Rangrasiya - 26th-31st May ... Epi 106 - 111

Post for the new week, including the ME on Saturday.

Monday 26th May ... Tum Paas Aaye 
Lovely episode today, good balance of romance, comedy, drama and emotions. Sanaya did say in a recent interview that the passion quotient hadn't even started, it was going to come in ... she was right. The passion is just about starting now.

Loved all the Parudilicious scenes ... starting with the first ... paas aayiye, door jaayiye ... paas aayiye ... seems like a foreshadowing of things to dome ... especially when Rudra asks Paro, how many times will you tell me to go far ... and she says,  just once more ... Also her words, door to jaan hi hoga ... an indicator of her vow to Bholenath ... and an upcoming separation.
That was one sensuous sari folding session! The way their hands were touching, releasing, moving reluctantly away, then coming close to touch again ...

Then Paro's trip, Rudra's failed catch and fall ... and the blue dye ... Rudra's uninhibited laughter ... and Paro's shy wonder at this new, unfamiliar sight ... before she too dissolved into soft, sweet giggles ... delighted at seeing her man happy for the first time.

One of the most important things in a relationship is laughter .. laughing together, teasing ... and it was significant that it was Paro who released the carefree laughter of Rudra, that was caged inside him for the last fifteen years ... caged so tightly that Rudra felt embarrassed to be seen laughing by the other family members, and stopped as soon as he realised he and Paro were not alone ... with Paro, he can laugh, smile ... but not as yet with anyone else.

Dilsher's face when he saw Rudra laughing ... his choked emotions ... his heartfelt thanks to Paro ... loved the small Dilsher - Paro scene. The emotions of a father who knows he has gone very wrong with his son ... but sees his son getting a second chance at life because of a young girl ... his gratitude to that girl is the foundation of the deep affection he holds for her, because she has saved his son's soul.

Paro washing the blue dye off Rudra's face  ... another soft, uninhibitedly sensuous scene ... both actors were par excellence in this scene. The awakening of new unfamiliar feelings of passion in Paro, the blazing heat in Rudra's eyes, passion he has known before, but not this type ... for once, he is not in control, he loses himself in the soft touches, the gentle caresses as Paro wipes his face clean of the dye, her touch lingering more than needed, her hands moving slowly, softly ...
And he recollects himself only when Paro reminds him ... he came to give her something, what?
Her earring ... and suddenly it's important that he put it on himself ... he remove the one she's wearing himself, and switch it with this one ... a memory of their memorable night in Jaipur.
But when she asks, you kept it safely all this time? ... he doesn't answer ... he never answers any of Paro's awkward questions.
Not that it stops her asking them ... not getting an answer is an answer in itself ... as her shy barely there smile says.

In the meantime ...
Samrat gets his first order in his new business, and runs to celebrate with Maithili ... sweet Maithili-Samrat scene.
Laila and Sumer try to outdrink each other ... Sumer gets maudin about missing his mother and home, Laila offers that he marry her and they can go back together.
Sumer laughs at her suggestion ... much to Laila's fury. Another man who is ready to touch her, feel her up ... but she's not good enough for anything more than that. And she tries to goad him, shame him into the idea .. but he's not buying it.
Yet.

PaRud ... as usual, Paro is nothing if not tenacious ... so back to the subject fascinating her. She wants answers, in words, please ... none of this, my actions speak louder business ...  towelled dry, she asks Rudra again ... can I have my earring back, the one you just took off?
Rudra doesn't want to give it back ... he likes having something of hers with him always.
Fortunately for him, Maithili interrupts ... much to her embarrassment ... and sweet cupid Maithili makes up for her interruption by giving Rudra the excuse to take his wife out on a date ... to buy vegetables. Kaddu is urgently required in the house.
Maithili is a sweetheart!
Rudra realises what she's trying to do, and cooperates immediately ... he'll go buy the kaddu ... no, he doesn't know anything about vegetables so Paro has to come along ... Paro shouldn't go alone, she might get lost ... Paro looked baffled at that one ... so Maithili has to physically beat some sense into her ... this is a date, bewakoof ladki! Get ready and go with your hubby! 

