Things I liked: 20th/23rd June

As the show progresses, I notice that most of the epis these days have a theme on an individual basis along with overall storyline movement...


While Friday's epi felt like it was about perceptiveness and N and Y bonding over their respective relationships with their fathers, today's epi felt like it was about catharsis.

I'll start with Friday's epi first i.e. June 20th:

1) I loved the opening scene ...Nikumb staring at the burning ruins of his father's scooter and Yamini nervously babbling about random things to take her mind off the stress of the situation...and the way the conversations takes a poignant turn from there as Nikumb shares with Yamini why that scooter means so much to him...his father's gift to him...ironically given to him to pursue his IIT related studies but he always gravitated towards theater, much to his father's disappointment...

And surprisingly, very surprisingly for Nikumb especially...Yamini showed remarkable perceptiveness in asking him the right question...that what bothers him isn't that he didn't make it on his own mettle despite choosing a contrary career to his father's plans for him...what bothers him is that he couldn't hear it from his father...Nikumb was taken aback by that perceptive remark from Yamini...

And then as the scene continues, Yamini while talking about Nikumb's equation with his father invariably manages to connect it to her own equation with her father and it gives an insight into how she views her father despite being so scared of him...

I love that character development is happening in such a gradual manner in this show...the story is properly unfolding now and each episode brings a better understanding of the characters.


2) Nikumb in the true style of a storyteller narrating anecdotes from his childhood to take Yamini's mind off of the stress of the situation...the use of the song Galliyaan was nicely done for the montage here too.


3) Yamini is clearly a very sheltered child...every line from her mouth starts with "Daddo yeh kehti hai" or "Papa yeh sochte hain, Papa yeh kahenge"...any and every thought in her mind generally seems to stem from whatever she's been taught by her family...she is yet to discover HERSELF as a person.


4) The bit where Yamini shares how she ended up in the field of singing and Nikumb remarking that she's lucky to have had such a supportive family when it comes to her dream and Yamini pauses and says ruefully..."Mera sapna...?"...nice touch.


5) The yearning in Yamini to BE Shakuntala...simply for the FEARLESSNESS and COURAGE in the character to fight the world for what she wants, what she loves...and this does not escape Nikumb's notice at all.


6) Nikumb finally seeing yet another opening to manage to get his Sorry through😆...after Yamini apologizes to him about the photographer incident...and again he tries it through a scene only...haha Nikumb😆...still couldn't manage it...but finally finally manages to say it in the end...


And not a moment too soon as RS (Raghavendra Singh) barges in, breaking them away from their almost cosy camaraderie moments back to reality...and takes instant offence to seeing his daughter being sheltered by another man.


7) Major kudos to direction in the bits after this as the entire tension b/w the characters is captured SO well...and the way Nikumb notes the strain b/w father-daughter and how Yamini just totally goes into a shell around her father...Nikumb still tries to stand up for himself as well as for Yamini seeing her being scolded so ruthlessly by her father but backs off when he sees RS's demeanor...what registers on him more is definitely the fact that Yamini didn't SPEAK UP.


8) And finally the last scene with NM expressing exasperation over how things were just starting to look up and then they hit a roadblock again...most specifically the bit where he talks about what a REPRESSED child Yamini is and gives out a very valid life lesson for both parents and children regarding that...never scare your child so much that he/she can't even express themselves.


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June 23rd: The theme for today's epi was catharsis I feel...catharsis for Yamini to express herself through the medium of theater...that seems to be her long term journey in this story.


1) Aazam teasing Nikumb about Yamini because of the earring left in his pocket during his torch fixing session...lol...I love how matter of fact Nikumb is and there aren't any coy cliches going so far...*touchwood*

What registered the most on him as he told Azam as well was the fact that Yamini is so SCARED as a personality that she can't even open her mouth in front of her own father...and doesn't seem to have seen anything of the world...so while he expresses reservations to Azam there about whether such a scared girl can even begin to portray a fearless and dynamic Shakuntala, somewhere it seems Nikumb has noted the spark in Yamini to be more than what she is right now...to express what she really wants to be.


2) Which is exactly what NM highlights in his storytelling bit as well as he talks about the turn these characters are now taking...where it seems likely that somewhere Nikumb wants to TEST Yamini's inner strength and coax out her ability to stand up for herself...on the surface it may be for the sake of the play and the character she is playing but it goes beyond that too...Yamini as a person has really piqued Nikumb's interest and he feels a need to get her to open up for her own good.


