7/5 - Epi 246 ... Finally!!! The Dreaded "S" word ... edtd

Monday 7th May

Good episode ... started on a light note ... Khushi leaves the stars for Arnav as predicted ...
Says her farewells, much to the bemusement of all ...

Barun can't dance saala ... but he sure can run :">

The suicide started off as light ... and then the intensity hit ... the fb's beautifully placed ... Khushi's realization already? The love unspoken ... Sanaya was fantastic in that bit ... "aur hum ..." and their fb's ... and then bravely 'hum theek hain ...'
Her breaking down ... tell me why you married me, I know, it was because of Lavanya ...
He - I don't love Lavanya, perhaps I never did ...
She - I don't believe you, then tell me why ...
And finally he says the dreaded "S" word ...I married you because of Shyam ...

*edited*
So Khushi first makes it clear to any impressionable youngsters who might be watching, that suicide is not the right thing to do ... probably the reason they made the suicide track so light.
Then she gets busy trying to decide mode of suicide ... again worried about cost :)) and 'naak kat jayegi' if she doesn't succeed, on top of which money for hospitalization - pills cancelled. Hanging from fan also cancelled for the same reason - what if it falls, Buaji will have to pay for repairs. Finally the light strikes ... sasta and tikau method of suicide - jump off a cliff.

Sweetie, if you fail to die and merely end up breaking a few bones, then too you will incur hospitalization costs - you didn't think of that?
No she didn't. So jump off a cliff it is - since there are no convenient cliffs in the vicinity, the roof of a building will do.

BG trying to prepare pushto (I presume pasta?) ... Khushi bids them both farewell ... much to their befuddlement ... farewell to Babuji, eat your medicines ... to Arnav, look after your diabetes, and try not to get angry, and if you do, don't get angry on Lavanya, she gets scared ...

A completely befuddled "Huh?!"
Interpretation for those not well-versed in Arnav-speak ... what the heck are you talking about, why this sudden sweet talk and concern for my diabetes and health, when you've spent the last two days screaming like a banshee whenever you saw me and running away from me, where did Lavanya even come into the conversation from ... and what the *&*% is wrong with you?!!! 

She reaches out to touch him gently on the shoulder. 'Don't think too much about what happened ... I forgive you, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada.'
How he hates being told she forgives him, implying he was wrong and she was right ... he hates saying sorry to her ... except for one memorable occasion, he never has ... how can she forgive him?
"What the ...?!"
And how well she knows him and what his reaction would be ... exactly what she was waiting for ... and she knew how to get it out of him ... one last 'What the ...'

And with a small, sad smile, she leaves ... leaving him even more befuddled if possible ... he shoots a questioning look at BG ... Buaji offers her considered opinion in one succinct gesture "Insane!"
He has to agree.

Khushi trying to screw up the courage to make that final jump, and finding as many excuses as she can to postpone the moment. Kids are playing exactly where she plans to jump, she might hurt them, she needs to ump with both feet, this is not working ...

Arnav in the bedroom ... something is missing, it takes him a while to figure out what ... her stars ... He sees the Don't Touch notice on Salman Khan ... this girl is mad ...
And then he sees the note for him ... open this pouch one hour after I've gone ...
So of course he opens it immediately ... Khushi's stars?
And a letter ...
 Arnavji ... I'm leaving these for you. Thought I'd leave you all my stuff - my shoes, my gota, my chunris ... but what would you do with them? I was joking. These stars are the only things of use to you ... because like me, you've lost your parents, and whether you believe it or not, like mine, yours too have become stars ... and so have I ... third from right, the one that's twinkling the brightest ...
(SN Dia's Glowatwa Ve ... she said it all, not only about their parents but about herself too :) )

And the penny drops slowly ... as he moves ... slowly at first, then picking up speed ... out of the house ...
Amma perplexed, Buaji resigned, it was bound to happen, he's been living with Sanka Devi for so long, some of the sanak had to rub off ... =))

Barun can run saala ... :)) :">

Khushi still finding excuses ... it's too hot, maybe a little later ... and then confused as she spots someone who's definitely not supposed to be there ... what is he doing here? Addressing a panicky Arnav peremptorily, as he's trying desperately to call her (I was wondering why she took her phone with her to commit suicide - did she plan to call Devi Maiyya and inform her that she was on the way?) - 'suniye, can you move out of the way ... if I jump on you and kill you instead, it would defeat the purpose of this entire exercise ...'

And Arnav, worried to see her up on the roof ... he didn't look terrified, so I think he didn't yet realise what she was planning ... he merely seemed to think she'd got into some dangerous escapade yet again ... and he ran to the rescue ... yet again ;)
And Khushi a touch exasperated ... talk about non-cooperation, I'm doing this for him, and he's stopping me himself ... then a touch of worry, does he plan to push me and make sure the job gets done?

And Arnav reaches to rooftop just in time as Khushi prepares to launch herself into space ...
(I digress again ... Barun can run saala :"> ... what?! I like athletic guys!!! And he looked prettty darn good jumping over the rooftops!!! Lemme drool in peace!)
and yells at her frantically to stop ...

and Khushi turns around in surprise ... and annoyance ... now what?
And as usual, his first reaction is to scold ... 'what the hell are you up to? Get down right now!'
'Don't come near me, or I'll jump ...'
And he suddenly gets a little more worried ... she'd better not do something so stupid, but can't put it past her either ... 'okay, I won't come near ... but why do you suddenly want to jump?!'
'I just want to jump, that's all ... it's what you want, don't you? What you've been trying since yesterday ... the poison, the screwdriver, the noose, the knife ... I can't handle all that, I'll do what you want, but I'll do it my way ...' 
And he finally realises what she's planning to do ... what she thinks ... 

