28/2 - Epi 45 ... The Scent of Danger

Friday 28th February

All the players moving into position ... the scent of danger in the air.

Paro completes the jhaanki without any obvious hiccups. No one sees her, no one tries to murder her.

But if looks could kill, Laila would be serving jail for Paro's murder by now ... for sure.

Mohini is disappointed that no one has recognised Paro ... so another try ... a general invitation to a sangeet in the evening ... she invites everyone, their neighbours and their extended families ... just so that someone will recognise Paro and call off the wedding. Mohini is getting desperate.

PaRud face off ... he blows up, tries to convince her about the truth ... Paro refuses to believe a single word. She went around the entire village, he claimed people were out to kill her ... nothing happened to her. He is lying ... about everything.
Rudra tells her that even her husband was trying to kill her ... and he saved her ... Paro scorns his statement.
Finally he gives up ... she will see the danger herself one day, and then only will she believe him, but it just might be too late.
He's right, of course ... but sometimes, being right is not enough. He needs proof, and he doesn't have it.

It seems that Rudra has decided that Paro is pretty much innocent, though ... but then why is he not calling off the marriage?

Preparations in full swing in the haveli for the sangeet ... Sumer wonders why ... and is told in no uncertain terms ... it's an identification parade, stupid! When Lord Brahma was handing out brains, where were you ... washing pajamas?! 
Kakisa gets the best oneliners!

Samrat banna is a chupa Rustom ... booze organised for the men in double quick time.

Thakur's men grumble that they couldn't see the dulhan, and decide they need to try again.

Thakurain is getting more and more restless ... first a phone call to Danveer ... then she decides she will attend the sangeet herself.

Rudra warns Dilsher not to drink. Another one who ignores what Rudra says.

Paro ... Sanaya looking like a million bucks in a sea green lenhnga and large cut polki jewelry ... decides she's had enough, and won't go downstairs for her sangeet. Unconsciously obeying Rudra's diktat.

The men get drunk. All except Rudra. Who is keeping a close watch out for Paro ... and genuinely seems concerned when Sunehri says she's not well.

Thakur's man enters in disguise and starts hunting for Paro.

Rudra on the lookout for strangers in a haveli full of them.

Thakurain narrowly misses seeing Rudra.

Special mention to the costume designer and the set designer today ... the haveli was beautifully decorated .. and all the costumes were brilliant.
Sanaya looked like a fairy princess, Maithili looked lovely, Sunehri was cute, and Mohini's outfit and jewelry was very, very traditional and elegant. The men were all very well turned out too. Ummm ... except for Rudra's blinding mirror jacket.

Scene of the Day ... the PaRud faceoff ... Rudra's frustrated helpless anger comes up against the blank wall of Paro's stubbornly blind disbelief ... the righteous one is on the wrong side, and someone is going to get hurt in the attempt to convince her of the truth. 



Posting here because I loved this lehnga and Sanaya's look. Will post more pics as I get them 

27/2 - Epi 44 ... Tashan

Thursday 27th February

Paro breaks down at the sight of the bangles ... Sanaya in emotional scenes reminds me every time why I became a fan of this actress in the first place. She makes you feel her pain like no one else does.
But I wish they would get a better match in voice for the songs.

Rudra banna hears the song and loses it ... comes storming up and tells her not to sing it again. And then goes down and breaks down, because it's what his mother used to sing to him.

Thakurain remembers her son, looks at his picture and breaks down ... hides the pic from the Thakur, but doesn't hide her tears and her upset. And I am again puzzled at the Thakurain's story ... she seems to love the Thakur, and her son both ... but does the Thakur even know she has a son?

Next morning, Danveer gives the Thakurain's kada to Paro ... Paro smiles at the butterfly ... and recognises the kada, but not where she has seen it earlier.

Rudra and Mohini's tashan continues ... with Paro their unwilling reluctant pawn. Rudra's possessiveness is coming more and more to the fore ... he seems uncomfortable and restless if Paro is out of his sight for too long. Of course, it's because there are so many people around, what if someone sees her face ... or so he must be telling himself.
Mohini is all set to show Paro's face to as many people as she possibly can, in the hope that someone recognises her. Rudra puts paid to all her plans ... including an almost public war of words with Paro under the dupatta. Paro doesn't give an inch, does she ... he has to fight her all the way!
Sanaya looked so utterly gorgeous under the pink dupatta .. this girl gets more and more beautiful every day! Including those beautiful eyes spitting fire at Rudra ...

But Mohini is not giving up so easily, the next is a jhaanki, parading Paro through the village ... what a weird custom!
But will she succeed this time?

An okay-ish episode ... I feel the scenes of Rudra breaking down are coming too often, they are losing their impact. On the other hand, Paro's tears are shown much less, and they are much more powerful ... the first scene with Paro's tears was deeply moving, and Sanaya is unsurpassed in her emotional scenes. I wish the makers had put in some flashbacks of her with the Thakurain as well, to complete the picture that Rudra's loss was Paro's gain. When they switched to Rudra's breakdown, I was disappointed, I wanted to see more of Paro's pain. 

And they need a different voice for Paro! The girl who sang for Gunjan in MJHT was much better, her voice matched Sanaya's beautifully. The earthy voice does not match Sanaya's speaking tone.

The Thakurain's story gets more complex ... it seems she really did leave her husband for the love of another man, and nothing more noble than that ... she seems to genuinely love him, and he her .. yet she hides the fact that she went to meet her son, and hides his picture. Does the Thakur even know she has a son? 

Rudra seems to be losing focus between his skirmish with his KCM and his need to keep Paro hidden ... the one cannot go along with the other. But then he needed the four days to break Paro's silence, which so far he hasn't succeeded in doing ... on the contrary, he only succeeded in putting her back up further and making her even more determined not to bend. With every day, her fear of him seems to be diminishing. 

I have to say this again ... Sanaya under the pink dupatta, with the gorgeous lehnga and jewelry, was simply stunning! Her eye make up has been darkened for the wedding episodes, and her eyes look amazingly beautiful!!! 

26/2 - Epi 43 .. Face to Face

Wednesday 26th February

Eavesdropping ... Mohini hears the entire truth of Paro's presence in the haveli. And the fact that he is trying to keep her hidden from people trying to find her. Which Paro doesn't believe, but Mohini does, very easily.
Why don't Dilsher and Paro shut the door before discussing state secrets?! *head desk*
Paro returns Rudra's mother's jewelry ... the earrings for starters. The necklace she keeps ... for the next scene :)

Face to face ... Danveer and Thakurain Mala ... less a conversation and more a statement of the entire situation for the viewers. Thakurain wanted to take Rudra with her all those years ago. She still considers Dilsher her husband. She has been wanting to see Rudra for fifteen years, but was stopped by Danveer. He had Dilsher's phone number but Dilsher never took his calls, so he didn't know where Dilsher and Rudra were in Jaipur.. Danveer never knew where Thakurain was all these years either, and still doesn't want to know.
And now Thakurain wants to see Rudra and attend his wedding, but Danveer still thinks it's not the right time.
Arey then why call her out in the middle of probably the only rainy night of the year in the desert of Rajasthan  ... just to tell her that he's getting married?! Itna toh he could have done on the phone too!
Oh well, phir drama kaise hota?

More face to face drama ... tonight is the night for meetings. Rudra and his mother. But she barely sees his face through the pouring rain, and he only sees her eyes, also through the pouring rain. But the sight of her eyes is enough to lose him momentarily ...

Mohini tells Sumer to find the men who were hunting for Paro. She gets in some good zingers in the scene too.

