IPKKND ek Jashn ... Day 2

Saturday 28th November



My beautiful banner, made by Shweta ... thanks, Shwets!


Day two 
More flashbacks from Arnav ... starting with rewind of Khushi's annoyed phone call ... why is he bad-mouthing her? She's leaving! To which all Arnav can say is, 'haven't you already left?' Which infuriates Khushi further ... Arnav's response is to tell HP not to relay all he says to his wife ... considering that Arnav is mainly reminiscing about his love story, would have thought it would be good for that to get back to Khushi!

So Arnav gets back to reminiscing ... he loves plants, Khushi says that's because they don't answer him back, and he likes that ... which is possibly true ... or maybe not ... because Khushi answers him back all the time. And he remembers their first meeting in the dargah when he told her he doesn't believe in God, and her reaction ...

Time for another flashback ... the dargah one ...  

Gifts arrive for Khushi from the Guptas ...

Nani calls ... (not in the flesh, sadly) ... and expresses annoyance that Arnav forgot his anniversary ... yet again.
Arnav not noticeably bothered ... he has a plan in place. He will take Khushi to the dargah and they will both open their locks with their mannat ki chaabis. A few fumbles later, he locates his key, and the Lucknow tickets. And muses that if Khushi saw him fumbling around, she would start talking nineteen to the dozen ... how can anyone talk so much? He can't ...

Dia's note - Considering that he's been giving running commentary for the last episode and a half, that sounded quite out of place! 

More reminiscences ... how Khushi remembers and celebrates every anniversary ... the day he first spoke nicely to her, the day he first wiped her tears ... and he admits he too remembers quite a few firsts ... the first time she made him laugh ...

Flashback time again ... besan smeared Khushi trying to apologise ... ASR laughing for the first time in years ... much to the delight of Anjali Di ...

Arnav wonders ... how can anyone not know when they have besan all over their face? Only Khushi can ... and look so adorable and cute and confused at the same time ...

Time for gifts from the Guptas ... and a quick tie up of loose ends ... babuji is now fine, and his sweet shop is up and running back in Lucknow ... Anjali now runs an NGO for street kids.

Glad they remembered these two ... good to know Anjali found a vocation in life, and is not either pining after Shyam, or happily married to another man.

Aman calls again ... like in the original show, Aman's calls are omniscient. Arnav locates the key ... not his mannat, he clarifies ... Di's mannat. And the answer to Di's mannat was Khushi ... never could Di have expected that! And now that he thinks about it, Khushi was always there ... everywhere ... in his office, his house, the boot of his car ... 

Arnav opens the letter ... startled ... reaches for his phone ...

Again no Khushi ...which is why the delayed update :(

Precap ... Akash Arnav bromance ...

IPKKND - ek Jashn ... Day One ... Rewind Replay

Tuesday 24th November



Banner and collages from my dear friend, Shweta ... thanks, Shwets!!!




IPKKND Ek Jashn  - One Day in the lives of Arnav and Khushi, three years later. 

The Jashn starts with a bland voiceover detailing a synopsis of the USP of the show ... Arnav and Khusi's 'nafrat paas aane na de, mohabbat door jaane na de' love story ... accompanied by flashbacks of their moments. The ones I liked were the Teri Meri and Diwali flashbacks and commentary on their mohabbat, and the temple engagement with the voiceover sonorously recounting how they always separated to meet again ...

Episode (if you can call it that) starts with a groggy Arnav reaching out to Khushi, her name on his lips, and Khushi on his mind, first thing in the morning, as it often was during the show. She's missing. A new HP in a long line of Prakash's (the makers remembered this little detail ... hope they remember more too) enters, apparently under strict instructions from Khushi not to remind Arnav what day it is, and why she's mad at him ... and hands over a smartphone with a video message ... where the new improved Mrs. Raizada yells at Arnav for forgetting ... forgetting what, she doesn't tell him. But she makes sure he remembers, by yelling at a harried HP till he lets it out in Arnav's hearing ... smart on Khushi's part ... given Arnav's history, as he proceeds to tell us. Cue bit where Khushi apparently knows her husband very well, as she forbids him to ask HP for help, just as he looks at HP for exactly that ... and both master and servant look away guiltily ... HP is cute!!! Very apparent he's far more scared of his hot-tempered mistress than of his mellow master!

There seems to be lots of progress in Khushi, simple cheap phones to  smart phones and video messaging, from Hari Prakshji to just Hari prakash.