3) The NY scene in the morning when Y shows up for rehearsals wanting to apologize for her father's rude behavior but N seems to have dismissed that in his mind already and was more hung up on wanting to return the earring😆...nice, brief, sweet bit.


4) The entire second half where Nikumb pushes and pushes Yamini to break out of her shell and truly EXPRESS herself through Shakuntala...everyone else around might be feeling bad for Yamini seeing the way Nikumb was pushing her pretty ruthlessly but it seems Nikumb has a bigger plan and a fierce light in his eyes as he watched Yamini and NEEDING her to speak up...

5) This carries over into the very last bit when RS shows up and tires to intimidate Nikumb but Nikumb stands his ground and just keeps looking at Yamini expecting HER to speak up first...

This seems to have become a clash of wills b/w Nikumb and RS over Yamini...Nikumb has taken it upon himself to make sure Yamini learns to stand up for herself no matter how much her father tries to intimidate her.


Precap seems to indicate that Nikumb is going to continue pushing Yamini to deal with the real world on her own rather than hide behind her family's protective walls...she WANTS to break out of the shell but doesn't know how...for now, it seems like a distant impossible dream for her as she yearns to be strong and fearless but seems to lack the courage and motivation to achieve that...which is where Nikumb is working to push her.

Great post! 😊

Originally posted by: LoveToLaugh

Great post! 😊

Word about that perceptive one remark from Yamini. Nikumbh seemed pretty amazed, and maybe that's how he saw something in Yamini that piqued his interest. Here's this woman he had always dismissed as a farzi star; she is popular, sings bollywood songs, and yet, she talks of simple joys (like enjoying hari sabzi) and is capable of showing great perceptiveness. But she will never have two words to speak for herself. Maybe it comes out of curiosity, or maybe it is for the play (just like he said to Azam), but he wants Yamini to step up and express.

I was initially frustrated that Nikumbh did not give Raghavendra a piece of his mind, but I guess that allowed him to observe and grasp that for some reason, Yamini's voice has been greatly suppressed. I also loved that what worried him most was that this was not a positive for his play. And yet, he takes a chance with her, because it was Yamini who told him that she wanted to be like Shakuntala. She wants to be fearless, just like her. Something holds her back, and maybe theater will allow her to get past it. In some ways, she is a challenge for Nikumbh. If this play has to work, Yamini has to express. Under pressure (Nikumbh was working her pretty ruthlessly), she has to express. And getting her to express is a challenge. She is so used to her father expressing things for her, I guess Nikumbh is right when he says that she can't probably even buy an ice-cream on her own. But she also challenges his view about some things. I like that it that this makes Nikumbh both wary and curious.

I hope that she finds something challenging in Nikumbh, too. Something that challenges the sheltered life she has lived so far, that challenges her to find a voice she seems to have buried in some door desh. I hope she finds something in his junoon for theater. Her own sapne she seems to have thrown away in a kachre ka bin.

And in this process, I hope she decides to have a few workshops with her mother as well. Frankly, her parents irritate me. There's this control freak Raghavendra, and the woman who gladly accepts bullshit and seems to be constantly crying. I like Daddu. Not only is she the only person who seems to really understand Yamini, she also seems equally annoyed by her bahu and she accepts that Raghu is paagal. 😆

Anyhow, looking forward to see how the dynamics play and change from this point onward.

P.S. I LOVE your siggy. Just so beautiful! 😊

Thanks!

About the sig: It was made by someone else on request and yes I also think it's beautiful👏

Re: Nikumb not replying back to Raghavendra...it's cuz he's in observation mode right now...invariably, Yamini has become a CHARACTER for him and as a storyteller, he's unable to resist trying to figure out this character, trying to solve the puzzle of her "dabbuness" so to speak

Yes, I'm so far pleasantly surprised by how steadily the equation b/w N and Y is being developed and not being made one-sided...while Y piques N's interest cuz of the somewhat paradoxical nature of her real life personality with what her IMAGE is as a "farzi" star like you said, Yamini for her part is also showing some perceptiveness whenever Nikumb shares something about his thought process with her...such natural interactions...this is how you'd get to know a person in real life...something that is hardly shown on TV anymore...good CONVERSATIONS b/w characters.

