To some extent, I think both Ram and Priya are actually about equal parts of the way in love with each other -- the trouble for both of them is, to me, recognizing that what they feel is in fact love, and then of course expressing it to the other person.
I’ve loved Ram’s dynamic with Priya so much so far, because it is primarily, foundationally, rooted in a deep respect for Priya as a person. No matter the drama, Ram has only ever faltered in this respect once, I think, when she lies to Ram in order to help Shivina elope. Even here the betrayal is so deep for Ram because he respects Priya so much. He fundamentally knows Priya to be a person of high principles, with a strong commitment to truth and justice above anything else. I really loved the scene where he and Adi realized that Shubhu was in the car that hit Sandy and Ram says that if it had been Priya’s brother she would have dragged him to jail because that’s just the type of person she is. Not to mention various scenes where Ram is struck time and time again by Priya’s humility and respect for those around her, particularly those in service positions. Priya tells him that she donates 30% of what she makes, and Ram starts donating significantly. Priya tells Ram to not waste so much water, Ram takes a 5 minute shower for once, etc etc. He doesn’t do these things because he’s afraid of Priya or because she’s his wife (though he is afraid of her poor thing lol) but because he realizes that she’s correct and realizes he should change his behavior. I think this is really, really important because respect seems like something so valuable to Priya because of how often she’s had to live without it. Obviously there’s everything she’s dealt with in regards to her father: she’s had to see Meera live at the mercy of others (I didnt realize this initially but even the house they live in is Mama/Mami’s house so not actually their own.) This to me is why Priya is now so militant about her own independence, so that she won’t have to be in any other person’s debt. And then with her father we have seen the type of horrible, vile, discouraging, pathetic things that he says to Priya -- its clear that no one in that family respects her at all and often are trying their best to tear apart everything that makes Priya Priya. Even within her actual family, who obviously love and respect Priya immensely, there’s some kindly mocking about her behavior, her lack of fashion sense, her bitterness. All of this is appropriate within her loving family setting, but we’ve also seen that Priya feels some strain from having to always be the “adult” in the room and I can imagine that her family mocking those hard parts she’s developed for them could be sometimes hurtful. Ram’s constant validation of Priya as an admirable person, and his refusal to make her feel awkward or less than is exactly what Priya needs in a partner.
In this vein we’ve begun to see Priya’s own admiration for Ram -- early on she had no respect for a man she saw as just another clueless elite. She eventually agreed to marry him, trusting that he was a gentleman at least, but in the last few weeks Priya has said again and again that Ram is a “good person” which to me seems like one of the highest compliments Priya can pay. Priya respects Ram as someone who is always trying to do right by those he considers his own, whether this means his friends, family, or hers who he instantly adopted. Priya is so used to handling her family on her own -- particularly as they're all much less stern and cynical -- but now she’s got Ram at her side who, without Priya even saying or asking, instinctively seems to know what her family members (particularly Meera) need. Ram’s instinctive protection of Meera’s honor touches Priya deeply, and the more that Priya learns about Ram and realizes that he really does just like making people happy (as opposed to the “likes to play hero” perception she had earlier) the more Priya will respect, admire, and trust Ram. I also love that she’s constantly coming back to the specific moment when Ram, who knows almost nothing about her, instantly shucks off his jacket to cover her from the rain. It isn’t just that Ram is the first person to go out of his way to help her without any expectation of reciprocation (he’s not a friend or family which is an inherently reciprocal relationship) but also I feel like Priya focuses on the sheer joy on his face in the rain. There’s something that Priya, who has locked herself behind so many walls, instantly latches on to in that moment and that sense of who he is as a person I think guides her to eventually say yes to marrying him.
Of course, on top of this, is Ram’s genuine fondness for Priya, which Priya too is clearly beginning to reciprocate. Mutual respect is an excellent foundation for fondness, but there’s all sorts of small things about the other person that both Ram and Priya just like. They both have absolutely terrible senses of humor, which is a great place to start! Priya is starting to open up in front of Ram, which is leading to some wonderful banter scenes like the one they had at the dining table before he got sick. As the show progresses I’d like to see more of their natural easy chemistry and compatibility, beyond just a mutual sense of selflessness that unites them. They’re both kind, intelligent, educated people and I’d love to see them have conversations that show them discovering that about each other. Right now Ram admires Priya as a woman of principle, and cares about her as a family member -- I want to see him eventually come to know Priya as a person, with likes and interests. In the same vein Priya currently admires Ram as someone who takes care of everyone around him, and because she admires him she cares about him as well. Now that she knows he’s basically a walking wound she’s clearly slotted him into what is a very comfortable dynamic for her: someone she needs to take care of. We’re seeing example after example of how easy she finds it to take care of Ram in ways he’s never experienced -- she’ll keep track of his pills, make a rangoli, cook him meals, walk to the temple all night on foot -- but all of this is on her terms, like Ram said today, which is why she freaks out whenever he tries to reciprocate.
When I think about the future barriers in front of Ram and Priya in terms of them being able to accept that they’re in love, one is definitely that Ram doesn’t necessarily need to be taught that he’s someone another person could love. He knows he’s good looking and wealthy with a decent personality, he was just dumped by the love of his life because he wasn’t rich at the time which he’s since rectified. Meanwhile, Priya doesn’t believe that she’s someone anyone, much less Ram, could fall in love with.
