30/4 - Epi 88 ... Waking Up

Wednesday 30th April

Waking up to the possibility ... the very real possibility ... that there is a potential murderer in the family.

Waking up Rudra ... by reminding him of so many things he loses his temper with, gets angry with ...
Found it rather interesting that Paro could only think of things which annoy Rudra, but none that make him happy ... what a grumpy fellow he is!

So she does know she lost an earring ... she does think that his calm when he saw her outside the room was uncharacteristic ... but then, he was playing loving husband to save his job, he couldn't yell at her in public ... discount that one. And she wants to know why they woke up cuddled so close together ... Paro's thoughts are rather interesting!

Before that ... Paro saves Rudra yet again, before Mohini can do whatever it is she was going to do with the needle ... and retains her watchfulness for as long as Mohini is around ... making sure she stymies Mohini's attemps to complete her job. Maithili's report has already given her a clue that Mohini is not to be trusted. Mohini has to leave ... Paro promptly gets back to Maithili to find out progress in the investigation ... Mohini's midnight visit raising her suspicions again even more.

Paro should be in the BSD ... she really should! She is far smarter, and keeps a far cooler head in crisis times than Rudra banna does!

Maithili finds the iron filings, the laddoo ... but before she can do anything more, Mohini and Sumer return ... that was a close shave.

Mohini is suspicious of Maithili ... and Maithili of Mohini. Both cautious, both watchful ... circling each other warily like a pair of dogs guarding a bone.

Morning dawns ... but Rudra continues to sleep.
I thought Sanaya was the one on  leave ... Ashish had himself a break as well!  He slept through two full episodes!!! 
And Paro's calm finally breaks, as morning doesn't bring with it any signs of recovery ... and she tries to wake up Rudra ... by annoying him ... because that's what she does best.
Like I said, her thoughts were rather interesting!
And I felt rather sad for Rudra ... that there was nothing which she could think of that would make him happy ... he has shut happiness out of his life so completely.
She even sings the song he hates ... but he still doesn't wake up ... and that's when she gives way to despair and tears ... her faith in Bholenath being severely tested here.

I am scared for Maithili today ... and I was really glad to see her hand over the iron filings and laddoo safely to the doctor. So the proof is out of her hands and Mohini can't do much now. And according to Aman, the BSD is also on the job.
Danveer and Aman come in ... Aman says the BSD will investigate fully ... of course, Paro and Maithili are already on the job. 
Paro in panic ... the sun is up ... yet Rudra has not recovered ... now that Danveer and Aman are with Rudra, she can leave him ... and go to the temple to pray to her Shivji for Rudra's life.

And there she goes ... running with bare feet, bleeding ... uncaring of the pain ... and begs her Bholenath for her Rudra's life. The panditji tells her that God has a barter system ... she has to give up something that means a lot to her, if she wants Him to grant her wish.
I guess the panditji was talking about a feast for 50 pandits or a donation of gold or some such thing ... but for Paro, there is something infinitely more precious.

Her marriage. And Rudra.
So she promises she will leave it, and him ... the day he recovers. After all, that's what he wanted.

29/4 - Epi 87 ... Neelkanth and the Iron Filings

Tuesday 29th April

Sounds like the title of a suspense drama ... which is pretty much what it was today :) Alternating between two alternate worlds ... mythology and actual logic.

*edited*

The first half of the episode was quite ridiculous ... the start was decent, with Rudra collapsing, Paro not noticing at first, and assuming he's angry with her and sulking as usual ... his choked out "Paro ..." and her rushing back ... her demanding an ambulance and a doctor ... and repeating the demand more forcefully when everyone else just continued crying ... till then, Paro showed sense and presence of mind.

Went downhill rapidly ... with the hand on throat to contain the poison ... like, seriously? That won't stop the poison from being absorbed if he has already swallowed it, it will only choke him! And the doctor confirming that it helped save his life was too much to swallow! If he didn't swallow the poison, then how did it get absorbed enough to reach his brain?
Too direct a life from mythology ... with complete and glaring absence of logic. The writers need to use their brains ... did they all go on holiday with Sanaya?!
Oh wait ... GH did.

So the doctors realised quickly what the problem was ... that was pretty quick ... tracing what poison has been used, usually takes some time. And they did try to make the laddoos less conspicuous by Maithili saying that they all ate them, so how could only Rudra have been poisoned.

Paro's lecture on Shivaji and Neelkanth was totally out of place ... rather than being worried about the love of her life fighting for his life, she was giving him lectures on symbolism. She didn't seem too worried that he had till sunrise to recover.
And of course, like all doctors in all shows, the usual ... 'he has 12 hours to recover or else ..'  
When will soap writers accept that no doctor will ever say such a thing?!

The rest of the episode was all about Maithili and Paro trying to trace the poisoner ... and succeeding ... with Maithili checking with magnet to confirm iron filings, and actually collecting the evidence ... while Mohini and Sumer, rather unbelievably, decided to finish the job they had started in hospital the same night ... and even with Rudra in such a critical condition, there was no nurse around checking regularly on him. And what was that needle all about?

Watched the episode with hubby ... he almost choked over the pressing the throat to contain the spread of poison part ... and when Mohini was taking an eon to poke the needle, he asked impatiently, why doesn't she get on with it? What is she waiting for?
But that's the stuff normal dramas are made of ... they specialise in hanging the dramatic moments till the end of the episode.


*Edit*

Adding a few points ...
Things I liked -
Paro realised that she was the target for the poison.
Maithili realised that there have been two attacks in the last one month ... on Dilsher and on Rudra.
So Mohini being discovered is a certainty ... but how will Danveer and Samrat and Sumer take the accusation? And what will Rudra do?
Will Paro feel that she is responsible for both attacks in some way ... Dilsher was attacked to stop her wedding, and Rudra ate the laddoo instead of her and hence saved her ... both are in danger as long as she is around ... hence she decides to leave.
Can Dilsher PLEASE come back?!

The iron filings idea has to be the stupidest way to try to kill a person ... even stupider than scorpions and dropping electric wires into swimming pools! And Mohini leaving the box of iron filings ling in plain sight on the table, was even stupider ... she has lost it!

28/4 - Epi 86 ... Mood Swings

Monday 28th April

I will pray to God that you go away from me ... because I hate you. 

Rudra banna, be careful what you ask for. One moment, you were asking ... no, begging ... for her maafi ... going all over town to get her the bangles she wanted ... and suddenly because you learned that she begged Col Singh for your job, you got angry, and want her to go away?
Was it his ego that was hurt at the idea of Paro saving his job? Or was it the realisation that Paro is slowly and steadily seeping into every facet of his life, and into every pore of his being? And he is scared ... scared that he is becoming dependent on her. After all, she will walk out one day, or betray his trust in some way ... all women do.

Mohini Kakisa, please make up your mind. Initially you didn't want Rudra to have the laddoos, because everyone knows you made them ... but it's all right if Paro has the laddoos even if everyone knows you made them, including Rudra ... and when Rudra eats the laddoo by mistake, you're perfectly okay with it?

Paro seems to be completely unperturbed by Rudra's mood swings ... maybe she has fathomed that he has PMS ... constantly. All the time.
And that he never means what he says ... after all, he told her that himself. So if he says he wants her to go away forever, it's okay ... he's just in one of his moods, he'll come around.

It's tough to live with a mercurial temperament like Rudra!

*Edit - the episode* 

Bangle scene - Paro worries about the abshagun of the spilled charanamrit ... and Rudra brings bangles for her, banishing her fears for the moment. He trips and falls, the bangles fall, but don't break ... she bends to pick them up, and he helps her. She teases him gently ... he brought the entire shop, she just wanted six. He growls back that she didn't specify the exact shade of pink, so he had to bring them all. 

He wants to be gruff as usual, to be stand -offish .. get her 'maafi' and be done with it. Because he can't bear the thought that he hurt her. And that's enough for Paro ... ... no, not quite. Thrilled to see that he did fulfill her small demand, she wants more of the loving husband (or as loving as Rudra can be). Where she gets an inch, she wants a mile. 