'Khushi, there's no such thing ... relax ...'
'Don't come near' ...as he tries to come closer again ... and he falls back ...
'I'm not ... breathe ...' is he telling himself or her?
'Why do I need to bother to breathe? My breath is going to stop soon anyway ...'

Exasperated look ... she's driving him insane with worry, teetering on the brink of a ledge, and she's in the mood for arguing?

'okay ...' as she sways, he panics again ...'ok, watch it, dammit!!!'
More argument ... 'what should I watch here and there? I'll just look upwards now ... and don't think I'm scared ... I'm not ...' brave smile ... which fades quickly ... 'I won't even bother you or Lavanya after I die by becoming a ghost ... she's so nice ... she so scared of you ...'
Total befuddlement now ... 'Where did Lavanya even come into this conversation from?'
'She's your rose ... and I'm the thorn ...'
He's lost completely ... 'rose? ... thorn? What are you even saying?'

And finally she says something which starts making sense ... kind of .. remotely ... 'Kundali Kamlesh said it all ... the reason you married me ... because there's some dosh in your horoscope ... so you married me for six months, then you can get rid of me,and marry La, the girl you really love ... so why should I wait for you to kill me? I can do it myself ...'
And she almost does again, teetering precariously on the edge, earning a panicky 'Careful!!!' from him ... and he finally gets what she's saying and tries to rebut ... 'Get down, because that's not true at all, what you're thinking ... you know I don't even believe in all this nonsense ... it's not true!'

'It is true! I heard you telling La on the phone, that you will get me out of the way ... and since then, you've been trying to get rid of me ...'

He denies again ... 'I never spoke to Lavanya about you ever ...'
'Don't lie to a dying person ...' Where does she even get these ones? I thought it was a dying person doesn't lie to anyone ... and she tells him she's made her peace, said her farewells, made her will ... 'oh you found the stars already ...'
He looks at the stars ... and then back at her. 'Khushi, enough nonsense, we can sit and talk this one out ...'
No, she doesn't want to talk ... he can talk with Lavanya all he likes, she'll be happy up there ...

And she teeters and sways again, he reaches out frantically, she recovers, stops him with a gesture, and looks back at the faraway ground ...

And a sudden change of mood ... as she looks back at him sadly, the enormity of the step she's about to take hitting her ... looking back at him for the last time, her heart in her eyes ... she doesn't really have any complaints, because she never felt he was hers, ever ... but just a small regret ... 'why didn't you tell me yourself what you wanted? Just once ... and I would have stepped aside, no questions asked. Why did you hide this from me? And Lavanya ... I thought she was my friend ... she also didn't tell me ... if you both love each other, then how can I come in between ...'

He can't let this go ... he can't let her believe this one ... how can she think that ... but he can't give away his real feelings either ... he looks down ... 'Khushi, I don't love Lavanya ...' and back at her, 'and I think I never did ... how can you even think that ...'
'Because that's why you married me ...'
No, that's not the reason, far from it ... 'Khushi, that is not true, I didn't want to marry Lavanya, and that's not the reason I married you ...'

She doesn't believe him. "No? Then tell me ... why did you marry me? What is the reason?'
He's silent.He can't tell her the reason, but neither can he let her believe this, because the foolish girl is actually ready to kill herself over it.

But she's nothing if not tenacious.
'See? Again you have no answer. Again you refuse to give me the reason. I know this is the reason, this is the truth ... you love her ... and I ...'
'and I ...' love you ... hovers unspoken between them ... as memories flash ...
... Teri Meri dance, when he rescued her on stage ..
... Diwali, the almost kiss, when he almost lost control, lost in her ...
... the poolside kiss, her first kiss ... the rain hug in the parking lot when he rescued her from a car ...
... Diwali, walking her out through the circle of diyas, hand in hand ...
... the first time she saw him laugh ...
... the time he returned her payal ... knelt to put it on her foot ...
... when he looked after her in Nainital when she was sick ...
... the hospital, comforting her, paying her bill ...

So many memories, so much closeness ... but he loves Lavanya, not her ... and her eyes tear up again ... but no, his happiness is what's important ...
'I'm okay ... I'm ready ...' ready to go ...

And she looks over the edge again, and then looks back for one last look, as though imprinting his face in her mind, as though she wants that to be the last thing she sees ... the last memories she wants to carry with her ... the first time they met ... the first hug in the hospital ... and their marriage - the day she became his, and yet further distanced from him than ever before ...