And the next face to face drama for the night ... and the most breathtaking :) Rudra gets home to see Paro trying to take the necklace off. And he decides to continue his plan of yesterday ... but this time he's better prepared for the effect it might have on him.
So is Paro ... a defiant Paro tonight ... but Rudra isn't giving up so easily today ... her fighting spirit only spurs him on. 'Help' her remove her necklace ... done. Gift her a set of red bangles and 'help' her put them on ... her defiance is intact, in the way she reminds him why he knows her size ... because of the number of times he has held her wrist forcibly. And his touch gentles at the words. But he doesn't stop ... that's his plan to scare her, and tonight it seems to be working ... somewhat ... slightly ...
His words are taunting, but his touch is soft, gentle ... as soft as his tone. She hates him, hates what he is doing ... she spits words of defiance and hate at him ... but doesn't move away.
If he used brute force, she would fight back ... but he doesn't. So she doesn't.

PaRud were awesome ... SanIsh burned the screen tonight.

Interrupted by Mohini ... just when Rudra was enjoying getting the upper hand. But Mohini's taunts force him into the natural role of protector again ... no one attacks his Paro and gets away with it for long. The trade mark Rudra Paro pose, with Paro safely behind Rudra's shoulder, as he faces the attacks for her.
A war of words between Rudra and Mohini ... sweet, poison-laced taunts flow to and fro, both parties smiling pleasantly, yet with daggers in their hearts. Mohini wins this battle ... Paro will do a jhaanki in the village the next day, to show her face to the world.
Rudra wants her to refuse. A defiant Paro says no, she will go.
He wants to protect her, but the dratted girl doesn't want to be protected.

The precap shows more movement ... Thakur questions the Thakurain, and his men are trying to see Paro's face. All is leading to some big dhamaka, and some revelations.

25/2 - Epi 42 ... Mysteries Opening Up

Tuesday 25th Feb

Fast paced episode ... so much happened!!!

Dilsher and Danveer try to reason with Rudra about his crazy zidd of marrying Paro ... it's not going to achieve anything. Rudra is adamant ... he's sure Paro will break before the wedding, she has to. And if she doesn't, he will marry her ... God help her then, because his only world is the BSD, if he loses that, nothing else matters. And she will pay for being obstinate and helping traitors. So all the rasams had better be observed, because Paro has to be convinced that the wedding is really going to go through. That's the only way she will break her silence.
The brothers' bromance is really funny ... great tongue in cheek humour ...
Rudra is a ziddi saand ... 
I agree, big brother ... 
Huh? 

Maithili and Sunehri get Paro ready ... and she remembers another time, another place ... her maami and Thakurain maasa getting her ready for a much-anticipated wedding ...

Everyone was dumbstruck by the beauty of the bride ... even kaakisa ...
And the mirror connection again for Paro Rudra ... as he can't take his eyes away from her.
Paro is lost ... another time and place, when the rituals happened the same way ... and a battle, when the meaning of all the rituals was lost ...
Rudra loses no opportunity to rile up his kaaki ... and she gives back as good as she gets ... neither one of them is ready to end the war.

Rudra is presented with the family sword ... which should be raised only to protect his own ... and never to attack the weak and innocent.
 Ganpati sthapana done with full rituals ... as Rudra insists ... so he can't say anything when his father hands over his mother's jewelry to Paro.
Paro doesn't want them ... this is a mockery of a marriage ... she has no right to the jewels. As the distress in her eyes clearly shows. This is a war between her and Rudra ...  but she doesn't want to bring in sentiments which are hurtful.

Pooja done, Rudra loses no time in getting back to work. The BSD is trying to close the net around the Thakur ...
While Danveer is trying to close another loop ... that of Rudra's missing mother. So the mystery is cleared ... the Thakurain it is.

Shiv Ratri mela coming up ... another opportunity for arms smuggling for the Thakur ... and another chance for the BSD to catch him.

Danveer goes to meet his bhabhisa ... and break the news of her son's marriage.

And Mohini discovers the photograph of Paro in bridal attire. And wonders what the chakkar is ... are they engaged or married already?

And she discovers the answer ... neither.

24/2 - Epi 41 ... Unexpected

Monday 24th February

So Paro turns down Mohini kaaki, following her own maxim...  better the known enemy than the unknown one. Rudra is the known enemy, moreover one who has protected her more than once ... she will not choose the one who raised a hand to strike her, over the one who raised his hand only to protect her. Smart thinking.
However she did tell Mohini that yes, she was scared of Rudra, and did not want to marry him ... don't know why she told her that, if she wasn't planning to take her help ... but that was probably just Paro being truthful, and she can't lie convincingly anyway.

So Mohini left baffled and even more angry than before ... and declares open war. In case Paro had any doubts about the wisdom of her decision, Mohini probably banished them forever!

And Rudra rubs salt into the wound by calling the decorators ... the wedding is on, kaaki-cum-maasi, so kindly loosen the purse strings for this wedding you were in such a rush to fix. 

Sumer wakes up from drunken stupor, and doesn't remember any men hunting for any girl. Mohini calls to remind him, and he stumbles back home. So the Thakurain's man went back empty-handed ... a real pity, as she would have been the safer option for Paro than her husband.

In the meantime, Thakur ... halleluiah, he's back!!! Thakur blasts his henchmen and tells them to continue the hunt for Paro ... he might have quietened his thakurain, but he knows Paro is still alive.

Rudra rants about Paro to a sympathetic but confused Laila ... the only thing she can think of to distract him is herself, but he's not interested ... not until her clinging vine imitation gives him a brilliant idea ... or what he thinks is a brilliant idea.

So he puts it into practice ... as Maithili, Sunehri and Paro admire the blue hangings and decorations for the wedding ... even Paro, who sees the blue color and is reminded of Rukmini ... the thought brings a smile to her face ... which is wiped off just as swiftly when she sees Rudra watching ... her.
Maithili and Sunehri play Cupids and send a very unwilling Paro off to Rudra with the excuse of a cup of tea ... as Rudra looks at Paro across the width of the courtyard.
It seemed that Rudra was willing Paro to come to him ... and Paro was drawn like a moth to a flame, resisting with all her might, yet unable to stay away ...

Rudra wants to put into practice the brilliant idea he got at Laila's ... except that things don't quite work out the way he planned.
Difficult to say who was more affected by the very unexpected encounter ... and by the soft touch on the cheek ... a beautiful PaRud scene :)))
Rudra starts off taunting Paro about the kind of husband she wanted, and what she was getting instead ... and then he gets lost in the moment completely ... pulled back from the brink of taking advantage of Paro's delicate frailty, by his own unexpected reaction to the touch and feel of her ... releases one arm to wipe off the tea drop from her soft cheek, and gets lost even more ... and so does she, in that unexpectedly gentle touch ... both lost in each other for a long moment ... till she comes to her senses and pushes him away ... And it takes another long moment for both to regain their composure.
This did not go quite the way the Major-sa had planned. And he had to send Paro out of his room quite abruptly ... with another warning about the poison she would embrace if she chose to marry him.  

And just to wind up things, Sumer comes back home, along with the photo of Paro in bridal finery ... the photo drops, but of course ... and will be found by Mohini kaaki, but of course ...
So will that be the end of the wedding plans? 

21/2 - Epi 40 ... Choices We Make

Friday 21st Feb

*edit* Quick update ...

Sumer doesn't recognise the pic of Paro ... or he says, he doesn't. He keeps the pic ... with some cryptic words about knowing Deepika Padokone very well.

Dilsher tries to tell Rudra to back off from the wedding ... the right aim, but the wrong means ... he doesn't approve of using an innocent helpless girl in this way. Rudra thinks he has no choice ... he has no other way to get Paro to sign. And no other way to prove his innocence.

Mohini gives Paro a choice ... I know there's a problem, tell me the truth, I don't want this wedding, I want to throw out both father and son from this haveli ... if you help me, I'll help you. Choose my side, you won't regret it, I'll make things all right for you.

Samrat Maithili don't have many choices in life ... I have a feeling that Samrat is the one who can't father a child, and they haven't told anyone in the family that. So Samrat flares up at Maithili ... did she tell Paro any of their secrets? No, she didn't.

