Will edit post once I catch up with the episodes ... am travelling till Thursday.
Monday 6th Jan ... The Serpent, The Rogue and The Innocent
Two men, both equally ruthless, both uncaring of the lives and emotions of others. Be it the Thakur, who uses the power of force, trickery and deceit to keep a village under control ... or Rudra, who uses the weakness of Laila for his own needs, both physical and duty related ... while the Thakur's goal is self and only self, Rudra's goal seems to be duty, but is it really? Or is it power in a different way? The power to avenge all the insults, the taunts he experienced while growing up, the power to not let anything or anyone hurt him ever again ...
And the innocent ... Paro ... who will bring a storm into the lives of both ... not because she is a harbinger of storms ... but by just being ... being herself.
Tuesday 7th Jan ... Borders and Brides
A wedding procession crosses the border, under the eagle (and not so eagle) eyes of the BSD ...
SN - finally saw a few of the 60 camels used in the shooting!
A groom proves his worth for a daughter of Beerpur. The sword scene set some alarm bells ringing ... a gentle poet is such a good swordsman?
A groom's family proves their unworthiness ... eyeing another daughter of the village, a soon to be daughter-in-law, or a girl mistaken as one. I'm relieved that Paro will not cross the border with this creepy family!
The groom seems smitten by the beautiful Paro at first sight ... can't blame him, she looks like a dream.
And the bride is as smitten with her gentle poet groom as he is with her.
A match made in heaven ... or is it? A short-lived romance, which will be killed before it has time to put down roots ...
Wednesday 8th Jan ... Dreams in Her Eyes
Paro ... a simple girl, with simple dreams ... An orphan, she dreams of nothing more than a home, a family of her own ... a home where she runs her own rasoi, where she has the right to decide the placement of even a single nail on the wall. And all this with the man of her dreams, equally simple, as alone as she is, an orphan like her, a man whose dreams are in her eyes. A man who likes imli with salt on the side ... as she does. Her only small complaint is that she wanted a man bearing one of the many names of Lord Shiva ...
SN - the cynic in me did wonder if bridegroom Varun was just a wee bit too perfect ... but since he's destined to die very soon, probably not.
And on the other hand, the man of her nightmares ... as dangerous, as violent, as ruthless as the devil ... he bears the name of her beloved Shivaji ... and is as destructive and stormy as his namesake.
Thakurji overseas the settling of the bride price ... the guns ...
Bindi is on the way to extinction ...
And I am a little confused ... so the groom's party brought the gun parts across the border, and are they taking the assembled guns back? The thakur runs a gun assembly racket?
Edit - Thakur clarified today, he gets the gun parts, assembles them and sends the money back with the baraat ... he then sells the guns all over India and wherever else he can.
Thursday 9th Jan ... Innocence Tainted, Innocence Lost
Poor innocent Bindi-sa! Her simple, unselfish, loving act of getting Paro and her to-be banna-sa Varun a few stolen moments together, cost her her life! And how smooth and slick was the fatherly serpent Thakursa, guiding her slowly, cleverly, away from the madding crowd to the far reaches of his lake where his pet crocodile lies waiting? A serpent indeed!
Thakursa doesn't tolerate too many mistakes ... tragically for poor Bindi! The Thakur is just about as black as he can be ... a villain through and through. And a thinking villain at that ... doesn't make too many mistakes in his planning ... or in the execution of those plans ... pun intended.
Unfortunately for him, he did make one ... Kesari. And Kesari, as expected, spilled the beans very quickly. So Rudra and Aman didn't kill Kesari after all ... the threat was enough.
Thakursa is quick on the uptake, though... within one episode, he realised Kesari had gone missing ... also realised that Kesari missing meant he would spill the beans to the BSD ... and Thakursa took corrective steps instantly ... get the wedding over and done with immediately, and get the smuggling party back on its way, before the annoying BSD comes in to stall his party.
And Rudra is, for a welcome change (for an Indian telly hero), equally smart ... he knew the Thakur would figure out Kesari was missing, that he would figure out Kesari would talk ... so he moves to pre-empt any moves Thakursa will make. Two men, both smart enough to recognise the other's intelligence, and both bent on outwitting the other ... who will win the first battle?