And she jumps ...
Just as he launches into the run of his life ...the run to save his life ...


and they ... and we ... return to consciousness to find them lying safely on the terrace (ASR must have played rugby in school, that's about the only tackle I can think of that might have got them here) ... with Khushi held tightly in Arnav's arms ... a situation which doesn't give her much pleasure by the looks of it, as she returns to a realization of where she is ... and struggles almost instantly to get free ... almost pushed aside by him,  as he too, returns to awareness of what exactly happened ... his relief finds expression in anger as always, and so does hers ...
What the hell were you doing there ... you could have gotten yourself killed ... and all for nothing, because this was not about Lavanya!
And she's angry too ... she thought she'd finally found a reason for the question that had been plaguing her for months ... but again, she's hit a brick wall ... if not this, then what?! She needs to know, she deserves to know ...she has the right to know ...

and as her angry questions hit him again and again, so do the memories ... the terrace, Shyam's hug, her damning words 'leave Anjali' ... and how he dragged her to marry him (loved the way the fb's built up here with the music, ending in a crescendo of audio and visuals) ... and the words finally spill out ...
'I married you because I know about you and Shyam ... I know you're having an affair with him ...'

And she stares at him in shock ... as he glares fiercely back ...


Thoughts:
A good ArHi confrontation, but not one of the best. I think it was because of the lead up being full of comedy ... the intensity didn't get much time to get established properly. Added to which the piecemeal shooting and the expressions were not as intense as they could have been - whether that was cause and effect, I don't know. The cv's probably made the suicide track light on purpose, but they needed the fear of Khushi's death to provoke Arnav into taking Shyam's name ... the switch from funny to serious didn't allow the complete development of emotions. Barun and Sanaya have done far better in the past. And the background music was horrendous, including the cawcaws ... urrgghhh - keeping it light-hearted almost till the end really compromised the seriousness of the whole scene ... right till the part where Khushi's expression finally changes ... and stays sad ... after that it did pick up a lot. And at the end, Sanaya's expression was a bit blank for the freeze ... not as shocked as she could have been.

But hopefully the drama element has re-started and the comedy will be put to rest now.

Shiddats, Spoilers, Scenes wishlist

Shiddats realized this week -

Very low hit rate :(

But I just realised - we did get some signs of ODB starting to think, and ODG starting to think ... hey, someone is listening to us!
ODB overheard the Garima-Khushi convo and started to go all soft on KKG - does that mean he has started thinking?
ODG heard Kundali Kamlesh and ASR-La conversation - and started to think - and drew all the wrong conclusions ... *head desk* ... the only good point, she started to think again about the reason for the shotgun wedding ...

Khushi started wondering about Arnav's extreme patience in dealing with her family at GH, and the contrast between his behaviour with her family, and even unknown people like Preeto, and with her ... poor girl!

We didn't get a hug ... but we got a hand-holding ... one sided ... quarter of a shiddat realised ;) Dil Maange More! 

Shiddats for this week - 

An end to the Comedy Circus ... we want the sensible mature Khushi back!


The Shyam revelation - looks like that one will be realized this week. The Shyam MU happened on a terrace - with the penchant of this PH to close circles, will the first clearing of the MU also happen on a terrace?
So I want - A really good strong emotional terrace ArHi confrontation ... please edit out all the horrific comedy terrace scenes of Khushi we saw in the precap ... if she's so tormented that she's planning to commit suicide, don't make fun of her torment ... it makes it impossible to sympathise with her at all. 

Chai ki pyaali under the stars ... in RM, if necessary, as it seems we won't get it in GH *sulking*

This sounds like a strange shiddat, but if they're back to RM, I want some Khushi-Bubbly bonding and a start to the track of Bubbly playing Cupid to ArHi - I want to see how that will play out. And if Bubbly is going to stay on in the show for a while, I would much rather see her morph into a normal child with Khushi's help, rather than play this strange '40 year old vamp in a 9 year old's body' role.

Better editing ... from Gargi's report and the SBB of Friday, they have done the terrace scene and the GH farewell shoot with plenty of time to spare before they air it ... can we PLEASE have some decent editing, good continuity of shots and proper flow of scenes?! Give us some more fillers in RM if you like, but the terrace scene should be par excellence - ArHi confrontations are the biggest draw of the show (after ArHi romance :) ) ... and they have to be done properly. And you have the whole weekend to edit ... no excuse for any shoddiness.

*edit*

Spoiler from mishti ... new promo shot for ME ... apparently about Arnav being kidnapped by Shyam
link 

4/5 - Epi 245 ... Obliviate!!! - edited again :)

Friday 4th May

Am really at a loss for words to write about today ...
except to say that the writer of this episode should be shot ... then hung, drawn and quartered ... then banned from ever writing a single word again ...
And the episode can well be obliterated from the annals of IPPKND ... as Harry Potter would say - Obliviate!!! 

The only comment I have to make is that Sanaya did the first half of the episode in her sleep, or when she was exhausted ... I could see the difference in her acting in the last part in the turquoise suit, when she was much more refreshed. Especially the part when Khushi was writing her will ... the only slightly tolerable part of the episode.

Bubbly needs psychiatric help ... so does the writer of her track ... oh I forgot, I had him shot, hung, drawn and quartered already. If the cv's have any sense, they will fire their writer and screenplay writers immediately ... their writing is grossly amateurish and their idea of comedy is horrendously unfunny.

I thought it was Sanaya who was traveling ... why were the rest of the cast on holiday? Including Barun ... didn't he have far less screen space today even in the GH scenes? Or maybe he was completely unremarkable ... I really didn't notice him, except for that permanently befuddled look on his face - quite understandable, actually! Ah, correction ... I noticed the white shirt ... :)
Completely fail to understand why the scenes were Khushi-centric - or rather, Sanka Devi-centric, when the actress was away half the week!

