31/3 - Epi 66 ... A Proposal for Paro

Monday 31st March

Rudra needs another danda on his head! What is he up to?!

If he's doing this to flush out Mohini KCM and Sumer, then I can accept it ... somewhat. But again, using Paro as pawn ... not so okay. First it was ... 'marry me' ... now it's ...  'marry Sumer.' Paro's wedding has become a joke ... everybody seems to be using her for their own ends. Hope Paro points that out to him ... if he's doing it only to flush out Sumer and Mohin, then what is the difference between him and Tejawat? And how will Paro ever be able to trust him again?

If he's still not 100% sure about Paro, I am disappointed. I had hoped for a more shatir dimaag.

Anyway, am pretty sure Paro will turn the proposal on its head, by accepting it. And Rudra will have effectively shot himself in his foot ... he can't let Sumer within two feet touching distance of paro, how is he going to let him marry her? No way! And it will be interesting to see him try to get out of this one!

In the meantime, another one who needs a danda is Maithili ... she remembers all that Paro did for her, she remembers that Sunehri doesn't tell lies ... accepted ... but she forgets that she saw a second shaadi ka joda in Mohini's hands. 

28/3 - Epi 65 ... Get Out ... No, I Won't. The End.

Friday 28th March.

Travelling, will update later if I can ... liked the episode a lot. The flow definitely seems to be back, much smoother and easier. Paro's deception discovered within one night :(

Loved Paro today ... especially when she explains exactly why she has come back.

Loved the way Rudra forbade Mohini to say anything to Paro ... if anyone is to yell at her, it's him. No one else.

Loved Danveer. He and Aman definitely seem to be better judges of character than Rudra is. I still feel Rudra is pretending he believes Paro set the fire, but he knows she didn't. The bitter cutting edge of his anger is missing.

Maithili is completely unreliable ... fair weather friend.

Mohini's first try fails.

And Paro refuses to leave the haveli. Leaving Rudra stumped. 

27/3 - Epi 64 ... Paro bani Gauri

Thursday 26th March

Paro finally remembers her first meeting with Rudra ... and some key subsequent ones ... and she's firmly convinced Rudra is her rakshak, sent by Bholenath himself. So she appoints him her protector for all eternity .. much to his apparent disgust.
I say 'apparent' because I'm not sure whether it's apparent or real. 
Rudra a la Amitabh Bachhan has never prayed in his life before ... but he's a darn sight more humble and hesitant about the shortcomings in his prayers ... and worried if they will work despite the flaws.

More mirror image scenes here ... Rudra saves Paro's bell from falling, Paro saves his prasad. So her prayers will work ... through Rudra ... and his prayers will be answered, through Paro. Does that mean he will discover who actually set the fire? And Paro will nurse Dilsher back to life ... or save him from further attacks. 
Paro wants to go home with Rudra and look after Dilsher. Rudra thinks she's nuts. And he's made of stone.
Neither is, of course, correct. 

Devyani calls Mohini ... she wants money, honey ... Mohini is not pleased ... someone should have warned her that entrusting murder plans to an outsider can have some unexpected side effects ... like blackmail.

Danveer is the next person in the family to see Devyani.
I hope the cvs are going somewhere with this. Will Mohini really be able to wriggle out of this one, when Maithili and now Danveer have both seen her with Devyani? 

Rudra comes back to Dilsher and has a pleasant chat ... he really does. The words Dilsher spoke to him prick his conscience ... especially since they might be the last words Dilsher ever speaks to him.  And he wants the same burnt aalu and black rotis Dilsher made for him all his life. And he will try to speak without his habitual bitterness and anger.
Regret is a powerful teacher, and an unforgiving one. Dilsher was responsible for much of Rudra's bitterness and smouldering anger ... Dilsher realised his mistake very late. Will Rudra realise his mistake faster? 
Nice scene. 

Much to his surprise and against his will, Rudra acquires a care giver for his father ... a poor girl from the mahila ashram, in need of money ... vouched for by Aman and by Col Singh. So he hasn't much choice in the matter.
What he doesn't know ... yet ... is that Paro is as tenacious as he is.  She's already learned a few lessons of regret, and is not going to travel that road again. So what if Rudra doesn't want her in his house? Last time she didn't want to stay there, and it didn't stop him, did it? Now she wants to stay there, he's not going to stop her. Fair's fair.
It helps that Aman is putty in the hands of his newly acquired sister. And so, surprisingly, is Col Singh ... et tu, Brute? And since Rudra also recognises Paro's voice, Gauri is dumb. That was smart. 

Rudra doesn't recognise the sexy kamariya or the rudraksha bracelets that Paro carefully tries to keep hidden. So Paro gets her wish ... she's in the house, and ready to look after Dilsher.
Wish she had also prayed to find out the real fire culprit ... maybe this time, Rudra will do the needful. 

Rudra explains to her that Dilsher is comatose ... Paro nods vigorously. To her relief, he leaves.

Another nice scene as Paro talks to the sleeping Dilsher ... trying to convince him she didn't set the fire ... and that his ashirwad for both her and Rudra came true ... but now Rudra doesn't like her any more. So she's going to stay here till she wins his trust.
Paro's turn to regress to five year old today ...an exceptionally stubborn one. 

Doesn't look like she will survive long in incognito mode ... Danveer discovers her in about five minutes flat. Paro pleads with him to keep her secret ... she has to prove her innocence to Rudra.
Another man who is putty in Paro's hands ... Danveer agrees, or rather he is stampeded into agreeing ... and then goes through major emotional trauma and stress as Rudra returns and he tries to keep Paro's identity secret. Including shouting loudly as Rudra informs him 'Gauri' is dumb ... to which Rudra replies with exasperation "So why are you shouting? She's dumb, not deaf!" 
Rudra looked surprised and a bit suspicious when Paro almost took his nose off with his phone.

I can imagine Sanaya, Ashish and Danveer having fun shooting these scenes ... they were cute and funny, all three characters were perfectly serious in a hilarious situation.

Mohini and Sumer watch with annoyance as another plan bites the dust ... with 'Gauri' on 24 hour duty, Mohini's plan to dispatch Dilsher just got harder. But never fear ... if they could implicate Paro, they can implicate Gauri ...

Gauri's plan suffers slight setback ... Rudra is sleeping in the same room. Fortunately Bholenath blows some breeze, and covers her sleeping face. Saved ... for now.

Precap ... In the kitchen ... will Gauri survive the night?

I liked the episode today ... the flow seemed better, and the light second half was a relief after all the tension and heavy duty drama. Hope Gauri sticks around for a few episodes ... and we see some missed chances by Mohini and Sumer ... it's always good to see their plans flopping.

26/3 - Epi 63 ... Roothe Rudra, Manaaye Parvati

Wednesday 26th March

Rudra has progressed from baby to sulky, tantrum throwing five year old.
Parvati realises that she has her work cut out for her.
Aman is wondering if his boss is mentally unstable. If he isn't wondering that, he should be. Rudra is hanging on by a very slim thread. 

*edited*

Continuation of last night's scene ... Rudra's turn to have nightmares of his mother leaving ... Paro's turn to shush him, calm him ... finally soothe him with a murmured 'shaant.' And he sleeps peacefully like a baby in his mother's lap ... and so does Paro.
Another role reversal ... although Paro had it far worse that Rudra ... she slept on the cold bare floor, alone, abandoned, with no one to comfort her ... but here she stays with Rudra, giving him comfort, a soft lap to sleep on, a motherly hand on his head.

Mohini is back home, happy to have gotten rid of the three thorns in her life. Maithili starts asking some awkward questions, Mohini quickly shuts her up.
Interesting ... will Maithili actually use her brains to help Paro sort out the fire mystery?

In the morning, Rudra is back to rudra mode ... along with a hangover, most likely ... accounts for the extra grumpiness. In his grumpiness, he snaps at Paro, asks her why she's hanging around when he told her to stay away ...  she replies, simply ... because he didn't let her go. Rudra doesn't have an answer. Maybe because he knows she's speaking the truth.

Paro tries to vouch for Thakurain maasa ... though she knows Rudra won't be in the mood to believe her ... Rudra is more upset about the fact that she calls Thakurain her mother, and that the Thakurain was like a mother to her. So Paro got all the love that he missed out on. Another thing to hold against her.

Rudra is now behaving like a tantrum throwing five year old ... Mommy loved you more than she loved me.