Paro gives Rudra a choice ... you have to have a picture of the kind of woman you want as wife in your mind, I'm not her ... and you hate me ... so why are you insisting on this marriage? Rudra tells her not to bother about his choice, but about her own ... but Paro has no choices left in life, no dreams, no desires of her own. She says yes to the marriage ... and no to betraying her village ... that's the only choice in her hands, and she makes it.

Mohini is frustrated and angry ... one last throw of the dice was in her hands, and she blew it ... she gave Paro a choice, but it seems Paro hasn't taken the bait.
Or has she ...?

20/2 - Epi 39 ... Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Thursday 20th February

Rudra ... caught between a court martial or marriage ... oops, for him, the way things are going, it will be court martial and marriage ... poor guy loses on both fronts. A marriage he doesn't want ... and a court martial, which he definitely doesn't want.
Rudra banna, you should have thought twice ... no, a hundred times ... before engaging in a game of bluff, or blackmailing a woman far stronger than you. And I'm not talking about Mohini here.

Paro ... betraying the memory of her dead husband, or betraying her village, consigning her father figure, her mother figure, and her adopted mother to destruction, for a crime she does not believe they committed.
Maybe she decided that respecting the ephemeral memory of a husband who was that for barely a few hours was less important than fighting for the safety of a living family, who has looked after her all her orphaned life.
Maybe, despite repeatedly calling him a jallad, she does see the signs of a good person in him ... in the way he stood up for her against his aunt, the way he has behaved ever since she came back, with utmost decency. And in the way he described the dead soldiers ... and his own trauma.
And maybe she's just calling his bluff ... because she knows he wants this marriage even less than she does.

Mohini kaaki is down but not out ... she may have lost a battle, but the war isn't over yet. And she doesn't believe the story of any engagement or fiancee ... so Sumer has to continue the investigations ... most unwillingly.

Paro-Rudra face off ... Paro may call him a jallad, but she is not afraid of him ... not a bit. She wants answers, and she wants them now.
And she gets them ... the reason why Rudra is so desperate for her to bear witness ... to restore honour to his dead soldiers ... and to save his uniform, the only thing he lives for, the only thing which makes life worth living, after the betrayal of his mother.
Loved the fierce, angry Paro ... Sanaya rocked! And the change in expression from fury and disgust, to shock and distress as she hears his impassioned spiel about his soldiers, and himself ... and sees the hurt, defeated, vulnerable man inside. Is that the first time Rudra has shown his hurt to anyone?

Rudra storms out in tears ... he just bared his soul to Paro ... and it left him raw and bleeding again.
Before a wound starts to heal, it has to be scraped raw and emptied of all the poison and dead tissue.

Paro devastated ... should she sign or not? Her pain is fierce, but Rudra's pain is even more than hers, and not for himself, for his men. Is her betrayal of her village worse, or the dishonor to the dead soldiers worse?

She bares her pain to Dilsher ... the only other person she can speak to ... what should she do? Can she bear to give herself body and soul to the man she hates, her husband's killer, to save her village? She can't betray her village, but the alternative is worse than death for her.

Mohini kaaki repeats her instructions to Sumer ... find out about this dhuan kumari, or don't bother to come back home. She isn't convinced at all about Rudra's intentions ... after all, he's her nephew ... twisted thinking comes naturally to him.

Sumer follows instructions very sulkily ... but strikes lucky ... or rather, the Thakur's men strike lucky. And Tejawat will be on the trail again.

And in the dhamkedaar precap ... Paro calls Rudra's bluff. 

19/2 - Epi 38 ... The Last Throw of the Dice

Wednesday 19th February

The last throw of the dice for Mohini kaaki ... pressure Rudra with a wedding date, into accepting that his engagement is false, Paro is here under false pretenses, and throw all three out of the house.
A bit confused ... she can throw Paro out, why do Rudra and Dilsher have to leave?

The last throw of the dice for Rudra ... use the early wedding date to pressure Paro into signing her witness testimony ... betraying her village folks has to be preferable to what is tantamount to a death sentence for her - marriage to him.

In both cases, poor Paro suffers for no fault or guilt of her own ... used as a pawn by a jealous, frustrated, bitter woman, and a frustrated, angry, bitter man ...

Poor Paro had faith that Rudra will want the marriage as little as she did ... Dilsher was equally sure he would find a way out too. But Dilsher didn't count on the added pressure on Rudra from the BSD ... four days to a court martial.

In the rest of the episode ... Dilsher expresses to Danveer what exactly the BSD means to Rudra ... his life, his junoon, his only reason for living after all the bitterness in his life ... losing it will be the end of the world to him.
And it seems it really is ... the threat of losing it is enough to tip Rudra almost over the edge.

Paro can't hide her fears from Maithili, and Maithili remembers belatedly how Paro supported her ... and tries to comfort her ... see how Rudra supported you when kaaki was attacking you, he has a heart and one day it will beat for you.

So will Rudra really go through with a marriage? Or is this his last throw of the dice to force Paro into signing that document? Seizing the opportunity that Mohini has handed him on a platter?

Ashish had said that people will hate Rudra and that will mean he's doing his job well. Ashish, you're doing your job well ... for the first time, I hated Rudra today.

18/2 - Epi 37 ... Failure on All Fronts

Tuesday 18th February

Poor Rudra ... failed as a man, a son, and as a BSD officer. Crushed on all sides ... how will he recover from the blows raining down from everywhere? At rock bottom, no way to go ... but up.

Too much of kaaki-sa today ... she's like a road roller, just doesn't stop!

Dilsher and Mohini initial confrontation was like two kids fighting over an favorite toy ... this is my haveli ... no, it's mine ...

Rudra doesn't want to marry Paro, this is his last ditch attempt at getting her to testify in his favour.
Paro doesn't want to marry Rudra, her husband's killer.
Mohini sure as hell doesn't want Rudra and Paro marriage.
So how will the three players play this one?

Edit ... Quick edit today, as I caught the episode late.

Masala Kaaki has overstayed her welcome ... she is degenerating into typical soap evil saas. More taunts to Dilsher about his missing wife, and Rudra about his runaway mother ...
Dilsher replies back where it will hurt ... Mohini rules the haveli now, but she has no descendants to leave it to .. his Rudra is engaged, will be married and produce an heir to the haveli in double quick time. And then, where will she be?
He got in a low blow ... it actually hurt.

Why was Paro wearing her pallu over her head in Rudra's room?
Anyway, Paro is already lady of the house in this little family of three ... caring for people comes naturally to her, and she has the inhaler and water ready for Dilsher before Rudra can even ask for it. But Rudra isn't ready for her interference in his family matters ... that's between him and his dad.
Dilsher doesn't think so ... he wants Rudra to get married now. And put an end to the taunts,  an end to his bitterness ... get on with a normal life, and forget the event that embittered both of them.
Rudra says that's not possible now.
And reminds his father who it was who filled him with poison for so many years, taught him to hate and mistrust women ... until the poison corroded him inside out. Now there is only an empty shell left. He's a failure as a man, will be a failure as a husband.

Paro listens to all this ... Dilsher stumped ... what has he done?! A time for introspection for him ... and reflection for Paro.

BSD ... Rudra receives his next blow ... his mission was a failure, he failed to prove the wedding party were smuggling guns. He fired on innocent people, and has four days to get some proof or else, he will be court-martialled.
Failure as a son and man ... failure as an officer. Rudra is at his lowest. From here, only one way to go ... up. He has to fight the blackness surrounding him and emerge from it. Bitterness has destroyed everything soft and good about his soul ... can Paro help him find it again?

Paro was at the same place a very short while ago. She has started to emerge stronger, with Rudra's unconscious help and support. Will she do the same for him?

Mohini is perturbed enough about Dilsher's threat to start looking for her second bahu ... and to issue a warning to Maithili ... get pregnant within a year or else, get out.
Mohini darling, stop terrorising your DIL, send her off on a holiday with her husband, and you might have a chance at becoming grandmother. As things stand currently, no way.