And Paro is the innocent pawn in the battle between the two men ... Paro, her life, her wedding, the most joyful occasion of her life ... all mere instruments in the hands of the Thakur and Rudra.
Poor innocent Aman ... he thought he was treading the path of the law by joining the BSD, Rudra just gave him a crash course on how to break the law while defending it. Aman didn't seem to mind the loss of his innocence, though!
Best for the last ... innocent Paro gets a crash course on how to woo her man ... from sultry vixen Laila. And Laila gets a small shock, when Paro, instead of mulling over the two types of men Laila described, both of whom would fit the description of her own banna, instead asked about the third type of man too.
Innocent sweet Paro showed a rather keen interest in her further education.
That scene showed a spark in the hitherto demure, shy Paro ... the first hint that Paro hides something unexpected underneath that quiet exterior. She is not all passive, as she seems to be.
Friday 10th Jan ... And the Stage Is Set ...
For the Rudra-Paro meeting ... and their story to start.
But we have a weekend to wait first :(
Also, for the Rudra-Paro story to start, we have a wedding to go through first ... the Paro-Varun wedding.
The bride is decked up by her mamisa and her Thakurain maasa ... Paro feels the pain of separation so close, so unexpectedly close ... and she cries ... a feeling all married girls would understand, especially those travelling to a far away place after marriage ... for life is never quite the same again.
Sweet, the way Paro first recounted all her unfinished tasks, as though crying for herself was not permitted, but crying over the tasks she had left undone was allowed ... then she couldn't help herself, and cried about missing her old friends, never seeing them again. A reflection of the gratitude she feels to those who brought her up? That she 'owed' them ... and all she did for them was to pay back what she owed them ... it was not her right. No wonder she was looking forward to her 'own home' ... her own place, where she truly belonged.
Thakurain is sweet, though ... she understands the pain Paro feels ... as any married woman would. She and Maamisa comfort Paro ... she carries her memories with her, and will cherish them in her new home.
And so Paro is taken to the marriage pandal, where Thakursa waits impatiently.
SN - the costumes were magnificent!
Paro asks about Bindi ... the moment the Thakur was worried about. He promptly puts in a few poisonous words about the BSD.
Varun-sa is sweet ... aww ... he reassures Paro that he's there for her, she has nothing to worry about for the next seven janams ...
Loved that tiny barely there smile on Paro's face ... he reached to her through the thick cloud of her worry and upset, and she felt reassured, despite her worry about Bindi, and the Thakur's reminder of the BSD.
Aman arrives with an entire platoon of BSD and a fake search warrant. Thakur instructs to stall, and tells the pandit to speed up the proceedings. Pandit promptly starts reciting the mantras at double speed ... much to the worry of Paro, Thakurain, Maami and Varun's kaka ... all for different reasons. Paro is disturbed, and it shows. She still hasn't forgotten Bindi.
Meantime, the gun packing also quickens to double speed.
Rudra is tapping away at his laptop in the meantime.
Sindoor - check. Mangal sutra - check. More guns and cash into boxes - check. Jaymala - check. Bridegroom looking happier and happier that Paro is almost his wife ... Paro still worried about Bindi.
Pheras - check. Rudra still on his laptop. More guns, cash - check.
Wedding over ... Paro now really worried about Bindi, and refuses to do her bidaai till she comes.
Uh oh ... Thakursa was afraid of that ... and ready with a story too. He hid the truth so as not to stall the wedding ... Bindi is missing.
Paro is distraught ... Thakursa is afraid Bindi has been taken off by the BSD.
Paro's scream is truly spine chilling ... Sanaya was just fabulous there! Paro's terror, her fear palpable, slicing through her at the thought of what the BSD might do to Bindi ... that naked fear and horror in her eyes as she staggered back ... she had to be held by both maami and thakurain maasa ...
And Thakursa adds more ghee to the fire ... Paro and Bindi were in danger of admiring the new BSD officer ... he nips that in the bud by pointing the finger of suspicion directly at Rudra. And Paro remembers her 'rescue', the glimpse of Rudra riding into the village, AND the glimpse she had of him at the sangeet ... yes, she did recognise him ...
Paro refuses to go ... she can't leave Bindi ...