Paro gets him food ... he complains she must have poisoned it. Paro obviously decides that the best way to deal with a sulky cantankerous child is to humour him, so she tastes the food for him ... there, it's only vegetables, they won't poison you, they're good for you, now be a good boy and eat up.  

Paro is at her wits end, how to deal with this big sulky bear ... she thought he would be happy that she turned against the Thakur and believed Rudra ... but now he's angry that she didn't believe him earlier, and he actually believes she could harm his father ... an accusation which doesn't even make sense.
Don't worry, Paro ... nothing Rudra is thinking or doing these days makes much sense ... even Aman seems to think the same, as he tentatively asks his boss if he really thinks Paro is guilty ... Rudra gives him a long lecture for his pains, on how the BSD trained them to believe all beautiful women are not to be trusted.

Could almost see Aman shaking his head at that one ... did he miss that lecture? Or is his boss missing a few marbles here? 

Paro goes off to the temple seeking some divine help, since the only person on earth who could have helped her, is currently comatose.

I thought Paro was supposed to be closely guarded by the BSD as she is prime witness? Or is the temple in the BSD compound? 

Aman tells Rudra they need to check out the Tejawat haveli again, to look for the thakur's little black book. Rudra grits his teeth and decides, he's a big boy now, he can do this.

And so he does ... enters the haveli as though he's entering the dentist's office to get a tooth pulled ... lets Aman go ahead to do all the work, and defiantly tells his mother's smiling picture ... you can't hurt me any more, this is the end of our bond. 

It isn't, of course.
The false bravado in his words exposed, the hurt begins again, as he sees Aman pulling out all his mother's sarees and an old picture album. Not so old ... it has new pictures of his mother with a smiling Paro. Paro, the girl his mother looked after like a daughter ... the girl who got his share of motherly love, while all he got was his father's bitterness and poisonous hatred for beautiful women.
Aman finds the black book ... would have thought Tejawat took it with him ... but fortunately Tejawat's intelligence level suddenly dropped to that of the BSD.
And Rudra crumples the picture of the two women ... the two women who have betrayed him.

Danveer brings Dilsher home ... now that will drive Mohini up the wall again! Samrat and Maithili are there for help. Rudra goes to the temple to get some prasad. 

Paro in the temple, praying for divine help ... a sweet scene, where the fatherly panditji explains to her the Shiv Parvati story ... and how Lord Shiva, Bholenath, can be as gentle and innocent as a child ... he will forgive Parvati, if she begs for forgiveness.
Don't quite know why Paro should beg for mercy ... after all, she was deceived as much as Rudra was ... Tejawat is the true culprit here. 
But Paro draws strength from Bholenath's story ... as Bholenath forgave Parvati her mistake, so will Rudra forgive her ... she just has to beg him long enough and hard enough.

Umm Paro ... how about trying to find out who started the fire side by side? After all, you believed the truth only when confronted with it ... Rudra will be the same. 

25/3 - EPi 62 ... Paro the Nurturer, Rudra the Pro... the baby

Tuesday 25th March

Paro the Nurturer has complete faith in Rudra the Protector.

Rudra the protector, is currently Rudra the baby. She needs to bring him up, to return to the man he once was, before he can protect her again.

Today I liked that they gave all the scenes of yesterday a good closure before moving on to the next. The scenes had a much better flow.

First, Rudra's shock at seeing his mother's picture ... a shock he barely manages to conceal in front of Aman ... just managing to get out of the Tejawat haveli ... barely ... before he gets a phone call from the hospital.

The Paro maamisa meeting ...  the talk about mamisa disowning Paro in front of the village, Tejawat being the villain and the missing girls, including mamisa's daughter, Nandu ... and Paro's firm conviction that Rudra will bring all the girls back. He is the Protector, after all.
Followed by Paro's meeting with CO Singh, his repeated offer of security somewhere else, in the face of Rudra's obvious reluctance ... though I would love to see Rudra's reaction if Paro was assigned another safe house ;)
And Paro repeats with complete confidence ... Rudra is her protector. She will stay with him and no one else. She is safer with him than with a battalion of soldiers.

Rudra the protector is currently Rudra the child. At his father's bedside, he is told his father has gone into coma. And he doesn't know whether to cry, to rage or to break down. Whom can he tell about the discovery he just made? The whereabouts of the woman who left him and his father emotionally crippled fifteen years ago ... only to land up with his biggest enemy? She left him, she left his father ... and now his father is threatening to leave him ... Rudra feels the sense of abandonment and loss all over again ... and he's scared ... very, very scared. He doesn't want to be alone. What a discovery to make ... and what a time to make it.

Paro waits patiently at the BSD office ... Aman tells her to go home, but she refuses. And she asks him, does he also believe she is guilty? Aman doesn't answer. So Parvati adopts him as her brother.
Rudra returns to the office, Aman leaves and Paro waits again. Till Rudra drinks himself silly and falls all over the place ... an unconscious call for help ... for sympathy, for comfort ... on one of the worst days of his life. Rudra the child is now Rudra the baby ... a very scared, fearful, trembling terrified baby ... abandoned by his mother, and terrified of losing his sole remaining parent.

And Paro the Nurturer is there ... to hold, to comfort, to soothe ... to heal ... to listen to a stumbling monologue of pain, a muffled plea for help ... a cry from the heart not to be left alone. And she listens ... and stays... stays close. Holds him when he stumbles and falls, steadies him when he slips, feeds him, quenches his thirst. And promises not to leave him. Fills the role of a mother ... holding Rudra, feeding him, and finally letting him slump to sleep in her lap ... letting him feel the love and care he missed for so many years. Paro the Nurturer.

So many role reversals today ...
Paro feeding Rudra, the way he had once fed her.
The hand clasp against the mirror ... it seemed that Rudra drew comfort from that invisible hand across the glass wall.
Paro bandaging Rudra's hand tenderly, the way he once tended her sprained foot.

Precap ... Rudra doesn't seem angry about the previous night ... but the new problem. His mother is Paro's adopted Thakurain maasa?

24/3 - Epi 61 ... Stubborn Paro

Monday 24th March

Paro completes her testimony, and an apology to Rudra's glasses, since he's looking so forbidding.
BSD CO says Paro is a very brave girl, and her safety is the responsibility of the BSD from now onwards. Yet he allows Rudra to drag Paro off to hospital without any safety escort ... Rudra in his current mood, is hardly adequate safety for Paro.

Paro thought Rudra would be pleased to see her turnaround, glad that she finally saw the light about Tejawat ... and she's completely bewildered, why is he still angry? Where is he taking her? Why the hospital? What happened?

Mohini and Sumer's expressions when they saw Rudra dragging in Paro were worth watching! Here they thought of getting rid of all three thorns in their flesh ... first Dilsher survived, then Rudra returned, and now Paro is back too!

And she's shocked to see Bapusa ... what happened to him? Rudra loses what was left of his cool (very little), and throws her out ... you did this, Sunehri saw you, don't shed crocodile tears. Sunehri adds her bit ... she saw Paro in dulhan clothes set fire to Tausa's room and run away without saying a word. Maithili adds her bit ... and Paro is flummoxed how can anyone think she could do such a thing. Mohini is gloating quietly with Sumer ... maybe all is not lost after all. Rudra is no longer Paro's shield, so things will be easier.

Paro argues back fiercely ... she is not taking the accusations lying down. Danveer tries to reason with Rudra, but he is beyond all reason ... Paro is a beautiful woman, and beautiful women are not to be trusted ... like his mother.

Loved Paro's stubborn determination today ... Rudra has no chance against her. He will try ... he will roar, he will thunder, he will storm ... she will drench him with her gentle rain and soothe his fire till he sizzles and splutters and finally quietens and calms down. 

In the middle, Tejawat reaches home and starts to pack, ready to make a run for it ... the BSD will be coming for him any moment. Mala revives, still confused what happened, she still wants to go to the Shvratri mela and meet her son and DIL ... she always wished for a DIL like Paro ... Tejawat doesn't tell her she almost got her wish. Instead he knocks her out ... he truly loves her, so he won't leave without her, but he can't allow her to meet her son. 

Back at the BSD HQ, CO Singh  discusses Paro's security ... Paro says firmly she will stay with Rudra. Rudra is nonplussed and angry. He doesn't know how to deal with this firm, determined Paro.
Actually he never knew how to deal with the firm, determined Paro, earlier she was against him, now she seems to be with him ... but she's equally firm regardless, and he can't handle her either ways. 

Aman and Rudra go off to search Tejawat's haveli ... and after some hide and seek with the lights, Rudra sees the picture of Tejawat and his wife ... Rudra's mother. And he is shocked. 