And Mohini finds another way to smoke out the truth about Dhuan kumari ... force the issue, set a wedding date for her and Rudra. That should send Paro packing ... and with her, any chance of baby Rudras for a long time to come.

Paro sends for reinforcements ... Dilsher. Fortunately, Maithili is sensible enough to cooperate ...
Dilsher manages to ward off the threat until Rudra's return. And Paro hopes that Jallad will be able to find a way out of this storm.
Seems that Paro already has a lot of trust in Rudra. But that's going to be rudely shattered.

17/2 - Epi 36 ... Fire and Ice - Paro

Monday 17th February

So much happened today ... I'm still catching my breath!

Paro was awesome!!!! Loved her all through!

Continuation of Friday's scene ... Mausam kaaki tries to slap Paro again, since Rudra came in between the first time, this time he won't.
But he does ... again. This time, he holds her hand.
The first time, he allowed Kaaki the hit because Paro deserved it for interfering in their family matter. But not again. Never again.

The PaRud scene ... Rudra loses his temper with Paro, why did she interfere, why did she give away so many details about herself ... she doesn't belong here, she has no link to this house or the people.
But he does.
No, he doesn't ... he doesn't care about them ... and she had better not either ... this is not her home.
And Paro lets loose ... in a low, firm voice, anger well controlled but simmering underneath nonetheless ... then tell me, where is my home? Where am I from? You've taken everything away from me, left me nowhere, with no one to call my own ... Paro is fire and ice in one small package ... unapologetic for the argument, because she can see Maithili's pain, and feels she did no wrong in opposing Mohini. As for relations, she carves her own relationships wherever she goes, because she has none of her own ... how can he take those away from her?

And when Rudra reminds her he took a blow for her, she retorts, why did he come in the way. She can take her own blows ...
I love Sanaya in such scenes ... she just owns them!!! Quiet, low, her voice never raised for an instant, yet the simmering anger and firm confidence in what she had done, was ever present.

And the next PaRud scene was delicious ... full marks to the writers for writing that delicate balance of seesawing emotions, played to complete perfection by Sanaya, the mix of distrust, quiet confidence, based on her absolute belief in her own innocence ... swaabhimaan ... tempered with her caring nature ... beautifully supported by Ashish.
She comes into his room with the haldi lep ... her own conscience won't allow her to let him suffer from the wound he took for her.
The slight hesitation as she bends to apply the haldi lep ... the self-consciousness ... the quick swivel and pull by Rudra ... the stunned moment as they lie on the bed, neither wanting or willing to move ... before they both return to reality with just that slightest touch of self-conscious embarrassment ...
Why did she come?
With the lep ... her maamisa used it for her and her sister in childhood, it will help him too ... it might sting ...
He doesn't want it, he'd rather take the pain ... as usual, it came from a woman ... she needn't have bothered.
Paro doesn't want to live under any ehsaan of his ... she cares least for her own life, but she will not die with the burden of of any favour he did her. And he might be a jallad, but she cannot be the same.
And while she's about it ... she is not the type to betray her people or her country. She is innocent, and one day, he will realise it for himself.
Little does Paro know that Major-sa is fast reaching the same conclusion himself ... or has already reached it.

Dilsher and Mohini have a small run in ... Dilsher seems very happy that the fiery Paro can control his volcanic son. Mohini vows revenge on his taunts.

Interesting that when Sunehri asked Paro about her first meeting with Rudra, Paro's first thought was her nightmare. While Rudra's first thought was the roll in the sand. But as Paro's eyes close in sleep, the destroyer of her nightmares mingles with the protector of her reality. Which one is he?

And Paro finds that standing up for Maithili and Samrat hasn't won her any favours ... it has lost her her jeeja and her friendship.
A watching, much gentler Rudra offers his hand instead ...  I told you, don't try to make relationships here.  Ask me if you need anything.
Paro wondering at this softened Rudra, after the tension of the night before.
The covering of her head with the dupatta ... a sign of the impending marriage? Or the change in the way Rudra sees Paro?

And Mohini kaaki brings forth the promised storm ... by distributing sweets for her dear lamented sister's birthday ... her sister? You don't know? The one who ran away leaving her husband and son alone?

I really want the new fierce Paro to tackle Mohini kaaki in the same vein as she did for Maithili.

And in the precap - Mohini kaaki is busy getting the wedding date fixed ... for Rudra and Paro. Boy, she sure took Dilsher's remark very seriously ... the one he made about being one big happy family.

14/2 - Epi 35 ... Taking a Stand

Friday 14th February

Paro apologised for using relationships to hurt Rudra ... but Rudra turned around and did the same to Paro, using her sister to hurt her. Or so Paro thinks ...
Does Rudra have real information on this? Or is he hitting out in the dark? It makes sense that this would be the fate of the missing girls, but till he can get Paro actual proof of this, why would she believe him?
Or is she afraid to believe him, afraid to even think that the possibility might be true? After all, what he says is true ... how is it the girls never return for festivals, never even send a letter or a message after marriage?
She doesn't want to think about this. Her jeeja is fine, she's happy ... 
How can she say this? Does she have any proof? 
She doesn't want to hear it ... what she doesn't know, can't hurt her. She'd rather lash out at him instead ... he's saying this only to hurt her, to get back at her because she hurt him. How could he say this about her sister ... she takes back her apology, her words, her sympathy ... she was wrong to feel sorry for him, because he is a jallad. A man of stone, who cannot understand the power and the meaning of relationships. Alone ... and he always will be.

That was a low blow ... but Rudra has no time to reflect on it ... more urgent to stop her rushing out in full view of the workers.

Maithili waits eagerly for Samrat ... after Paro's pep talk, she's decided to take the bull by the horns tonight. Samrat is a wuss, he doesn't want to listen. But Maithili is determined this time ... drawing strength from baby Kanha.
SN - love the mirror work on the walls ... saw the identical work on the walls of the Lake Palace in Udaipur.

Dinner time ... Sunehri exults happily about the beautiful dupatta her special bhabhisa made for her. Rudra listens, notes, absorbs. Mohini lets loose a small taunt.

Rudra still annoyed with Paro, refuses her pouring food for him. Paro gently tells him it's ann ka apmaan, he quietly allows her to pour it.
What a contrast from Laila, who said the same thing, and he didn't bother a jot.

Mohini launches into latest version of nasty MIL from hell ... she has a major problem with Samrat getting kadas for his wife. Samrat is a major wuss ... why can't he speak up?! Grrr ...

And Maithili takes the bit between her teeth with an encouraging nod from Paro ...
Samrat senses danger, and like the wuss he is, wants her to keep quiet. So how and when exactly is Maithili to talk about this? Is there a special mahurat?

Mohini tells Maithili she's answering back her husband?! Mohini darling, she learned that from you!
Samrat doesn't want to talk in front of the entire family.
Dilsher tells him his mother doesn't have a problem interfering in his matters, so she should not mind if Dilsher interferes in theirs. After all, we are family.
Mohini manages to get in another taunt at that one ... she doesn't believe in hiding matters behind closed doors.
This woman doesn't miss a single chance!

And Maithili broaches the taboo topic of adoption ... encouraged by kind words by Danveer and another nod from Paro. She's done all the required homework, adoption agency, family background, even identified a little baby girl who resembles her husband.
As expected, Maithili throws the mother of all tantrums ...
Of all the men, only Danveer and Dilsher looked actually concerned ... Rudra, Samrat and Sumer were pretty blank.
Mohini spews major venom ... this is not gonna happen, I'll cut off your tongue before you can dare say this again.
Danveer remonstrates ... or tries to.
Paro makes an instant attempt to rush to Maithili's support ... held back by Rudra's hold on her wrist.

Maithili tries desperately again ... and takes Paro's example ... Rudra is furious, his hold tightens on her wrist ... how did she let out information about herself?
Rudra banna, you were supposed to think up a cover story, remember?! Dilsher's face also shows worry. But Paro is only worried about Maithili.