Really hope the cv's pull the track back to the drama mode soon ... I am this close to giving up on the show!!!

*edited*
Trying to make some sense of the episode on re-watch - don't know whether it's flogging a dead horse. First of all, the basic premise is so completely brainless, I want to fire the writer who even thought of it - and that too, right after Khushi extolled the virtues of her husband to her mother, and ended by saying he was the best husband in the world - in a tone that said she knew he was, just not when she was the wife.
So Khushi realized her husband has a heart of gold, and determines again to find out the reason for her shotgun wedding ... so far so good ... I would say, very good.

Then she goes to bed, said best husband goes to bed on a guilt trip, and puts off the AC when he sees her shivering. And that starts Sanka Devi's confusion - what is wrong with him? And the confusion continues - why is he being so uncharacteristically sweet?

Now how and where did that confusion that Arnav is being sweet, translate into the conviction that he was out to kill her because of kundali dosh? Oh, I forgot - that convenient conversation with Lavanya about getting rid of someone in 36 hours. And her confusion as to the reason for the wedding. Just trying to see how the dots connected ;)
(By the way, did that Kundali Kamlesh pay to be taken on the show?)
So we got the ridiculous episode on Thursday about Arnav's 101 attempts to kill his wife - all in her imagination ... and today, a continuation to the absurd. While Arnav adds to the confusion by playing house-house with Buaji - setting up her washing line with a noose, then a screwdriver ... both excellent murder weapons ... she screams her head off at Arnav with screwdriver, leading to a mild 'what the ...' expression from him ... really, Arnav?!
Khushi's one-liner was cute - name like a cannon, and all he can find is a screwdriver?! =))

And Khushi back to frying jalebis with a vengeance ... and she has lost it completely ... aided by Kundali Kamlesh ready with her Shok Sabha ... and my *head desk* starts ...
Hari Prakash crying was funny, actually ... the rest was stupid ... including Khushi crying at her own funeral ... and that reporter gave me a headache with his shouting ...
More OTT screaming from Khushi ... more *head desk* from me ...

Bubbly enters ... Payal gives her Mami's new phone to safeguard ... more *head desk*

Arnav worried about Khushi - she didn't eat dinner properly, takes a glass of milk for her ... 'tum theek ho? should I call the doctor?' ... poor guy is actually worried ... for her sanity, I think ... More OTT from Khushi ... more *head desk* from me  ... she actually covers her own face in her sleep and wakes up screaming - that was the limit ... I wanted to ffwd, except I couldn't, 'cos I was watching on tv ... and I wanted to smother someone too - the guy who wrote this crap and actually thought it was funny ...x(

So Khushi gets up in the morning after a sleepless night, and decides to commit suicide, rather than wait for Arnav to kill her.

And Bubbly has broken Mami's phone rather thoroughly ... if a phone broke into pieces after dropping on the floor from five feet height, it needs to be recalled ... Payal gets the blame, Akash nobly withholds scolding her ... and Payal cries silently ... *head desk* ... my poor head today!
Is Payal the heroine of the show, btw? She's definitely the saas-bahu type - cries silently after all the atyachaar ...

And Khushi decides to write her will ... even though she has nothing much to leave, but still she needs to leave something for everyone, be it ever so small, because it's the thought that counts, and they are all in her thoughts ...
Her first thought for Anjali and her baby, and their health ...
next for Lakshmi, who has been her silent confidante since marriage ...
next for Nani, a gift connected to Lucknow ... the link that always made Nani love her more ...

And then she comes to her own family -
Money for Buaji because she needs it ... Buaji took her and Payal into her home, even when so financially strained ...
Only love for Amma Babuji, because that's all she's ever given them, and that's all she has for them ... always ... from an orphan girl who they took to their hearts so completely ...
Salman Khan she keeps for herself, though :) ...
Nothing for Akash, but she clubs Akash and Payal together now in her mind, and she claims the right to give their children their pet names, which are so typically 'Khushi' - food oriented :) ... that they will remain as her memory for them ...
And then she looks at the stars hanging on her bed ...
I think she will leave the stars for Arnav, with the hope he can find his mother in them, the way she finds hers ... thinking of his happiness even though she thinks he's the one trying to kill her. Or she will hope to become a star and look down on him and safeguard his happiness in every way she can ...

On cue, Arnav enters ... again worried - Khushi tum theek toh ho?
Is that all he can ask? Seriously, Arnav! *head desk*
But although Buaji and Garima accept Khushi's beahviour as her usual madness, Arnav is the only one getting really worried ... the only one to sense that there is something wrong here ... 

And she decides to cook for everyone for the last time ... to Buaji's complete bafflement ... and calls Payal to make her bequest ... keep my blue suit, name your kids Alu and Puri ... ok, ghar ka naam, not official names, I thought she'd lost it there again! And her confession - I read your diary, and I lit those crackers ... and I love you very much ...

Even the smallest serious scene, and Sanaya makes an impact ... why then the overdose of horrendous comedy??? Why this Kolaveri Di??? *head desk* again!!!

If someone is in the mood to make a petition to fire the writer Weird Raj and the screenplay writer and the director and the dialogue writer for this episode, I'm in!!!