Serpentsa Thakursa - yes, we have a snakewa here too - promises he will bring her Bindi back to her ... how exactly, Thakursa? from the croc's tummy? But he needs Paro to leave ... now ... his smuggling racket is at stake.
And poor distraught Paro has to agree.
Thakursa is smart ... he sees at a glance that the search warrant is fake. Case dismissed ... get the hell out of my house ... er, haveli.
Aman tells him that Kesariram squealed ... we know your secret about your smuggling. You're gone, mate.
Thakursa doesn't think so ... he's been playing these games a lot longer than Aman has.
Aman informs Rudra that they weren't allowed in, and is in a rage ... Rudra is satisfied ... angry men commit mistakes. He's won.
Thakursa is equally satisfied ... the BSD platoon is parked outside his front gate, the bidai will happen from the back gate ... he's won.
Bidaai happens ... a weeping Paro performs the last custom of throwing the rice over her back ... now her doli ready to head for the border.
The border is sealed ... Rudra heads for the border.
And the stage is set ... for the explosive Rudra-Paro meeting to happen.
EDIT - Sanaya's interview on Sabras Radio, UK with Raj Baddhan.
http://sabrasradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SanayaIraniInterview001.mp3
Monday 6th Jan ... The Serpent, The Rogue and The Innocent
Two men, both equally ruthless, both uncaring of the lives and emotions of others. Be it the Thakur, who uses the power of force, trickery and deceit to keep a village under control ... or Rudra, who uses the weakness of Laila for his own needs, both physical and duty related ... while the Thakur's goal is self and only self, Rudra's goal seems to be duty, but is it really? Or is it power in a different way? The power to avenge all the insults, the taunts he experienced while growing up, the power to not let anything or anyone hurt him ever again ...
And the innocent ... Paro ... who will bring a storm into the lives of both ... not because she is a harbinger of storms ... but by just being ... being herself.
Tuesday 7th Jan ... Borders and Brides
A wedding procession crosses the border, under the eagle (and not so eagle) eyes of the BSD ...
SN - finally saw a few of the 60 camels used in the shooting!
A groom proves his worth for a daughter of Beerpur. The sword scene set some alarm bells ringing ... a gentle poet is such a good swordsman?
A groom's family proves their unworthiness ... eyeing another daughter of the village, a soon to be daughter-in-law, or a girl mistaken as one. I'm relieved that Paro will not cross the border with this creepy family!
The groom seems smitten by the beautiful Paro at first sight ... can't blame him, she looks like a dream.
And the bride is as smitten with her gentle poet groom as he is with her.
A match made in heaven ... or is it? A short-lived romance, which will be killed before it has time to put down roots ...
Wednesday 8th Jan ... Dreams in Her Eyes
Paro ... a simple girl, with simple dreams ... An orphan, she dreams of nothing more than a home, a family of her own ... a home where she runs her own rasoi, where she has the right to decide the placement of even a single nail on the wall. And all this with the man of her dreams, equally simple, as alone as she is, an orphan like her, a man whose dreams are in her eyes. A man who likes imli with salt on the side ... as she does. Her only small complaint is that she wanted a man bearing one of the many names of Lord Shiva ...
SN - the cynic in me did wonder if bridegroom Varun was just a wee bit too perfect ... but since he's destined to die very soon, probably not.
And on the other hand, the man of her nightmares ... as dangerous, as violent, as ruthless as the devil ... he bears the name of her beloved Shivaji ... and is as destructive and stormy as his namesake.
Thakurji overseas the settling of the bride price ... the guns ...
Bindi is on the way to extinction ...
And I am a little confused ... so the groom's party brought the gun parts across the border, and are they taking the assembled guns back? The thakur runs a gun assembly racket?
Edit - Thakur clarified today, he gets the gun parts, assembles them and sends the money back with the baraat ... he then sells the guns all over India and wherever else he can.
Thursday 9th Jan ... Innocence Tainted, Innocence Lost
Poor innocent Bindi-sa! Her simple, unselfish, loving act of getting Paro and her to-be banna-sa Varun a few stolen moments together, cost her her life! And how smooth and slick was the fatherly serpent Thakursa, guiding her slowly, cleverly, away from the madding crowd to the far reaches of his lake where his pet crocodile lies waiting? A serpent indeed!