Samrat's turn to get a taunt ... are you wearing bangles? Your wife is speaking nonsense and you're quiet ... she has you twisted round her little finger. Why did I bring this manhoos into the haveli ...
So Mohini's idea of an ideal DIL is one who doesn't speak, doesn't think, doesn't have a mind of her own and definitely doesn't go against her MIL.

Paro has had enough ... if this doesn't get Samrat or anyone else to defend Maithili, nothing will.
Mohini wonders viciously ... what happened today that the two DILs found their tongues? How dare they?

Paro tries to tell her, just think about it, that's all she's asking, she will be a very good mother.

Mohini gets in the lowest blow of all ... Maithili won't be a good mother, and that's why God decided to leave her childless.
Leaving Maithili to close her eyes in unutterable hurt ... for a God fearing simple woman like her, this thought have have entered  her own mind too, and tortured her ... that was unbearably vicious!
Samrat STILL doesn't speak ... even Sunehri looks upset at that one, as do Danveer and Dilsher.

Paro steps up ... not true, if God shuts a door, he opens a window ... if He made mothers and fathers without children, he made children without parents ... so they can find each other ...
Samrat looks up at that one ...
Even Sumer looks contemplative at that one ... Danveer thoughtful ... as is Rudra ...
Paro continues ... and for that, He made some very special people, who are capable of giving love to those even not their own blood ... like my Maamisa ..
Mohini has had enough ... enough lecturing from you ...

But Paro isn't done yet ... and says so ...
Ouch! That was taking the attack into the enemy camp ... till now, Mohini was actually managing to control her rage at Paro ... everyone at the table sits up at this unexpected attack ... and Mohini is baffled and shocked.
(Noticed Rudra sit up and start to move here ...)

And Paro gives the biggest example our scriptures give us about adoption ... Krishna bhagwan and Yashoda maiyya ... children are God's gift, don't call them dirt ...
And Mohini has finally had enough ... this girl is able to stand up to her, something no one else has had the audacity to so, and even quote all the scriptures back at her to justify her stand ... Mohini takes recourse to what she's been itching to do ... thwack!
Except the slap falls not on Paro's cheek ... but Rudra's.

Precap ... Paro tries to heal Rudra's cut, the one he took for her ... and lands up closer than she expected.

After ages, a detailed update ... felt good to analyse all the small nuances of the episode. The first PaRud scene left a  lot unspoken, a lot dangling in the air... they should carry that forward next week. It was not that Paro did not believe Rudra at all, it was that she didn't want to believe, didn't want to listen ... much like her feelings about the Thakur. She is certain about the Thakur's innocence ... yet Rudra's points about the missing girls must prickle her at the back of her mind. She is intelligent enough to know he is speaking sense ... when she allows herself to think about what he said, she might raise the topic with him again herself.

Was Paro justified in speaking so much in Maithili's support? Normally I don't like the righteous bahus interfering in something not their concern, but here it was a bit different. Maithili needed Paro's support. This is something Paro feels deeply about, because it's a very personal belief for her ... being an adopted child herself, and having received so much love from people completely unrelated to her by blood. And poor Maithili has no support ... neither from her spineless husband, nor from her sympathetic FIL ... Paro stood silently and watched while Mausam kaaki went on and on ... despite Maithili's pleas to just give the idea of adoption a thought, Mohini refused pointblank ... but when she started insulting Maithili herself, that was when Paro really couldn't take it any longer. 

I found it ironic that Mohini asked Samrat if he was wearing bangles, why he was being so spineless ... she should be happy he's silent now, because I have a feeling the day he does gather a spine to speak, it will be for his wife, not against. But the way he stood quietly while his wife was being insulted, was disgusting. 

Also, there is never and never will be a RIGHT time and a RIGHT person to broach this topic with a person like Mohini. In such situations, when the MIL rides roughshod over the wishes of her son, her DIL, even her own husband, it is often only an outsider who can bring up the subject and carry the fight forward. This happens often in real life ... the DIL recruiting a family friend to speak to her MIL for her and broach the subject. Outsiders are sometimes seen as more objective and balanced ... of course, not in this case

The actress playing Maithili was very good today. It seems only the ladies in the house have any spine to stand against Mohini, all the men are useless! 

13/2 - Epi 34 ... An Uneasy Truce

Thursday 13th February

After the bitter confrontations of yesterday, the uneasy truce between Rudra and Paro came as a shock ... I had to rack my brains to remember what happened the day before. How did the anger cool down so suddenly? Did Rudra feel that he was unnecessarily angry with Paro? That he had vented out his pent up anger and frustrations on her without reason? The kitchen scene seemed like a reluctant apology ... one that the quiet Paro was amenable to accept ... along with his help in the kitchen. An almost domestic scene. Of a kind that is happening more and more often. The line between the reality of captor and captive, and the playacting of fiance-fiancee, is getting blurred.
He passes orders one after the other without pause .. go to your room before the workers come, stay there, don't show your face to them ...
And then an exasperated ... 'why don't you answer?'
She answers with a calm 'where is the question?' 

Her calm defeats Rudra every time.

And she accepts his peace offering ... yes, she's going back to her room after she finishes cleaning up.

Paro - Maithili ... Paro can't help reaching out in sympathy to anyone in trouble. And in comforting Maithili, she lets out a few things that she shouldn't have said ... like being an orphan, raised by her Maami.
Overheard by a still snooping Mohini, who institutes more inquiries in what she fondly believes is a friendly, sympathetic manner ... unfortunately for her, Paro doesn't believe in her non-existent crocodile tears.

Rudra and Aman at BSD HQ again discuss the possibility of Paro being innocent ... this time Rudra actually admits that he thinks she is ... but catches himself to say, no, she can't be.
Is he reluctant to release her because that means she will go away? And he will have to let her?

Mohini tries again through Sumer ... urging him to click a picture of Paro ... foiled again by Rudra ... who then pulls a very pliant Paro by the hand to his room.
And this time, he clarifies, this is a question ... are you all right? Did that guy do anything to you? 

An almost civil conversation ... no, I'm fine ... and we need to cover the gaps in our story because your kaaki is probing, and I almost gave things away.
So he tells her, just tell her how we met ... and then remembers how they met ... in the sand of the desert.
He doesn't want to remember that meeting ... uncluttered as it was by all the hate and guilt ...
I'll make up a story ... 
A quiet apology from Paro ... she needled him on his weak spot, that wasn't fair, she won't do it again.
And Rudra remembers he has to get a statement from her ... so he tries to talk about her missing sister, Nandini.

Will he get any further? Or will they be back to warring partners?

Precap - Rudra protects Paro ... again.

12/2 - Epi 33 ... Cheeni Kam

Wednesday 12th February

Paro baisa is smart ... she has heard and understood only part of the story, so she makes sure to find out the rest, from the person she thinks is most likely to tell her the truth. And she's right ... she gets pretty much the whole story from Sunehri.

Paro is sympathetic ... but the person concerned doesn't want her sympathy ... and tells her so in no uncertain terms. She's the cause of his misery, his return to this house, the return of the never-ending taunts ... and he blames her even more for that.
Why did she even bother? The softening stops before it gets too strong ... she will not allow herself to feel sorry for him. That little motherless boy she felt sorry for, he doesn't exist.

Kaakisa is sharp as a needle ... the BSD should employ her for their investigation activities. Paro's embroidery technique is enough to get her sniffing for her next clue. Sherlock Holmes would be proud!

Paro baisa is smart ... a very firm no, thanks to Sumer's overtures of friendship, and she tells him in no unclear terms why so. She speaks very little, but when she does, every word counts.
The scene between Kaakisa and Sumer was hilarious! Full of one liners from Kaakisa ... you're trying to get to know her, before that she will get to know you. Two slaps to the head, and your brain started working. God gave you a head for more reason that decorating it with that nest of hair.