*edited again*

After a good night's sleep, Sandy's usual sensible post, and Aaru's and other posts :)

Do I blame Khushi for being at the end of her tether? I don't actually. She's seen the cruel side of Arnav too many times to count ... every time he softens towards her, he follows it up with a rebound increase in nastiness ... take Diwali, take the farak padta hai, take the Payash wedding, and take the recent Heer Ranjha ... she has no clue where she actually stands with him. Does he love her or hate her?
His words in the post HR fight - I married you to save a life ... In the wake of La's phone call and Kundali Kamlesh, her thoughts - was it to save La's life?
He has time and patience for everyone else, he helps to sort out even the marriage of an unknown girl, Preetika, he believes in being a good husband and good son-in-law, he's been nothing but nice to her family ... it's only her face he doesn't want to see (after the Shyam's card on wrapping paper) ...only her that he doesn't seem to care about hurting.

Logically, she can't think of Shyam as the reason ... he should be angry with her entire family for hiding Shyam's truth, not just her, ... he should be angry with Shyam himself and have thrown him out of the house if he was so angry about his betrayal ...

She has seen the good side of the man ... she knows there is a reason behind the hasty marriage ... and she overhears him saying he is going to get rid of someone ... speaking to his ex-girlfriend of all people ... and she doesn't know the reason behind their breakup - BUT she does know the breakup was very friendly and amicable ... not bitter in the least.
And suddenly he's being ultra-sweet to her, while brandishing knives, screwdrivers, noose, rat poison ... every time she sees him, he has a potential murder weapon in his hand ... and now she actually can think of a reason why he might have married her. For someone who believes in astrology and horoscopes and jaadu tona, this is not really so strange ... in fact, if I remember right, Aishwarya Bacchan was rumoured to have been made to marry a tree before she married Abhishek because she had the same kundali dosh ... and isn't this was the 'manglik' dosh is all about?

So Khushi's fear is really not without foundation ... she has been correct in always trying to find the reason for her marriage ... now she has finally found one believable reason. She's found a reason why he would have married her, despite not wanting to in the slightest, why he broke up his engagement to La when she had been accepted by his family, and La didn't hold a grudge against him for that, why he still believes in marriage, only not to her ... even hurting Di would fit, because Di wanted him to marry La and was hurt when he broke the engagement ... the talk about saving a life fits too ...

So what went wrong?
The execution ... for me. They made what could have been a very serious track into complete OTT comedy.

Then I read some more posts here and thought again ... was that done intentionally?
We all know Sanaya is a fabulous actress, and although she does comedy very well, her biggest strength is in emotional scenes. If she has played this seriously, we would all have sympathized with her completely ... one of the comments here was that Khushi's thoughts of suicide would have been understandable immediately post-marriage when she was abandoned by everyone - family, in-laws, everyone. Up to Tuesday, we wept for Khushi. If they had kept the suicide track serious, it might have influenced susceptible youngsters into thinking Khushi really had no other way out ... and by extension, thinking that girls like her are in the same boat. As it was, in that one scene where she is shown writing her will, and then speaking to Payal, she moved me so much I almost forgot about the entire OTT drama that had come before.
By keeping it funny, they stopped the suicide drama from being taken seriously ... much like they did in the Payash fake suicide scene.

So on second (and third) thoughts, I will forgive the cv's for this one ... if that was indeed the thought in their mind, ... and if they make the final confrontation more serious and not comedic ...

3/5 - Epi 244 ... Dummies' Guide to Kill your Wife - edtd

Thursday 3rd May

Quite ironical - the title fits both the men Arnav and Shyam - Arnav, whom Khushi thinks is trying to kill her and Shyam, who is actually doing the deed.

I was expecting the overactive imagination of Khushi in thinking Arnav is trying to kill her, so I didn't get as put off as yesterday ;) And also because I kept my concentration on trying to spot Sanaya's BD ... who was there almost the entire episode, so that means the new episodes post Sanaya's return have not started yet.

We did get something on our wishlist ... more screen space to RRR and the RM vaasis ... and wonder of wonders, it moved the story forward! In fact, the RM scenes moved the story today, the ArHi scenes were the fillers ... will they actually lead to the outburst?

Shyam faces the humiliation of wifey paying his debts, and is furious ... then wifey wants to move to their own house, and his fury deepens ... a serious attempt to scare her enough to stay on RM follows, and he is successful. And don't know if this was deliberate, but Hari Prakash passed by during the Shyam-Anjali scene again ... witness again?

Bubbly sabotages a romantic Payash lunch ... instead of Payal wanting to have a romantic lunch with hubby, wouldn't it have been better to show her sulking a bit after he made her miss a wedding at her maika? And him trying to appease her ... and then Bubbly up to her antics?

So two people are trying to get rid of the queens in their lives ... Shyam with Anjali, and Bubbly with Payal. 

And Arnav is merely flummoxed with the queen in his life ... even for Sanka Devi, she's acting weird.
Buaji's oneliner of the day ... I haven't tasted the rat poison, and those who have, aren't alive to tell the tale. =))

Precap - is the noose also a complete figment of Khushi's imagination? Like the garden shears and the flowers were?