And Arnav Singh Raizada realises he is in deep doodoo because in three years of marriage, he has forgotten their wedding anniversary for the third time. First time he planned ... but wrong date. Second time he simply forgot.
Actually, he's not Arnav Singh Raizada here, he's plain Arnav, lion turned domesticated pussy cat ... tense like all husbands at this unthinkable crime her has committed, and wondering what his next steps towards redemption are going to be.

Vaise, Arnavji, you forgot three times in three years?! Alzheimer's ho raha hai kya?!
Either you're a glutton for punishment at the hands of your beautiful biwi ... or you enjoy the silent treatment as temporary respite from your chatterbox wife ... or you are as brain dead as Barun claimed to be (sorry, couldn't resist the last!)

So while Arnav tries to figure out what he's going to do to get his wife back, we go down Arnav's memory lane as he reminisces about their unconventional love story ... and how he's changed in three years. Balloons, decorations ... so different from Khushi's  akdu Laad Governer ...

Sanaya was right when she saidASR is a tamed lion ... right now he's looking more like a pussy cat.

And lots of flashbacks of Khushi ensue ... their first meeting at the fashion show where she fell into his arms ... and Arnav wonders, how kismet makes the most unlikely bedfellows meet ... the girl who is now Mrs. Raizada, was once a scooter-borrowing, helmeted lehnga clad girl weaving her way crazily through busy traffic ... after their first bitter meeting, when they never thought they would meet again, she actually landed up in his office ...

And we finally get a peek into Arnav's thoughts ...

Khushi's lighting the diya in the office, and causing the fire alarm to go off ... typical Khushi mayhem ... the new mellow Arnav chuckles at the memory, and how angry he was then ...  now the recollection only amuses him. That's just Khushi ... and her Devi Maiyya.

The red saree first ever Rabba Ve ... where ASR stood mesmerised staring at an innocent beauty in red ... Arnav says, Khushi looked 'not bad' ... then he sheepishly admits, actually she looked like the kind of girl one could fall in love with at one look .... admitting that's exactly what he did ... and that he fought strenuously against this feeling for the longest time ... a moment when she took over all his thoughts, when all he saw was Khushi everywhere ...
Barun's expressions in that scene were so good, he looked gobsmacked and totally mesmerised ... while Khushi looked like a dream in red ... anyone would be forgiven for falling for her like a ton of bricks.

The guest house flashback ... more admissions from Arnav, that he did wrong to send her there, that in his fight against his won feelings, he was mean to her ... and how flabbergasted he was to see this tiny slip of a girl transformed into a raging tigress  ... this scene and the previous one rank among my top five Arshi scenes ...

And the episode ends with Khushi's angry call ...  she's leaving ... Arnav's bemused 'but you've already left' ... and Arnav's belated attempts to manao his roothi hui biwi with jalebis ...

Hope next episode has flashbacks of Khushi's journey ... this episode had too little Khushi.

And some things never change ... when will Barun learn to  ENUNCIATE???

Sanaya and AKRTHZ, 22/11/2015

I would have titled this post, Sanaya on AKRHZ, but there was so much in the episode apart from Sanaya, that this seems more appropriate.

I have been watching this show the last few weeks, ever since I heard that Sanaya was making an appearance on it ... and have liked it tremendously. It's a feel good show, highlighting the good work that many people are doing quietly, in different parts of India, in different ways, in different fields ... and shows how much there is to do in India, and how every little effort can make a  big difference. One person can affect the lives of one, two, maybe a hundred, maybe a thousand people ... but for those hundred or thousand people, that difference can change their lives.  And if any of these stories or these people inspire even one or two other people to try to do something that can make a difference ... well, that's a chain reaction started ... drop by drop the ocean forms ...

The last episode I saw, had as guest a doctor, who doesn't  charge for the female babies born at his hospital. He started the practice when he found that many parents and families didn't want to pay for a girl baby ... so he turned it around, and simply stopped charging for them. He also saw that they celebrated a boy's birth, but not a girl's ... so he and his staff started celebrating the girl babies' births. Simple things ... but doctors are revered in India, and his practice has started making a difference to the way girl babies are welcomed in his hospital.
There was also a couple who establish helplines for deaf-mute people, and especially in police stations, where often there is no one to take the statement from a deaf mute person. Again, a small effort, but ask the people he has helped, how much this help means to them. Another man, who is visually handicapped himself, has started adventure sports for visually handicapped people, and also takes normal people in his programs, thus getting them into contact with the handicapped ones. This has resulted in some visually handicapped people getting jobs, as the aam junta realises how much work they can actually do.