In the meantime, maamisa is summoned by CO Singh, and a tearful reunion between maami-bhaanji takes place. 

Precap - Rudra sleeping at BSD HQ, Paro serves him food .. he refuses to eat it, she might have poisoned it. So of course, tomorrow Paro will taste it and then feed him. Turn around is turn around ... what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander ...     

21/3 - Epi 60 ... Shaadi Cancel!

Friday 21st March

Will update later ... but after the precap, my first thought was the title :)))

So there is definitely not going to be a wedding ... or is there? Hope not ... why would Paro agree? To prove her innocence? With the whole family against her? If it happens, it will be a tough watch. Have to wait and watch.

Back later with episode update.

*EDITED*

Starts with Rudra driving furiously after Paro ... (and I thought, okay, Paro got lots of screen space yesterday. today Rudra will be hero and rescue her after all) ... mirror and flashing lights again draw his attention to Paro's kada lying on the road ... (I forgot he did see the kada on her wrist, it got entangled with his button) ... he sees tire tracks, and he knows Paro went this way.

Back to Paro (woohoo ... they gave her more screen space today after all!!! AND she rescued herself!!! Bravo Paro!!! ) ... and her anger at a lifetime of deception and betrayal, that robbed her of everything in her life, her parents, her friend, her sister, her aunt ... Tejawat gets multiple doses of mirchi which incapacitate him completely ... he is down but not out, and he roars retribution for Paro ... she isn't having it ... so a few whacks with a danda for good measure.
Paro baisa enjoyed her last outing with the goons. She's making it a habit now!

And she threatens him ... she will make sure she destroys him and his fiefdom completely ... crushed mirchi retains its power to burn ... and demons like him are what transform an ordinary Parvati to Durga and Kaali.

Another portend of the tracks ahead ... and an indication that this is Paro's journey all the way. This is just the start of her journey to destroy Tejawat.

In the meantime Rudra gets a phone call from Aman, called back to hospital. And he rushes back ... all thoughts of Parvati forgotten. This part did not sit too well with me ... he should have at least told Aman to continue the search for Paro ... the case against Tejawat is still in flux, and she is still technically a BSD witness, as he has been claiming all along. His conviction that she is with Tejawat came only after he got back to hospital and Sunehri's claim about seeing Paro start the fire.

Back to hospital, where a distraught Rudra rushes in ... Mohini sheds some crocodile tears, which don't affect Rudra noticeably ... but the sight of Dilsher lying unconscious on the hospital bed, does ... he remembers all the times he was gruff and rude to Dilsher, told him he might be better off without him ... sees the crushed childhood picture in Dilsher's clenched fist ... the only thing Dilsher tried to rescue ... and breaks down in tears.
Breaking down at this point was justified ... but Ashish needs to improve his acting here big time ... he goes completely OTT while crying. And he has been doing it just too often. His choked out  'Bapusa' in the middle of big sobs, was completely unconvincing. He was better with the change of expression from softness and grief to hardness and determination, as he strides out of the ICU room, determined to get to the bottom of this matter. 

Back to Paro, sitting in a tree (apparently) as she breaks down over how blind she was, how she refused to support Rudra at every step, despite his repeated offers of help right till the last ...

Rudra strides out of the ICU after a small breakdown (thankfully they kept it short), and starts his investigation. Samrat says the fire was deliberate, started with oil/ghee ... Rudra's suspicion goes immediately to the right person, Kaakisa. But she deflects it neatly ... she was there with the others all along. Check with the person who wasn't there, who still isn't around ...
Danveer intervenes ... Rudra continues his questions ... who saw Ranawat first?
Sunehri gives a completely unexpected, and very welcome (for Mohini) account ... she saw Parvati start the fire and close the door.
Rudra can't believe it ... Mohini and Sumer think their Christmases have come all together ... what a stroke of luck!

Danveer doesn't believe it ... Mohini asserts Parvati came last, and alone ... Sunehri confirms what she saw. Parvati in her wedding clothes start the fire, close the door, and run away ...

Rudra remembers Parvati vowed she would jump into fire before she married him ... and concludes swiftly that she was making a fool of him all along ...

Paro meets Rukmini again ... the foreshadowing of yet another storm in Paro's life ... but this time Paro vows she will smile ... no more tears, no more fears ... she will set everything all right, and embrace life again.
And she sees the R on her wrist ... her protector, who was with her, even when he was not with her ...

Dilsher's condition worsens ... Rudra wonders, who set this fire? Who is behind all this?

So does he not quite believe Mohini and Sunehri after all? And is everything that follows one huge drama? Now that will be truly interesting!!! And different!!! 

Back to BSD HQ, where Rudra orders full nakabandi, seal all exits, find Tejawat and the girl. A bit of a belated order, but Rudra banna is too angry to realise that. Aman tries to tell him it won't be necessary, Rudra doesn't listen. Of course not ... when does he ever?

His CO shuts him up ... time for an urgent meeting ... much to Rudra's bewilderment ...

Maithili bandages Samrat's burn ... he touched something very hot in Dilsher's room. Is that relevant? Think so. 

Danveer prays for Dilsher's recovery ... while Mohini prays equally fervently for his speedy demise. Only one out of the three thorns she wanted to dispatch, has disappeared ... Paro. But if Dilsher also disappears, Rudra will be alone ... and alone, he can be managed more easily.
Sumer rues the fact that Raja Thakur turned out to be a damp squib after all.

Unfortunately for Mohini, Dilsher is not dead yet. And Paro has not disappeared. Not by a long shot. She's otherwise occupied at the moment, in a press conference ... dispatching the first of her own thorns ... Raja Thakur.
And offering a public apology to Rudra alongside.
Rudra momentarily nonplussed to see Paro here, outwardly calm, yet the worry, the uncertainty evident in her eyes as she looks at him ... the apology ... which he refuses to acknowledge, as he remembers Samrat's words 'someone deliberately set this fire' ... and Sunehri's "Parvati bhabhisa ..."

Has he made up his mind that she is the culprit? As swiftly and as erroneously as he made up his mind that she was guilty in the baraat? He never quite changed his stand, but it wavered during the last eight weeks ... now her guilt was cemented in his eyes again.
But then why did she come to give evidence against Tejawat? Why not disappear with him?
And if her intention in setting the fire was to run away, why did she not do just that? Why did she come to the Shivratri mela at all? 
Rudra banna needs to calm down for a while, and think things through. Unfortunately, his own emotional baggage often comes in the way of his better judgement.  

Parvati's first words ... "I was wrong ..." 
And she goes to to explain how she, and all Birpur residents, are brought up with hatred for the BSD, and children cannot differentiate between right and wrong ... with a direct look at Rudra ... that statement was aimed at him, yes, he was right and she was wrong.
An account of Tejawat's gun smuggling, and the fake baraat ... the fate of the unfortunate 'brides' ... and a public acknowledgement to Rudra, that she would have been lost, destroyed, if he had not intervened that day ...

And with Paro's testimony, Rudra is publicly exonerated for his border excursion. Court martial cancelled.

Alongside that ... shaadi also cancelled.

With that, begins the next step in Paro's journey ... to win Rudra's trust. A trust that was ephemereal and insubstantial to begin with ... a trust that was really never there. Because of his demons about beautiful women.

Paro has lost her fear and distrust of the BSD. What will it take for Rudra to lose his fear and mistrust in beautiful women?

20/3 - Epi 59 ... Parvati Bani Durga!

Thursday 20th March

Best scene was of course the last scene ... Parvati bani Durga! As the full force of the betrayal sinks in ... betrayal over the years ... betrayal not only of herself, but of her loved ones, her parents, her sister, her friend, betrayal of all the seventeen girls chosen for the baraat ... in a surprisingly long Q&A session between Paro and Thakursa. Surprising because he allowed her to ask so many questions, and even more surprising that he answered them all ... gloating about his pride and his family honour as he spoke. That could be because Tejawat is a megalomaniac. He certainly seemed a little unhinged as he spoke, firmly mired in his own past glory and that of his family, all sacrifice is for the greater good ... and a horrified Paro listens as he recounts with great pride, all his achievements in killing Paro's parents, Bindi, the trade of the girls across the border and their fate ... the fate which Paro narrowly escaped ...
Now she knows it all, so of course she has to die. But since she is the favourite of his beloved Thakurain, he will make sure her death is as painless as possible.