Thakursa doesn't tolerate too many mistakes ... tragically for poor Bindi! The Thakur is just about as black as he can be ... a villain through and through. And a thinking villain at that ... doesn't make too many mistakes in his planning ... or in the execution of those plans ... pun intended.
Unfortunately for him, he did make one ... Kesari. And Kesari, as expected, spilled the beans very quickly. So Rudra and Aman didn't kill Kesari after all ... the threat was enough.
Thakursa is quick on the uptake, though... within one episode, he realised Kesari had gone missing ... also realised that Kesari missing meant he would spill the beans to the BSD ... and Thakursa took corrective steps instantly ... get the wedding over and done with immediately, and get the smuggling party back on its way, before the annoying BSD comes in to stall his party.
And Rudra is, for a welcome change (for an Indian telly hero), equally smart ... he knew the Thakur would figure out Kesari was missing, that he would figure out Kesari would talk ... so he moves to pre-empt any moves Thakursa will make. Two men, both smart enough to recognise the other's intelligence, and both bent on outwitting the other ... who will win the first battle?
And Paro is the innocent pawn in the battle between the two men ... Paro, her life, her wedding, the most joyful occasion of her life ... all mere instruments in the hands of the Thakur and Rudra.
Poor innocent Aman ... he thought he was treading the path of the law by joining the BSD, Rudra just gave him a crash course on how to break the law while defending it. Aman didn't seem to mind the loss of his innocence, though!
Best for the last ... innocent Paro gets a crash course on how to woo her man ... from sultry vixen Laila. And Laila gets a small shock, when Paro, instead of mulling over the two types of men Laila described, both of whom would fit the description of her own banna, instead asked about the third type of man too.
Innocent sweet Paro showed a rather keen interest in her further education.
That scene showed a spark in the hitherto demure, shy Paro ... the first hint that Paro hides something unexpected underneath that quiet exterior. She is not all passive, as she seems to be.
Friday 10th Jan ... And the Stage Is Set ...
For the Rudra-Paro meeting ... and their story to start.
But we have a weekend to wait first :(
Also, for the Rudra-Paro story to start, we have a wedding to go through first ... the Paro-Varun wedding.
The bride is decked up by her mamisa and her Thakurain maasa ... Paro feels the pain of separation so close, so unexpectedly close ... and she cries ... a feeling all married girls would understand, especially those travelling to a far away place after marriage ... for life is never quite the same again.
Sweet, the way Paro first recounted all her unfinished tasks, as though crying for herself was not permitted, but crying over the tasks she had left undone was allowed ... then she couldn't help herself, and cried about missing her old friends, never seeing them again. A reflection of the gratitude she feels to those who brought her up? That she 'owed' them ... and all she did for them was to pay back what she owed them ... it was not her right. No wonder she was looking forward to her 'own home' ... her own place, where she truly belonged.
Thakurain is sweet, though ... she understands the pain Paro feels ... as any married woman would. She and Maamisa comfort Paro ... she carries her memories with her, and will cherish them in her new home.
And so Paro is taken to the marriage pandal, where Thakursa waits impatiently.
SN - the costumes were magnificent!
Paro asks about Bindi ... the moment the Thakur was worried about. He promptly puts in a few poisonous words about the BSD.
Varun-sa is sweet ... aww ... he reassures Paro that he's there for her, she has nothing to worry about for the next seven janams ...
Loved that tiny barely there smile on Paro's face ... he reached to her through the thick cloud of her worry and upset, and she felt reassured, despite her worry about Bindi, and the Thakur's reminder of the BSD.
Aman arrives with an entire platoon of BSD and a fake search warrant. Thakur instructs to stall, and tells the pandit to speed up the proceedings. Pandit promptly starts reciting the mantras at double speed ... much to the worry of Paro, Thakurain, Maami and Varun's kaka ... all for different reasons. Paro is disturbed, and it shows. She still hasn't forgotten Bindi.
Meantime, the gun packing also quickens to double speed.
Rudra is tapping away at his laptop in the meantime.
Sindoor - check. Mangal sutra - check. More guns and cash into boxes - check. Jaymala - check. Bridegroom looking happier and happier that Paro is almost his wife ... Paro still worried about Bindi.