Paro is given the job of making breakfast for the entire family, and an accompanying quiz on her fiance's favorite foods.
Paro baisa is smart ... she speaks little, listens more and remembers all that she hears ... she is able to put together all the facts she knows, and manufacture a cover story for Mohini kaaki, with far less fumbling than Rudra. Mohini is left with the unwelcome impression that Paro is smarter than she looks.

Paro baisa is smart ... she remembers Rudra's cover story and makes sure she doesn't blow it. She's from Jaipur and would be expected to know how to work in modern kitchens. Hence a quick tutorial on kitchen appliances and gas is in order ... not from the ladies of the house, but from the person who is best suited to help her. No matter how reluctant he is. And when she's done ... yes, he can go now.

A sweet moment between Maithili and Samrat ... broken by Maithili's attempts at adoption ... Samrat knows his mother will never agree.
Come on, Samrat, be a man!!! You and your wife have to adopt a baby, not your mother!
It's good to see a solid track developing for this couple alongside.

Tension at the breakfast table ... all of Kaakisa's barbs aimed at Paro are somehow deflected ... neither of her sons are in the house for breakfast, and Paro is already keeping aside Sunehri's food for her. Mohini left baffled and frustrated ... she can't needle Paro, so aim through Rudra ... you know his favorite food, but you don't know how he takes his tea? 
Rudra has had enough ... and returns Mohini's barbs with far sharper ones of his own ... much to his father's surprised delight. Parvati knows how I like my tea ... black, no sugar. But things change in this house. One spoon of sugar if I see one of your sons, two if I see them both ... and if I see you ... an entire bowlful of sugar isn't enough to sweeten the bitterness. 
And he proceeds to demonstrate ... a bowlful of sugar in a cup of tea.

That silenced Mohini all right ... but she will return. Dilsher's delight was hilarious to watch! And Rudra told Paro how he likes his tea, for future reference. Seeing how sharp Paro is, she would have picked that one up easily.

After breakfast, Rudra lets loose his frustrated anger on Paro ... I know you hate this, having to serve the man you hate, remember my likes and dislikes ... tell me what I want to know, and I will let you go, I'll even try to get your sentence reduced. 
But Paro isn't having it ... If I suffer, you suffer with me. You're the cause of my troubles, I won't let you off that easily.
It's a different matter that she can't say what he wants her to because she really doesn't know anything.
Both caught up in hatred ... hatred of each other, hatred of what each other represents.  But underneath the hatred, there is a fear ... fear of seeing more than they want to see. Paro doesn't want to see Rudra's vulnerability, Rudra doesn't want to see her sympathy. Because that might just change the way they think about the other. 

11/2 - Epi 32 ... A Festering Wound

Tuesday 11th February

A raw wound, never allowed to heal, picked at repeatedly, probed, gouged, till it bursts open again and again, letting the poisoned pus flow out ... but there is always more poison buried deep inside, more poison to be gouged and pierced ... the wound scraped raw again and again, the poison flow unending ...

So has it been with Rudra ... never allowed to forget that one incident which shaped his life thereafter ... neither by his father or his malicious kaaki ...

Today Paro got a hint of the skeletons buried deep inside the Ranawat family closet ... and more than a hint of the pain they cause Rudra ... a pain she felt in the way his grasp tightened painfully on her own wrist at the first mention of his mother ... a pain she saw in his eyes before he shuttered them and told her to leave the room ... the family skeletons were not for her, for he and she knew that she was not family. And a pain she saw in his eyes again as he bent over the reminder of that time, and a reminder of the only hint of gentleness, softness, kindness in his life from that time ... an old, forgotten doll.

A revelation today ... Chachasa is in touch with Rudra's mother, but doesn't know why she left.

An investigation under way ... into Paro's antecedents ... lodged by Mohini kaaki-sa. Agent - Sumer. He's more dangerous than Samrat, but fortunately he doesn't feel the pressing need for investigation, the sale of the haveli is more important. So his search will be half-hearted at best ... hopefully.

Paro almost gives away part of her background in answering Sunehri and Maithili ... how can she help it? Every bit of her is shaped by the people in her life.

And again, the PaRud interactions were the most beautiful part of the episode ... the silent communication through the eyes ... these two might hate and distrust each other, but their eyes are already finding ways to convey messages their tongues don't need.

Edit more tomorrow if I have time ... had guests for dinner.

10/2 Epi 31 ... In My Silence Lies Your Defeat

Monday 10th February

Why is Paro so quiet, so apparently acquiescent? Is she resigned to her fate? Has she developed a soft spot for her captor? Has she forgotten all the tragedies in her life caused by Rudra and the BSD?

No, she hasn't. She goes along with what people around tell her to do, because she has no choice. But she will not open her mouth and say what Rudra wants her to say. And in her silence, lies his defeat.
He can push her, browbeat her, threaten her into staying with him and not running away, but he can't make her open her mouth.

The PaRud scenes are always the best scenes of the episode. And when they include a fierce, defiant Paro, even better.

The rest of the episode was as expected ... tying up all the loops. Aman and Kaaka persuade Rudra that he has to take Paro back to the haveli, as his fiancee ... they should have thought of a complete back story for Paro while they were at it. This one is full of loopholes, but it will have to do.

Work has resumed in the haveli ... sweet scenes of bhabhi-nanad Maithili Sunehri ... life goes on as usual and there are actually some normal people living in the haveli, apart from Masama Kaaki and her wayward son.

Rudra enters with kaaka and Paro and introduces himself ... for a moment, I wondered why he was introducing himself, then I realised it was to the workers. Last time there wasn't much time for the niceties of polite conversation.
Kaaki-sa is not happy with the return of the prodigal son ... not at all. She thought she had managed to get rid of him for good.
She extracts her pound of flesh ... an apology. A very reluctant, patently not from the heart apology from Rudra ... but Rudra has no choice ... he has to keep Paro safe and the only place is currently here. For Paro, he came back to the haveli, for Paro he bends to Kaakisa ... for now.
Samrat holds a strong grudge against Rudra ... another conflict here.

As predicted, Paro will now stay with Sunehri. And Rudra doesn't trust Paro an inch still ... as the PaRud fierce conversation shows. And neither does she ... her silence, her apparent complaisance is not her defeat ... he may have forced her agreement by his threats, but he will never get her cooperation.

And Kaaki-sa is into Bond mode ... there is something wrong in this engagement story, and she wants to find out what it is.
While Paro remembers her prayers to Lord Shiva ... she wanted a man with His name ... she should have been more careful what she asked for.

7/2 - Epi 30 ... Rudra the Protector

Friday 7th February

Paro the Gentle ... no protests, no questions, a quiet calmness ... not even a whimper of protest about her injured ankle ...
She notes Rudra take a sip of her water ... check it ... to protect her.
Paro can taunt almost as well as Mohini kaaki ... all this care because she is his only witness?
Rudra thanks god her brain started functioning again.

Aman brings her peti of clothes ... because Rudra told him she needs clothes.

Aman surprised and worried about Rudra's decision to bring Paro to the BSD camp, the baraat shooting case is being reopened, with investigation against Rudra ... Rudra tries to explain that he didn't have any choice ... father ... mangetar ... long story ...
Aman is not quick enough to hide his grin ... seeing his boss fumble for words is a rare treat.

Danveer is not quite as henpecked as we thought ... or as Mohini would like ... he warns Mohini that she will reap what she sows ... be it honor and goodness ... or avarice and hatred. Mohini is not impressed. And the ropes are down.

Sumer is up to his tricks ... but Mohini, for all her love for her children, is not a blind mother ... zinger of the day ... receipt do pair pe chal ke aayi, ya chaar pair pe?
Busted!

Dilsher unhappy at being hauled around like luggage by his son. He loves Rudra in his own gruff way, and Rudra cares for him too ... but all softness, all gentleness is missing in their lives.
Maithili emotionally blackmails Dilsher into agreeing to stay back at the haveli ... Dilsher experiences again the care that a daughter-in-law can bring into a home.