Today, 22nd Nov, there were a number of guests. First was a gentleman, Sam Singh, who retired to India after 32 years abroad as CEO of a multinational, and started a school for girls in his home town. Starting a school was the least of his problems ... far bigger was the problem of getting permission from parents for the girls to attend, despite free education, meals and clothes. So he started PAYING them to attend. Every day of attendance, gets each girl Rs 10, which is deposited in an account for her ... when she completes school, she gets the money. Along with this, they ensure jobs for the girls, so that after they graduate, they have means of a livelihood.  Starting with 30, he now has over 1400 girls enrolled in his school. A noble cause indeed ... and what dedication! At an age when he can retire and live out his life comfortably, he works tirelessly raising funds for his school, so that he can help more and more girls.

Sanaya's performance was with the girls from his school ... she danced to Gun Guna and Aaja Nachle ... the second song was with the girls ... and it was touching to see this old man tear up and be so visibly affected at this surprise planned for him. He said, after the performance, that never in his life did he imagine that his girls would ever share the platform with such personalities as Amitabh Bacchan and girls like Sanaya ... and he hoped they would aspire to achieve as much in life themselves too.
Sanaya's little speech echoed my feelings, what I had felt earlier, that it was an honor for her to be on this platform with a person like him ... I noticed after the dance when she and the girls danced down to escort AB Sr and Sam Singh up the stairs to the podium, Sanaya stayed with Sam Singh, helping him up the stairs ... these little gestures come so naturally to her, and it was really sweet to see her escort the older gentleman. And of course, soft hearted Sanaya got teary eyed when the little girl from the school broke down during her speech ... how sweetly she was consoling her!

Later they showed offscreen moments of Sanaya playing games with the girls, as usual she was as ebullient and chirpy as the kids, and enjoying herself thoroughly. Also noticed when the doughnuts came in for the girls, she realised that they had no clue what they were, and told them the name most naturally and without a trace of  surprise. And how thrilled she was to win their game!!!
Sanaya looked gorgeous in a bottle green lehnga with red trim ... she has toned up during her JDJ stint ... and seems to have regained some of the weight she lost then ... she was looking fit and utterly sexy!!!

Other guests included a man who set up toilets in his home town, again after returning from overseas ... and made sure they toilets were used regularly ... and were cleaned regularly, to the point that his business cards proclaim him as Chief Toilet Cleaner. Now his toilets have become convenience points, for phone charging, making small bill payments etc. A small initiative, and so useful!!! He was introduced by Rajdeep Sardesai, who has decided ... after watching this show ... that every news segment of his, will end with a positive story, like the ones aired here.

Ayushman Khurana and Ruhi from YHM introduced their heroes too ... a young girl  who changed the water fountain design in her school to be convenient for children of different ages ... and a group of kids in Mumbai who shame people they catch littering or peeing in public by whistling at them :) Again, small things, which can make a small difference ... which can become bigger if more people take it up ...

Anurag Basu introduced the last guest, who is a true hero ... a young boy of 23, his father walked out/disappeared seven years ago and has never returned ... a year ago, his mother got cancer, AML, and died within a few months of diagnosis. He and his brother struggled with finances to pay for her treatment, and occasionally they got help from the most unexpected places. That inspired him so much that he wanted to do the same for others. He used to play the guitar and sing for his mother, and found that she liked it, so did other patients. He also used to sing on trains during his commute to college ... Now he started singing to raise funds, which he donates to poor cancer patients to help in their treatment. His salary is Rs 7000, and from his singing, he raises Rs 8000 which he donates. It seems that those who are less fortunate than us, seem to be richer in one thing ... they have far bigger hearts.
As a surprise for Saurabh, the singer, AB Sr had invited Mohit Chauhan, his favorite singer ... who not only sang with the boy, but also presented him with a guitar, autographed by both AB Sr and Mohit. Such a sweet gesture ... Saurabh was visibly touched. Also, in the final offscreen segment, Hussain the host, AB Sr,  and the team of AKRHZ, travelled with Saurabh in his local train and sang with him ... much to the delight of all the commuters. I had read this on my twitter feed ... comments from regular commuters, who saw AB Sr travelling on the train that day ... was interesting to see the segment on TV. I hope this segment increases his uptake from his regular commuters.