Pheras - check. Rudra still on his laptop. More guns, cash - check.
Wedding over ... Paro now really worried about Bindi, and refuses to do her bidaai till she comes.
Uh oh ... Thakursa was afraid of that ... and ready with a story too. He hid the truth so as not to stall the wedding ... Bindi is missing.
Paro is distraught ... Thakursa is afraid Bindi has been taken off by the BSD.
Paro's scream is truly spine chilling ... Sanaya was just fabulous there! Paro's terror, her fear palpable, slicing through her at the thought of what the BSD might do to Bindi ... that naked fear and horror in her eyes as she staggered back ... she had to be held by both maami and thakurain maasa ...
And Thakursa adds more ghee to the fire ... Paro and Bindi were in danger of admiring the new BSD officer ... he nips that in the bud by pointing the finger of suspicion directly at Rudra. And Paro remembers her 'rescue', the glimpse of Rudra riding into the village, AND the glimpse she had of him at the sangeet ... yes, she did recognise him ...
Paro refuses to go ... she can't leave Bindi ...
Serpentsa Thakursa - yes, we have a snakewa here too - promises he will bring her Bindi back to her ... how exactly, Thakursa? from the croc's tummy? But he needs Paro to leave ... now ... his smuggling racket is at stake.
And poor distraught Paro has to agree.
Thakursa is smart ... he sees at a glance that the search warrant is fake. Case dismissed ... get the hell out of my house ... er, haveli.
Aman tells him that Kesariram squealed ... we know your secret about your smuggling. You're gone, mate.
Thakursa doesn't think so ... he's been playing these games a lot longer than Aman has.
Aman informs Rudra that they weren't allowed in, and is in a rage ... Rudra is satisfied ... angry men commit mistakes. He's won.
Thakursa is equally satisfied ... the BSD platoon is parked outside his front gate, the bidai will happen from the back gate ... he's won.
Bidaai happens ... a weeping Paro performs the last custom of throwing the rice over her back ... now her doli ready to head for the border.
The border is sealed ... Rudra heads for the border.
And the stage is set ... for the explosive Rudra-Paro meeting to happen.
EDIT - Sanaya's interview on Sabras Radio, UK with Raj Baddhan.
http://sabrasradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SanayaIraniInterview001.mp3
Dia!! Thanks for your note. I was wondering what happened to you.'ve a Safe Journey:) Really missing your takes. Will be eagerly waiting for a long post summarizing all:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the short updates Dia. Don't know how you manage to do so while travelling. We look forward to the detailed updates upon your return.
ReplyDeleteThe gun trade seems a bit fishy - from Thakur's earlier comments, it sounded like the annual marriage scam was a cover for guns being brought in to be sold; so, the bridal party should be returning with cash or anything else that would be of equivalent value. Unless and until, this is a barter trade of two different kinds of arms/ammunitions.
Thank you for this Diya, will wait for your detailed posts. Safe travels. BTW, Sanaya is just doing a marvellous job as Paro!
ReplyDelete-U
Question out of curiousity: The baraat was full of men (understandable since its an undercover arms trade) but they have come for a wedding. Surely there should be at least a couple of women to accompany the bride back to sarhaad paar? Or is it normal custom for only men to be part of the baraat party? Case of cinematic liberty?
ReplyDeleteDon't know about these guys, but I would certainly not be comfortable sending my daughter across with a group of men, even if one of them happened to be her husband.
In certain communities in Rajasthan, Bihar etc. women from grooms side do not accompany baraat. They stay back and participate only in grah pravesh. I know this first hand when my cousin married a Bihari and we Southies were surprised to see not a single woman came for the wedding.
DeleteHere I don't know if they researched that much, but the marriage is just a cover, Paro is dispensible and her mamisa lives on the largress of the Thakur to oppose anything he commands. The set up they are showing is very backward when it comes to gender issues and entrenched in feudal mindset. These kind of places are there across India, we keep hearing about khaps and caste panchayats in newspapers and their stranglehold on the lives of people who live there.
-U
Thanks for the explanation Uma. True that traditionally women did not accompany men in baraat In Eastern India, but on the return journey, a bride would always be accompanied by a member of household and/or a couple of trusted servants to take care of her and help her settle down in her new surroundings.
