mobile to Mobile

Good episode again ... the show is picking up steam. Some things are the opposite of subtle though both Chhanchhan and Manav are such selfless caring individuals? They rather rammed that point down our throats ... it could have been done over two episodes Reminded me of the SC promos  

Mr Susu is Mr Sensitive ...

Miss Nakchadhi Puchpuch ... like the names they gave each other I remembered Churail Murtaza and Leecher

The Supriya-Sanaya confrontation was as usual excellent ... Supriya is a great actress!!! Fun to watch them together!

*Edited*
 Chhanchhan-Manav love story on full steam ahead ... Chhanchhan feels bad for Manav, that he must have been sneezing the whole night ...
Simple very amused ... Rugved surprised ...
Manav now feels responsible for all the dogs in the world ... after all, they are man's best friend ... or rather, girl's best friend ...
Himanshu very amused Mansi shocked

Rugved Chhanchhan arrive home ... straight into Purvi's problems ...

Uma Ben is actively looking for new rishta for Purvi's ex-groom ... ladki karoron mein ek honi chahiye ... is she taking about the dowry? And neatly blames the girl for the marriage breaking ...
Manav Mansi arrive home ... only to hear dog barking ... Manav's new ring tone UB blames Himanshu

Chhanchhan-Purvi-Simple ... I liked that CC asked Purvi if she was sure that she was capable of running the classes ... was she confident of her skills.
Purvi is confident of her skills, but she got nervous with Uma Ben's questions and the memories of all the troubles she and her father faced ...
CC tries to call the students back ... but first impressions are last impressions ... no one will return ...
Simple reminds Chhanchhan of her nuska ... M to M ... a reminder of the CC promo when she made a young man give up his seat for an elderly man ...

Manav still blaming Himanshu for the dog ring tone ... till matters are clarified by watchman and he realises he has CC's phone ... that was quick
Also realises two more things ... CC has a golden heart ... and her nickname for him - Mr Susu
And Manav wastes no time to call CC back ... interrupted by UB ...

Chhanchhan deep in thought ... her turn to wonder about new ring tone ... and her turn to hear about Manav's golden heart
Subtlety - thy name is NOT Chhanchhan So both characters are established as being golden hearted pure characters, always ready to help those poorer than themselves ... dil saaf hona chayda types Of course CC is equally quick to figure out the phone exchange NICE to see characters who actually think like normal people!!!
And Mr Susu is Mr Sensitive and she is Nakchadhi Puch Puch
CC also wastes no time to call Manav back ... tried and tested formula ... both call at exactly the same time so can't reach the other ... both wonder who the other is talking to ... on their phone

Chhanchhan-Daadi ... cute! CC sitting with Puchpuch on her lap ... aww, double cute!  Daadi's lesson to CC ... sweet! Exam time is stress time, teacher won't help you, you have to remember your lessons yourself ... and put them into practice ...

So CC is off to the mandir ... another run in with Uma Ben ... 
SN - loved both the suits - blue and green, and the parrot green - don't normally like parrot green, but this one was looking very nice, and I liked the green and white sleeves much better than the black and red ones on the red suit.I like Simple's outfit too ... short kurti with salwar.
CC tries to reason with UB and request her ... UB is too busy exulting over her victory ... she's not going to do anything to help Purvi.

 Mahila Mandal ladies fawning over Uma Ben give CC her next idea ... what to do next ...
Sharp Uma Ben ... distributing blankets in summer? If you want to flatter, at least do it intelligently
I get the feeling UB is enjoying her run ins with Chhanchhan ... an opponent worthy of her steel. She doesn't suffer fools gladly ... and is contemptuous of flatterers and weaker opponents alike. More and more I feel that after the initial battles, CC and UB will be on the same side w.r.t sorting out the family problems, but with different methods. Hope so, anyway ... that will be more fun to watch than a regular saas vs bahu affair.

Cliff hanger ... UB calls Manav's phone ... CC picks up
And pre-cap ... what will CC do? WWCD? (from WWAD ... what will Arnav do?)

16/4 ... Epi 14 - New Beginnings

Tuesday April 16th

Good fun episode ... had me smiling all through and left me with a smile on my face.

The song today was completely appropriate ... it's such a cute song and it was totally apt for the situation.

And the snake part was explained ... I was just thinking yesterday that it needs to be cleared up ... lo and behold, it was.