All in all, a nice watch, a positive show, and an inspiring one ... I am so happy Sanaya was invited for this, it was an honour for her to be on such a platform, and meet someone like Sam Singh. She is always empathetic towards those less fortunate than her ... it is nice to see her on such meaningful shows.
And I do hope that Sanaya being on this Star Plus show means that she is in talks with them for her own next show. Can't wait to see her back on TV after the IPKKND Jashn is over. 

IPKKND- Ek Jashan

20/11/2015 

Posting latest updates on top - older ones below.

First, two gorgeous pics of Arnav-Khushi - Sanaya is looking simply stunning as Mrs. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada - a fitting look for a tycoon's wife, 3-4 years into her marriage. Gorgeous, subtly yet beautifully dressed - love the big earrings and the understated necklace, the gorgeous red saree, rich looking without being ostentatious, classy and tasteful, with brocade blouse ... she is looking stunning and sophisticated, a tycoon's wife to the T. What a stunner she is!!!

And  for the first time since the recent pics, BS looks good as Arnav Singh Raizada, he has finally shaved and trimmed his beard and hair, and the difference it makes to his looks is amazing.  Still looks a little scrawny, and he has aged at least ten years, but at least he has neatened up. They make such a good looking onscreen couple ... no wonder they became so iconic and popular.








20/11/2015 - New article  in TC - http://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/tv-news/not-only-fans-even-we-are-glad-be-back-barun-and-sanaya-151120#

Fans of the iconic show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon are in for a treat. Arnav and Khushi are all set to return with fresh episodes after a gap of almost three years. The show, renamed as Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon Ek Jashn, will be available exclusively on hotstar, from 24^th November 2015.

New episodes will be available to the fans every week on Tuesday and Saturday, under the popular hotstarOriginals brand.

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon was a top rated show in 2011-12, and its popularity amongst the youth had turned its lead actors Barun Sobti and Sanaya Irani into superstars. The show went off air in November 2012, disappointing millions.

And now Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon Ek Jashn will return with eight 10-minute episodes, showing a day in the life of Arnav and Khushi, set 3 years into their marriage.

Talking on the same, Sanaya shares, “I am confident of the success of Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon Ek Jashn. It’s not only the fans but even we are all glad to be back. I think hotstar’s popularity among the youth will do well for the show and vice-versa.”

Adds Barun, “It never felt like the show ended. I kept receiving feedback and mails from fans as they continued to watch the previous season on hotstar. The entire team of the show is back for this series and we hope to recreate the same magic.”

So we get some clarity on the number of episodes and the duration. Well, something to look forward to ... hopefully a decent ending for the show, that will give permanent closure once and for all to the phenomenon that was IPKKND. I don't miss the show so much now ... BS's exit and its untimely end has tinged it with bitterness that has not quite faded ... but I do still wish that SP and Gul had replaced BS when he first wanted to leave in Feb ... we might have gotten the actual story they had planned. of all regrets about the ending, that one will always remain the strongest.

Though I really wonder that no one has called  out Barun on his hypocrisy ... three years ago, the show made him "brain dead" and he couldn't wait to leave it ...according to him, "anyone could play ASR' ... and the abrupt ending of the show was due to a combination of his leaving and the hysteria of Arshi fans, who completely ignored Sanaya and her wishes, in their mad outbursts of hysteria and rage to end the show if he wasn't there ... and now he says he doesn't feel that the show ever ended. Well obviously he would feel that way, since he has really not done anything substantial since then ... and now he wants to recreate the same magic ...  Coming down to earth with a bang.

Sanaya sounds more down to earth when she says the new episodes are to boost the popularity of the web channel among the youth ... and diplomatic, when she says the channel's popularity will do well for IPK - EJ!

Promo pic - 19/11/2015

Promo for IPKKND Ek Jashn - 19/11/2015 

Promo for the IPKKND reunion episodes

Article in TC - confusing - they say 9 episodes, while Raj Baddhan says only two.

http://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/tv-news/barun-sanayas-iss-pyaar-ko-mini-series-launch-24-november-151119

All you Arnav-Khushi fans, time to shout in joy!

As some of you may know, the popular jodi of Barun Sobti and Sanaya Irani will be soon back with their love story, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon.

The show on hotstar will recreate the magic of Arnav Khushi once again.

Titled Iss Pyaar Ko Naam Doon, Ek Jashn, the nine episode mini-series has been produced by The Entertainment Mafia.