He refuses, he's not a doting husband. She's not fazed, not defeated yet, she reminds him of his soft moments when he woke up ... and gets her wish ... he puts the bangles on as lovingly as she could ask for ... just to make sure she doesn't put into words, his (for him) embarrassingly uncharacteristic behaviour. And Paro is happy ... she got what she wanted. The first time he puts them on gently ... and gentles even more at her slightest whimper of pain. 

Col Singh's phone call ... he mistakes Rudra's gruffness that they're fighting again, and takes the time to tell Rudra once again that Paro begged for his job, she knows what it means to Rudra ... and it's because of her that the SW ladies also gave him a clean chit. So the girl who was just a 'duty' for him ... because of her, he will get his uniform and his job back. 

So Rudra gets an excuse to get back to his rough self ... he doesn't owe his job to Paro, thank you very much! A blow to his ego and his self-respect ... he can't take it. It's too close to the truth ... it IS the truth ... but he loves his job much more than he loves Paro and he can't stand the fact that he owes her something so big. 

Typical male ego   

Bit of a flimsy set up ... he knew Paro was the reason the SW's gave him a clean chit ... he heard Paro begging Mrs Singh not to let her behaviour when she was drunk, influence his job ... so why did he lose it so suddenly? 

So Rudra in a temper again and walks out ... leaving Mohini flummoxed.
Paro runs after him, he rages again as to why she begged Col Singh for his job, with what right ... hello, Major Sahab, she's your wife, remember?! You took her to Jaipur to safeguard your job, you played doting husband and danced with her in front of your CO, all for your job ... but when her efforts are acknowledged and praised, you lose it?! Is that because you hate to be obliged to your wife? Or is it because she reminds you that she IS your wife, with all the rights that come with it? Regardless of how the marriage happened?

Rudra wants to believe the marriage is false ... one drunken night and a few bangles don't make it real. But whom is he trying to convince of that? Paro? Or himself? Is his anger really with Paro because she is trying to be a real wife? Or is it with himself because he is softening so much as to let her? Even starting to believe it himself? 
So again he falls back on his old complaint ... she saved his job but it was on the line because of her. Because he met her, brought her into his house ...
Yes, Rudra ... YOU brought her into your house ... you started this shaadi ka drama.

Paro reasons with him ... fine, I'm wrong, it's my fault. But please come inside and sit in the puja. And ask your God to take me away from your life, the same way he brought me into it. 
Of course he doesn't listen ...
But this is the first time Paro has brought up leaving him ... I want that to happen! Only that will knock some sense into Rudra's head!

Paro keeps his uniform (miraculously re-decorated with the missing stars and stripes that he lost) as his symbol during the puja. The uniform is his pride and joy, an inseparable part of him, his identity ... it can serve as his proxy during the puja. And she is sure he will come back.

Mohini is satisfied .. if Rudra was there, he would find a way to protect Paro. Now nothing stands between her and the poisoned laddoos.

And while Paro sits at the puja with one eye on the empty doorway, Rudra ponders over a cup of tea ... 'The clean chit from the SWs is because of her and only her. The girl who was just a duty for you, because of her, you're getting your job back.'
Was she really only a 'duty'?
Paro's words echo in his mind. 'I'm your wife. With all the rights you have given me.'
Maithili bhabhi's words come back ... 'why are you hiding it? When she is in pain, it hurts you too.'
Why is he trying to hide it?
He remembers the first time he saved her from the goons ... the time he saved her from Mohini's slap ... the time she burnt her hands, and he felt her pain ... when she fainted in the rain and he brought her in ... was she only a witness to protect all of those times? Why did he go out of his way to protect her?
'When she hurts, it hurts you too ...'
'I'm your wife ... with all the rights you have given me ..'  

I wonder ... why did he return? All these flashbacks ... did he start to realise that she did mean something to him? Was it really softening? Did he really return because it meant something to Paro, and he felt he'd hurt her again by storming out? 
Or was it his own fear that he is growing too close to her, so he needs to hurt her again ... push her away again from him? And what better place to do that than in the puja which is for them as a couple.

Mohini places the poisoned laddoos in front of Paro. And Rudra returns just in time for the aarti ... and the poisoned laddoo. 

Paro is content ... Rudra tells her he only returned to ask for what she herself said he should ask for ... Paro to leave his life. 
Paro is still smiling ... she holds enough importance in his life, and in his thoughts, that he needs to ask God to get rid of her ... he can't do it himself. 

Paro has started reading Rudra well ... not completely yet ... but much better than he knows. Or maybe he does know ... that's why he got angry all over again when she just smiled, and didn't react to his spoken words, that he came back to wish for her to leave. Because both of them know he doesn't mean it really. What he really means is that he's fighting his feelings for her. Hence her satisfaction and content that he came back to wish her to leave. If she really didn't mean anything to him, he would not have bothered to return. 

Did Rudra feel anything fishy at Mohini's insistence on Paro eating the laddoo? Was it his protective instincts kicking in?
While I would like to believe that .. I doubt it. When Paro is around, all Rudra's thoughts and actions are centred on her, he doesn't see anyone or anything else. He ate the laddoo because Mohini's words about Paro's tapasya and love, designed to infuriate him, did exactly that ... not because he suspected Mohini of anything. Rudra doesn't act or plan or think ... he only reacts. In this couple, Paro is the thinker. 

So Mohini eggs Rudra to feed Paro the laddoo, Rudra holds it to her mouth, and then, infuriated by Mohini's running commentary on how wonderful and loving a wife Paro is, and how she deserves the prasad meant for his loving wife ... he eats the laddoo himself. With a prayer that she leaves his life, and goes away from him. 
And why is she still smiling when he says that? Why is she looking at him as though she can see right through him? 
Maybe because he knows she can? Because he doesn't want Paro to be a loving wife. He's too scared that he will become a loving husband ... and then will be hurt when she leaves him. 

Sanaya's BD in this show is much better than Rudra's BD ... she actually looks like Sanaya from the back. 

25/4 - Epi 85 ...

Friday 25th April

Will be out the whole day and evening, so making the post early. I really hope I get time once I'm back home to update this beautiful week of episodes. What a week to be travelling! 

24/4 - Epi 84 ...

Update later ... 

23/4 - Epi 83 ... Drunk Confessions

Wednesday 23rd April

No time to update in detail ... will try next week once back home.

Rudra made a few very telling confessions today ... Don't believe everything I say.
When you are in pain, I don't like it. 

Paro made a few of her own ... I don't like it when you're in pain either.
And her perceptiveness ... you try to hurt me to push me away, don't you? But I can see your pain and regret when you do ... and it only makes me love you more. 
That probably made Rudra love her even more than he already does.

Paro's words to Col Singh were sweet and simple ... and all the more effective for that ... please give him back his job, his job is his life, his one true love ... and for me, he is mine ... please, for my sake. No wonder Col Singh fell in love with her and called her 'beta'. He must be thinking that Rudra is so lucky to get a girl like Paro, who loves him so unconditionally.

Liked the way she ticked off the snooty army ladies.

Maithili is in trouble ... Devyani surfaces again.

Sanaya was AWESOME as drunk Paro ... the third time I've seen her doing drunk, and she has made it completely different and adorable every single time. She was beautiful as tipsy Paro.

Ashish was very good as drunk Rudra too ... the mellowing under the influence was good to see. The way he took off Paro's sandal, and then played with it like a gun, was uber cute! The drunk scenes were cute and fun and very sweet. The first part, withe the argument about how many times they met 'for the first time' was hilarious! 

22/4 - Epi 82 ... Fire Wall

Tuesday 22nd April

Rudra is Paro's firewall. He was always her protector, he had dropped the role in the middle of all the wedding drama ... but after she saved his job, and the few pithy remarks from Damyanti-ji, he's picked it up again.

He first saves Paro from the consequences of her own unthinking panic ... with no harsh remarks for her, but only for the watching onlookers. He reassures her that he is there while she changes ...

He notices that she has no clue about how to serve tea in the fancy tea set ... so he pours for her, showing her how it's done ... and saving her from embarrassment in front of the Singhs. And he tells them frankly that she doesn't know how this is done. She follows his every move carefully. Paro is a fast learner ... next time, she'll do it herself.

He wants to save her from the hurtful words of more sophisticated ladies, so he warns her to stay back in the room ... but awkwardly ... not like the way he wanted her to stay back in Chandangarh. This time, it's really for her sake more than his own.