But Paro isn't ready for that yet. Unfortunately for Tejawat, her stint away from Birpur has taught her a few things ... keeping her head and fighting back in a desperate situation is one of them, wielding a danda is another. And as realisation dawns that Rudra was indeed her protector all along, she draws strength from his rudraksha entangled with hers ... her Bholenath has sent his protection after all.

Mirchi powder is a powerful weapon indeed. It incapacitates the attacker long enough and severely enough to give the victim either time to run away, ... or if she is angry enough, the time to find another, equally effective weapon ... like the danda.
Mirch Masala and Gulab Gang combined ... Parvati bani Durga!!!

In earlier scenes, Dilsher is admitted to hospital with severe smoke inhalation and slips into coma ... Rudra revives for long enough to catch Paro's hand in a last desperate attempt to make her stay ... only resulting in handing over his rudraksha to her for extra protection ... Aman reassures Rudra that they have enough evidence to avoid his court martial. And Rudra takes off in pursuit of Paro ... his only thought for her safety.

In the precap ... Paro, not satisfied with mirchi powder, moves to her newly acquired weapon skill ... the danda! 

19/3 - Epi 58 ... Action Packed!!!

Wednesday 19th March

High points today

Rudra's realisation that the guns are fake, Aman and he fortunately use their brains ... why guns, it should be money ... and Rudra's instant connection that this was to draw him away from Paro.

Rudra begging Paro to leave Tejawat and come to him ... he can't believe that she will choose Tejawat over him ... he can't believe she can trust Tejawat. And Paro's face as he tells her, 'I'm the only one who can take care of you, nothing will happen to you as long as I'm there ... come to me.' 
She doesn't believe him, of course ... why would she? What has he done to make her trust him? Force her into a marriage she doesn't want? Force her to sign papers testifying to something she has no knowledge of? Still her heart battles with her mind ... and mind wins. Rudra loses. And with Rudra, Paro loses.

Paro and Rudra face off ... he orders her to come to him, he is her saviour ... Paro thinks otherwise, Raja Thakur is her saviour ... BUT she cries out to save Paro from the bullet aimed at him ... "Rudra!!!"
And a soft 'tum theek ho?'

Paro hitting Rudra on the head ... his expression as he looks at her before tumbling down ... her expression as she looks at him ... a mixture of regret, disbelief, shock ... as though she can't believe she did that, she didn't want to do that ... how could she do that?

And the precap ... that was quick ... Paro learns the truth very quickly. Tejawat doesn't believe in keeping any prisoners. He also didn't want to run the risk of taking her home and letting Mala see her. 

18/3 - Epi 57 ... And the Games Begin

Tuesday 18th March

And the first round definitely goes to the two villains, Tejawat and Mohini. Meticulous planning, meticulous execution. Rudra will have to wake up much earlier in the morning if he wants to get anywhere with these two.

Mohini makes sure the entire family, especially Rudra and the sympathetic members like Maithili, Samrat, Danveer and Sunehri, have left for the pooja ground. Only Paro and Dilsher remain ... she makes sure of that.

Tejwata makes sure Thakurain will not accompany him to the pooja ground and cause any inconvenience through her sympathy with either Rudra or Paro.

Rudra leaves both Paro and Dilsher unattended ... an unwise move which will cost him dearly.

Paro doesn't care either way ... all she wants is her freedom. Freedom from a forced wedding, freedom from pressure to sign papers betraying her adopted father and her people ... neither of the choices is acceptable to her.

The sweetest scene was between Paro and Dilsher, where he asks her what blessing he should give her, and she asks for a blessing for her freedom. And he is unable to give her that ... but he prays for victory for both her and Rudra.
The wish for freedom will come back to bite Paro, as Dilsher will remember that she wanted only to flee ... desperate enough to kill him? Will he believe that?

Devyani sets fire to Dilsher's room, and runs away, making sure Dilsher sees her dupatta ... as a bonus, Sunehri also recognises the dupatta as Paro's .. so Mohini has two witnesses against Paro, not one. To negate the bonus, Sunehri will come to Dilsher's rescue ... which is okay, since Dilsher had to survive to give his testimony against Paro. Didn't quite understand Mohini's logic of Dilsher seeing the girl in Paro's clothes, when she planned to kill him in the first place ... unless she was just being abundantly cautious. Again a wise move ... Mohini really leaves nothing to chance.

Fortunately Sunehri returns for her earrings, and after waffling and panicking for some time, calls the neighbours, who start firefighting ... while Dilsher manages to rescue the childhood picture of Rudra and his mother, and then collapses on the floor.

At the mela, Tejawat gets the fake guns ready to present to the BSD and distract them, especially to detach Rudra from Paro's side.
Rudra and Aman have their men spread all over on the lookout ... thankfully, not only five men this time.
Mohini is slightly worried ... how will Rudra leave Paro's side? He seems to have nailed himself to her. Tejawat testily tells her to get off the phone and let him get on with his work.

Paro arrives at the mela ... and Rudra attaches himself to her firmly. One last plea to reconsider, negated by Paro ...
If I was Paro, I would be planning to make a run for it as soon as I could .... neither forcibly sign, nor enter a forced marriage. A girl has her pride, and Paro is more stubborn than most. Why should she agree to either of the two, when both seem equally wrong to her?
How come Rudra is not bothered enough to even call Dilsher and ask when he will reach? And why is he taking so long? I thought Rudra had left Paro at home in Dilsher's safe keeping ... Rudra really has no brains!

And the aarti commences, Rudra and Paro together ... 

17/3 - Epi 56 ... At a Crossroads

Monday 17th March

Laila takes up from where she left off, and tells Rudra he is in love with Paro, he has the same tadap in his eyes for her as he does for his mother.
Seems like everyone and their dog know about Rudra's mother and his dukh bhari dastaan.

Rudra tries to tell her they're finished. Friendship ... and everything else they shared.
Friendship?! Really, Rudra!!!
Laila doesn't take it very kindly. Rudra will never be Paro's, if Laila has anything to do with it. Even though it seems that Rudra has given Paro all the rights he never gave Laila.
Rudra calls Laila 'Paro' ... she is not amused. Paro has taken over Rudra's mind completely ...

Rudra is shell shocked ... he never saw that one coming. And Laila's words echo in his mind as he returns to his room. The way he touches Paro, cares for her ... protects her ... he has given Paro the right to claim haq over him ...

And I wonder where all the guests for the 'haldi' suddenly disappeared ... Laila was making quite a racket, but no one noticed.

Mohini plots and plans with unknown girl ... Maithili barges in and wonders what unknown girl is doing with shaadi ka joda.
And unknown girl, Devyani, is dispatched to grease and polish Dilsher's room, ready for the fire. Sumer is a little worried, what happens if things don't go according to plan? Mohini is confident.

Tejawat's men pack the money and one basket with fake guns. All ready for the mandir meeting.

Rudra remembers his mother reciting a poem of victory ... and then his threat of court martial. He cries over his uniform ... is this the last time he can wear it?
Helpless ... torn ... scared of what the future holds ... Rudra stands at a crossroads in his life, with no way to turn.
The brothers enter ... Dilsher ready to taunt him again, Danveer assures Rudra he will wear his uniform again.

Paro ... Sanaya looking beautiful, and nowhere close to a gol guppa as she claimed ... wonders what is happening in her life, and what should she do. As she remembers her first wedding ... and Thakurain maasa's words ...a girl leaves behind her old life to enter the new one.
her old life ... her first wedding ...
The end of her old life ... Rudra killing her husband .. her village disowning her ... everything she held dear, lost to her ... where has life brought her?

Rudra wonders ... if she doesn't sign, he will ... he will ...
But Paro said she will not sign the papers, nor will she marry him ... so what will she do?

Paro doesn't know what she will do ... she will kill herself, but she cannot let this happen ...
And she asks her Bholenath ... what is the path you have chosen for me? Or have you abandoned me?

Rukmini flutters in ... every time Rukmini enters her life, a storm follows ... and she bans her, never come again ... because after today, the old Paro will die. Whichever path she chooses, whatever path her Bholenath chooses for her, she will never be the same Paro again ...
Helpless ... torn ... scared of what the future holds ... Paro stands at a crossroads in her life, not knowing which way to turn.

A helpless Rudra stands once again at Paro's door ... and begs her to sign the papers.
An angry, upset Paro pushes him away ... she will not sign, she will not marry him ... she would rather die.