*edited*
Few more thoughts on progression in different tracks -
Shyam - cornered on two sides - the financial crunch is starting to squeeze, not just his spending habits but also his much-touted pride - his financial dependency on his wife and her brother is being exposed to outsiders. And adding to his tension, his wife wants to move into their own home - so the burden of household expenses will also be added to his load. Anjali wants to move because Shyam has apparently given up his travels ... he doesn't need to disappear for days on end now that Khushi is in the same house. Also, he needs to keep an eye on Arnav and what he's up to - so far Arnav has stopped Shyam's allowance and changed his will to exclude Shyam completely ... Shyam is a worried man. His ostensible reason to keep Anjali in RM was because of his travels - now that he's home most of the time, he's lost that excuse. He needs to find another one pronto.
When ArHi return from GH, will there be a third worry - the softened attitude of Arnav towards Khushi? After all, Shyam is gambling on Arnav hating Khushi for her supposed affair with him - that leave Khushi vulnerable. The improved ArHi relationship would put a blight on that. Will that precipitate some action on Shyam's part, which leads Khushi to blurt out something about Shyam to Arnav?
(Saying this after Gargi's report which seems to indicate that ArHi leave GH before the dhamaka happens :)) )

Khushi-Arnav - gulab toh mil gaya, ab kaante bhi milenge ... she got the gulab - Arnav, but she also got the thorn in her side - Shyam ... it's him she has to get rid of. Or another interpretation - with the gulab (Arnav) she got the thorn of the huge MU between them. Or a third interpretation  - with Arnav, she got ASR. :))
I see how easy it is to make symbolic posts if you try - the power of lateral thinking :) 

Payash - has Bubbly already started making Payal insecure? Don't remember Payal ever going out of her way to make a romantic gesture before. My take - Bubbly is insecure, and is behaving like a child who has recently acquired a stepmother - and is hellbent on showing the stepmother in a bad light, hoping her father will get rid of the stepmother if she is bad enough. So that childish reasoning is acceptable. But then she should be trying to show that Payal is bad towards her, not careless in general. Or maybe she's just trying to break up all Payash moments ... she just doesn't like seeing Akash mooning over Payal. And she succeeded - her wax on the papers stunt broke up the romantic Payash lunch. Again, that is like a child used to her father's complete attention, and resenting a stepmother taking over part of it. So till now, I can accept Bubbly's behaviour. 

Arnav wondering why Khushi keeps running away from him ... well, actually he should remember that the last conversation he had with her, he told her not to show her face to him. Of course, that's not why Khushi is running away ... feel bad for Sanaya she had to shoot such crappy stuff just to make sure we got Khushi in the frame while SI was away. The only grossly OTT parts were the screaming 'khoon khoon' and running away ... the rest I could take. 

Shyam isn't trying to kill Anjali this time - he's just trying to show how careless she is and so needs to stay in RM. Again Mami is the sharpest - swift to check the railing after Anjali barely mentions it in her stammering ... but Shyam is even quicker - this time.
Mama Mami are a couple who actually do talk to each other - when Mama gets the screen space, that is ... will they ever start putting together all the accidents that have been happening with Anjali recently? 

2/5 - Epi 243 ... Of Kundalis and Killers - edtd

Wednesday 2nd May

Sorry got late making the marker post ... was watching Vicky Donor :))

Random comments on today's episode ... as it didn't really deserve much thought :)
Shot before Sanaya left for the UK ...lots of solo shots, and the 'weird' comedy is back ... hopefully just as a filler, as the promo has finally aired.
First scene was the only one worth a watch ... and hey, he did turn off the AC for her :)
Barun needs to take care - he's getting pimples! Very distracting in the close up shots.

Kundali - random hysterical TV announcer ... blah blah blah. Khushi worries that Arnav is wife killer.
Mami spying on Payal bhootni ... more blah blah blah- knew we would get random RM filler scenes today.
Akash - Bubbly playing chess ... still more blah blah blah. She wants to get rid of his queen. Another killer on the loose here. Bubbly needs to find a playmate her own age.

ArHi - Khushi still worrying about Arnav wanting her to kick the bucket ... the only bit I liked - Khushi's first expression when she hears Arnav talking to La ... before it all got silly. And Sanaya kept Khushi's acting less OTT in this bit for the most part ... the OTT factor was the basic premise of the wife killer ... Is that what's going to lead to the promo revelation?

SN - Whenever Khushi is shown as a blithering OTT idiot, I can't enjoy the episode :"> Sandy's update gave me a better overview of the big picture (and calmed me down ;) ) ... so I will come back later with my edited take :)

*edited*
Sandy, Jaya and all have given beautiful interpretations to today's episode, so I have nothing much to add :)

Just a few additional thoughts on the first scene ...  
Arnav in his sleep haunted by Khushi's words to her Amma ... shielding him, defending him ... and he sees her hiding her hurt and the truth even from her own mother ... whom by her own admission, she cares for like a real mother, not a step or foster mother. She said he can't see her tears, her pain ... true, he can't, but more often than not, he has been the cause of those tears, that pain.

He moves to the window to gaze out, like he did once so many nights ago, with her at his side, when he lightened his heart to her ... would his mother be happy to see him now?
And Khushi's words ring in his ears ... he is the best husband in the world. And another mother's words, her blessing ... may Devi maiyya always keep you both together.