And when Gitanjali wants them to dance, he takes over, urging her to let him show her the way, let him lead, surrender to him ... trust him to show her the way, while protecting her from taunts and embarrassment.
For a man who withholds his own trust, this is a big deal.

And she does. She surrenders to him completely, lets him show her the way. In a world that is completely new and unknown, she lets him take her by the hand, and lead her from her own small world into the bigger realm of his.

I liked the little interactions between Paro and Gitanjali ... the latter, a lady with a heart under the polished exterior, who sees and appreciates Paro's innocence and inner beauty, and helps make sure that Paro will fit into this new world of Rudra's. Liked the way the two ladies exchanged notes about their birth places ... which probably gave Gitanjali Singh the idea that Paro was as unpolished as she had probably once been, and would need help to fit in among the rest of the guests. And liked the way Paro makes her own brand of gift for Gitanjali. 

21/4 - Epi 81 ...Bhaage Re Mann Mera

Monday 21st April

Today was one of those episodes where I don't feel like writing much, but just going back over the episode in my mind, and enjoying it again and again. A sweet and light as air episode ... starting with Rudra telling Paro he didn't want to take her to Jaipur, Paro agreeing that she didn't want to go anyway ... and going out to remove her bangles and hide her disappointment ...
Outside she tells herself that she knew he wouldn't take her anyway ... convincing herself that it's all right ... Rudra comes outside and discovers her burn ... first he asks if he was responsible, did he cause it? A first for him, to realise that every time he holds her so roughly, he can hurt her ... she has to swear that he didn't, before he believes her. Then he asks her how she got the burn ... takes her back to the room to put salve on it, as naturally as though he's been doing this all his life ... they are already falling into such a comfortable husband-wife relationship.
And Paro tells him the truth, the exact truth ... enough for him to decipher who is behind the burn ... just as Paro did.
And off he goes to do some Rudra taandav ... not much though ... just enough to warn KCM not to touch Paro ever again ... because if he sees even a scratch on Paro, KCM will regret it. KCM does ask why he's breaking his vows of hatred ... but he also vowed not to let anyone interfere between him and his wife ... his vows are between him and Paro, no one else. For the world, he is her husband, with all of a husband's rights and duties ... and one of his duties is to protect his wife. Now and forever.

On the way back to his room, Rudra has a short moment of reflection ... of regret ... as he remembers how Paro hid her wrists ... hid her pain ... for his sake alone.
(Short moment ... too short ... they should have lingered on his regret longer.) 

And he knows he can't leave her behind ... he can't risk another moment of pain for Paro ... she will hide her pain for his sake ... he can't leave her at the mercy of KCM.
So a surprised Paro is told to pack for Jaipur. Along with very husbandly advice on weather, warm clothes and the like.

*crazy day ... very quick update*
Rest of the episode was a delightful ride into the modern world, as seen through the innocent, untested eyes of Paro ... the delights of a hotel room, soft beds, key cards, running hot water, and best of all, champagne and flowers with a name card proclaiming her to be Mrs Parvati Rudra Pratap Ranawat to the world. A world which her gruff husband introduces her to, with surprising patience and a notable absence of his habitual anger.
Why was Rudra so mellow? His indebtedness to Paro for saving his job fresh in his mind ... not only did she save it, but she foiled his kakisa's attempts to make him lose it, by hiding her own pain in order to shield him. And maybe also, that last remark by Damyanti struck home ... that anger could destroy relationships ... so if this relationship splintered, it might not be because of an untrustworthy beautiful woman, but because of an angry man. For Paro is committed to this marriage ... it is he who has not accepted it yet.

Sanaya was simply awesome as the innocent, exuberant Paro, taking delight in the smallest things in the hotel room ... her cuteness and innocent wonder shone through. As did her small delightful blush at the sound of her married name ... a dream come true for her.
Ashish was sweet as the gruff yet mellow Rudra, trying to come to terms with a new equation, a new relationship ... a feeling of combined guilt and gratitude underlying his unaccustomed mellowness.

The bathroom scene was uber cute ... Paro exploring the wonders of the shower, Rudra disappearing with the key and leaving her in darkness ... and her panic. Sanaya looked gorgeous in the blue light ... she always looks extra beautiful in the night scenes.

Other Shows We're Watching

Watching Qabool Hai while waiting for Rangrasiya ... and can I THANK GOD that SP withdrew IPK when it did?! Gul Khan seems to have perfected the art of ruining a show ...When she can produce something so beautiful as the first few months of IPK ...  how she can write and produce such utter bilge is beyond me! Thank God I never watched this show!

Gustakh Dil ... so Nikhil and Laajo meet ... now how will this go? Hope they follow the book and keep them apart, even after the consummation.

Watched the first few episodes of  Ek Haseena Thi and Kumkum Bhagya.

Ek Haseena Thi got off to a grand start ... very impressive ... but today I was not impressed with the acting of either Sanjeeda or Vatsal. The older actors are far more impressive, especially Simone Singh ... she sends shivers down my spine. Will watch to see how it goes for a few more episodes.

Kumkum Bhagya ... am liking it so far ... standard fare, but decent watch. Not impressed with the rockstar so much, but I like Pragya and Suresh ... the actor playing Suresh is surprisingly good. I thought he would be typical cliched nerdy guy ... but he is very likeable. 

18/4 - Epi 80 ... Truth Begets Truth

Friday 18th April

Paro told Damyanti the whole truth, the entire truth, not a single lie ... and saved Rudra's job.

Damyanti asked Rudra one question only ... and he told the truth. A simple 'yes'. He wanted to marry Paro. Accepted it for the first time to himself, as well as to the world. And probably he was as surprised by the truth as Mohini was. 

So today Paro saved Rudra's job most comprehensively ... a job he loves, and which he would have lost today through his own hot temper and lack of control. And he would have had no one to blame that on but himself. 

And with Rudra's job being saved, the reason he had for the hate marriage is gone. But the marriage is very much there, that and his wife are not going anywhere ... they can't. Because Damyantiji still has her eyes on him, for one thing. So now where do they go from here? 

I am looking forward to the next phase of their story!  

Before that ... Paro tries to remove the bangles Rudra put on her injured wrist, and Rudra loses it instantly ... he can't take any rejection whatsoever from Paro ... despite the fact that he keeps dishing it out to her every so often. And for once Paro refuses to give him an answer ... and leaves the room.
Paro beendni is developing a little temper of her own ... she doesn't like it when Rudra unjustly accuses her of anything ... and her reply is to walk out. He can't stand that. Always works.
But this time it almost blows up in his face ... and he is overheard ... at the worst possible moment.
The episode was a roller coaster ... I thought when Damyanti heard and saw him, their cover was blown, and there would be a longer track to get his job back.

But Paro steps in and saves the day ... with the truth, and nothing but the truth. Right from the beginning ... yes, he has a temper, but that's just him. He has been her protector from their very first meeting, and that is the reason she loves him ... and yes, she wanted to marry him.
And so bemused is Rudra at her simplicity and her quiet courage, that the truth escapes his lips as well. He wanted to marry her too.
No wonder all his plans and strategies revolved around Paro's marriage ... that was the only thing on his mind!

Damyanti's remarks to Rudra were very nice ... short, sharp and to the point. Ending with 'look after her'.
And I liked the way she told Rudra how anger affects not only the one who gets angry, but also affects all those around. A home truth Rudra would do well to remember.
Also loved the way Damyanti told Paro, 'come to me if ever you need any help'. 
Nice to see Damyanti give Mohini a sharp remark as well ... it could have been longer. Loved Maithili's and Danveer's expressions at Rudra's 'yes'. And equally enjoyed Mohini's fury!

So everything clarified ... Damyanti and Phulwari leave ... leaving Rudra and Paro most confused, bemused, and more than a little embarrassed. Don't know where to look, would be a good description ... loved the Rudra-Paro scene ... no words again between them ... just the body language, the expressions, the averted glances ... saying it all.

Rudra's conversation with Col Singh was very cute ... Seems Rudra is as nervous of Col Singh's wife as the Colonel himself is ... I hope Paro goes to the ball, and we see a nice interaction between Paro and Mrs Singh.

Aman's phone convo with Paro was adorable! Love this bhai-behen pair!