Chhanchhan took care of her brother and Manav's sister's budding love story ... is that the end of that one ... or a new beginning for that as well?

Ranjana and Sanjana are sisters ... and if Uma Ben pulls a fast one on Ranjana, Ranjana can return the favor ... I wonder if that story was true or false. Whatever it is ... the Jitesh Jyoti story is going to come back to haunt Uma Ben for sure!!! The scene was hilarious!

Chhanchhan and Manav are now friends ... and both are feeling kuch kuch more than friendship ... cute! Enjoyed their scenes today. Sanaya looks so young!!! Completely the shy, slightly awkward young girl ... Farhan also looked appropriately boyish ...

*Edited*
Today I can say the show is settling down ... it was good from beginning to end ... and it left me with a smile on my face ... rather, a wide grin. If it continues this way, I am going to enjoy it a lot.

Starts with continuation of last night ... Simple finds Chhanchhan dripping wet, and accuses Manav ... CC defends him without mentioning he was the cause of Anarkali running berserk ... Manav starts falling for Chhanchhan ... that was quick!
SN - not really ... am surprised it took so long ... methinks he actually started falling for her at first look ... tabhi toh he was obsessed with playing pranks on her!

Next morning ... another Manav-Chhanchhan meeting ... both a little conscious, a little awkward at the suddenly changed equation ... she says thanks, he says sorry, and explains it was because she set a snake on him ... CC appalled, how could he think she would do such a thing?! So the snake misconception is cleared up ... and Manav also tells CC why he came to the camp.

And wonder of wonders ... here CC has a brain ... and connects the dots very quickly ... email id ... his sister, her brother ... and Rugved is in for a dose!
Which he gets ... as CC tells him it's okay for him if he stays in his limits, but he shouldn't hurt anyone's feelings ... if Mansi thinks he's more serious than he actually is, it's not fair on her ... what would he feel if someone did this with his sister? Their family has given them certain freedom, but not the right to hurt anyone ...
And Manav hears .... more thanks and sorry ... and all izz well.

Uma Ben - Manav ... Manav is very happy, he's made new friends, including some special ones ... banda is falling hard ...
Himanshu - Uma Ben conversations are very funny ... he is blissfully unaware of all undercurrents and of her dislike ... or he pretends to be ... Himanshu lets the cat out of the bag about Manav lost in someone's thoughts ... fortunately UB lets it go in her disgust at this freeloader ... speaking English that too!

Uma Ben and her bahus Ranjana Sanjana... another totally hilarious conversation Ranjana Sanjana are sisters ... Ranjana spins a tale of Jitesh, good boy, running away with a girl ... his parents are heartbroken ...
Uma Ben is aghast ... he was such a good boy, so obedient, especially to his mother ... RS agree sadly ... ... and go on dolefully ... his sister Jyoti was the modern girl ... and Jitesh used to chaperone her ... exactly like Manav and Mansi ...
I can SO see this scene as a flashback when Manav's love story starts ... poor guy, grounded before take off!
RS need an excuse to go to their maayka ... they actually manage to hoodwink Uma Ben ...

Saas bahus are Nehle pe dehla  

Chhanchhan-Manav .. goodbye as friends ... and Manav loves Anarkali  
Rugved - Mansi ... and Simple-Himanshu ... two more love stories in the making  
Loved Sanaya's expressions in the last scene ... the shy awkward consciousness, the bare hint of a smile ... and the besotted look on Manav's face ... the song was totally apt and added just the right touch to the scene Still not sure about Farhan (especially with all the rumors doing the rounds) ... but he is definitely getting better ... and Sanaya alone makes it completely worth watching anyway!!!

15/4 ... Epi 13 - Cease Fire

Monday 15th April

Manav sets the scene for his prank ... the dog story ... Chhanchhan not interested ...

Uma Ben pays her DIL back for her kaamchor ways ... in a similar way as Manav, except she uses Babuji as the scary bhoot in her story

Uma Ben has a very interesting way of keeping control of her bahus ... a mixture of Divide and Rule and Dangling a Carrot ...

Manav's prank misfires .. he rescues Chhanchhan and Anarkali ... a very strange resuscitation technique there ... and apparently the way to Chhanchhan's heart is through her dogs ... So the fights are over for now ...