Is it possible? Can that mother's blessing come true? And could Khushi say that and mean it ... feel that way in her heart ... not just covering for his sins? Does he have a chance to reach for happiness after all ... the happiness he thought he had lost forever?
And he turns back to see her shivering under the blanket ... she knows he wants his AC, she never told him to switch it off even once ... she lived with it ... a little thing ... but it's the little things that make up living together ...
And he switches the AC off, and gets back into bed, looking at her now sleeping peacefully ... her face turned trustingly to his side ...

Maybe there is a chance after all ... for him ... for them ...
Maybe he can be the best husband in the world ... maybe they can stay together always ... maybe Garima echoed what his own mother might have said ... maybe this marriage can last longer than six months ...
And he holds her hand ... maybe he doesn't have to let her go after all ...

1/5 - Epi 242 ... Shaitan ya Rajkumar

Tuesday 1st May

Couldn't have asked for a better birthday episode :"> :) ... story is finally back on track ...
- Khushi remembering that her prime motive is to find out the 'why' of her marriage,
- seeing that HH has a heart of gold under the bluster, first through her own eyes, and then reinforced by her mother ...
- the almost self-confession ... 'pyar aata hai, ... aur kabhi darr lagta hai ... finally cv's realised that Khushi needs monologues too, and the heroine can't stay 'weird' (rude gesture to Ved Raj) 
 - loved the Garima-Khushi scene ... the most touching was the dialogue by Khushi - 'you are my mother, aapko kisi ko jawaab dene ki zaroorat nahin hai' ...
- loved the way she described how good Arnav is to her ... loved that Arnav stayed to hear the entire conversation, ... loved his self-recrimination as he remembered what he had done as opposed to what she said he had done ... his doubts had started yesterday itself, they seem to be getting stronger too, that this girl cannot be what he thinks she is ...
-bridegroom Ankur grew a spine very fast, and proceeded to retain it - the first part of the episode was the only part a little blah ... too obvious for my taste, but all's well that ends well ... 
- and the best birthday gift - an episode full of Sanaya in the avatar I love :">  ... she obviously shot the entire thing before she left, a lot of it solo, and she was simply awesome!!! =D>

*edited*

First part of episode was a little cliched ... Arnav exerts his pull and power as boss to influence spineless bridegroom into growing a spine, while Khushi tries unsuccessfully to appeal to the better instnicts of his Mama Mami - Khushi's attempt was a throwback to the very first episode, where she (and Payal) believed naiively that Payal's bridegroom was a good man and was unaware of the dowry demands, and if only they told him about them, he would restrain his greedy parents. They were mistaken - the groom was very much aware, and was unable or unwilling to restrain his parents, and the rishta broke, while Khushi was caught in Sheesh Mahal. This time, Khushi (maybe as a result of that episode) didn't talk to the bridegroom directly, but addressed the elders instead ... only to come a cropper again ... appealing to their better instincts in front of a crowd didn't work either and only worsened matters almost to breaking point - while Arnav's clearcut businesslike approach of dealing with the groom directly and hitting him where it hurt, worked better. Not sure whether it was a better long term approach though - and to make it look more like a longterm solution, rather than a short term quick fix, cv's made Arnav's threat unconditional - the groom did the right thing anyway, regardless of the threat of not getting his job back, and Arnav rewarded him with his job. Was there really a difference made in the thinking? Not too sure ... such deeply entrenched thought processes are not resolved so instantly ...but I like the cv's attempt to bring in some nayi soch here, by Arnav's words that these kind of through processes belong to the 60's. Though why doesn't he stop Mami calling Payal and Khushi KBT and PS if he's so concerned about their respect?
What was nice was the juxtaposition of Arnav's talk with the bridegroom and Khushi's talk with the mama-mami ... showing them both working in their different ways for the same goal ...

So bridegroom Ankur develops a spine after the talk, and Mama Mami suddenly remember they want only their nephew's happiness and decide not to call off the wedding after all. And the festivities begin again ... Arnav is invited onto dance floor by suddenly chirpy groom, and wonder of wonders, he actually gets on the floor and like a moth to the flame, is drawn to Khushi, who's dancing merrily in relief and her usual exuberance. Watched happily by BG ... they saw the tension between ArHi, and are relieved and happy that it seems to be over ... Khushi is shocked to see him on the dance floor, shocked to see him approach her ... he was spitting fire at her and telling her to get lost a short while ago ... and here he is gazing at her as though he can't stay away from her ... A push, a fall, she breaks his fall and holds him ... Rabba Ve ... and then he remembers the terrace scene again ... and the moment breaks ... and again she's left confused at his inexplicably swift change of mood.

Wedding safely over ... bidaai going on ... bridegroom escapes to talk to Arnav, and ask for his job back ... with full confidence as required :)) ... Arnav forgives him and tells him to keep his wife happy, and is satisfied ... all in the day's work, reforming errant employees and teaching them to be good husbands ... :))

And a listening Khushi is bemused ... she gets the gist of what he did to save Preeto's marriage, but her confusion grows ... he's telling others how to be good husband, and what about his own marriage? Why, how, when their marriage happened ... she still doesn't have a clue.
But she does finally know one thing ... he is the one, both shaitan and rajkumar ... two sides of the same man ... which makes him so difficult to understand, to decipher ...
And she knows another thing ... ek pal mein itna pya ... half spoken, but giving it a name finally ... her own feelings for him, how they change with his moods ... sometimes love, sometimes fear ... because she never knows quite where she is with him ...
Why is he like this? There has to be a reason ... and she has to find out that reason ...