The last PaRud scene was very sweet again ... Paro getting all nervous and excited about the trip ... Maithili encouraging her ... then Rudra comes in most unwilling to take her, so Paro agrees that she didn't want to go anyway.

And in the precap ... Rudra discovers Paro's injury ... and also who inflicted it.

17/4 - Epi 79 ... Paro the Protector

Thursday 17th April

There was a time when Rudra was Paro's protector. He protected her from bodily harm, protected her from being sold off into slavery, protected her even from his own relatives.

Today Paro turns protector ... to protect his honor, his name and his job.

Loved the first scene ... started off with the laughter, then the sudden awareness ... and then the awkwardness ... beautifully portrayed by both actors.  And loved the awkward way Rudra told Paro to share the bed ... and the way she agreed[ wordlessly ... there was a thehraav, a gentleness and a softness in the scene. Liked the little smile on Paro's face at the end of the mouse episode ... she knows how difficult it is for Rudra to show any softness at all, and his last words were more grumbling for the sake of grumbling, than any real anger at all.

The entire dropping the milk, Paro getting burned, and then hiding her burn was pretty contrived ... Paro just had to say that she dropped hot milk on her hand ... or even drop a gentle hint that Kakisa left the milk there ... domestic violence is domestic violence, whether by husband or MIL ... or KCM. Hope Rudra points that out to her ... that she doesn't need to hide her wounds.

However it led to another PaRud scene, with Rudra putting bangles on Paro's hand, Paro hiding her pain ... Sanaya's expressions were awesome there, I could almost feel her pain ... and Rudra finally realising that something was wrong and looking at her questioningly. And I loved Paro's determination to counter all Kakisa's moves, to save and protect her husband's name and badge.

But I hope KCM comes up with better ideas ... or rather, the writers come up with better ideas ... this one was very contrived.

Am rather amused with GH ... he seems to be re-visiting many of the IPK scenes, and turning them into a redemption track of sorts ... Paro almost fell off the bed but Rudra saved her ... Paro got burned the day after marriage, and Rudra will probably apply salve to her burn. 

16/4 - Epi 78 ... Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ... Murdured!!!

Wednesday 16th April

Cute episode ... Rudra singing totally besura, Ajay Devgan style was hilarious ... Sanaya must be so thrilled she's finally gotten a co-star who sings worse than she does!

The chemistry in the last scene was crackling.

*edit*
Very cute episode ... although the Peeping Toms were hard - impossible - to digest ... which social workers go peeping into a married couple's bedroom? Or anyone's bedroom, come to that?!

Starting from the beginning ... Paro comes up with an answer to how Rudra manaos her when she's angry ... to Rudra's complete bafflement and shock ... is that all she could think of?! Sing a song? Kuch kuch hota hai?!
Of course one knows that he will end up singing it to her sooner rather than later. 

Rudra wants to throw the roses ... Paro stops him ... and saves one to press it in a book.
Isn't she worried at all that her life will be full of thorns? Her fate?
Did you just call yourself a thorn? 
He knows what he is ... but she ...
She fell in love with a thorn ... it's done. After all, if her fate has given her thorns, what can she do? Her fate. And no ... not really ... thorns have their own beauty.
Like what? ... incredulous, disbelieving, yet wanting to believe ... because he knows she says what she genuinely believes.
Thorns never fade ... like flowers do ... they stay the same forever, and protect their flowers. 

He has no answer to that one, so he just grouches again about her nonsense. And that reminds him, what was that nonsense about him singing to manao her? 
She's apologetic ... I couldn't think of anything else all of a sudden. I saw that movie ... 
More grouching ... because again a perfectly valid explanation ... she managed to think quickly enough. Go to sleep ... and don't play with mice again. 

But of course the mice want to play ... good thing too, because Mohini has seen her sleeping on the floor, and taken the opportunity to start her own nautanki. Paro woken up by the mouse in the nick of time, sees them coming, tries to wake up a deeply asleep Rudra, fails ... and gets into bed with him as a desperate measure. Just in time for SW2 and Mohini to see the loving couple sleeping cuddled close together ... much to Mohini's fury and SW2's delight.

Rudra wakes up when all the action is over, and is furious ... is she trying to get close to him, to seduce him? And Paro takes umbrage at that ... shocked and hurt ... she let go her own inhibitions to save his job, and all he can do is accuse her ...

Meanwhile SW2, who is obviously a frustrated romantic, decides she wants another look at the loving couple ... and invites Damyantiji to join the audience.
I didn't know sleeping is a performing art!

Damyantiji is understandably reluctant ... but joins reluctantly ... only to find Paro crying in the courtyard.
Mohini exults ... and tries to tell Damyanti she knew it all along ... the poor girl is so persecuted by her brute of a husband ... can Damyantiji please take the girl away now? Damyanti ji tells her she will decide.

Brute of a husband spoils the show by appearing from behind a pillar and singing 'kuch kuch hota hai' to manao his crying wife ... just as Paro had claimed he does ... and as badly as Ajay Devgan in HDDCS ... And he adds insult to Mohini's injury by wiping Paro's tears as tenderly as SRK could ever have done. After which he even more tenderly escorts Paro back to their room ...
Paro seems to know the exact reason for the completely uncharacteristic behaviour ... but she's not protesting. Might as well make the most of it, as long as it lasts.
Methinks she would like to invite Damyantiji and her sidekick to spend a week or two with them ... or maybe a month ... or a year. Or two ...  The side effects on Rudra's behaviour are worth it!
And Rudra might not object too much ... he gets an excuse to be as loving to his wife as he wants to be ... and pretend he doesn't really mean it.

Rudra takes the opportunity to get in a few taunts to Kakisa ... and tell her he knows exactly what she's up to ...

And gets back to tell Paro ... just in case she misunderstood ... why he was being so loving.
Paro has a different problem ... please can he ... never sing again?
And she bursts into giggles ... Rudra is not amused ... he backs her to the pillar ... be quiet!
And suddenly she's backed to the pillar, and he's close to her ... but not really angry ... and the air changes, crackles ... sparks and hisses with a different kind of tension ...

15/4 - Epi 77 ... Nautanki

Tuesday 15th April

Arrival of the Social Workers from the Mahila Sadan ... and the nautanki starts. Mohini trying to show how the wedding took place under dire circumstances and Paro is troubled, tormented and a victim of force and abuse ... unfortunately for her, Danveer and Maithili don't leave her alone to ferment trouble the way she would really love to do.

Rudra and Paro return from the BSD office on the phatphatiya ...
Rudra tells Paro to take care as she gets off ...
Paro is thrilled at his gesture of care ... and *head desk* says so.
Paro darling, haven't you realised by now that your big bear of a husband is petrified of letting the slightest softness show through ... he has a reputation and a facade to maintain, you know!!! So of course Rudra growls back that he's only worried she will fall, because she falls so often ...
Fortunately Paro isn't too concerned by his gruffness ... she does know that Rudra aadat se majboor hai. So she just makes a pithy remark about how whatever she does is wrong in his eyes, and drives his dimaag kharab ... thereby letting him know very subtly that she thinks his dimaag is kharab ... and leaves with the last word.
Paro is becoming wife in the true sense of the word!

Maithili really is a sweetheart ... she rushes out to warn Paro and Rudra that they need to be on their best behaviour ... Rudra takes that to mean that instead of dragging Paro in by her arm, he should hold her hand ... and gently, too.
Thank God he does understand some basic notion of romance. Very basic. Kindergarten level. Maybe below that ... Nursery level.

Anf fortunately for him, since he really can't be polite to save his life, nor can he speak in anything but rough tones, Paro takes over the question answer session ... and gives simple, truthful answers ... sugar coated enough to satisfy the SWs. Or so she hopes.
Of course, interspersed with Mohini trying her best to edge in some zingers designed to create doubt in their minds ... and Danveer neutralising them as best he can.

Rudra decides Paro might get too carried away, so pulls her away to the kitchen to warn her ... but Paro is quite in control of the situation, thank you very much ... and she'll take care of it ... he's fumbling too much, so she can't leave things to him.
Rudra fumbles and mumbles a little more, and decides she just might be right.
Loved the return of the calm, sensible Paro ... taking charge of the situation and taking over. And Rudra is settling well into the role of typical husband ... he may be boss in the office, but wifey is boss at home.
Though he does step in with a couple of sentences of his own when they return with the tea ... but apparently not enough to satisfy Senior SW. She's already heard about Major RP Ranawat ... and she doesn't trust men.
He would understand that ... he doesn't trust women. But only beautiful ones, that is.