*Edited* 

Manav's story ... and Chhanchhan's and Anarkali identical expressions of boredom, including Anarkali's yawn


Uma Ben's character is puzzling me as of now ... I can understand ... somewhat ... the way she deals with her bahus ... She is a shrewd judge of character, as we have seen from the very first episode itself. She correctly judged that Chhanchhan was the strength behind Purvi's decision to call off the the wedding ... she caught the subtle taunts behind the sweet words of the ex-groom's mother ... she knows each of her DILs very well, and their weaknesses ... and she follows a policy of Divide and Rule to run her home. Also she very much likes to be in charge, she is proud of her position, her wealth and her status in society.
She mentioned once ... I am the daughter of a baniya, and married to a Brahmin. So does she feel that she is more intelligent than her husband, yet because of society's norms, she has to use his name to rule, because a woman alone is never given the same respect and power? She likes to assert her domination over her bahus, but never in her own name or by browbeating or name-calling ... it is by firing over the shoulder of Babuji's name, and his dreaded anger. Which, as we see, is a myth.

But why is she lying to her own husband? Is it because she likes to keep the control in her own hands, and she knows he will not approve of her methods? So she keeps him out of the decision-making ... and especially the 'hisaasb-kitaab' ... and doesn't let him know the competition she staged among the bahus ...
And why does he let her? Is it because he is a peace-loving man ... and like many men with dominating wives, he knows that as long as Uma Ben is happy, life is peaceful ... but she is unpleasant when she is crossed ... so his policy is "peace at all costs" ... he stays quiet and doesn't interfere, even when he knows she is doing something not completely right, because she is too unpleasant when she is crossed ...

But what if he knows Uma Ben doing something wrong? Will he then put his foot down and put a stop to it? And is that why she doesn't tell him the entire truth ever?

Divide and Rule ... by dangling rewards as carrots ... setting one against the other ... or rather, the younger two against the older one, that too, through the maid ... she didn't announce the competition herslef, the maid did ... and then she told the bahus that Babuji was angry that the Ras -poori was made in triple quantities. Leaving the bahus to give excuses as to why they had all made it ... without disclosing it was for the reward.
The eldest bahu is the ideal bahu as far as Uma Ben is concerned ... but is she the ideal wife for the son? Remember Uma Ben's remark to Babuji that she was the one who brought back their eldest son when he left the house ...
Still haven't seen the equations between the respective sons and their wives to figure out what the individual problems are ...
And as Kaumudi is the current favorite, she gets the reward ... and Ranjana gets the punishment, couched in honey sweet words ... what a good saas am I ... 

I was wondering if Chhanchhan would come running back to save Purvi and her doomed computer classes ... so Purvi didn't tell her ... another loop closed ... good. 

Manav-Chhanchhan ... so far following a predictable route ... am glad their fights will stop soon, as they were pretty silly, except for the campfire scene - that one was cute! The saving from the water scene was predictable and cliched ... it wasn't done particularly well ... good thing they finished it in one episode!
But the last bit at the water's bank, with Chhanchhan, Manav and Anarkali was sweet ... including Manav's apology, and the simultaneous sneezes ...
I love the song ... though I didn't find the words very apt ...
The part I liked - Manav running to save Anarkali as well - that was my first thought when he saved Chhanchhan ... what about the dog?! And I liked his reply to Chhanchhan - I saved the dog to save my life, because if anything had happened to her, you would have killed me! So true!
So Chhanchhan melts ... and Manav is penitent ... and a new stage starts ... friendship? Good ... looking forward to this! One thing I missed in the Arhi story - that they never talked to each other! Hope Manav and Chhanchhan do! It will be nice to see a good friendship on screen ... I loved that in SaJan ...

*Added*
New promo ... we are getting one every week for each stage of the track :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQITd_Krcc 

