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After the 14th July episode, I am sad to say I have not watched any of the succeeding Baawre episodes. I have however, read the detailed written updates and agree that this is a fine show. I hate that I cannot enjoy this show anymore, and wish maybe after writing this post I can get back to enjoying the show.
I wanted to make this post after Monday, it would've been better and easier. I was emotionally worked up, but I didn't get the chance to do so. I wanted to re-watch Monday's episode before I wrote this, but I can't even bring myself to do that now. I am just weary and mostly feel like not even bothering to write (this I know would've been much better written had I written it immediately compared to now) but as i said I am doing so in hopes that perhaps once I've written down my thoughts, I may find my zeal back for Baawre.
The reason for my lack of interest in Baawre? Raghvendra. Or rather, the narrative's and Yamini's making light of Raghvendra's actions which took place in the 11th July episode. We saw Raghvendra taking out his anger and frustration on a poor waiter in front of Yamini. And then the next episode, Yamini is unaffected, the narrative makes light of it, and Nikumbh justifies Raghvendra's reaction. And both the narrative and Yamini attempt to soften and defend Raghvendra by pointing to his softer side, and letting everyone know that he is just loving, overbearing father who while goes too far, in the end has his heart in the right place.
What happened in the 11th July episode?
We see Raghvendra beat the crap out of a poor waiter whose only fault was brushing past Yamini. Yamini herself felt no slight, and tried feebly to protest her father. But Raghvendra, who was already angry and upset, who couldn't do anything to Nikumbh, takes his frustration and anger out on the poor waiter (who also happened to walk past him earlier). This episode alone brought forth a few issues.
- 1) Yamini. In some ways I can understand how due to her characterization she is helpless. And often times women and girls are shown standing by helpless in such situations. But still, it is hard to digest. How do you not react when you see your father beat the crap out of a poor waiter for a supposed slight against you which you did not even register. All of Nikumbh's tasks and lessons were in vain, because she couldn't open her mouth. Scream at her father to stop.
But Yamini, just as she kept quiet the night of the riots before all those tasks, said nothing and stood by watching it happen. The Narrator criticized and chastised Yamini for keeping quiet that night of the riots. I never really blamed her then. But here, I definitely blame her as an innocent man was physically and violently assaulted (and one which the narrative brushes over in the next episode itself).
- 2) The feudalistic reality of what happened between Raghvendra and the waiter. Here, I acknowledge this is a reality, but again it's not something which the narrative, Yamini, or other characters whom we are supposed to like and emphasize with, should ignore.
Raghvendra is automatically assumed to be correct and right, and the poor waiter to be in the wrong and guilty of Raghvendra's accusations. Shaheen's father comes over, stops Raghvendra and has the waiter taken away. Is the waiter going to get any justice? No, he will most likely be kicked out without any pay for his services.
How this episode ended did not sit well with me or others I know. But we figured Monday's episode, 14th July episode, would address this and that the character of Raghvendra was has crossed a line which he can no longer be defended as simply a father whom the daughter should be respectful towards. See for some of us, that action of Raghvendra's ensures he deserves no respect, and we thought perhaps Yamini would now start to question her father and not look up to him in the same manner as before.
But that is not what happened in the next episode.
What happened in the 14th July Episode?
- 1) Yamini has no thought or regards to what happened with the waiter. She tells her mother nothing big happened, and doesn't seem to be the least bit affected with Raghvendra's actions. Rather, she's more upset on why she was dragged out by Raghvendra angrily and why Raghvendra is in a bad mood. Even if she believes Raghvendra beat up the guy due to his bad mood and an overreaction, she should still be upset. But she is not. What this says about her character I will get to later.
- 2) Nikumbh apparently does come to know of the Raghvendra-waiter incident. (Something which bothered me was that such a small gathering kept on dancing as the assault was going on, and many weren't aware. But okay, I can buy that. And I can also buy that word spread and so everyone came to know what happened after the fact.)
So Nikumbh knows what happened and says he would've done worse than Raghvendra. Here, this is both believable and unbelievable.
- Believable in that the very feudalistic nature I mentioned earlier would come to play here. Everyone believes Raghvendra's accusation and that's the story which has been passed around. And we have seen before that Nikumbh does have a temper and would resort to physical violence in some cases.
- Unbelievable because Nikumbh knows Raghvendra's nature and he should be one of the first to question whether Raghvendra overreacted.
- Believable maybe because he has some faith in Yamini and would think she would protest if the accusation were false. And also, it's not his place to deem false an accusation of inappropriate behavior, when he wasn't there to know what happened.
- Unbelievable because he knows Raghvendra's nature, as well as Yamini's meekness with Raghvendra.
- 3) The narrative, Yamini and Dadu all come together to talk about Raghvendra's better side, his softer side, etc etc. It's as if to say and remind the audience that Raghvendra is not all that bad. He is not a total, complete, irredeemable villain. He is a father who will come around eventually, Yamini, Nikumbh and others will slowly make him understand.
And the problem is exactly all three points I mentioned above, and even more so, all three combined to make light and brush over gravity of what happened to the waiter. It makes me think less for the lead characters and makes me lose empathy and respect for them. Showing reality is one thing, but through the lack of apt reaction, I am told the characters are not much better than society, that their thinking is just as feudalistic where they don't care that a man of the lower class was unjustly assaulted and humiliated, and that the words of a man of standing are to be taken as truth.
This applies to both Nikumbh and Yamini. But even more so Yamini. Nikumbh, I can at least say that perhaps he believes it to be the truth since Yamini has not said anything against it. But even then, it's very flimsy and it is very problematic that the narrative had Nikumbh understand Raghvendra, that too combined with Yamini understanding and the attempts to bring forth Raghvendra's more 'human and softer' side.'
Yamini is someone I have lost some respect for. Because she was there. She knows the waiter did nothing of the sort. And yet, she is willing to overlook it and believe her father as right. She saw her father beat up a man, and is not at all affected. She is touched that Nikumbh would be understanding of her father's actions.
Yamini and the narrative are still trying to convince others and the viewers that Raghvendra is not a bad guy. He's just a father who really loves his daughter, blah blah blah blah. This would've been acceptable if they had just kept Raghvendra's psychosis limited to his daughter and Nikumbh. But after his violent assault on Friday on someone unrelated to either one of them, it is not acceptable for me that Raghvendra will not truly ever suffer for his actions--which is that Yamimi should stand up to him and give him no choice other than to accept her decisions and choices, rather than trying to make him come around.
But alas, we all know that they would not dare have a daughter show independence from her father. No, she cannot. Instead we will see a psychotic Raghvendra--someone who really is now just another type of abusive, controlling male lead who the heroine will never take the correct stand against--with examples of his softer side. Eventually Yamini and the others will melt Raghvendra and make him understand, but it will not be with Yamini losing respect for her father or standing up against him. No, like other shows which show the ideal bahu and saas, she will be the ideal daughter, putting up with emotional abuse and restrictions, until they come around and change. And voila, all is well and good.
And I know my last few paragraphs are a rambling mess. I told you I would have written it better had it been on Monday or Tuesday. Now, I am just writing to get this whole damn post over with.
More in the post below.
Anupamaa