Back in her bedroom (Preeto's hanky and bidaai forgotten?) ... she thinks again ... there has to be a reason behind that hurried wedding ... and she has to find it ... but how?
From the day she got married, Khushi has known there was a reason for that hurried clandestine wedding ... that the reason was well-founded in Arnav's mind ... that's why till date she has never betrayed him to anyone - not to his family, not to her own. But in all the 101 ways to irritate him (and the cv's nonsensical reasoning that clown Khushi makes the show popular x( ) ... that reason fell by the wayside. Just hope it stays in the forefront now! 

Best scene of the day - Garima-Khushi- Arnav :)
Garima comes in, all chatty and relieved, the wedding went off well, the boy was very sensible, he handled his mama-mami ... Khushi pauses in removing her jewelry, she knows why the boy did that ... because of Arnav ...
Garima sees her silence, reads it partially ... Khushi is thinking about her own husband ... and Garima tries to reassure her, tell her the good she has seen in him, the part he tries to keep hidden ... and every word resonates within Khushi, now receptive to seeing those good qualities ... he speaks less, so it's difficult to read him ... but after so many days, one thing is clear ... he has a heart of gold, he worries about others more than about himself ... he put up with all the inconveniences here without a murmur ... 
And then the mother's heart speaks ... you both care a lot for each other, though you both have different ways of expressing it ... no truer word spoken ... Khushi believes in showing her love, expressing it, while Arnav believes in silence, actions more than words ... has she slowly started to understand that?  
'... but why do I sense an unspoken khalish (no better word for it in English) between you two? Tell me the truth ... is everything all right between you two? Are you both happy with each other?'
And Khushi feels tempted for an instant to let go, reveal her hurt ... 'Amma, I'm not happy ...'
And she sees Garima's worry and tension in her eyes, her fear  ... and Khushi changes her mind instantly ...
Just as Arnav enters ... and listens to a conversation which he wasn't supposed to overhear, but which is just about the best thing he did recently ...
'I'm not happy ... I'm very happy ...
You said the truth ... Arnavji looks after his own so well ... he's not only good at heart, but sensible too ...'
And then her dreams come to the forefront, mixed with what she has seen of him in happy times  ... juxtaposed with Arnav's memories of the stark truth so much at variance with her words ... and for the second time in one evening, he sees her hiding her pain behind a smile for someone she loves ...

'He takes care of me ... he helps me with everything, doesn't let me do anything myself' ... she knows this is what he would do if he did care ... because it's what he's told her so many times ... 'you can't do everything all alone' ... and then stepped in to help ...
But his memories are different ... he stopped her from doing her Dabba service ...

'When I remember you all, then he tries to bring a smile to my face ... he knows what I like and don't like ... if I want something, I get it instantly ...' She sulked that NK got her bangles, and he never did  ... he got her bangles in the middle of the night ...

And he remembers throwing the necklace she was so excited to get as a gift from Nani ...

'If I get even a scratch, he feels the pain more than I do ... he can't stand to see my tears' ... maybe she remembers the bangle episode, the bandagement of her ring finger ...
And he remembers hurting her ... causing her pain ...

'He fulfills my every wish before I even ask it ... if I ask for the moon and stars, I'm sure he'll get me those too ...' 
Has he ever asked her what she wanted? Even once? He took for granted she wants Shyam, and has been punishing her for it ever since ...

Khushi is done ... time for the acting to start again - wipe tears, fix blinding smile back on face ... 'is that enough to convince you, or do you need more?'
Garima is happy ... and immeasurably relieved. She has fulfilled her responsibility to Khushi's dead mother ...
And Khushi tells her ... 'you're not answerable to anyone else ... you are my mother.' 
Loved that line ... what a beautiful way of saying it ... Garima's heart would have overflowed hearing it. She did her best for her adopted daughter, but every step-mother is always worried whether she managed to measure up ... Khushi reassures her that she did ... and Garima hugs her, blessing her from the depths of her heart ... 'you've got such a wonderful husband, may DM keep you both together always ...'
What every mother wants for her daughter ... not a good-looking man, or a rich one ... but one who can look after her child and keep her happy ...
And Khushi agrees ... 'yes, he is the best husband in the world ...' and the stark misery shows on her face ... he would be, but he doesn't seem to want me as his wife.


And Arnav feels like the lowest heel on earth ... after all he has done to her, she still keeps his secret, still doesn't betray him even to her own mother ... still hides her pain and hurt ....
Finally starting to see the similarity between her and him ... they both hide their true selves from everyone else ... but they use very different masks ... it seems they only unmask themselves in front of each other ...

Garima was excellent during this scene ... BS was very good too ... Khushi was brilliant :)

At night ... Arnav has fb's of that conversation ... he is the best husband in the world ...  And he wakes up, sweating.
SN - Did he switch off the AC because Khushi felt cold?

Sanaya's interview with Noreen Khan

1st May

Posting the links, haven't heard it yet, just read the written update :)

Also posting the link of the meeting with fans - Sanaya and Barun's wife both want him to get a haircut, he doesn't go =))

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01gm1yq

youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_uI3rmST4Q&feature=youtu.be

link of the post - Sanaya's interview with Noreen Khan

Sanaya's meeting with fans