Now unlike reports in the media, here we bring you some ‘super exciting’ developments.

The couple, Sanaya and Barun will not be ‘only’ part of the first episode, but the entire season.

Yippee! Isn’t it great news?

And the ‘Jashn’ special will air from 24 November on hostar Originals and not 30 November, as reported earlier.

The love drama on Star Plus had surely created a niche with fans going crazy over the jodi. Barun and Sanaya, both became icons and the world went into a tizzy when news of the show’s end was announced.

This ‘comeback’ sort has surely brought a smile on the faces of the fans who had long been demanding a season 2.

The CEO of Star Plus, Anil Jha, also tweeted confirmation of the reunion, but no official clarification yet about the number of episodes, or the content. Barun in an interview confirmed there are new scenes, and Akshay also confirmed that many of the original cast members are back, articles say there will be interviews with the cast about their experience working on the show, and the feedback they got. 

Sanaya has been silent so far ... knowing her, a single episode, or a week-long series of episodes is not a big deal for her ... she will open her mouth now for her new show ... after the mandatory interviews during the official airing, of  course. However, she has always maintained that she loved Khushi, she loved the cast and crew of IPKKND, she was deeply upset and saddened when it ended so suddenly ... so she really has nothing new to say. And she knew very well the amount of love and hysteria the show generated overseas, she saw it all firsthand. I hope this gives her some closure as well, although she has moved on with other shows, but the abrupt ending of this must hurt her somewhere, especially as she was ready to continue with it as long as required.

BS has been giving multiple interviews about the new episodes ... considering his singular lack  of success in anything else so far, guess this remains his only claim to fame, and he seems to be desperately milking it for all he's worth. The show that made him 'brain dead', the show he couldn't wait to leave, the show he said he would rather sell milk than continue in ... rather ironic that the same show  is his only path to resurrection three years down the line. A famous saying goes ... respect your work, or it won't respect you. 

So the wait for the new episodes is shortened - they will air from the 24th November, and probably air till the 30th November, the day that IPKKND went off air three years ago.

And I hope we get a satisfactory ending, and with this, a final closure to the show ... and Sanaya can move ahead with something new and rocking. Also hope that with her appearances on Star, this means that she is already on board with them again, or in the process of doing so ... and once IPKKND - Ek Jashan has aired, we will get news of her next show. 

TV Shows I'm Watching

Siya Ke Raam started last night - first episode was an hour long, and dealt with the birth of Sita ma. Beautiful sets and locations, and amazing cinematography. They have shot in many outdoor locations for the first few episodes, and on very lavish sets.

The richness and wealth of the Ayodhya kingdom contrasted well with the austerity of the drought-stricken Mithila kingdom, and was accentuated by the lavish clothes and jewelry worn by King Dashrath and his queens, and the lavishness of their richly decorated living quarters (can't call them mere rooms!) in contrast again to the much darker simplicity and decor of the Mithila palace. Both the sets are amazing ... a visual treat.

I liked the way they brought out King Janak's character as Raj Rishi ... an ascetic king ... and his wife, Sunaina, is very well cast. She looks regal yet kind and gentle, and very affectionate. Her character was well brought out as well. Liked the way she told the King to marry again, as he needed an heir, and maybe the drought in the kingdom was due to her barren state, and liked even more that King Janak refused. Liked the opening scene with the drought stricken land - what an amazing landscape ... and the distribution of relief to the population. King Janak's kindness and generosity as a kign further brought out, how he was an ideal king for his subjects ... again something which I have read only briefly in passing.

Ayodhya ... King Dashrath is well cast - Dilip Taahil with  his booming baritone. Not sure about the three queens. I had no clue about the story about Raam having an elder sister, so that part was completely  new to me. So was Kaushalya's bitterness towards the King, and her almost lack of affection towards Ram. I didn't like that characterization. From all the stories I have heard or read, Kaushalya was an ideal queen, and very patient and loving.  The actress seems good, but the characterization is surprising.
Sumitra and Keikeyi should have been interchanged, in terms of looks, Sumitra is prettier and younger looking than Keikeyi. But the actress was a little stiff, maybe that's why they chose Grusha for Keikeyi. Keikeyi has a bigger role later than Sumitra does, and Grusha is a more experienced actress. They did bring out her love for Ram well, hope they emphasize it even more later before the banishment.
They also brought out Dashrath's nightmare of killing Shravan, and the curse he received from Shravan's parents.