TV This Fortnight -15th-30th April

Zindagi Gulzar Hai - Epi 20 (Fri 12 April)
Kashaf is prickly, stubborn, undemonstrative even with her own family ... with Zaroon, she is scared witless. Scared to show what she is beginning to feel, scared to trust him and his feelings, scared to depend on him, because she is scared that they won't last ... The scars inflicted by her father run deep, she is scared to trust again. So she keeps a mask of indifference and cool unconcern firmly in place, despite all attempts by Zaroon to probe and push past it.
Hand holding at night ... so many times he tries to hold her hand, so many times she pushes it off, releases it on some pretext or the other ... only to hold it herself later at night, when he's asleep and can't see it, can't see her dependence on him.
Her insecurity, fear translated into extreme defensiveness and truculence, aggressiveness with mother and sister ... why did you ask him to stay? He can't handle the lack of amenities here, he's not used to them ... Masking her own fears and insecurity ... what if he looks down on her and her home, her family, her neighbourhood, what if he realises the difference in their social strata, and maybe suddenly thinks he made a mistake and she's not worth it after all ... her mask of indifference a cloak to tell herself that she can handle it if he leaves her, the way her father left her mother ... but actually she's only trying to fool herself, because more and more she's realising she won't be able to handle it if history repeats itself ... 
And the mask comes off with a simple gesture ... Zaroon gives her money ... because she's his wife, his responsibility ... she can keep her own salary safely in her account, because it's his duty and his right to take care of her ...
No man has ever done that for her. Not even her own father. No man has ever made her feel protected and safe, that he is there to take care of her.
And that gives Zaroon his first peek behind the mask ... he is still to learn the depths of insecurity in Kashaf, but the first glimpse tells him that yes, her indifference, her light laughing cynicism, her lack of romanticism ... it's all a mask ... and she is hiding something very different behind it.

Veera ...was pretty slow the last fortnight ... the grand spectacle of Sher-E-Punjab must have taken a lot of time and effort to shoot. Done on a really huge scale. Ratan came third in the tractor race, Ranvi and Nihal came first in the horse race, as expected :) ... How come Bakhtawar came second in the race? I thought all these years after Sampooran left, he had not managed to pick up a single medal ...
Kartar's feelings exposed to Chaiji ... really don't know where they are going with this ... was not necessary, I feel. One villain Bakhtawar is enough! Anyway, in this show, they never do anything halfway, and always tie up all the loose ends, so there must be some hidden meaning behind this track too.
And the road is paved for Ratan to offer Nihal a job on her farm.

Qabool Hai

Madhubala

Na Bole Tum...

11/4 ... Epi 12 - Campfire Night

Thurs 11th April

Since UB was not up to any nasty tricks, but merely exulting over them, the episode was fun.

So UB is happy that she has put paid to Purvi's plans of self-reliance for good ... finally her vengeance complete? Hope so ... till Chhanchhan comes back from camp, at any rate. Sanjana bahu and her simple nature is established further.

Was that the only scene with the snake?
So CC and gang rescue a snake ... I would have thought they should have told the man he was doing something illegal and could be jailed ... but whatever ... giving the man money was required to set up the MU ...

Manav's problem is that he jumps to conclusions about Chhanchhan very easily ... and usually they are erroneous. Chhanchhan has the same problem, in slightly lesser degree.
They both feel bad about it later, but are too hot-headed to apologise ... again, Manav more than Chhanchhan ... Chhanchhan usually does end up saying sorry. Sometimes ...

And the snake then finds his way into Manav's tent ... kwostin ... what did CC and gang do with the snake after rescuing it? Did they release it into the wild again? Should think so ... as they obviously never gave it another thought ...
And Manav of course immediately blames CC for setting the snake on him ... and wants revenge again ...
Manav, Manav ... dear boy ... grow up! Don't jump to conclusions or conclusions will jump on you!

Family scene at Borasagar home, interspersed with campfire scenes .. family scenes show how vain Ranjana bahu takes advantage of Kaumudi bahu's goodness ... appears that UB is aware of matters, and has her own ways of taking the bahus to task ...
SN - Gun guna reminded me of Sanaya's performance at SPA ... Sanaya has made all the songs she has ever performed to, into Sanaya songs for me

Campfire scenes ... fun and games around the fire ... nice light-hearted fun, similar to so many college nights ... I rather liked sher-o-shayari by Himanshu and Chhanchhan ...

Manav was obviously in a foul mood with the snake attack .. otherwise professing love to a very cute dog is not a big punishment and I enjoyed Chhanchhan's counter attack verse   Sanaya looked as though she was thoroughly enjoying herself

Precap has me waiting for Monday ... predictable, but looking forward to it nevertheless

*Edit*

Have to say, I fell in love again with Chhanchhan/Sanaya's expressions in the campfire scene ... completely adorable ... her eyes shining with mischief, brimming with laughter ... and then the small acknowledgement as though to say "Maan gaye" when Farhan completed his task ... gracious and generous in acknowledging that he had won the challenge  ... a good touch to show Chhanchhan's character sketch, that she is without malice, and not the type to hold grudges, even if she is hot-headed and can be stubborn at times. And of course her expressions when she performed her own punishment were just fabulous ... they changed every micro-second ... first slight embarrassemnt, then a mischievous resolve as she decided in her head what to say ... as she recited the 'sher' ... ending with sheer glee ... and then with glittering dislike at the end again ...