Laila in the marketplace ... swinging along in a temper ... some strange man wrapped in a blanket in the desert heat, recognises her as Rudra's khabri,  Laila is kidnapped!

While Paro and Rudra are happily enjoying an ice cream date.

Tuesday 27th May ... Ranawat Family Woes 
So the PaRud marriage continues to deepen and strengthen ... small things that make up the fabric of life, humdrum shopping, bargaining ... Or rather, Paro bargaining while Rudra looks on indulgently and amuse duly, his pride apparent as Paro blithely declares herself the wife of a BSD major, and then self-consciously peeps at him to see if this bravado is acceptable, or will he bite her head off for her daring ... Her confidence grows with every step, every time Rudra's anger does not erupt to silence her ... An exuberance, a childlike delight emerging from within the earlier quiet staid Paro ... For Paro wore her soft smile and demure exterior as a mask to hide her own sorrows as much as Rudra wore his ever present anger to hide his. And now both their masks are slowly peeling away. 

In the Ranawat haveli, in the meantime, Mohini's insecurity grown deeper as another one of her children goes away from her. First Sumer was thrown out, more by her own greed and selfishness than anything else ... and now Samrat wants to emerge from the shadows to do his own thing. And to Mohini's mortification, everyone else in the family seems to know and support his ambitions ... except for herself. Mohini's control over her family seems to be unravelling slowly and steadily. 
While Dilsher, with the wisdom that age and experience ... and his own lifetime of regrets ... taught him ... tries to play peacemaker and family elder for the first time ... not replying to Mohini's barbs with his own for once, but instead trying to make peace. 

Paro and Rudra share a gola date ... Again Paro's exuberance to the fore as Rudra indulges her ... You saved ten rupees with your bargaining skills, so I can afford an ice cream for both of us. And Paro tries to choose ... so many colors, so many flavours, she wants them all. Much like herself ... wanting to try all the colours that life has to offer, while she has the opportunity ... for tomorrow she might have to leave Rudra, and only have the memories to live on. So she wants to make as many memories as she can, enjoy her time with him, as much time as her Bholenath allows her.  

Not too much time ... Laila interrupts again ... by her absence rather than her presence. Just as Paro asks Rudra another pointed question he doesn't want to answer ... Why did he take leave from office? 
To take her to the doctor, of course.
But they've been back from the doctor for four hours, he didn't go back to office ... Why? 
An embarrassed Rudra isn't ready to answer ... saved by the bell. Or by the phone ... Laila is missing. 

Paro and Rudra in the BSD office, where Rudra is sure Laila was doing drama all along ... Paro is saddened that he still finds it difficult to trust anyone.
Aman comes with evidence that Laila did in fact escape ... she left bolsters in her bed to fool her guards and the window is open. Faced with this proof, Paro has to let go her faith in Laila's goodness ... and she returns home, deeply upset that Laila was trying to fool her all along ... she remembers the other girl's confidence that she knew Rudra so much better than Paro did, her honeyed sympathy towards Paro ... all of it was false. Laila was trying to deepen the wedge between Paro and Rudra so that Paro would lose her confidence and step back from Rudra's life ... Rudra knew it, and tried to tell Paro so, but Paro could not see it. Again she put her faith in the goodness of people, only to have it betrayed. 
So Paro determines that she will trust Rudra from now onwards ...

What will happen when they discover that Laila was in fact kidnapped by Thakur? Will they believe her this time, and get fooled by her again? Or will this be a case of Laila crying wolf? 

Thakursa is back! 

I liked the episode on the whole, because the entire cast was brought in, and the parallel tracks were given due importance and space. Probably because Ashish is busy with JDJ, so his time constraints mean that other tracks were needed. Something good emerging out of JDJ after all. However, the episode was rushed ... with so much happening, they need to slow down on all the scenes.  

Wednesday 28th May ...