I saw that this one has been rated very highly on one thread, and put on par with the Checkmate (chess grandmaster) episode. Of course these assessments are a matter of personal opinion, which should always be respected, but I would describe this episode as thorough, methodical and competent, rather than brilliant or inspired.
Moral of the tale: In fact, to my mind, the real merit of this case is not, as is the norm, in splendid work by Arjun, but by the lessons it holds for Generation X or Y, about the dangers of rushing headlong into relationships that might not only be fleeting , but might well land them, and their families, in unbearable scandals. Freedom has always to be coupled with, and controlled, by a sense of responsibility, if it is not to lead to disaster, self-loathing and even as here, crime.
So the true message of this episode – and it is a very timely and valuable one - is not only that crime does not pay. It is more that that young people should look before they leap, and not have affairs with boyfriends (please forgive the gender bias, but it is almost always girls who are the victims in such cases) who might be planning to make them the star of a lurid MMS, for blackmail or to be publicised. It is true that gender equality is vital, but in such matters, the facts of life are such that it is the girl who end up getting hurt. It is thus prudent to draw one's lines and stay within them, even if the other person seems to be the love of your life!
The other sub-text is a warning about the misuse of technology for causing individual and social harm. This is as true of ugly MMSes as of other, and even worse perversions concerning the abuse of children that are made possible by misuse of the internet. But this is not to condemn the technology, for every invention, from fire to MMSes, will have those who misuse it, and the only way to curb this is thru alerting the public about this disease, and punishing the culprits swiftly.
Plus points: This story is an amalgam of the Arushi Talwar murder case in New Delhi that was headline news for months (involving the murder of a teenage girl and of a male servant of the family, for both of which the girl's parents, both doctors, have been charged and will be tried) and the Delhi University MMS scandal. The former is why everyone here, especially the media, is shown jumping to the conclusion that the parents had done it .
There were no significant goof ups or plot holes. The only visible one, as pointed out in one thread, was the whole ETF gaping at the revelations in his laptop and letting Bala scoot. But that was probably because that sort of chase scene just HAD to be there, seeing that they could not, with the best will in the world, fit in the other mandatory scene, an extended punching and kicking match between Arjun/Rathore and Chotu with a bunch of goons!
Plus Rathore had a solid role for a change, and that truly gladdened my heart. Then again, Arjun neither contradicted Rathore's conclusions abruptly at any stage, though he obviously had his doubts, nor did he provoke him (or anyone else) with his trademark Samjhe ya samjhaoon?
Solid teamwork: Nonetheless, the whole affair was more workmanlike than inspired or excellent. I cannot think of an instance here of a truly brilliant deduction by Arjun, of the kind that abound in some of the earlier cases. Rather, it is a steady, painstaking accretion of leads and facts, built up patiently by the whole team, in a solid and impressive display of teamwork. Plus the main suspect, Raj, obliges the ETF by turning up dead very soon.
Plot weaknesses: As for these, Vidya has pointed out correctly, in her very good post on this episode, that it is not at all credible that the son of an IT tycoon would go around selling obscene MMSes. Using them to blackmail girls into submitting to his perverted desires is one thing, for that is driven by the will to dominate. But selling MMSes, and running the risk of being trapped by one the so many sting operations tha abound, and are written about daily in the Indian newspapers? Hardly likely, especially since he must be rolling in money.
Moreover, at least from what they showed us of Anjali's MMS with Raj, it seemed very tame; not at all the sort of thing that would drive a modern young woman to a frenzy of fear, to the extent of getting ready to commit murder to prevent a scandal.
The other odd thing is why an IT tycoon's son, and that too one who is very bright, would come to such a commonplace college. It is incomprehensible He would go to an IIT or to Stanford or MIT (the IIT is more difficult to get into. The son of Mr. Narayanamurthy, the Infosys founder, could not make it to an IIT and went instead to Cornell).
The morality angle: As for the morality aspect, especially wrt the affair indulged in by Jai Yadav with a married woman, I do not think that it makes marriage out to be a joke, as some feel. Each marriage is different, and those that work, and last, are based on mutual understanding, respect, caring, and shared bonds, above all that of children. If some or all of these are weakened or destroyed, cracks appear in the marriage, but that does not invalidate it as an institution. Moroever, infidelity is as old as the hills. The only difference now is that it is often so in your face and unashamed.
Lastly, that Anjali, when she finds out about her father's affair, does not grieve for her mother, but only thinks of blackmailing her father to get him to agree to her relationship with Raj, is even more depressing. Later, she has no qualms about murdering Bala to protect herself. There are no lines left for her to cross, no Lakshmanrekha in her mind. She too is amoral, like Bala, only in a different way and to a different degree. Given the correct trigger, it is easy to believe that she too will do anything.
Incidentally, I wonder how that nosy neighbour found out that Anjali knew about her father's affair with that Pooja.
Comparative merits: Coming to ratings, to my mind, the only really flawless episode so far was Episode 32, the one of Saturday last, about the fake banknote plates. It was an excellent example of the film (well, TV episode) noir, like a Raymond Chandler story, complete with a classic, deadly femme fatale.I was not well this week, and so my planned post on that one has been delayed, but I hope to send it in soon, and I would be greatly interested in your reactions to my rating.
That episode was better, in terms of flawlessness, than even the checkmate one of Hiten Saxena, which had a couple of glaring holes, including how on earth he shifted the very heavy gravestones without getting caught. But of course the chess episode was very elegant and cerebral, pus it showed a very moving part of Arjun's back story, and in this sense it is still clearly the winner.
Shyamala B.Cowsik
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
Bindi
9