Shayari by Himanshu ...
Ishq mein neend udh jaati hai ... 
Kambakht koi humein bhi pyaar kare, humein need bahut aati hai!  

Shayari by Chhanchhan ...
Dil karta hai ki inn aankhon se dimaag mein utar jaun (her voice soft and sweet ...
then mischief creeps into voice and eyes both as Chhanchhan completes the sher  ...)
Suna hai vahan jagah bahut khaali hai, ek baar zara dekh kar to aao

And another locking of eyes ... mutual challenge and dislike ... don't take pangas with me ... 

 
More articles
Supriya - Not so loveable 
Supriya again emphasizes that she has grey shades ... she came across as very dark the first two weeks, now they are lightening her ... also she said that she is regressive, the show is not and Chhanchhan will oppose her ... so it will not be evil saas dominating over meek mild bahu ... sounds more like a modern version of DABH, which I can relate to, so I can take that happily ...

I am not doing Jhalak - Sanaya
Sanaya confirms she is not doing Jhalak
I am disappointed ... was looking forward to watching her dance, and even more, share screen space with the likes of Madhuri Dixit and K Jo ... but I guess she is carrying the lion's share of the load for Chhanchhan, so she can't be spared. And after IPL ends, the show will speed up and the main tracks will start ... and CC will be there all the time. Better to do one thing and do it well, than take up too much and compromise all. Ah well ... hopefully there will be a next time.

Segment on location of Chhanchhan ... interviews with Sanaya and Supriya P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raqabytiRkA&feature=youtu.be&a

Good friend Farhan Khan's Chhanchhan commitment troubles Dheeraj Miglani
Farhan is trying hard, the problem is the shadow of the previous jodi and its chemistry looms really long and dark here ...But he's working hard and doing his best to improve ... am sure he will make it! Already the improvement is visible ... he looks much more comfortable on screen. Just has to improve his expressions a little more, especially in his eyes.

 Chhanchhan is Not Just A Love Story - says Kartik Sarabhai

When it comes to character roles, Deepak Pareek is not a new name. You might have seen him playing the character of Indira's husband, Sameer's father, and elder son of Gopaldas "Gkaka" Gheewala, in Teen Bahuraniyaan, aired on Zee TV. And remember the funny Shukla Sir of Miley Jab Hum Tum.

Besides these popular roles, he has lent his face to many other small but memorable characters on television and movies as well. Teen Bahuraniyaan (Zee TV), Mrs. Tendulkar (SAB TV), Miley Jab Hum Tum (Star One) and recently Chhan Chhan (SET) are some of the shows where he impressed audiences with his acting as well as his comic timing.

The calm behavior and friendly nature of the actor has made him to bond with the other actors on the sets pretty well. Following, is the excerpts of the short conversation where the actor shares some more details about the show, with us-

While talking about the show, Chhan Chhan, Deepak says, "It is an unique show where we are trying to do something more than just entertaining the viewers. In this show, you will see a lot of social issues we will bring out in open. Issues that we have to deal with everyday. Issues about which we don't want to think seriously. 

Just like the first episode where you've seen the girl to refuse to get married in order to protest the dowry system. Television, as a mean of communication, is an extremely powerful medium and if we could channel this medium correctly, it can bring a huge changes." "And in Chhan Chhan,you will see those issues to be tackled in a light-hearted and entertaining manner, as Chhan Chhan is not just a love story, " the actor concludes.

When got asked about the experience of working with Sanaya, he affirms, " She is very professional and hard working. Even being such a big star of the industry, she always shows keen interest to learn. Working with her, is a treat. As she is so calm minded and never throws tantrum on the sets.

When asked about his role and last minute replacement, Mr. Pareek says, "Kartik Sarabhai is a painter. He creates modern art painting, besides this he is also a very good and open minded person. He loves her daughter and is proud of her. And yes, earlier, Jayneeraj as finalized for the role but due to some dates problems, he had to be replaced at the very last moment."