So Senior SW decides she will stay a little longer to convince herself and her junior ... and Mohini is very happy (Ananya Khare was very good here ... just her eyes showing her relief and thrill that the SWs were staying on longer, so she got a little more time and opportunity to put her plans into action.)

Paro confers with Maithili ... she knows how important Rudra's job is to him ... it's his life. And she has to make sure she safeguards it, she will do whatever she has to do, to ensure that.

Currently all she has to do is get ready for another rasam ... in another gorgeous lehnga ... am loving Sanaya's outfits in this show!

While Rudra has an agitated conversation with Col Singh ... these women are staying on? For how long? And what does he have to do?
Col Singh treats him like the sulking brat Rudra is behaving like .. be good, or you won't get your stripes back. Be polite ... speak properly to the ladies ... and SMILE.
Rudra banna looks as though he doesn't know the meaning of the word.

The rasam for the newly weds ... the three choices ... a bowl of roses, with the accompanying thorns ...
A bowl of money ...
A bowl of sweet kheer.

And they both choose the roses ... along with the thorns. A life of love ... with the accompanying ups and downs ... 

14/4 - Epi 76 ... Only For His Job

Monday 14th April

I really wonder how long Rudra will be able to convince himself that he hates Paro. I also wonder how long he will be able to convince Paro that he hates her ... that will probably be longer, as Paro takes a lot of his words at face value. Though she also tries to read his actions ... but his words hurt her enough that she takes time to get over them. Leaving it to Maithili to keep note of Rudra's actions, and keep reassuring Paro that she's on the right track.

Rudra is one sulky boy ... he cannot get over the fact that Paro did not trust him enough about Tejawat ... Never mind the fact that she told him repeatedly that she trusted Tejawat, that Tejawat was a father figure to her for fifteen years, that he never gave her an iota of proof about Tejawat ... STILL, he expected Paro to trust him implicitly and sign a document to save his job.
Helloooo, Major saab, whether she trusted you or not, was not the point there ... she could not have signed a document saying she knew about Tejawat's deeds at that point of time, when she did not! Ever heard of something called perjury?!
Of course, Rudra is now just grasping at straws, trying to remember why he has to hate Paro, trying to give her reasons for his hatred, trying to pretend that he's married her only to save his job.

So he takes time to bandage her hand (with a dirty hanky) ... and then picks up the broken pieces of mirror, telling her not to do it, because she'll hurt herself again ... and has to add, that the only reason he doesn't want her to hurt herself is that she'll go running to the BSD with more photos.
The only reason ... yes, of course, Rudra. That's the only reason.

And now since Paro is firmly in his life, and his brain finally gets a respite from the "Keep Paro here, without letting her know it's what I want too" plans ... he can think of other things too ... which include putting the envelope together with a plan to figure out who actually sent the pictures ... not too difficult ... and making the culprit betray himself. Easy as pie ... Sumer, the most ineffective, bumbling villain, gives himself away, and gets one hard punch for his pains.

Only one punch?! For taking the pics and selling them to a newspaper, which cost Rudra his job?
And Paro got the entire hate marriage deal, just for obeying Rudra's instructions for once? He was the one who told her to stand outside the house and then forgot all about her, after all.
Hardly seems fair ... but I guess Rudra is so grateful to Sumer for precipitating a situation which allowed him to marry Paro without letting her, or anyone else, know that he wanted exactly that ... that Sumer got away easy.  

Paro is happy that Sumer is caught ... so now Rudra will get his job back, things will be sorted out, so can he please stop acting like a bear with a sore head, and get on with being a normal husband?
Not so fast ... since Rudra can't blame her for the pics, he has to think of something else to keep up the pretense of hatred ... so he brings back all the old grievances ... she ran away with Tejawat, she didn't trust him, she didn't believe him about her fake husband, she never listens to him, and the one time she did listen, he lost his job.
Rudra sounds like a sulky wife, bringing up all the past grievances to her husband every time he makes a fresh mistake.

Paro is upset ... will he never forgive her for a mistake made out of innocence and ignorance?
No, he won't ... because that's the only thing keeping him from acknowledging that he's head over heels in love with his beautiful wife.

Maithili comes to take Paro away ... since Paro can't go to her maayka, Maithili will do the pagphera rasam here itself ... with all the preparations and customs she can manage. Away from the eyes of dragon MIL ... Maithili seems to manage living with her MIL quite easily! She just ignores her most of the time!

Paro is touched ... and along with the new clothes and jewelry, Maithili gifts her some advice ... a husband should be friend, lover and protector. Rudra is already your protector ... now you need to make him your friend and lover as well.
And Paro takes heart again from her loving Jeeja ... yes, she will. She will bring back Rudra's smile.

Rudra unconsciously fulfills the rasam by coming to fetch her from her make-shift maayka ... and stands transfixed by the radiant beauty his wife is. He even drops a completely inadvertent compliment ... and Paro's eyes light up in a shy smile. Which of course makes him fumble to retract his words instantly ... I didn't mean you're looking nice, I just meant that you're ... umm, looking nice. The way  a bride should look.

Good try, Major, but didn't quite work. Maithili's knowing smile says as much.

So Rudra takes her to the BSD office ... where he again sounds like a sulky boy in front of his Colonel.
I married her, I gave her honour and my name ... I've been a good boy ... Paro, mommy, tell the Colonel I've been a good boy and how happy you are ... now can I have my stars back please? 

Paro, more firm and mature of the two, tells the Colonel frankly, but quietly, that she wanted this marriage, though she's not happy with the way it happened ... but she wanted it, and she will fulfill her vows and her duties. She's in it for life.
Rudra is so stunned and mesmerised by her words, that he forgets to listen to the Colonel.

Col Singh obviously sees that Rudra has some way to go to grow up completely ... so he informs the happy couple that a lady from some social organisation will be visiting them to make sure that he's not ill-treating Paro any more ... no more standing out in the rain and other such stuff. They have to play Happy Couples and Rudra play good husband for a while longer, if he wants his stars back.

So both Paro and Rudra know exactly why the social worker is coming, and what they have to do. And Rudra has the perfect excuse to be loving to Paro ... it's only for his job.

While Mohini realises this is the perfect way to hurt Rudra ... through Paro. Because she is much smarter than Rudra or Paro ... she knows it's not for his job at all. 

Piya Na Rahe Mann Basiya

(Piya Na Rahe Mann Basiya from Tanu Weds Manu)

Hindi 
Piya na rahe man basiya (3 times)
Sakhi re…

English Translation 
[Love’s no longer the beloved of my mind,
My Dear friend]

Paro - My love is not the lover I thought he was, he is not the God I idolised. He did not marry me for love, but out of hatred.  

Hindi 
Megh nahi bijuri ban barse,
Mohe ek chama hi nahi arje,
Pathar san karke jiyara,
Bole ja ban basiya…
Piya na rahe man basiya…

English Translation 
[No timid cloud, she strikes like a thunder, 
Finds me not worthy of a pardon
Her cruel heart as rigid as a stone,
Curses me to disappear in oblivion]

Paro - He showers on me, not his love like the soft, life-giving rain ... but his harshness, like the piercing lightning. He does not deem me worthy of forgiveness. His heart as rigid and hard as stone, he bids me to leave him and disappear, for he will never let me in. He will never love me. 

Stanza 01

Hindi 
Ansuwan sang mora bah gaya kajra
utri menhdi sookha gajra
is vasant ko patjhar kar wo
le gayo, le gayo, le gayo, le gayo rang, rang rasiya
Piya na rahe manbasiya…

English Translation 
[My kohl’s awashed in tears,
Bridal motifs on my hand lost its glory, 
So did the jasmine beaded in my hair
My spring’s cursed with falling leaves,
Look how she faded away all my colors, 
Love’s no longer the beloved of my mind,
My Dear friend]

Paro - My kohl has been washed away by my tears. My bridal mehndi has faded, the flowers with which I decked myself as a bride have dried away. The marriage which heralded a new spring in my life, he turned it to ashes, the budding spring flowers into the dead leaves of autumn ... and he took the promise of that new spring away from me. The man I love, my rang rasiya ... he does not love me. The man I married, this is not the man I love. 

