Arjun Episode 34: The MMS Murders - Page 5

Yes, my dear Rose, as you would see from one of my responses above, it was brought home to me that I had missed that line of Bala's about his father. That would explain the choice of college for him.

Nonetheless, I feel Bala would have been better off in an (intellectually) elite institution like an IIT, where his peers would have all been as bright as he is, and he would have felt at home. I do not think the girls at IITs would be like this Anjali! And then, as he is very bright, I think he was put into this college quite deliberately by his father, and not because he could not make the grade at an IIT or other top institution.

In this context, you must not confuse some private medical colleges and other technical educational institutions, where the students are charged large capitation fees for seats, and Govt. colleges and autonomous but govt. supported institutions like the IITs. The 8 IITs all have a common JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) each year, which is very tough, and admissions are made strictly on merit based on the results in the JEE. You cannot buy your way into an IIT.

Lastly, as you can see from my response to Tina, who had made a very valid point about Anjali's unwarranted rudeness to Bala, such girls often bring trouble upon themselves thru their arrogance. Then again, she it totally amoral as well, as I wrote in my post, and while I would not want her killed, of course, I do not have any sympathy for her, unlike Arjun.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: ValleryRose

Hmmm.. I would put this episode after the episodes: Checkmate and the fake money plates.
It was a good one without any 'glaring holes' like you said.
I would agree with you about the IT tycoon's son Bala ending up in a normal college is a little surprising, but I would also point out that Bala told Rathore during their convo in the canteen that his father wanted him to live a normal middle class life like every other student of his age. May be that is the reason he let his son study in a college that was allotted to him based on his merit, rather than paying lakhs for his education. This is what I feel. I might be wrong too..! 😊
But, one thing that kept bugging me was why did he want to sell them all of a sudden?
I would also like to thank the CVs for finally giving Rathore his due!
There was another thing missing in the episode: Arjun's mind blowing deductions. But it's okay.. as long as the episode turns out well. 😊

Thanks for the review Shyamala aunty!

My dear,

It is good to hear from you again; I remember how much fun we had with that Varying Shades of Love episode!

I agree with you about all the jarring notes. The ones about children being terrified and the 'Centre' demanding quick action are just hogwash, though media pressure would be real, and instantaneous, given the 24x7 stream of 'breaking news', laced with lavish criticism of the police for not having wrought miracles and arrested the culprits in 6 hours flat. Again, but for the Aarushi Talwar case, no one would have dreamt of accusing the parents. Nowadays, it is practically routine!

Police affairs are emphatically a State subject, in this case Maharashtra's. The Centre means the Govt. of India in New Delhi, and the Ministry of Home Affairs. They would never interfere in a local murder. As you would remember, the Aarushi Talwar case in New Delhi, on which this story is based in part (only in part) was first (mis)handled by the Delhi Police and later handed over to the CBI, which is of course a central organisation. But cases can be taken over by them only when the concerned State Govt. asks for it. The Centre cannot do it suo moto.

I could not understand the hubbub about body being moved either, unless the idea put out by the forensic chap was the it was moved BEFORE rigor mortis set in, which would mean that the father had seen the dead body the previous night itself. I replayed that part 3 times and was none the wiser at the end of that exercise. I think they do not expect the viewers to be as sharp as you are!

The parents seem strangely unconcerned in general, the dress being only one part of it. Not that I have much sympathy for Anjali, who seems as amoral as the rest of them. If you have the time, please see my responses above to a very perceptive point that Tina had made about the very bad way in which she snubbed Bala.

More later, I hope.

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: DuttaSweetheart

Very insightful analysis👏 You are spot on that good old policework was the star of this one😊

A few things did jarr a bit though...

* A girl has been murdered & parents are suspects, city has gone tizzy,media is running wild with the news, the commisioner has been pressurised by "Centre" to act swiftly as children are terrified that muderous parents are on the loose, ETF has been asked to lead the case and all this while a young girl lies dead in a pool of her own blood?😕 The time line is skewed,no?

* Why is ETF making a big issue out of the body being moved? What does one do when they find their child injured? Is it not natural for parents & loved ones to hold them to check for a pulse, check on their injury or try to get them to a hospital even when signs of death are present? Are we meant to follow protocols or our natural instincts in these situations?

* Why are the parents dressed to the nines when their only daughter has been murdered the night before?Agree like the poor Talwars they are not meant to display the "normal" grieving poses yet this was way too OTT

Your thoughts...😊

I love the way you analyze the whole epi ...

My dear Gurmeet,

Thank you so much! I am really happy that you not only went thru such a detailed post but liked it too. I am always a little apprehensive about my kind of analysis appealing to young people in this group, and so messages like yours are particularly reassuring!

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: Gurmeet4Drashti

I love the way you analyze the whole epi ...