And yes as you pointed out, I also loved that Nikumb's first thought is always about the play...it's not some overnight change of heart vis a vis Yamini for him...the play is still of utmost importance to him but now he sees POTENTIAL in Yamini and he won't let that be squandered...somehow Yamini has understood Shakuntala's core but isn't being able to tap into HERSELF to reach that core and become one with the character she needs to portray...that is what Nikumb is pushing her to do...for the sake of both the play as well as herself.

Yamini's family...don't get me started on the mom and dad...they are the real downers for me in this show...Daddo is cute though...especially the way she told Yamini today to give her blessings to Nikumb that he'll soon graduate from a two-wheeler to a four-wheeler😆...and yeah she seems to be the only one to challenge Raghu...Yamini's mom is a total cliche...which explains why Yamini never had much of a female role model to aspire to be like

Awesome Post! The show and all the characters are growing gradually. There are so many clashes going on and the most important one is going to be between two very strong personalities that is Nikumbh and Raghvendra. Dadoo -Yamini, Azam- Nikumbh and Azam- Shaheen 😆 helps in bringing in lighter moments.

Nikumbh has realised how scared Yamini is of her father.He takes it all out on poor Azam 😆 Azam is his punching bag. Nikumbh was so soot on when he said the girl is so scared that she cant even take a simple decision by herself.

Nikumbhs yeh oversmart phone had me laughing. I also feel like that sometimes while using smart phones 😆 . Then the earring scene was so cute. Yamini was expecting some very angry reactions but he was not even bothered about Raghavendras behaviour. Lol. He was busy searching for the ring.

And the final scene. I also think that Nikumbh is trying to make her come out of her shell and face the real world.more exposure and more experience to the real world may help her a lot.

PS: Do you think earrings will be like Monus hanky?

Originally posted by: spidie

Awesome Post! The show and all the characters are growing gradually. There are so many clashes going on and the most important one is going to be between two very strong personalities that is Nikumbh and Raghvendra. Dadoo -Yamini, Azam- Nikumbh and Azam- Shaheen 😆 helps in bringing in lighter moments.

Nikumbh has realised how scared Yamini is of her father.He takes it all out on poor Azam 😆 Azam is his punching bag. Nikumbh was so soot on when he said the girl is so scared that she cant even take a simple decision by herself.

Nikumbhs yeh oversmart phone had me laughing. I also feel like that sometimes while using smart phones 😆 . Then the earring scene was so cute. Yamini was expecting some very angry reactions but he was not even bothered about Raghavendras behaviour. Lol. He was busy searching for the ring.

And the final scene. I also think that Nikumbh is trying to make her come out of her shell and face the real world.more exposure and more experience to the real world may help her a lot.

PS: Do you think earrings will be like Monus hanky?

Haha Mohan hangover never wears off, does it?😆...Arey earring keepsake toh har show mein hota hai so I dunno if I would say it's like the famous hanky...waise bhi Sonal isn't writing this...so I dunno...these writers might approach it differently? Let's see...but I gotta say that was a pretty innovative use for an earring...as a screwdriver to fix the torch😆

Thanks about the post, Spidie ji! :-)

LOL yeah the OVERsmartphone line was cute...I like how simple and subtle the humor is...the slice of life feel...very much reminiscent of early NBT1...

Yes I also foresee bigger clashes b/w Nikumb and Raghav since they are both assertive personalities...things will only get more complicated once Nikumb-Yamini fall for each other😆

Azam is a very cute friend to Nikumb...I love their interactions...I get very vague Mohan-Guru deja vu and it makes me miss them.

You said it 😆 I also get that vague MG feeling while watching them. Especially today when he said phone bhi nahi kar sakte kya? 😆 the earlier NBTish vibe is everywhere as you mentioned slice of life and humour which doesnt seemed forced. No OTT expressions or jarring BG. Yamini- dadoo reminds me of Megha n Jiji. Oh I miss NBT still!

Major problems will start when they both NY will fall for each other. Nikumb and Raghavendra has started on wrong foot and its always going to be like this between these two. Right now it will be interesting to see how Nikumb brings Yamini out of her shell and make her Fearless like Shakuntala.

Wow great post.

Originally posted by: spidie

You said it 😆 I also get that vague MG feeling while watching them. Especially today when he said phone bhi nahi kar sakte kya? 😆 the earlier NBTish vibe is everywhere as you mentioned slice of life and humour which doesnt seemed forced. No OTT expressions or jarring BG. Yamini- dadoo reminds me of Megha n Jiji. Oh I miss NBT still!