Stanza 02

Hindi 
Pal na kate ab sakhi re piya bin
Neem sa kadwa laage din
Pal na kate ab sakhi re piya bin
Neem sa kadwa laage ab din
Us pe ye chanda, haye chanda bhi bana sakhi sautan ki,
Us pe ye chanda haye sakhi sautan ki
Teeso raat mori amawasiya
Is vasant ko…..
Piya na rahe manbasiya

English Translation 
[Oh friend, Must I say, 
Every single moment seems frozen without her,
Oh this bitter day is killing,
And the moon befreinded my elusive lover too,
My fortnights in darkness so chilling,
Love no longer remains the beloved of my mind,
My Dear friend…]

Paro - How hard it is to live without that man, the one I thought loved me, cared for me. Now every day seems as bitter as the bitter neem. On top of which, even the moon seems to be the friend of my sauten, the darkness. For every night now is dark like an amawas for me. This day of spring, I lost my love, for he does not love me. 

Credit for translation : http://krsnamusic.com/lyrics/tanu-weds-manu-lyrics/piya-na-rahe-man-basiya-song-translation-piya-english-translation/

Note by translator ... the song is actually a voice of Manu’s feelings, who’s in pain for getting refused by his lover “Tanu”. 

The lyrics in red - interpreted in the context of Paro Rudra depict Paro's pain at her love being rejected by Rudra, and her realisation that he did not marry her as a result of her tapasya, but out of hatred because of the loss of his job.

This is the next phase of Paro moving out of the shadow of the divine Shiv-Parvati story, into realisation that Rudra is a mere mortal, and she has a long way to go to win his heart. 

Have to hand it to the creatives ... this choice of song is wonderful! 

11/4 - Epi 75 ... Suhaag Raat and The Morning After

Friday 11th April

Playing games, are we, Rudra banna? The way you feel, you won't be able to keep this facade of hatred up for too long ... the cracks are already showing.
I do wonder whether your brain has actually kicked into gear after seeing that envelope ... or will you accuse Paro of selling the standing on one leg story ... If you actually think she did that, your brain has definitely gone into the same black hole that ASR's shatir dimaag did, never to re-emerge. However, I have hopes that you will be smarter than that.

The pace and intensity of the show has really picked up now ... things are becoming interesting.

So drunk Rudra issues worried Paro a challenge ... the start of the hate marriage and the hate-filled vows to make her life miserable. And he starts with forcing her to drink milk, if she really wants him not to drink his whiskey.
Now if he was really as terrible and evil as he claims to be, wouldn't he have forced Paro to drink the whiskey instead?
Of course poor Paro obliges ... anything to stop him from getting more drunk ... even though she hates milk and it makes her ill. And it does ... he forces her to drink the whole jug, she does, and then promptly rushes to throw up.
Followed by Rudra ... who does exactly the same ... he had obviously reached his limit too.
And after throwing up, he promptly passes out ... on the floor, on top of Paro.
Leaving her to do what he has done on quite a few occasions earlier for her ... deal with an unconscious dead weight, and get him into bed.
It was obviously far easier to Rudra ... Paro is about half his weight!

But Paro manages to drag him to bed ... even manages to get him on it ... settles him for the night ... and makes her own bed on the floor.

Only to be thwarted by ... a mouse?

I actually don't blame Paro AT ALL for getting on to the bed ... I absolutely don't. And this has to be the first suhaag raat ever on TV where the couple actually spent their first night together, and on the same bed.
Anything more than that is asking for too much!

In the morning, all cuteness over ... Rudra's mind games start. First he scares Paro witless by pretending he doesn't remember anything that happened last night, including their marriage.
And when she runs to Maithili to confide in her, he reappears and casually asks his 'wife' for tea ... oh yes, he remembers everything that happened ... very clearly. Paro is flummoxed ... what is he up to?

In the meantime, Sumer gets his payment for his photograph and tidbit of news, and disposes of the envelope casually ... a shade too casually.

Rudra warns the rest of the family to stay out ... no interference between him and his wife. And where's his tea?
Mohini remarks he needs to keep his wife under control from the start, else she will go haywire. Rudra remarks it's a pity no one gave his kaakusa that advice.
I like it when Rudra manages to shut Mohini up :)

And Rudra, restless already within ten minutes of not seeing Paro, goes hunting for his missing tea. Or rather, for his missing wife.

Only to find that Paro, far from making tea, is sitting huddled in the bedroom, in the middle of the pieces of the shattered mirror ... the enormity of the situation sinking in. Rudra did not do everything last night in a fit of drunken rage ... he will not repent in the morning, as soon as he is sober. He is as angry and bitter about the situation sober as he was drunk ... he is as vicious with her when sober in the morning, as he was last night when drunk.

But Paro is not one to sit and take everything ... she asks him directly ... why are you doing this?
And he sits down and answers her truthfully ... or the truth as he is seeing it in his warped, twisted way ... because of you, I lost my rank, my honor ... so I will make your life miserable, as you have made mine. And get acquainted with tears, because you're going to be seeing a lot of them. 

She moves away ... and cuts her hand on the glass.
In a second, Rudra is with her, holding her hand, tending to her cut, staunching the blood ...
She snatches her hand away ... when he's promised her tears and pain, why the need to soothe the pain?

But he's not listening ... she's hurt, she's bleeding ... he can't see that.
She tells him bitterly, tears are more painful than a mere cut ... but he doesn't care ... continues to bandage her wound.
And she stays silent, and stares at him ... this man, so contradictory, so difficult to fathom ... he gives her pain and hurt, and then stays to soothe the pain and bandage the hurt. He hides more than he reveals ... he means more than he says ... and sometimes says far more than he means, and reveals more than he hides.

Paro, the man is bipolar ... get him to a psychiatrist ... and fast!

Fortunately, on Monday, Rudra discovers the envelope Sumer threw in the dustbin. If he seriously thinks Paro is involved, I will lose all the sympathy for him that I am managing to retain right now! If on the other hand, he does discover the real culprit, I am looking forward to what he will do!

10/3 - Epi 74 ... Eight Vows of Hatred, Grihapravesh with Love

Thursday 10th April

Today's episode reminded me so much of the hate marriage in IPKKND, especially the part where Paro sinks down to the floor alone.

But fortunately, here she is not alone. And her grihapravesh takes place with all the love and respect that Danveer, Maithili, and with them, Sunehri and Samrat can give her. Because they all know Rudra, know his anger, his hurt at today's events ... and can see him taking all that anger out on Paro.

Before that ... a surprisingly lucid Rudra recites eight perfectly numbered vows of hatred, including the last, where he pulls Paro close, and grandly announces that he will never be hers (Ashish went OTT again today, after a restrained performance yesterday) ... fills her maang with sindoor, ties a mauli as a makeshift mangalsutra ... and then stalks off.

And Paro faints ... she hasn't done that for a while ... oh wait, she just did after the rain episode 
Fortunately Maithili and the rest are there for her, to sprinkle water, revive her ...

Mohini is hopping mad at yet another failure of her plans ... far from Rudra or Paro leaving the house, both are even more firmly settled in, as husband and wife now too! She can see her dreams of owning the haveli receding further and further ... this was all a grand plan of Dilsher, he told her he would make sure his grandchildren inherited the haveli, and that's exactly what's happening. And she stalks off, commanding her family to follow suit.

Which they do.

Leaving Paro alone ... reminding me of Khushi in IPK.

But fortunately, here Paro is not alone. Danveer, kind understanding Danveer, loving sisterly Maithili, and with them Sunehri and Samrat are there ... to tell Paro they understand ... both Rudra's anger and his hurt ... and also Paro's pain. And to show her that despite the way things happened, they are more than happy to welcome her into the family. This is her home now.

Paro, the orphan girl, has a home of her own at last.  

So Paro's grihapravesh takes place without her husband, but with affectionate in-laws ... enough to take away some of the pain of the way her marriage happened, and leave her with a tremulous smile on her lips.