But her bangle, the one gifted by her mother-in-law, entangles and binds her to him. And he holds her hand ... and sets her free.
She refuses to sign ... then in 3 hours, she will be captive for life ...
Or else, she will be free for life ... her Bholenath will decide ... he is her protector ... she has left it all to him.
Paro, Paro ... your Bholenath has sent your protector, and he stands in front of you ... it is you who doesn't recognise him.

Mohini sees Rudra leave for the temple, and gives him a sweet smile.
Rudra dev ... in your confusion between the papers, the mela, Tejawat, Paro and your wedding, you forgot to take into account, your poisonous kaaki-sa.

Mohini happy, things are going according to plan. So she proceeds to delay Paro by tearing her dupatta ...
Now Dilsher will see Paro before she sets fire to his room, Rudra is off to the temple to meet Tejawat, and Tejawat will organise to pick up Paro once Rudra is safely dead. 

14/3 - Epi 55 ... Changing Equations

Friday 14th March

A day of changing equations between the key players, Rudra and Paro ...

Before that ... the closure of the Mohini-Mala conversation ... taken over by Tejawat before either sister could place the voice of the other ... familiar, yet unfamiliar ...  a voice they grew up with through childhood and adulthood  ... but a voice each had not heard for fifteen years ...

And Tejawat reiterates to Mohini that he keeps his word, he is not a man to be trifled with. Mohini still doesn't understand the depths of the murky waters in which she is meddling ...

Back to the Ranawat haveli and the haldi rasam ... Paro gorgeous in yellow and white, with floral ornaments, Rudra handsome in white ...
Rudra's sleeve stuck on the curtain frame ... and Paro approaches him to release it, with a few soft words 'Careful, it will tear ...'

The first time she has approached him of her own accord ... a mirror image of the time when her sleeve was hooked on a nail, he released it with brute force and tore her kurta ... and then repaired it. The way he destroyed her world as she knew it ... and then started to build it back, piece by piece.

Today she sees the small tear in his kurta, and gently releases it before it can become bigger and destroy the entire sleeve ... before it needs major repair.
Will she repair the damage to his career and reputation the same way? Before the damage becomes bigger and destroys his career?

The shared eyelock was beautiful ... Paro, all fear gone, seemed to be looking for something in his eyes, looking to see if the unconscious trust she had in him was justified ... searching for the man she had seen under the tough jallad ... she could trust him with her safety, but could she trust him with the safety of her people? Should she trust him enough to do what he asked of her? Now that she has started seeing him differently, now that she knows he will not hurt her, or allow her to be hurt ... can she allow herself to trust him enough to do what he asks her to do?
Things have definitely changed for Paro after that last conversation ... when Rudra begged her to trust him, when he bared his soul to her, when he said that he didn't want her to be hurt the way he had been when his trust was betrayed ...
And Rudra looks back at Paro ... a woman to whom he has bared his soul, to whom he has shown himself both at his worst, and at his weakest ... and yet she comes back to him with her warmth and her care ... Paro, the nurturer. And he lets his hand drop and allows her to complete the task at hand ... with no damage to either the sleeve or the curtain.

Dilsher is still not happy about the marriage ... more than that, about the way Rudra is going about it ... Rudra replies his stubbornness is inherited ... from his father.
Yes, Rudra also knows somewhere that it's sheer zidd which is pushing him into this marriage ... but he has started a juggernaut he can't stop now ...
And maybe, deep inside, he doesn't want to.

Laila enters and applies haldi liberally and silently to Rudra ... of course he recognises her ... and he's on alert instantly.
With good reason ... as Laila is smarting with hurt, jealousy and a strong sense of injustice ... he accused her unjustly the other night, but today she will actually do something to his titli ... destroy the beautiful face which seems to have captured her Rudra's heart ...

Paro remembers Laila ... and her advice ... while Laila smears her liberally with the poisoned haldi ... face, arms, back. Paro spread poison in her life, she's returning the favour ...

But Laila hadn't bargained for Rudra ... and his extra alert instincts where Paro is concerned ... nor can Laila forget her own love for Rudra, which makes her give away her plan as Rudra makes to check her haldi himself ... and gets it on his hand, much to Laila's immediate panic.
Laila just justified Rudra's lack of trust in a beautiful woman ... yes, she is completely not to be trusted.

And Rudra looks with horrified gaze at the haldi smeared Paro ... something is wrong and he knows it. Laila is not to be trusted ... what has she done?

Rudra drags Paro off, she protests all the way, he manages to douse her with water and then with the hose, but she's still struggling, and she pushes him away with a furious 'don't touch me!'
And Rudra retreats ... the last time he pushed her too much against her will, she hurt herself ... he can't risk her doing the same again ... but he can't go too far for fear of what might happen ...
And fortunately it does .... the burning begins, and Paro realises that he was telling the truth ... and as always, she looks to him for help ... just with her eyes ... she gives him permission to help ... and he does.
The shower scene was beautifully done ... the frantic panic in both Paro and Rudra, as Rudra tries to scrub off all the haldi, first from her arms ... innocuous enough ... then from her face ... and they both get lost for a long moment, his hands on her face, her lips, a caress ... and then he turns her around quickly, almost roughly  to rub her back instead ... he was not meant to do this, to feel this ... he has a job on hand ...

Till Laila sees them ... and her alread seething jealousy goes up in flames, robbing her of all stealth, all thinking power, as she rushes to attack Paro with her knife ... even forgetting that Rudra is there at all ...

And Paro screams out 'Rudra" ... one word ... that's all she needs ... and Rudra is there to protect her ... as always.

Rudra Laila ... Rudra has a guilty conscience ... yes he does. He intervenes twice when Laila wants to tell Paro exactly who and what she was to Rudra ... he sends Paro away as soon as he can ... not before wrapping her sodden form tenderly in a dark cloth, so that nobody can see her through the wet clothes ... and he tries to tell Laila he broke off with her when he left Jaipur, she has no claim on him, he didn't want her to follow him here ... he has never wanted a long term commitment ...

*update*
Rudra-Paro ... 
Trust ... Care ... Respect ... Attraction
The bedrock, the four pillars of that strange emotion called love ...
Slowly all four building up, brick by brick ...

Paro always trusted Rudra with her physical safety ... otherwise she would never have returned to him after running away.
She trusts him not only for herself, but also for the safety of the family ... her call for him when Maithili went missing, and her feeling of being let down when he didn't respond ... or so she thought.
But she doesn't trust his words, his beliefs, his statements about the villainy of Tejawat, her father figure. She didn't believe him when he said she was in danger. Not surprising, she never saw any proof of his words.
Has she started changing her mind?
Today she didn't believe him about the poisoned haldi, but when she realised she was wrong, she trusted him to take care of her ... allowed him into her personal space without a murmur of protest ...

Her care ... her visit to his room with the haldi lep for his wound ... sustained to protect her. Her caring nature, coming more and more to the fore as her fear of the man recedes ... today in the haldi ceremony, she took the first step towards him of her own accord ... to free his sleeve from a nail.
Her trust shows her respect for Rudra, the man ... she may not believe what he says, but she now believes that he believes it ... he is not a jallad, he is merely misguided, mistaken.
Attraction ... not yet, not acknowledged ... still subconscious .... lurking below the surface ... because she is a widow of another man, she can't be unfaithful to his memory so soon, and that too, attraction to the dead man's killer? To even think it, is wrong.

Rudra ... to trust a beautiful woman went against everything he was brought up with. His mother's betrayal, his father's words ... never trust a beautiful woman ...
And Paro seemed to embody that belief ... she was on the side of the Thakur, his enemy ... she refused to sign the papers that would save his job ... she refused to say anything against his enemy.
But attraction was there from the day he met her ... from the minute he rolled with her in the sand to save her from the explosive mess she was in.
Care grew slowly and surely, it seemed to come as second nature to him ... and he didn't question it. It started as care for his 'witness' ... he was duty bound to look after her safety. But when that care grew above and beyond the call of duty, to shield her from the raised hand or the taunts of his aunt, from the roving eye of his cousin, from the poison of his paramour, even from her own self ... he did not even know. Caring for her was part of his nature, part of the very fibre of his being.
Respect ... was it respect he felt for her bravery? Was it for her caring nature, which encompassed every member of his family, especially those that loved her ... his father, his equally gentle bhabhi, his chirpy younger sister? Was it for the gentle firmness with which she stood up to him, tempered his hot rage with cool, measured words that more often than not, left him stumped and fumbling ... and noticeably cooled? It was respect that made his wrap her sodden body with a dark cover, to shield her from probing eyes ... it was respect that lent that sharp edge to his voice when he forbade Laila to come near her, to speak to her with politeness and tameez ...
Trust ... is slow in coming. At times he is sure she knows nothing of the Thakur's misdeeds, she is a victim like any other, like the 17 other girls who crossed the border and fell into wrong hands ... but at times he feels sure that she knows all and is a willing pawn to the Thakur to whom she owes so much. How can he trust her, how can he believe she is truly innocent?