Major problems will start when they both NY will fall for each other. Nikumb and Raghavendra has started on wrong foot and its always going to be like this between these two. Right now it will be interesting to see how Nikumb brings Yamini out of her shell and make her Fearless like Shakuntala.

LOL so true about Daddo being reminiscent of Jeeji...oh but Jeeji was TOO cute...how I miss her...Yamini is like a kid with Daddo...very girlish in general...Megha was a grown woman having been through so much tragedy in her life so her equation with Jeeji had more depth in it...but Yamini-Daddo make a cute pair...she is Yamini's only confidante in that house who understands her and supports her.

I guess we will just never stop missing NBT😆

Yes problems will deffo increase b/w Nikumb and Raghav...and Yamini is already caught in the tussle b/w them without any full relationship having developed...lol...

Originally posted by: loveleen12

Wow great post.

I agree with each and every thing you wrote. I am not going to be repetitive and say the same things everyone else already has, but a thought came into my mind while reading one of your replies in which you mentioned subtle interactions or conversations versus coy cliche moments. It is wonderful that Yamini and Nikumbh are getting to know each other in this way as this gives them scope to discover each other's choti choti baatein. In most shows, we see love happening quite quickly between the characters which doesn't really give enough space to actually get to know the person and their habits.

Another thing is that Nikumbh-Yamini's equation makes me ecstatic as at this point they honestly don't have any relationship, not even friendship. It is so realistic because they aren't going to fast or slow. I believe that even friendship takes time and now Raghu is in the picture to create more problems.

Yamini is a really confusing character sometimes along with Nikumbh of course because they both naturally say things that come to their mind, but with Nikhumb that is normal. Yamini not so much, she is so quite that after a while you would just want to let her be and from Nikumbh's perspective it is even more odd as her shyness and silence came across to Nikumbh as arrogance.

Hey thanks so much! And you've made some interesting points in bold here!

Re: bold 1: Yes that is what I'm liking right now to...they technically have no relationship, it's not friendship either...it's simply the equation of two colleagues at most...very much to the point...and yet their conversations are growing in depth and perception with regards to each other...they learn something new about each other slowly every other day and it adds new shades to their equation...

Re: bold 2: I think Yamini makes more sense to me now than she did in the first week...I like the layers they are unfolding vis a vis her now...she's unbelievably repressed as a personality and now Nikumb is among the characters voicing out the frustration that we as viewers felt with her inability to speak up...I don't think Nikumb considers her arrogant anymore...especially after the insight he's gotten into her personality with the talks they had during the riots...he sees her now simply as a very DARI hui ladki...a girl too scared to manage to stand up for herself and he feels this NEED to help her stand up for herself...it's a roundabout form of protectiveness in some ways.

Nikumb is a gentleman ultimately no matter how brusque or rude he can be otherwise in his whimsical/eccentric theater director ways...so both these aspects of his personality show up from time to time depending on how things are going...

They both still have a lot to understand about each other.

Originally posted by: AreYaar

Hey thanks so much! And you've made some interesting points in bold here!

Re: bold 1: Yes that is what I'm liking right now to...they technically have no relationship, it's not friendship either...it's simply the equation of two colleagues at most...very much to the point...and yet their conversations are growing in depth and perception with regards to each other...they learn something new about each other slowly every other day and it adds new shades to their equation...

Re: bold 2: I think Yamini makes more sense to me now than she did in the first week...I like the layers they are unfolding vis a vis her now...she's unbelievably repressed as a personality and now Nikumb is among the characters voicing out the frustration that we as viewers felt with her inability to speak up...I don't think Nikumb considers her arrogant anymore...especially after the insight he's gotten into her personality with the talks they had during the riots...he sees her now simply as a very DARI hui ladki...a girl too scared to manage to stand up for herself and he feels this NEED to help her stand up for herself...it's a roundabout form of protectiveness in some ways.

Nikumb is a gentleman ultimately no matter how brusque or rude he can be otherwise in his whimsical/eccentric theater director ways...so both these aspects of his personality show up from time to time depending on how things are going...

They both still have a lot to understand about each other.

Definitely, Nikumbh does not consider Yamini as arrogant but rather like you said a "dari hui ladki". Also it is not sympathy or pity which Nikumbh feels for Yamini. Of course, his intentions are to make his play successful, but somewhere he wants her to speak up like in the last scene. He was hoping that Yamini would speak up when her father asked her who was having her plead and that was not for the play but more directly for Yamini herself.