Posted:
Okay, I really didn't think I would like today's episode, considering what I had read and what I had watched yesterday.
You might be surprised to know that I actually did like it. 😲 I know. Don't get me wrong - I still don't like the twist of the whole misunderstanding. But having accepted that as a standard EK trope, having accepted that that is the way we are headed, I have put it aside and just watched the episode for what it was.
The argument at the Sharma house was very realistic and natural. I have had great hell-raising arguments like that with my family - not due to the same reasons, obviously, but still. The way that Priya and Shipra just got into it like they would rip each other's throats out if they weren't related - been there. That anger, that mad, fierce anger that makes your head spin like crazy? Been there.
I know some people have had an issue with Ayesha's speech and her reasoning for agreeing to marry Ram. I don't have those issues. That's not to say that I agree with her, or that, if she were my sister, that I would ever consider letting her make such a colossal mistake. I would slap her so many times EK would happily hand over her Favourite Mahaan Bhashan + Slapathon Queen Award to me only 😆😆
But, continuing on this theme of P&P that some of us have picked up on - today I saw a LOT of Charlotte Lucas in Ayesha. For those who don't know P&P - Charlotte Lucas is Elizabeth Bennett's best friend; and after the odious Mr Collins proposes to Lizzy and she rejects him because she is holding out for a love story, he proposes to Charlotte, who immediately accepts. Her reasoning is that she is "not pretty enough" to be fussy. She is not a romantic but is a pragmatist. She is poor, "middle class" if you will, does not have any other prospects and does not want to live an unmarried maid. I'm not saying that Ayesha is "not pretty" or that at 22 she doesn't have any more life to look forward to; but she is unambitious, like Charlotte, to a large extent - or at least her ambitions are different to Priya's. She does not have aspirations of happy, loving marriages like Lizzy and Priya do. As she said, she doesn't care about sunsets and smiles - she is happy with designers and fast cars. The fact that I personally don't agree with her is besides the point - there are women like that in the world today and yes, they are known as gold-diggers, but at least she - and they - are honest about it. She's not one of those who specifically chases after rich men in the hopes of luring them, but when an opportunity comes knocking, she grabs it. Mostly it is a way to escape the mediocrity of her own life. And yes, most women dream of rich, handsome Prince Charmings. Most women want to be Cinderella. And most of us will have to settle for the Average Joe - sometimes that will bring us the happiness we were looking for all along, sometimes, we will just go through life going through the motions, putting one step ahead of the other and continuing to dream fruitlessly. That's the way it is. So I can't fault Ayesha for that. There comes a point when a person has to weigh their dreams against their reality and see which path they prefer to take. For me, the dream of marrying a rich Prince Charming is not a strong enough incentive to consent to marrying a man twenty years my senior. For others, the price is not so high.
In some ways, the contrast between her and Priya was wonderfully highlighted in this episode. When Ayesha said all those things that reminded Priya of how different they are, it really brought home the idea that not everyone is searching for the same thing. For some people, financial security is above all emotional intelligence. For others, luxury is more important than love. And really, that's okay. We have to be accepting of that, after all. This is a world of murky greys, not blacks and whites and one size fits all.
I really felt bad for Priya when Ayesha's words cut through her like a bloody sword; and for a moment I felt that Ayesha was indeed as selfish and careless with her words like her mother. But the scene that stood out for me by MILES today, the scene that really made the episode for me, was the one where Ayesha called Priya three times, and Priya did not answer. "Di...di...di"...and with each repetition of the word, Ayesha's tone reflected more worry, more despair at the thought that she had hurt her sister. The way she ran across the sofa to make physical contact with her sister, to tell her that she would give up a hundred proposals like this only to make Priya happy - that redeemed her in my eyes. The - frankly damning - way in which she told Sudhir that though he is technically the head of the family, she will always consider Priya the karta-dharta of the family, the one on whose shoulders the family rests; I don't think anyone appreciates or understands or RESPECTS that more than Karthik and Ayesha. Even Sudhir cannot respect it as much as he should, because if he did, he would not let her carry on in that way. How incredibly humiliating is it for a father to hear that he is not the one that his children look to for support, for guidance, for fulfilling their dreams and wishes? How embarrassing that his child, his daughter, has more importance in his own home than he does? I did not feel bad for Sudhir in this though - he deserves it.
I am loving this sibling relationship between the three of them and I hope that when the confusion ends this will not signal a change in Ayesha's demeanour towards Priya. I hope she will not blame and punish Priya for her mother's mistake. I hope that for her it will be a case of "easy come, easy go" rather than something to hinge her so-called "revenge" on.
Ram's side of the family less impressed me today. The usual nautanki from Nuts, the imploring baby-doll eyes from a mother who is way too young etc. Vikram siding with the family is one thing, but I'm glad that he has the perception to notice their sudden turnaround.
The final scenes - going to the roka and the whole drama there - were not much to talk about. Typical Ekta confusion.
So, I liked the first part of the episode, because if nothing else it proved the mettle of the actress playing Ayesha. I liked the way in which Priya refused to let her mother hug her, and told her that they cannot afford to let Ayesha's dreams go to waste - indirectly telling her that it would only cause Shipra to resent her too. I liked how, when Shipra said to Priya "who are you to make this decision?", she didn't go all Ekta heroine and start crying and saying things like "Who am I? How can you say such a thing? Boo hoo :(" etc etc. I liked that she has the strength to stick to her convictions and fight, even against her own mother, for her family. I liked that scene was mostly about two sisters with opposing views to the world, but with an invisible thread that ties them together like an umbilical cord.
Now I just hope that the misunderstanding is cleared asap - as frankly I can't see how they can get through the next episode and the supposed roka without once mentioning the lucky girl's name.
CID