But of course Rudra can't leave Paro alone for too long ... back he comes ... grihapravesh without me, darling? Not happening ... I'm carrying you in, and straight to our bedroom for our suhaag raat. 
Which he does, and then proceeds to celebrate ... not with wife, but with whiskey.

Paro understands Rudra much better than he knows ... she knows he's hurting from the events of the day ... and is taking it all out on her. But she also seems to know that he can't really bring himself to hurt her. All that bluster and threats about suhaag raat are just that ... bluster.

So no whiskey for him ... he's had enough. Milk it is.
Which he refuses to drink ... Rudra is back to his twelve year old self.
Not quite ... he makes a deal with Paro ... you drink milk, and I won't drink my whiskey.

Let's see what happens tomorrow. So far Paro has been able to handle Rudra quite well, and calm him down at the worst of times ... hope it continues.

9/4 - Epi 73 ... Home Made wedding.

Wednesday 9th April

Rudra hauled up at BSD HQ ... stripped off his medals, his title, his badge ... the end of the life he knows and loves.

As Paro adorns herself with his mother's saree, her ornaments ... and dresses up as a bride. What promises to be the start of a new life ... or so she hopes.

Oh, the irony!
Watched the Mahabharat episode today ... Draupai vastraharan, a woman being stripped in the middle of a public hall, as her husbands watch.
Then watched Rangrasiya ... a man being stripped of his honour, his pride ... in the midst of his colleagues, his seniors.
While Paro, unconscious and oblivious to the upcoming storm, gets ready to face a new life, a new hope ... hope given to her by Dilsher, the man who knows Rudra best.

Rudra did try to justify himself ... but what could he say that could possibly justify that picture? Paro was a girl supposed to be under BSD protection, under his protection ... how could matters reach such a point, what was he doing to allow that? No matter how he claimed he didn't force her to stand like that, that it was her choice ... the picture was too damning. Coupled with Paro's recent public proposal at the medal ceremony, the marriage events before that, the public jhaanki, the all too visible wedding preparations ... however much he argued they were all for the 'mission', the fact remained that he had taken advantage of a barely literate village girl for his own ends, and her change of heart was the result. A change of heart he had tried to deny, but she refused to listen. And now he is being held responsible for the mess .. he has to sort it out. And till he does so, he loses his rank, his honour, his pride .. his job ... the very reason he has for living.

Just for that, Rudra needs to lose his job ... to learn that jobs don't make a life. People do.

So Rudra does what he normally does in times of stress ... something he has learned from his father? He gets drunk.

And in his drunken stupor, Paro assumes the burden of responsibility for every wrong that has befallen him ever since she entered his life ... all he did was to save her at every turn ... from the goons, from her fake husband and fake marriage ... and what did she do in return? Stripped him of everything he holds dear in life ... which come to think of it, is just ... his work.

Rudra always had the tendency to feel sorry for himself ... alcohol seems to compound the tendency!

So he returns home, roaring drunk ... where Sumer and Mohini and Sunehri are quibbling over a favorite chair ... and Paro is trying out her new clothes ... worst possible timing for Paro to do that!
She looked beautiful in the red saree, though ...

And he proceeds to list out a litany of her sins ... ever since she entered his life, he has lost everything ...

Rudra banna, whose idea was it to force Paro into marriage as blackmail for her to sign the papers? And to make the wedding rituals as public as possible? And offer Sumer money to marry her, an offer she refused, thereby making himself an enemy in Sumer? And tell her to stand outside the house till he called her in? And then forget about her, till she got soaked, giving Sumer ample opportunity to take pictures and leak them?

And since Paro has caused his loss ... or rather, her zidd to marry him has caused it ... he will fulfill her zidd ... he will marry her right away. To get his job back. That's all. Of course. Because his job is all that is good about him ... all that he's worth.

Rudra loves his country, his honour ... but not himself. That is the crux of Rudra's problems ... his low self-worth, his hatred for himself ... all created by the betrayal of his mother and the poison of his father. He thinks that all he has in him to be loved or respected, or even liked ... is his job. That he has nothing in himself worth loving ... why else would his mother leave him? 

His being stripped of his job, his honor, his pride, is essential for him to realise what is truly important in life ... that is the people, people who love him for what he is ... and despite what he is.

So a home made wedding ... a masala crushing urn is the havan kund, the colorful flying dupattas are the havan samagri, and Mohini's favorite chair is the firewood.

And the vows are Rudra's version ... but that will have to wait for tomorrow.

8/4 - Epi 72 ... Chupana bhi Nahin Aata, Jataana Bhi Nahin Aata

Tuesday 8th April

The title says it all.

Will edit the episode later .. just adding thoughts as they strike me.

The actress playing Maithili was awesome today ... her voice modulation and inflections were spot on as she questioned Rudra ... sweetly, politely but taunts nevertheless, delivered in the softest of voices. She is taking her role as elder sister very seriously ... am loving it. Her questions not only showed a mirror to Rudra, but also showed her protectiveness towards Paro. Loved the way she was ready to spend the night with Paro to take care of her. 

Loved the way she questioned Rudra persistently ... why are you bothered? You keep saying you don't care about her, why did you bother to bring her in? Why not just leave her outside? It's her madness, isn't it, what's it to you?

Alas, Rudra is not ready to face those questions ... let alone answer them. Yet he can't be rude to Maithili, because he has started respecting her ... so he just tells her he'll handle it, thank you for your help.

And loved the way Maithili backed off the moment he said that ... nervous she had said too much ... typical of women in this situation. 

So Paro's influence in Rudra's life has already seeped in .. for a man who did not believe in relationships, who called even his father by name - 'Ranawat' ... he now has baapusa, kaakusa and the latest ... bhabhisa. 

Secondly, I loved Paro's nervousness today ... why is she here, who changed her clothes ... the first sign of insecurity showing as she questioned both Maithili and showed her doubts to Dilsher in her eyes. Ever since Paro accepted Bholenath has sent Rudra for her, she had no doubts about his place in her life, and her place in his ... it was worship, a divine message for her.

But today she questioned it, showed her doubts ... the divinity has to be tempered and fade, to bring in the more earthly, worldly love ... for Paro to have doubts in the face of Rudra's constant refusal is natural, much more natural than her fixed certainty about their being meant to be. 

And I loved the way Paro repeated her question again when Rudra tried to run away ... Major saab, I asked you something ... in a firm, confident tone.

No, Paro is no pushover, and never will be ... she is not scared of Rudra in the least.

Which is what will make this hate marriage interesting to watch ... 

As also the fact that the entire household will know the entire scenario completely, will know what goads Rudra into marriage finally, ... and with two exceptions, are all on Paro's side.   And those two are on their own side, not Rudra's! No secrets or silly MU's here ... everything is out in the open. That itself makes it interesting to watch and pretty unique! 

7/4 - Epi 71 ... Paro Bani Pujaran

Monday 7th April

Paro is convinced she and Rudra are made for each couple a la Shiv Parvati ... they even share the same names. So she finds nothing wrong in trying to win Rudra ... despite his complete disbelief, lack of interest and downright incredulity. He tries to tell her they are not Shiv Parvati reincarnated ... she's not bothered what he says. She wants to do this ... this is her belief, and it is too strong. So he leaves her with a task ... to stay standing outside till he calls her in. Paro makes things a little more difficult for herself by deciding to stand on one foot ... obviously inspired by the stories of Parvati's penance.

And she stands ... and stands ... and stands ...

Danveer and family return, and wonder what's the matter with her.
Paro stands.

Mohini tells the family not to interfere.
Paro stands.

Maithili tries to call her in.
Paro stands.

Sumer wants his money ... Rudra refuses ... not his problem if Sumer wasn't man enough for Paro. Sumer sees red and decides to do something drastic.

Paro stands ... and chants "Om Namo Shivaya"

Dilsher wakes up from his coma ... much to the delight of the family, and the disgust of Mohini and Sumer.
Paro stands and chants 'Om Namo Shivaya.'

Rudra cries with relief that Dilsher is awake ...
Paro stands and chants.

Dilsher refutes absolutely the mere possibility that Paro could have set fire to his room. A woman in bridal clothes, whose face he didn't see ... he scoffs at the thought. And he wants to see Paro.
Paro stands and chants.