Rudra gets back to his room, to find Paro asleep on the floor, a rag tied around her swollen foot.
Paro the Gentle ... no complaints, no tears. A calm acceptance of all the pain he brings in her life.
Rudra the Protector ... he will look after his Paro till the end of time.
VZ beautiful poem and song ... kuch kuch hota hai for the Major ...
Why the hesitation, the tentativeness in the touch, the way he moves her feet to tuck in the water bottle in just the right way ...the blanket ... why the long look as she turns, slightly smiling in her sleep? Why does he look at her as she sleeps, as though he cannot tear his gaze away?

In the morning, Paro wakes up ... wondering where she is ... the bed? the blanket? her foot is better ... but the water bottle?

Both seeing a new side of the other ... a different shade ... the hate, the anger, rises and ebbs, and each time the ebbing tide leaves something in its wake ...

Rudra in the market place ... and a man is making inquiries about Paro from Birpur.

Rudra rushes back to the room ... and whirls a startled Paro behind him to shield her from the intruder ... Rudra the Protector. 

6/2 - Epi 29 ... Retreat and Regroup

Thursday 6th February

Paro tells Dilsher why she didn't use the opportunity to run away. Of course, she wouldn't have, for story purposes, but it was good to have it explained. She's still scared of Rudra's threat.
And Ranawat Sr agrees that Rudra is capable of carrying it out. Thereby justifying Paro's position.

Dilsher and Danveer discuss what is to be done now, after the whopper Dilsher told. Fortunately for Dilsher, Danveer knows who Paro is ... saves Dilsher having to tell any more lies. They decide to leave it to Rudra ... he created the mess, let him sort it out.
Paro said something similar too!

Mohini don't like eye sax. No wonder she doesn't have grandkids yet. Poor Samrat and Maithili!

Mohini does not like Sumer ogling Paro ... the moment she heard him admiring her, she went storming to throw the girl out.

Another big drama by Mohini kaaki-sa ... first stalled by Dilsher, and then, much to his relief, by Rudra.
But Mohini kaaki ain't done, not by a long shot ... she is determined to use the opportunity to throw Paro and with her, Rudra, out. Calls to his better nature, to her status as elder, even to Panchayat, don't work ... she finally draws blood with the threat of the BSD.
And Rudra realises he has to do something, or Mohini will blow Paro's cover to smithereens. So sensible decision is to retreat ... for the moment. With Paro, of course ... after all, she is his prime witness.

How cute was Rudra when he heard that Paro was his fiancee?! He was like, when and how did that happen?! I like the way he made sure to ask her who made up that story!

Do they have rooms or not on their side of the haveli? Sunehri has a room, but Samrat and Maithili don't?

And Paro knows her Rudra already! That was a very hubby wife conversation they had outside the haveli ... Why are you angry this time? Because you didn't get your way? 
Why did you stand quiet when he said you were my fiancee? 
Are you going to stop your nakhras and get on this thing or not? You managed to get on top of a cupboard without any problem! 
And the little tussle about tying the strap of the helmet ... another flash of defiance from Paro ... she seems to find her tongue only with Rudra!
And the last shot  ... Paro Rudra and mirror again ... 

5/2 - Epi 28 ... Exposed!!!

Wednesday 5th February

Nope, not talking about the sexy kamariya ... Paro is exposed ... in all her blue kurta, grey pant clad glory! 

I said it would be very difficult for Rudra and Dilsher to get out of that one ... and it was! 

I missed the first scene when I posted ... watched it on repeat ...

OMG ... how completely ADORABLE was that PaRud scene!!! Major-sa is completely on the back foot here ... his gussa seems reserved for the entire world, but with Paro, it's rapidly reducing to a lot of bluff and bluster ... which is something she seems to be discovering for herself 

He steps back, both confused ... he takes something from the cupboard in a hurry ... did he even see what he was taking, or was it just something to do  ... and he beats a hasty retreat ...

Major-sa is a gentleman all right ... Paro is his witness, his captive, he has no business ogling her arm ... he has to remember that. Or try to. 

Paro is not amused at her torn sleeve ... she would have gotten it free all right, it just needed gentle handling ... not rough tugging ... now she needs to repair the damage to her only set of clothes. So 'needle and thread please.' In a very firm voice, which stops the Major in his tracks 

"Whaa-a-att?"

He sounds like he doesn't know what a needle and thread is ... has this girl lost it, asking for needle and thread at a time like this? Is she planning to do embroidery while in captivity? 

Paro sets him straight on that one, with a simple economy of words ... 'you spoiled it, you have to fix it."

Thereby putting the blame squarely on him ... and Major-sa cannot rebut her argument, because she's right. 

Was she talking about her sleeve, or her situation? 

 So off he goes in a huff ... nothing makes a person so angry as knowing he is in the wrong  

And fortunately he runs into the least threatening person in the house .. Sunehri ... whom he can make that very unusual request to ... even though he fumbles while doing so ... he, the macho, brave, valiant Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat ... asking for needle and thread???

Make that blue thread. 

Sunehri wonders why ... Rudra is already feeling silly enough ... he shuts her up with his normal gruffness ... it works on everyone ... everyone else but Paro, that is 

What a lovely hubby-wife they are going to make  Paro is so gonna wear the pants in this one ... she already is 

Samrat wants to resume work ... Rudra curtly refuses. Kaaka asks him if he is hiding something in the room. Rudra is almost polite with him.

Back to the havan ... and the rest of the episode was about smoking out the fugitive in the room ... i.e Paro. Mohini Kaaki's eyes almost pop out at the Dhuan Kumari  ... her tongue gets wheels ... Sumer follows, he is unpleasantly keen to assume the worst of Paro and get his hands on her to throw her out ... very unsavoury character! 

Babusa intervenes just in time ... and claims Paro as his bahu. It was about the only thing he could say, given the circumstances and Paro's state of dress. 

Thereby earning Paro's undying gratitude.

I LIKE Babu-sa!!! 

Kaaka-sa recognised Paro ... and she recognised him. 

One awkward moment when Babusa doesn't know the name of his bahu ... fortunately the ever-silent Paro found her tongue for that one in time.  Good thing too, otherwise Mohini was ready to christen her 'gale ki kharash'. 

And babusa firmly declares his right to the haveli ... and Paro's right to be there. And no one had better say anything, if they know what's good for them.

Mohini kaaki wants the full story of why Paro was being hidden ... good one, even I want to know what story they will weave. It has to include something about her being an orphan. 

4/2 - Epi 27 ... Budding Awareness

Tuesday 4th Feb

The first budding awareness between a man and a woman ... not attraction yet, not even close ... but a shift of equations ... from predator and prey, from captor and captive ... to a man and a woman. 

The episode 

Rudra throws Laila off ... doesn't even bother to dignify her outburst with a reply. I'll call you for the clothes. And less salt next time. 
She will give him what he wants. No more, no less.

Thakurain-sa is not so meek and accepting after all. She can run her own private investigation if she wants to. And she does ...
That was a pleasant surprise. So she didn't quite believe her beloved Thakur-sa.

Paro gets a midnight visitor ... much to her surprise, and the visitor's shock. Sunehri, the next member of the family, makes her entry ... a roly poly happy chirpy girl.
Mohini Kaaki's upbringing has failed, while her husband's has succeeded ... two of their three offspring don't have much problem with Rudra or their Taaya-sa. Sunehri seems positively delighted to see her older brother Rudra. She's even more delighted to see her murabba ... once Rudra steps in to fetch it ... and has a close encounter with Paro in the bargain ... dressed in his clothes, the ones he had given her ...
I really thought Paro would drop that jar! Wouldn't have blamed her too!

A restless night ... tossing and turning ... Rudra and Paro ... a new experience for both ... sharing a bedroom  with a member of the opposite sex. 