Fantastic analysis ... :)

thankyou shyamala aunty not si long but lovely episode..
though missed the episode..
your detailed analysis helped me to create the picture in my mind..!
MMS scandal..heard only from tv,news etc...
never had been such a case nor will be..!!!
without thorough knowledge about the person none of our personal info that would lead us to problem should be given!!!
there would be awareness..yess true!!parental guidance needed somewhere..
and our taste matches...the chess episode still is my fav from all..😉
and hope you get well soon😊

bala ka bacha chasmudin kya nikla, kamina kahi ka vase mujhe saq to use dekhte hi ho gya tha

Dear Priya,

Thanks for such a nice message, and for your concern about my health. I am glad our tastes match; whenever someone from Gen X (perhaps Y!) says that, I feel the generation gap narrowing!

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: priya00147

thankyou shyamala aunty not si long but lovely episode..
though missed the episode..
your detailed analysis helped me to create the picture in my mind..!
MMS scandal..heard only from tv,news etc...
never had been such a case nor will be..!!!
without thorough knowledge about the person none of our personal info that would lead us to problem should be given!!!
there would be awareness..yess true!!parental guidance needed somewhere..
and our taste matches...the chess episode still is my fav from all..😉
and hope you get well soon😊

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Yes, my dear Rose, as you would see from one of my responses above, it was brought home to me that I had missed that line of Bala's about his father. That would explain the choice of college for him.

Nonetheless, I feel Bala would have been better off in an (intellectually) elite institution like an IIT, where his peers would have all been as bright as he is, and he would have felt at home. I do not think the girls at IITs would be like this Anjali! And then, as he is very bright, I think he was put into this college quite deliberately by his father, and not because he could not make the grade at an IIT or other top institution.

In this context, you must not confuse some private medical colleges and other technical educational institutions, where the students are charged large capitation fees for seats, and Govt. colleges and autonomous but govt. supported institutions like the IITs. The 8 IITs all have a common JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) each year, which is very tough, and admissions are made strictly on merit based on the results in the JEE. You cannot buy your way into an IIT.

Lastly, as you can see from my response to Tina, who had made a very valid point about Anjali's unwarranted rudeness to Bala, such girls often bring trouble upon themselves thru their arrogance. Then again, she it totally amoral as well, as I wrote in my post, and while I would not want her killed, of course, I do not have any sympathy for her, unlike Arjun.

Shyamala Aunty

My dear Arya,

It is very nice of you to say that you miss my long and ultra-detailed posts, and it says a lot about you as well. Not many of the very young have the patience and the love of analytical reasoning to appreciate my kind of stuff, so I am all the more pleased to add you to the admittedly modest list of my regulars!😉

I agree with all the supplementary points you have made here; you have obviously thought a lot about the whole affair. I found @red part especially apt. That was why I wrote that Anjali was a s amoral as Bala, though for different reasons. Tina's point about girls like Anjali being so unnecessarily cruel to boys they have contempt for, and thus to some extent inviting the trouble that follows, is also valid. You might like to see DuttaSweetheart's points above and my response, as you are interested so much in detail.

Lastly, my dear, the fake banknotes plates case was a pure noir affair, and the villainness was like a black widow spider which eats its mate. No female cop needed to tackle her; with a bit of luck, she would have tackled both Rathore and Arjun successfully! She is one the things that made me like that episode so much; she is the archetype of the kind of femme fatale that was a speciality of the hard core mystery writers like Raymond Chandler and James Hadley Chase. The episode suited her to a T. As soon as my wrist is better, I will post my long delayed analysis of that one., and I will let you know as usual.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: arryline

Hello Shyamala Aunty,was really missing your long and analytical posts.Just got to know that you were not well from the other thread ,Hope you are fine now😊

Coming to the episode,as you said it was not a great episode but it had it's own merits.Also the cv's played it safe by purely not deducing the Arushi case but brought the MMS angle to it.Plus the culprit Bala was an easy catch for me atleast,thanks to his girfriend 's worried looks.Also as you pointed out there was no awesome discoveries which will blow you .

Here all the characters had there on dark shades.If Bala wouldn't have attacked on them then they would have killed him,chopped and disposed him,typical to the famous Neeraj Grover murder case .But call it luck or the couple's ill fate the reverse happens.I won't say it's easy for every girl to involve police in it but an opinion of elder can come handy and helpful,since Anjali had troubled relations here too ,she could have asked help from some relative atleast.Bala's case is the same we see presently,inability to handle rejection.Some resort to suicides and some resort to such crimes.

About the weaknesses,I feel that Bala selling a string of MMS's are a bit overdone rather he should have just sticked with Anjali's one then we could have reason it that his madness for Anjali have led him to the path of this crime.The second one I agree .Third one ya it's a bit unrealistic that you see a tycoon's son ,equally bright in a normal college,a back story here would have helped us understand and reason his actions better.

Ya the fake plate episode was good but Aunty somehow I really missed a female cop ie obviously Riya in this particular episode,especially in the last scene where the boys were against that culprit woman.I felt a woman cop was a must there.Maybe it's my obsession for Arjun-Riya or love for her character.Rest I was fine with the episode😊

Take care and waiting for your next post😊