Sage Vashishta was surprisingly youthful looking behind that white beard. The crow story was interesting ... again something I have never heard before. The visual of Ram meditating on the mountain top, and the revelation of His Godly roop was amazing. Another visual treat. The scenes in the Gurukul were okay ... Ram's kingly demeanor and his wisdom beyond his years brought out well.

The last scene with the birth of Sita ma ... her discovery in the furrow, and the clouds and rain as King Janak and Queen Sunaina cradle the baby close to them was again a beautiful scene. A fitting end for a good first episode.

Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi - main reason for tuning in - the fact that Sanaya will be performing on the show this coming Sunday. But I tuned in when I heard the news, which came three weeks ago when she recorded her performance, and found that it is a nice show ... it honors ordinary people from all walks of life, who in their own ways, small and big, are trying to make a difference to the world. A feel good show, and an inspiring one. Watched last week with Ranbir and Deepika as celeb guests, where the guests being honored are a couple who are working to help deaf mute people ... and it was really nice to see Ranbir and Deepika trying to communicate with them in sign language. Ranbir had actually learned sign language for Barfii. Also nice to see that no movie promotion happened ... it was all about the guests only.

Sanaya will be there this week to honor Sam Singh, a man working for the education of women in his home village. Don't know if she chose him, or he chose her, or Star Plus chose her ... whatever it is,  am happy.

TV Shows and Movies

Watched Spectre over the weekend ... Daniel Craig is not my favorite James Bond, and the movie was high on emotional quotient, surprising for a Bond movie, and much lower than expected on stunts, high tech gadgets and exciting chase scenes. The climax was straight out of Bollywood, with the beautiful love interest strapped to a chair, triggered to the bomb, and James Bond had to rescue her in three minutes and get out of the building before the bomb went off!

Started watching a new show ... Pyaar Ko Ho Jaane Do ... Iqbal Khan and Mona Singh. Apparently it's a finite show, it started off as very stereotyped, and the only thing that made it watchable was the actors ... IK is really good, Mona Singh is OTT in many scenes, and is typical Ekta mahaan bahu, again whenever the character is interesting, I find myself wondering how Sanaya would have played her ... and so far nobody else has come up to scratch.
The rest of the family is enjoyable... not stereotyped, and that is refreshing ... Niti and her loving husband, and her two 'vampires' who drive her mad ... Trisha, who wants to be involved in the family business, despite being a girl, and Sid, who doesn't want to be in it, despite being the only son ... unfortunately they have sidetracked that plot in favour of Trisha's love affair with Bilal, a Muslim boy, and the ensuing conflicts, which will presumably tie in with the main conflict between Ishaan and Preet ... how he hates India because Indian spies killed his parents, while Preet hates Pakistan, because Pakistani terrorists destroyed her family. Ever since the revelation that Ishaan is not what he seems, the show has picked up pace and is more interesting. And because it's finite, one hopes the story and the characters will not be butchered.

Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani has gone down the tubes ... so the Rana's first wife is back, but in the meantime he has fallen for the second wife ... and since the second wife is the heroine, of course he will dump his first wife at some point ... because second wife is so much better, and he is in love with her now ... despite being madly in love with the memory of first wife for the last six years. So a month long marriage is enough to wipe out the memories of his first marriage ... doesn't say much for Ranaji or his vows. And Gayatri is expected to 'fight' for her love ... because she is his true love. Never mind that he took saat pheras with first wife, so she is still his legally wedded wife.  *head desk* So according to the IF junta, Sula should step back gracefully despite being Ranaji's  first wife, because he has now fallen for a younger, more beautiful version. I much prefer ranaji's stand ... that he has to find out whether this lady is really is first wife or not ... because if she is, his first duty is to her ... notwithstanding 'true love' for Gayatri.

Reminds me of the movie 'Basera' and the conflicts there ...  how much better done that was! Of course when the first wife came back, she was accepted very much as the lawful wife, and the onus was on everyone as to how to hide the second marriage. And how gracefully the first wife, when she realised the entire situation, pretended she was mad again, and quietly went back to the asylum. Those were real conflicts,  shown in a realistic way ... Here, because DD is heroine, she has to be the lawful queen ... so of course the first queen will be shown either negative or an imposter ... or she will bow out gracefully ...  which so far she doesn't show signs of wanting to do. So she turn into a vamp at some point. I thought the show was about how a trader's daughter learned to become a wise gracious queen ... they already lost the plot in three months!