DeletePerhaps given Paro's situation, this is quite acceptable.
Maybe there will be a couple of people from Paro's maayka ... we don't know yet. But given the real purpose of the wedding, Paro's comfort and ease will be given very little thought, if at all. Anyway, we also have to wait and see how soon the marriage party is disrupted ... Rudra is not going to waste any time in storming the haveli, now that he has his fake search warrant. Don't know whether they will start the journey and be waylaid, or be attacked by the BSD as soon as the wedding is over and the wedding party boards their camels.
DeleteAbout Varun Dia, I want him to be a perfect match for Paro because then his loss will have that much more impact and a greater empathy with what Paro is going through. If he is a sleeze bag then it's easy way to show Rudra as the knight in shining armour who rescued the damsel in distress which she will realize in the long run. The conflict of emotions will be that much more interesting if Varun is everything Paro wanted, her first brush with love. Rudra's inability to get through to her will add to his distress later on.
ReplyDeleteThere was a post on IF which pointed at few things, the symbolism of Varun being brought in blind folded in the baraat, is he just a sacrificial lamb, unaware of what his uncle or cousins have planned. Then he told his friends to call Paro bhabhi, he wants to give her the respect and today he had no idea what was going on and why his marriage was being expedited. All this shows he is another orphan being used as a front for nefarious activities. Hope the CVs put an end to this debate soon.
-U
Uma, yep, I agree to that .. and I think that the cv's have built up the fledgeling relationship of Paro and Varun for exactly that purpose ... Paro already start dreaming her dreams, and thinking they have come true. The loss of her brand new husband will now hit her even harder, and her hatred for Rudra and the BSD will be intensified even further. So Rudra will find it very tough to get through to her for a long time.
DeleteWhether Varun is truly as gentle and sweet as he seems, depends, I think, on whether the cv's intend to bring him back or not. And since it seems pretty clear that he will die, I think he is really as nice as he seems ... the imli with namak just seemed a little too coincidental ... otherwise I would think that the Thakurain had handpicked him for her favorite Paro, which was why he was everything Paro ever wanted.
If he is indeed everything he says he is .. then he is really a perfect match for the gentle Paro, one her parents or well-wishers would choose for her. I also hope he is, because that will sharpen the edge of Paro's hatred and fear of the BSD even further.
Really do hope Varun is the nice guy he has been shown to be so far - it is only then that Paro's loss can have the vital impact on story. Must say, Vishal Gandhi enacted the role perfectly and his meeting(s) with Paro were superbly done!
Delete@ Uma I too want Varun to be a perfect match and a sacrificial lamb like Paro. Today we will know that. Also in the pre cap in one shot Varun is behind Paro and next one is Rudra, pulling someone's rifle from a villager and then they show Paro with horror. I think Rudra might not kill him directly. May be by mistake while pulling the rifle...because when he was shown, he too was shocked... Don't know how they have planned. I'm enjoying this show.
ReplyDeleteDia, lovely take. Today was slow for me perhaps because of the anticipation of the real story to take off. I am confused though. I thought the guns racket was Thakur was buying guns. Which means the bridal party would leave with only cash on them. Which technically they could explain away as dowry. Why were the guns being packed into the trunks that were going with the bridal party? Confusing!
ReplyDeleteI am confused about that one point as well ... why are they taking the guns back with them? Meaning that the thakur only does the gun assembly? Or are they taking only a few, and the rest he will sell elsewhere? In which case, since he knew the bridal party was under surveillance, should he not have just removed the guns and sent them back only with the cash? That part didn't make sense to me.
DeleteSecondly, if he is sending the bridal party back with cash, why Indian Rupee? Who kis kaam ka, sarhad paar? They would just as easily be caught for money laundering.
ReplyDeleteyoure using logic..
DeleteGood point ... both Aki and Jaya :))) No logicwa on soap boatwa please ... or should we make it boat-sa now? :)))
Deletegreat recap of the week, dia. i missed quite a few episodes, so this is very helpful. the written updates dont work for someone like me, who wants to know the story progress from all angles.
ReplyDeletehope youre having a wonderful time traveling. enjoy!
Sorry Jaya *kaan pakad* I forgot (embarrassed smile)
ReplyDelete