Superficially I think it seems like Ram is falling more quickly for Priya, but at some point the issue for Ram will be whether he’s able to recognize that what he’s feeling for Priya is, in fact, love. The myth of “one-sided love” for Vedika has basically been a coping mechanism for him to avoid feeling the betrayal and hurt that must have come with him being jilted for being poor, especially since Vedika has apparently insisted on remaining close friends with Ram. We all know he doesn’t love Vedika anymore, but Ram’s coping mechanism for all the hurt he feels is to apparently not acknowledge it, so in this case to accept he loves Priya would mean having to confront and eventually disassemble the whole disaster with Vedika, actually FEEL the hurt, before finally moving on with Priya fully. Meanwhile Priya’s walls are already apparent, and while Ram needs to learn more about what Mahendra Sood and Neeraj have done to hurt Priya so badly, the process to overcome those walls has already begun. Once Priya’s walls come down, she’ll be 100% all in, and we’re watching everyone work towards that right now!! If Priya continues to open up and begins to heal from her past, whether she tells Ram or not about it, then I think she'll understand that she's in love with Ram first. The tough part will be whether she accepts that Ram could possibly be in love with her especially since he's been upfront about still loving his ex. The Vedika situation and Ram having to finally push through all the hurt surrounding that + heal himself will allow Ram to realize that he's in love with Priya, so mostly I think the question of who confesses first and when comes down to track timing/organization. This I think would be the order I prefer:
1. Priya continues to open up to Ram and lets him in, learns to trust and rely on him more and more, eventually, this leads to her realizing that she's in love with him. I think here the trust issue in question should be the final betrayal of Neeraj, or if Mahendra Sood is brought up it should be in terms of his betrayal rather than the horrible stuff he says to Priya. Priya is afraid of trusting something that seems too good to be true, because that's what Neeraj was, and so Ram knowing/understanding the full story and Priya being able to finally trust Ram will lead her to accepting that she's in love with him. (She'll probably freak out a few times before she accepts it for real lol)
2. Priya chooses not to tell Ram bc she thinks she's unloveable and also thinks he's in love with Vedika. She's a very practical person and sacrificial as well -- with Maitreyi we saw that she deals with her hurt just like Ram and ignores it. Priya would just accept that she's in love with him and accept that he won't reciprocate especially when her "competition" is the beautiful glamorous Vedika. What she has in terms of his care, friendship, and respect is good enough for her, she'd think, especially since its more than she's ever had before. The Vedika drama happens, sending poor Ram into a spiral where for the first time he has to look inwards and address the bleeding, festering wound Vedika left behind that he's just been blithely ignoring all these years. He gets through this with Priya's support which leads him to...
3. Finally realize that he doesn't love Vedika after all, and that in fact what he feels for Priya is true love. Because Ram knows that Priya's problem is trust, rather than being in love with Neeraj, and he knows that Priya trusts him...
4. He tells Priya that he loves her, but she doesn't believe him. Here things would get a little complicated because Priya's rejection would genuinely hurt Ram. They're living as husband and wife and plan to forever, but Priya won't believe that she loves him. She still doesn't trust him, or so he would think. Meanwhile, we know that at this point the problem isn't Priya's trust in Ram but rather her belief that no one could love someone like her (the repercussion from Neeraj's betrayal, but also something that Mahendra cruelly reinforces at every meeting.) Maybe Priya would try to say something like "how could someone like you possibly love someone like me" and Ram would take this to be her thinking he's superficial or still doesn't know Priya, etc. But then!!
5. Ram somehow comes across Mahendra Sood fighting with Priya, and for the first time he actually realizes that Priya's "father" didn't just abandon his family, he viciously attacked them time and time again to try and ensure their downfall. Priya especially is his favorite target because her success/independence is a direct refutation of Mahendra's importance. He takes true sadistic pleasure in highlighting her every fault, particularly her undesirability, and Ram needs to see this for himself for the last piece to fall in place. Without seeing Mahendra's tirade I don't think it would ever occur to Ram to consider that Priya might be insecure -- to him she's proud of who she is and he himself likes her so much it would absolutely shock him to know how insecure she felt about herself at her core. Seeing how her own father speaks to her, knowing that this is all she's known for 32 straight years, would clear everything up for Ram.
6. Then, and idk if this is a pipe dream, I think Ram should woo Priya -- flowers, genuine compliments, thoughtful gestures/gifts. Now that he knows her problem is her own lack of self-esteem, the final barrier to their happily ever after would just be her finally believing that she's someone worth loving. Obviously, Priya would initially freak out/push back, maybe even think he's making fun of her at worst but Ram's patience and kind understanding would eventually win out and then they can have a beautiful kiss in the rain, live happily ever after, and I can cry.
I don't know if the show is going to be like this at ALL, but this is just how I think I could see it going based on what they've already set up. The fallout from realizing Nandini and the rest of Ram's family are snakes I think should happen after they accept their love lmao otherwise its too much + ofc the Shashi/Mahendra killed Ram's father part lol.
Anyways that’s my VERY LONG (so sorry!!) read on the current situation, would love to know what you all think!