Rudra tries to tell him it was Paro ... Dilsher wants to see Paro.
Paro stands and chants.
Rudra will go crazy between father and Paro ... both are far too strong minded for him.

The skies open up, and Paro stands and chants in the pouring rain.

Sumer takes the chance, and clicks some pictures of Paro ... he will use them to crucify Rudra. Not man enough, is he?

And finally Rudra sees Paro still standing outside in the pouring rain, the way he had left her, soaking wet ... and runs outside in shocked horror ... she's still standing there?!  His 'pagal ladki' has more concern and worry than anger in it ... as Paro smiles shakily to see him there ... he finally came to call her. She manages to ask hazily ... 'do you trust ...? and faints into his arms.

So Paro's faith triumphs over Rudra's disbelief. She does know him well after all, she knows that there is a soft heart beating under that jallad exterior, she knows that despite his harsh words, he cannot see her in pain ... and she has seen the child in the man, the child yearning for love and attention. The child who wants to know that he means something to someone. Who wants to know that she will keep her word.

Preca - Maithili tells Rudra she can see his pain whenever Paro is in pain ... he can't hide it.

4/4 - Epi 70 ... Filler

Friday 4th April

Quick update as I watched the episode late after a flight.

Good things ... Paro and Maithili between them prove her innocence in the fire. This was actually the best thing in the episode. Why couldn't Rudra do anything about this till now?

Mohini actually talks sense about Paro's re-entry in the house. Danveer also intervenes, so Paro is back home.

Mohini-Sumer scene.

Paro opening the door to Rudra and not showing her face was cute.

The kitchen dori scene was good, the Paro falling into Rudra's arms after that was contrived.

Rudra shouting at Paro and calling her character dheela, was uncalled for. The writers need to start toning down Rudra's rage and anger, he is getting very repetitive.

The precap, with Paro standing on one leg, is silly. Hopefully this was a filler episode, as there was an important match at the same time, and next week, they will get on to the wedding.

Will update later if I can.

3/4 - Epi 69 ... Manmaani

Thursday 3rd April

Light hearted fun episode today, despite the expected event of Rudra turning down Paro, despite all her pleas and Kaaksa's arguments. Uh oh, he threw the doll out too ... that was not nice, Rudra!

He feels bad ... of course he does. Rudra is much more in love with Paro than he would like to admit ... he's fighting it hard, it's an uphill battle all the way. So he goes out to check where she is ... did she take him at his word and actually leave? And he's relieved to find her sleeping outside ... so relieved that he almost wakes her up to take her inside. But at the last minute, he sees the sindoor ... and he remembers again ... there is no relationship between them.

Mohini returns Rudra's money. Much to Sumer's annoyance. But Mohini cajoles him again ... she needs his help to get rid of Rudra and Dilsher. And this time, having seen how much Rudra hates having Paro around ... she's found another way.

But Paro is not giving up so easily ... this feels right to her ... this gives her happiness ... and for once she wants to go after her own happiness, not do as she is told, as she has done all her life. So what if Rudra said no ... that's beside the point. She's not giving up yet ... not by a long shot.

Loved the scene with Paro and the doll ... the cvs made sure to explain Paro's thoughts and feelings tonight, and it made so much difference.

Also loved that Paro baisa has brains ... she doesn't trust Mohini KCM an inch. What a refreshing change, after all the heroines (and heroes) always fall for the villain's tales. But Paro is not above using Mohini's help to achieve her own ends ... getting inside the house is the first. Mohini thinks she's using Paro ... Paro is using Mohini ... wonder who will come out on top in this one.

Paro and Maithili share the brains between them ... Maithili has not forgotten the mystery of the duplicate dupatta ... neither has Paro forgotten the mystery of the fire. So Maithili tells Paro she has something that might help ... and Paro goes to investigate Dilsher's room. And she strikes pay dirt right away ... finds the jar of ghee.

Rushes out with the jar, trips over a stone ... and brains Rudra with the ghee ka dabba. Rushes to him and sehlaos his head ... much to his impotent seething shock and fury ... she's back again?!
Another attempt to throw her out .. pre-empted by Mohini ... and Rudra is left gnashing his teeth in helpless anger.

So a filler episode ... light and entertaining ... Paro is back in the haveli, this time to stay ... and she's free to woo her very reluctant man. And do some detective work on the side.

2/4 - Epi 68 ... Maan Na Maan, Main Teri Patni

Wednesday 2nd April

Update later ... long episode!

Paro baisa is ziddi in the extreme ... Rudra really, REALLY shouldn't have started the whole chain of marriage thoughts in her head. Ab bhugto!

*Quick update* 

Good episode, flowed well, it was an hour long and had almost no filler scenes, well done by the team.

Finally Paro's thoughts were given space, as was her realisation that she belongs with Rudra ... all the signs she puts together, from the doll, to her rescue, to the forced marriage ... and off she goes to tell him that she's not going to marry Sumer, she's going to marry him.

Liked the scene where Rudra thinks she has decided to marry Sumer, and he almost loses it ... trying desperately to tell himself it doesn't matter to him. Ashish tends to go OTT in many solo scenes.

Maithili gets some brains!

The BSD award ceremony ... I was not looking forward to the public tamasha ... but it was very beautifully done. Sanaya SHONE in the scene ... a fabulous restrained performance ... Paro's joy and pure love shining in her eyes ... uncaring of the surroundings, of anything except the need to tell Rudra her feelings.

Ashish gave her good support ... he is always better in his scenes with Sanaya than alone.

The Paro-Rudra confrontation where she tries to persuade him they're made for each other, and he tries equally desperately to persuade her she's wrong, was good. 

1/4 - Epi 67 ... Heads I win, Tails You Lose

Tuesday 1st April

So this was Rudra's grand plan ... if Paro accepts his proposal to marry Sumer, Sumer has been bribed enough to leave town with Paro. And if she refuses to marry Sumer, Rudra can throw her out saying she doesn't mean her pleas for forgiveness. Heads he wins, tails she loses. He gets rid of Paro.

In all of this, Rudra seems to have completely forgotten that Paro is officially a BSD state witness ... the BSD for which he was crying crocodile tears over the threat of losing his job in ... now he's forgotten all about the fact that he's still in the BSD, and Paro is under his protection.
Rudra's dimaag has gone for an equally long vacation as ASR's did. There was no thought of suspecting Sumer or Mohini ... no thinking at all, in fact ... he just wants Paro to leave. Because beautiful women are not to be trusted. So he will not trust her.
Rudra is coming across as seriously mentally unstable.

And he's pretty sure she will refuse ... just in case she actually wants to self-destruct enough to go ahead with the marriage, he makes it a point to show her her old wedding dress, a reminder of the last time she wore it in a sham wedding.
Because he actually cannot see her with any other man. Whether he admits it to himself or not. He just wants her to go away, and stop making a hole in his heart and settling herself in there.
And Paro knows it. Hence her soft-voiced question ... 'if I marry Sumer and go away, will you finally be at peace?'
Of course he won't. But he can't admit that.

 

Sumer actually came across as a fairly harmless rogue in his attempts to convince Paro to marry him ... not evil in the least, but completely self-centred and uncaring about anything or anyone other than himself. Including his mother ... giving Mohini the shock of her life, when he threatens to expose her fire treachery, if she tries to stop his marriage. Nagin ka beta saanp hi toh hoga ...

Maithili discovers the duplicate dupatta ... but doesn't do anything much about it ... yet. Although she does see that the tear Paro mended, is missing. She doesn't seem to realise the entire truth, but she does feel sorry enough for Paro to go and speak to her, and tell her not to marry Sumer if she doesn't want to. And also to search her heart as to whom she really does want to marry.
Samrat is a wimp and a wuss ... his brother is wrecking his life, and Samrat is not bothered ... he doesn't want to get into any trouble with his mother. Let Sumer do what he wants ... Samrat can't care less.

And Paro discovers the doll she gave Rudra fifteen years ago ... and from that, she concludes that she and Rudra are meant to be together.
So time to turn the tables on Rudra ... he humiliated her with a public sauda of her marriage with Sumer ... she will return the favour, completely innocently of course, by asking him to marry her in public in front of his entire BSD unit. Doll included. Hoist with his own petard.
Serves you right, Rudra banna ... hope his CO's have something to say (finally!) at his weird methods of protecting his witness.