Rudra Laila

Paro-Rudra-Laila ... changing equations here between Rudra and Laila, and the catalyst is Paro. 

What does Rudra feel for Laila? 

My take ... he feels guilty somewhere inside him ... but he doesn't quite know why yet. 

 Yes, he always told her not to expect any commitment from him, much less love. Not just once, but many times. He told her he belonged to no one, definitely not her. He didn't need a wife, didn't want a wife, Laila shouldn't try to be one. So he's in the clear ... or he should be. 

He used her for physical release, as a sounding board ... he used her, full stop. He never bothered to think if she needed him. Whether eight years of a relationship meant more to her than she let on. Whenever she tried to be caring, to give him more than what he wanted, he brushed her off. It was all about his wants, his needs.  And now when Laila brings it forcibly to his notice that she wants more, expected more .. he feels guilty. Because he did know it, did realise it, but as long as he could sweep her needs under the carpet and continue with the status quo, he did.

And Laila allowed him to ... because she thought the status quo would continue forever too ... he would never let another woman into his life ... she, Laila was the closest he would let any woman get to him. And she was happy with that. 

But now there is another woman closer to him than Laila is. And Laila feels betrayed. 

When she asked him about Paro the first time, knife at his throat, he brushed her off then too. He owed Laila nothing ... Paro was his witness, official business, Laila had no right to know about her. But he did feel guilty enough to try to tell Laila it wasn't what she was thinking, it wasn't a normal marriage ... he did feel he owed her that much. But when she threatened Paro, all thoughts of reassuring Laila, what he owed Laila disappeared .. it was only Paro and her safety. And Laila saw that. 

And today ...again she sees ... for Rudra, Paro is everything ... and she is nothing. He brushed off the poisoned haldi when it fell on him ... and rushed to save Paro. He doesn't want to tell Paro about Laila ... what will Paro think of him for having a liaison with a tamashevaali? He knows Paro has just begun to trust him, to respect him ... will the knowledge lower him in Paro's eyes? 

And after he sends Paro away ... with the utmost respect and tenderness, taking care to wrap her in a dark cloth, to hide her sodden frame from the world ... he takes pains to tell Laila that their relationship is over. He left her in Jaipur, he snapped ties with her then ... she has no claim on him now ... and hence to right to berate Paro for coming between them. Because there is nothem, there is no Rudra-Laila. 

And he needs to do that ... to quiet his own conscience. He knows he led Laila on, he did tell her not to have expectations, true ... but when she did, he did nothing to squash them. He continued the relationship because it suited him. And now he realises he doesn't want the relationship any more. He doesn't need it ... because he has what he needs with Paro. 

And Laila can see that. 

She can see the tenderness, the respect he gives Paro ... respect he never gave her. 

He covers her carefully ... with Laila, it was only about uncovering. 

He doesn't want Laila to tell Paro about their relationship ... a man who doesn't care about relationships, who doesn't believe in relationships ... he is worried about his image in Paro's eyes. 

He doesn't see the wound he gave Laila ... in his worry over the wound, the burns Paro might have suffered ... 

Rudra wants Paro's respect and trust ... he has worked hard to earn it ... and he is scared that he will lose it ... because of Laila. 

13/3 - Epi 54 ... When Equal and Opposite Forces Collide

Thursday 13th March

Yesterday's episode was almost unbearably intense ... today the intensity receded somewhat ...

Paro-Rudra ... he came into Paro's room, determined to shake her beliefs, a little shamefaced at his brutality, maybe a little guilty at her pain, pain he had driven her to inflicting on herself ... so he came to try and soothe it. And to reason with her, to convince her she was wrong, and she should think over his arguments.
Maybe he also saw what challenging her had led to ... his brave, foolish, foolhardy Paro would harm herself if he backed her into a corner, but she wouldn't give up. So he changed tack today ... tried calm reasoning, gentle, seasoned arguments. He admired her for standing for her beliefs ... but she was standing on the wrong side. She had to see that.
She listened ... he was persuasive. And he was different from the man of two hours ago. Not the cold, brutal jallad she hated, the embodiment of the BSD she had been brought up to fear ... but the man she had caught many a glimpse of, in this house ... the broken, vulnerable man ... and the shattered, vulnerable boy, betrayed by the one person every child has a right to trust ... his mother. She knew that boy now ... she had seen him many times ... she knew he still lurked behind the hard face of the jallad. As did the man she had grown somehow to trust.
But she couldn't believe his soft words, persuasive though they were ... this mockery of a marriage he was forcing on her, against all her beliefs, her views on the sanctity of marriage disregarded ... he had reduced it to a blackmail tool. And all to force her to testify against a man she considered a father-figure ... her trust was absolute, and it was true. He was wrong about her father-like Thakur. Children know whom to trust, she claimed, children can sense trustworthy adults.
Can they? he challenged. He had trusted his mother, and she proved most untrustworthy ... a child's trust can be misplaced, as his was ... so was hers, if only she would realise it ...
And she turned around and asked him ... if she was clinging on to blind faith in her father, was he not doing the same? Wasn't he clinging on to that same hope in his heart, that one day his mother would return?

He didn't want to answer such awkward questions ... he could not. So he left. As always, Paro made him open his heart, reveal his wounds ... he couldn't stay jallad for too long ... and somehow he felt no shame in showing her his pain. She always saw it ... and unlike the cruel classmates of his childhood, she never taunted him about it. She made him face it, and in facing it, she helped him cauterise the wound.

Two strong wills, two equal forces ... but on opposite sides.

In other parts ... Rudra Aman ... and Aman again points out the basic flaws in Rudra's marriage plans. On Shivratri, they expect the Thakur to be in action, why sidetrack Rudra in his own wedding? Shouldn't his entire focus be on the Thakur? This is his last chance to gather evidence against him before the court martial.

Again Rudra reiterates, if he doesn't get the evidence, he will get a wife.

And since Rudra needs to be at the Shiv mandir, he plays Mohini kaaki's game her way ... the wedding will be at the Shiv mandir.

For Rudra, because he needs to be there, and he doesn't think the wedding is going to happen.
For Mohini, he just played into her hands because she was trying to think of a way to get Paro and Rudra to the temple to deliver to Tejawat ... Rudra just made the way incredibly easy for her. And she's going to make sure the wedding doesn't happen. The groom has to die. The bride's death is extra bonus.
For Tejawat, his smuggling is of paramount importance, but he can kill two birds with one stone ... the bride has to die. The groom's death is extra bonus.

And in the last scene, Tejawat gets a small jerk ... Thakurain is going to be right there at the mela with him. His gun-money-bride-groom exchange plans just got a little complicated.
And Mohini calls Tejawat ... Mala receives the call ... and both sisters are puzzled at the unfamiliar familiar voice at the other end. 

12/3 - Epi 53 ... Mehndi Kya Rang Laayegi?

Wednesday 12th March

INTENSE!!!! That's the only word for today's episode.

Paro's desperate, intense hatred of the marriage rituals, her panic about the mehndi rasam ... her hatred at the idea of marriage to the Jallad ...
Today's episode - I'm left only with the picture of her teary eyes staring at Rudra ... eyes filled with hate, stubborn defiance, and a terrified hopeless helplessness, as he forces the mehndi on her burnt palms.

Rudra ... the Jallad. Unforgiving, unbending ... man of stone. He may be upset that she hurt herself ... but the honor of his dead soldiers means more to him than her pain.

Ashish was fantastic ... but today's honors go to Sanaya. She made me feel every agonizing minute of Paro's helplessness and fear ... her pain and anguish at the impending rape of her soul. 

11/3 - Epi 52 ... Back On Track

Tuesday 11th March

'I'm mad at you, and if you don't know why, I'm not going to tell you!' 
Thus spake Parvati. To a totally clueless Rudra ...
No wonder Rudra called her Parvati Rudra Pratap Ranawat ...  That was a totally wifely line. The line every single wife throws at her husband after every fight!