Don't count the nights Rudra spent with Laila, doubt he stayed long enough to sleep. 

.

Samrat and Maithili ... Samrat is angrier than Maithili about the never-ending taunts ... work, childlessness ... they never end. Including the never-ending havans every month for a child which never comes. Why can't his family leave him and his wife alone?!
A nice, truly supportive husband for once. 

Sumer, the favorite son, is making grand plans to sell off a haveli which doesn't belong to him. More intrigue here.

Early morning preparations for the havan ... seems even Sumer is not spared his mother's taunts ... but he gets a honey-coated dose.

Rudra's eyes go automatically to Paro when he wakes up ... he seems far more disturbed at this intrusion into his space ... he leaves the room.
Paro is calmer ... she wakes up, performs her morning prayer as though this is the most normal place for her to be in ... Rudra did tell her she had the right to this room. If this is what life has in store for her for now ... so be it.
She sees her red ghagra peeking out from the cupboard, and goes to investigate ...
And gets stuck ... just as Rudra returns ...
Of course he's annoyed again ... why is she again opening his cupboard when he told her not to?
'Move.'
She can't ...
So he pulls her ... why can't she?
He finds out ... and the first bud of awareness starts to open ... not attraction yet ... just awareness ... a bemused questioning curiosity on his end ... nervous apprehension at this unaccustomed closeness between them on hers ... the ebbing of the ever-present hate and anger creates a vacuum of feeling ... and something else takes its place. An awareness ... between a man and a woman. And he seems more disturbed than even she, at the tearing of her sleeve. 

3/2 - Epi 26 ... Farewell, red lenhga!

Monday 3rd February

The most momentous event of the day ... Paro sheds her red lehnga!

Ranawat Sr expands on his proposal to Rudra ... marry Paro, you killed her husband and brought her here. Rudra asks him if he's gone mad ... after all, it was from him that Rudra learned not to trust a beautiful woman. And leaves ... leaving Ranawat Sr deep in thought.
But Rudra actually listened to his dad's entire argument.

The first Parud scene ... Paro continues to hold her own, Rudra still smarting in defeat, can't help taunting her about her decision to return and her challenge ... she stays calm and stoic, despite her still visible trepidation. And that refusal to be scared of him, that annoys Rudra the most ... she should be scared of him, he's trying his best that she be scared of him, how is she holding up against him?!
I like the way Paro stoically accepts her fate ... same room, okay ... can you give me some clothes please? And reminds him that she is now a widow, thanks to him.
That always gets Rudra annoyed!
Rudra just cannot be his worst any more with Paro, despite trying very hard to be.

Thakur tries his best to convince Thalurain that the news is false, Paro baisa is dead. Thakurain is not happy to be convinced. She wants Thakur to do something ... anything ... and get Paro back.
Thakur is going to be in a jam on this one.

The sweetest scene of the day ... Ranawat Sr comes in coughing, looking for his pump, Paro finally changed, but still very unsure and selfconscious in the blue over-sized kurta and pants, rushes to find it and gives it to him. He recovers from his coughing fit, notices her changed attire for the first time, looks at it, she looks down ... he gives the most fleeting of smiles and tells her to sleep ... and leaves. Not a word about her change of clothes.
And that's all the reassurance she needs.
Beautifully played by both actors!!!! Am loving this bahu-sasurji pair!

Paro backs, trips and falls on her make-shift bed ... sees herself in the warped mirror ... and smiles. A genuine happy sweet smile ... for the first time in days, all is well, as well as it can possibly be under the circumstances ... Rudra is gone, her hands are no longer tied, she has a roof over her head, a bed to sleep in and clean clothes, a full stomach, no one yelling at her in anger, she even has a sympathiser, Rudra's babusa ... there is much to be thankful for. And she didn't get cowed down by Rudra ... she asked for what she wanted, and got it - fresh clothes. She's holding her own in the challenge.

Mohini kaaki rues the fact that her older son is more like his father, despite all her attempts. And the taunts are about a lack of heir ... of course. Sumer is desperate to sell the haveli, and go to the big city.

Rudra is such an idiot ... he actually asks Laila for clothes for Paro?! Size difference nahin dekha?
Laila baisa is vamp ... bas! And a pretty vicious one at that. And she can't keep her hands off Rudra.

Precap - new entry. And the family is complete.

TV This Month - February

Other Shows we're watching

I'm hardly watching anything else at all ... severe lack of time! I catch Gustakh Dil off and on, but Nikhil has become such a complete idiot that I'm giving up on it. Also trying to follow Ek Nayi Pehchaan and caught one episode of Ek Boond Ishq after a long time, as the two conflict in timing.

Gustakh Dil ... Finally Lajjo has left Nikhil, but he is clueless about his feelings for either her or Ishaana. In the real world, he would marry Ishaana and live happily ever after, as Ishaana is ideally suited for him, and Lajjo is too different, in terms of social class, education, culture, everything ... he would spend his entire life being embarrassed by her ... UNLESS she managed to educate herself and bring herself up to his standard. Sounds a mean thing to say, but the social class one lives in, does make a difference ... she would forever be a misfit in his society, and both would be miserable.
What I would LIKE to see ... Nikhil and Lajjo divorce, Nikhil marry Ishaana and her true colors slowly emerge as the selfish, shallow person she is. And she make Barkha's life hell as a selfish DIL, thereby serving Barkha right for meddling in her son's affairs. Nikhil also slowly see the difference in Lajjo's unselfish love and care for him, as opposed to Ishaana's shallowness.
In the MEANWHILE, Lajjo continue working with the good doctor, Nikhil's grandfather and bua feel bad for her wasting her life, and ask Samrat to help. Samrat get married again to his girlfriend and they sponsor Lajjo's education, maybe move her to the city, unknown to Nikhil and the rest of the family, and slowly Lajjo acquire an education, some city polish and get herself a job with an NGO helping other unfortunate women abandoned by their husbands. And then she run into Barkha or Nikhil again, when he is thorughly miserable with Ishaana ... and he sees what he threw away.
However, this is an Indian soap ... it's not going to happen!!!

Ek Nayi Pehchaan ... Sharada has just joined ladies only classes ... Rituraj is her instructor. Isn't he the girl's father in BeIntehaa? Is his role over there? Am liking the show so far ... it's quite light and interesting, even though Sharada's husband is so demeaning to his wife. But many husbands are like that, they don't give any respect to their wives at all for running their home ... that is taken for granted. And I like the saas bahu relationship here ... Sakshi always longed for a mother's love and pampering, she didn't get much of it from her own mother, but she gets it from Sharada.

Saw the new promo of Madhubala ... going in for a leap. Drashti has become very stereotyped in her expressions ... I hope Madhu's daughter is more peppy like Muskaan was. DMG is the show where I liked Drashti best.

BeIntehaa seems to be going the saas bahu way ... so soon?! I thought it was supposed to be a passionate love story? I like Suchitra Pillai, but the evil conniving saas and two elder bahus are so cliched!!! The lead guy is not bad at all, but he's also lost his brains and become a mamma's stooge. It might just work as competition to DABH, it's equally stereotyped, with a supposedly strong female lead, who despite her grand lecture on not getting married for the sake of getting married, succumbed to family pressure the next minute and tied the knot, the flimsiest of excuses for hate for the boy ... hmm, looking back at this, DABH does have a much better story line ... although the acting puts me off completely from watching it.

Perfect Paakhi ... caught one scene of Paakhi, and lost count of the number of times Paakhi called her stepson 'mera beta'. Yes, yes, we know she is the ideal wife and mother ... but isn't that rubbing it in way too much?! Besides, how long has she known the boy to make those tall claims about how well she knows him, and what he would do and not do? All logic gone for a toss to glorify the female lead! She can't judge her husband's true colors after living with him for way longer, and she knows what his son is really all about? Is the novel this stupid, or have they played with it for the screen version?