So Ashish is back ... and the show is back on track ... after an enjoyable end to the kidnapping track, where it's Paro to the rescue of Maithili. I liked the way they did it, the attention to detail ... Parvati ducking down to hide from Bheema, Maithili playing dead ... the girls definitely showed more brains and presence of mind than idiot Sumer!
Also loved the way both girls worriedly discussed modus operandi with each other ... "I've never done this before," "Neither have I," as though the deficiency in their lives of taking down goons was a matter of concern, and moreover, a deficiency to be made good as soon as possible.
Which they did. :)

Also enjoyed the fight ... it was believable because it was eventually four against three ... and the four were unarmed, while the girls had the foresight of using some make-shift weapons.
And Parvati didn't see Bheema ... just about ... thanks to Maithili and her matka phodoing skills.

As I thought, Sumer banna had to join in the fight with the girls, only because otherwise his secret would have been busted!

Back at the haveli, where everyone is overjoyed to see the return of the beendnis ... almost everyone ... as Mohini is almost apoplectic with rage ... how the hell did Paro come back?! One golden opportunity to get rid of her lost, down the drains with what remained of Sumer's brains.
I think Mohini forgot that she wanted to get rid of both Rudra and Paro as package deal.
Anyway, Mohini lost no time in calling Bheema back to re-negotiate terms of the contract ... or rather, to bring back the original terms ... and warn him not to tell Tejawat at all about this minor kidnapping blip.

So we're back on track.

Paro is still very annoyed with Rudra ... she trusted him to help out ... and he didn't care enough. So she first blasts his father, leaving Dilsher wondering what this was all about.
So Dilsher didn't call Rudra either? Even when he knew Paro had put herself into danger? Okay, forgiven, as this was just a filler track.

Paro is still wondering about the what's and why's of the kidnapping ... how and why did the kidnappers take only Maithili? And from the room?
But she tries to put it behind her when she sees Maithili getting worried ... and cheers her up instead ... which becomes a mutual exercise.
Am enjoying this sweet bond between Maithili and Paro ...

Back on track again, as Paro goes to get water for Maithili ... just as Sumer frees the would-be stalker, and sends him off ... Paro runs into him ... he sends a plate spinning at her head and makes his escape ... Paro, perhaps emboldened by her heroics earlier in the day,she tackled four men and brought them down, what's one guy gonna do to her ... runs after him ... and runs straight into Rudra at the door.
Rudra gets angry when she tells him she was chasing an intruder ... Paro blasts him for not being bothered earlier ... and if he wasn't bothered earlier, he needn't bother now, she's not going to tell him anything ... leaving Rudra totally flummoxed ... 'woman, what are you talking about?!'
Don't worry, Rudra, most husbands have gone through this, you're not the first, and definitely not the last!

And Rudra's anger evaporates into worry the moment he notices the blood on her head ... he tries to wipe it off, and only succeeds in filling her maang ... one wedding ritual done :)))
Paro still fights, let me go, leave me ... he silences her ... "Parvati Rudra Pratap Ranawat"

She doesn't want to be called that name ...

Too late.

He shows her their image in the  mirror. Man and ... wife?

Rudra banna seems more than ready for the wedding. Seems to have decided, job be damned, I want to get married!

So tomorrow the mehndi rasams start, with an even more determined and angry Paro ... wonder if Rudra has gotten a clue as to why she was so angry with him?!

The PaRud fight - not a fight between two people who hate each other. She trusted him, expected him to come to the rescue, to solve the problem, sort things out, because he always does that ... and he let her down. And she's angry.
He's worried about her current hurt, why was she running after an intruder putting herself in danger ... he's angry too, but more worried than angry.
Then where was he when she had to put herself in danger earlier? Why did he not care then, enough to come to her help?
Of course, since Rudra has no clue what she's talking about, he can't answer that one.

10/3 - Epi 50 ... Rescue Mission

Monday 10th March

Interesting parts ... Paro's instincts are all in the right place ... her instinct that Mohini and Sumer know more than they're letting on ...
Her instinct to call Rudra, with the blind faith that he will set things right ... sidetracked and blindsided by Mohini's cleverness ...

Mohini is actually scared of Rudra ... if he gets to know what they have been up to, she and Sumer are dead meat. And they need to get Maithili back, she is the bahu of the house.

Mohini thinks fast on her feet ... first she checks what exactly Paro heard, and then spins her cover story ... while Sumer banna wonders what his mom is doing now!

Mohini also knows Paro very well ... that she just needs a slight push, and she will offer herself as bali ka bakra. And she gets rid of the threat of Paro's insistence to involve Rudra by making sure Paro overhears exactly the wrong part of his conversation, and none of her own red herring words. Thereby reinforcing Paro's low opinion of him as Jallad, who doesn't care about his family. His extended family, that is.

Nice to hear Rudra's first words ... 'Paro theek hai?' Also good to see Ashish back on screen ...
Good that the writers kept his appearance brief, not enough to overtire him,  and yet used it well to reinforce Paro's prejudice.
*sigh* at this rate Paro is never going to revise her opinion of Rudra!

Dilsher and Danveer both blast Mohini for allowing Paro to go with Sumer ... but the deed is done. Wish they had probed deeper into how Maithili was kidnapped, how the goons got Mohini's phone number and more awkward questions ... but I guess the worry for both Maithili and Paro over-rode all other thoughts.

Maithili does wake up, and is promptly chloroformed again ... small details, good to see.

Sumer and Paro reach the rendezvous site ... Sumer disappears to do the negotiations ... Maithili sees the waiting Paro, and tries her best to call out ... and from the precap, Paro sees her and runs to the rescue. The women of the family are shernis! Especially Paro ... already into Durga avatar!
Sumer will have to help Paro, if he doesn't want to blow his cover. I don't see Rudra arriving in time tomorrow for the grand rescue ... let's see.

Prayers

Prayers for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane flying from KL to Beijing ... prayers for the safety of all passengers and crew on board. 

7/3 - Epi 50 ... Misnapping Kidnapping

Friday 7th March

Rangrasiya celebrates 50 episodes today ... congratulations to the entire team ... and to Sanaya, my main reason for watching the show.

Hilarious episode ... honestly I'm not missing Rudra banna at all, the rest of the cast is completely able to handle his absence, and wisely, the writers have made it a light track, so it's enjoyable. Rudra has gone off for a very believable reason. And most important, of course, Sanaya is very much here.

So the entire episode was about the misnapping kidnapping ... Sumer banna very proud of himself for sorting out all his troubles ... though he was left with twenty thousand rupees ... did he not realise that he had no earthly hold over the thakur to get the rest of the money, once Paro baisa was safely handed over? Guess not ... he doesn't have much brain anyway.

Paro shown thinking deeply before she tries to sleep ... unfortunately her thoughts were not shown again, but her expressions showed her sadness ... till Sunehri's snoring stopped all possibility of any further thoughts. And all the fuss about changing bedding, who will sleep where ... Sumer thinks he has it made ... Paro is even sleeping separately from the other two. This will be a piece of cake.

It is ... but the wrong piece.

Thakurain Mala wonders at the bangle ... it seems familiar ... but she doesn't get time to think much about it. She wants to see her son ... Tejawat assures her she will.

Next morning, first Mohini finds her missing phone in the wrong hands ... being the sharp lady she is, she checks the calls made ... corners Sumer instantly ... and discovers his brilliant plan. She is completely unimpressed ... she seems to be sharp on the money about Rudra's feelings for Paro. He's going to commit mass murder when he finds Paro missing.

And then Sumer and Mohini discover the full extent of Sumer's folly ... it was completely hilarious to watch their expressions as they discovered how horribly wrong all Sumer's plans had gone. Paro is not missing ... so their lives are safe.
But Maithili is missing ... and that's a whole different headache completely.

Paro explains to Sunehri (and to the viewers) how the mix up happened. But Sumer and Mohini are still clueless ... moreover a very annoyed and upset Samrat is worried sick about his missing wife.

The Thakur's men discover the wrong kidnappee. Thakur hasn't woken up yet. He was obviously completely sure that Sumer would not manage the job.

And Paro is rather curious as to why Kaakisa is quite so disturbed as she is ... Paro is a very smart girl ... almost as sharp as Mohini. Hopefully sharper.

Very good writing by the cvs ... the track can be stretched as long as needed for Ashish's recovery ... the wedding obviously can't take place till both Rudra and Maithili return. 

6/3 - Epi 49 ... Letters from a Son to his Mother

Thursday 6th March

Rudra leaves on a mission ... so the cvs accounted for his absence smartly.

The two brothers discuss Rudra and Paro's dilemma ... both are right in their place, yet both are so wrong about the other.

Dilsher ponders Rudra's childhood again ... Paro comes to give him his inhaler, and sees the letters from a distraught son to his runaway mother ... Her tender heart melts reading a child's heartbreak ... a child abandoned, promising to be good if she would only come back ... now a grown man, who has lost faith in himself because of the abandonment in childhood. Her Jallad ...

Sunehri and Maithili have planned a surprise to distract her ... a sweet girls' scene ... and Paro ponders after they sleep, as to how much love she has received here ... Sunehri and Maithili ... and the Jallad?
As a filler scene, this was infinitely preferable to anything else!

Thakur is roaring mad ... he wants the address of Mohini stat ... and if his stalker calls him with the news that Paro is with Mohini, he can take that news and stuff it ... He wants the address!
Did Thakur not figure out that Mala is Mohini's sister? Or does he not the address of their haveli?

Sumer seems to be less cold blooded than his mother .. is he really not happy at the talk of killing Rudra, or is he just trying to get out of his own problem? So he calls the Thakur ...
I loved Thakur today! :) His arrogance, his attitude ... don't call me, I'll call you ... and you don't know how to bargain ... here's the bargain for you. 20 lakhs for Paro baisa in one hour.

So Sumer does the needful ... or he thinks he does.
Any betting it is Maithili under the blanket, and not Paro?!

An episode without Mohini is nice ... she is really overpoweringly negative. Thakur is much better ... his dialogues were equally punchy, and his acting is awesome! He reduced Sumer to the level of a stammering schoolboy, after all Sumer's talk about doing business man to man.
And it was good to see Sanaya back on screen ... made the episode worth watching again, I could enjoy the rest completely. As I thought, they seem to have postponed the stalker hitting Paro on her head till Rudra comes back.

5/3 - Epi 48 ... Deadly Plans

Wednesday 5th March

Very brief update today, as there was no Sanaya/Paro at all. So the episode, frankly, was a drag.

Mohini meets the Thakur and clinches the deal. Thakurain fortunately gives him the go-ahead, by telling him he will never have to say sorry to her for anything. That was the crux of the episode.

The rest were filler scenes, where they revived the tracks of  Sumer trying to sell the haveli, and Maithili and Samrat's childless state again.

Precap shows Rudra leaving on an urgent track of Thakur ... so they've kept his disappearance related to the track. Good. But Paro is left defenseless in the house without him ... will that lead to her being kidnapped? Mohini did say, get rid of Rudra first, then I'll give you Paro.

4/3 - Epi 47 ... Meetings Planned and Unplanned

Tuesday 4th March

Yes, she was in the bathroom! We guessed right!

Seriously? Only one scene of Sanaya?! What the heck?!!!
That scene was cute and hilarious ... Rudra going all ballistic about the missing Paro, feels his saans return to normal as he sees her stroll down the corridor perfectly safe and sound ... first checks her out, much to Paro's bewilderment ... 'are you all right? Fever? Pulse?'
And when she snatches her hand away wondering what's wrong with him, he belatedly remembers to be rough and gruff ... 'where were you?! Tell me where you go ... everywhere!'
Paro ... 'bathroom' ... very soft, subdued ... embarrassed.
Rudra still roaring, 'yes, tell me everywhere you go ...'
Paro ... even softer, with the faintest delicate touch of incredulity in her voice  ... 'bathroom?'
And Rudra suddenly realises what he's saying and splutters incoherently, before muttering something about having to watch out for her.
Paro says softly 'nothing will happen to me, after all you're looking after my safety.'
Rudra almost melts ... did she actually say something nice about him?
Paro sets him straight on that one ...'after all, I'm, your witness, and you need me to prove your lies to be the truth.'
Paro baisa is made of very stern stuff indeed. Rudra has nothing in reply ... after all, she's only parroting his own words back to him. But for Rudra, the lines are blurring very rapidly between captive prisoner and affianced bride ...

So Mohini and Sumer captured the stalker after all ... have to give them credit for brains ... this was Rudra's job, if he could get rid of distracting inconveniences like Laila. And Sumer and Mohini have no trouble in getting the required information out of the stalker ... and the required name ... Param Singh Tejawat, who is like Paro's adopted father.
Mohini doesn't seem to believe Tejawat is looking for Paro out of fatherly concern ... how right she is! Mohini should really take over the BSD investigation from Rudra ... or from Tejawat's men ... she's smarter than both of them combined.

Mala meets Maithili ... almost meets Rudra ... hides from Mohini ... with a whispered 'forgive me, Jija ...'
More and more mystifying ... Mala does not hold any grudges against Mohini? So why is Mohini so vicious against Mala?
Mala meets Danveer, who rushes her away before she can see Rudra ... 'not the right time ...'
I'm beginning to get suspicious about Danveer now.

Mala bumps into Dilsher and knocks him down ... and helps him up ... so she's met most of the family tonight. And she rushes off.
Mohini takes the opportunity to get in a few more taunts ... Dilsher fights back ... and Mohini tells him how much she hated her younger, more perfect sister. So Mohini hated Mala, but Mala seems to be completely unaware of the hate.

Rudra tells Laila to leave ... Laila takes the opportunity to make a few more threats ... she will not let this wedding happen.
Rudra does try to tell her again that things are not what they seem, but he can't tell her the truth ... of course, Laila is not willing to listen. For her, she and her feelings and her supposed betrayal come first, overriding everything else, including any compulsions Rudra might have. She loves Rudra, ergo, Rudra owes her.
Rather a self-centred lady, is our Laila.

Thakurain returns home ... to meet waiting Tejawat. And more secrets spill out from her ... about her son. Tejawat is surprisingly loving and understanding ... so apparently Mala told him nothing of her past when she came to him? And he's a loving husband, he will take her to meet her son ...
Only problem is, the son turns out to be his sworn enemy. And as expected, his love for his Thakurain doesn't extend to loving her progeny, especially not if he has his own axe to grind with them. For Thakursa, Thakursa comes first.

Precap - Mohini making a deal with the devil ... take Paro, with my blessings ... and in return ... Rudra.
What about Rudra?

So now both Paro and Rudra are in danger ... Tejawat knows their whereabouts to the T.  

3/3 - Epi 46 ... Where is Paro?

Monday 3rd March

So much happened!!! And yet nothing ... it was like watching a movie in slow motion, waiting for the dhamaka, which you know is going to happen, and being powerless to stop it ...

Thakur's stalker man comes to Paro's room ... interrupted by Maithili ... close shave number one.

He comes back again, but Paro is enjoying the evening entertainment, so he doesn't see her ... close shave number two.

He comes back a third time ... closely followed by Rudra ... is it close shave number three, or third time lucky?

The sangeet parts were nice ... the brothers' dance, then Samrat-Maithili ... and finally the whole family ... all watched by a smiling Paro ... who looked stunning as ever in the green lehnga.

Rudra Paro's eyelocks across the courtyard were beautiful ... unguarded emotions in Rudra's eyes as he gazes upon the vision in green, and a peculiar self-consciousness that was not quite hate in Paro's eyes.
And I got my wish of Rudra gazing at Paro in the green lehnga. :)))

Rudra gestures to Paro to go in ... when next he looks up, she has gone. And panic sets in ...

Rudra Laila ... urghh ... if I felt any sympathy for Laila at any time, it evaporated today ... she is out and out vamp, and the biggest mistake Rudra made in his life. Vicious and vindictive ... 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' personifies her. As long as Rudra was doing the rejecting in words, she accepted it, for it seemed to be contradicted by his deeds. But when she discovered that he actually meant what he said, and another woman had indeed entered Rudra's life ... or appeared to enter it ... the green-eyed monster raises its ugly head, and vents its fury on the other woman. Or threatens to.

The good thing is that Rudra has realised that Laila is yet another enemy ... no hope of sympathy or help from her. Not that he ever planned to confide in her ... to my relief. She is too blinded in her own jealousy and hate, she is a danger to Paro ... and he knows Laila can be vicious and dangerous. Another person to be wary of, another person he has to protect Paro from.

And his panicky threat to Laila shows his realisation of the danger Laila could pose ... and seemed to resonate with more than just fear for a witness going missing ... 'if anything happens to Paro ..' 

Episode ends in a cliff hanger ... Rudra bursts into Paro's room, shouting her name, scared that Laila has gotten to her ... only to find her missing. Where is Paro?!

Precap is all about Thakur and Thakurain ... the suspense is maintained ... where is Paro?!