Chandra Nandini 13-15: The plot thickens - Page 4

Happy diwali shyamala aunty .wish you good health

Another incisive and brilliant analysis of the current scenario on our show. I have discussed all my issues in the previous post itself and whatever little doubts I might have had, this post addresses all of them to pinpoint perfection.

The quartet of Chandra, Chanakya, Padma, and Helena are doing a fabulous job for now on the show. They are literally ruling and running the show for now. Regarding Helena, I think despite all the brave, nonchalant and unruffled appearance she puts up for show, needs some crutch or emotional and mental straw to hold on to in order to complete herself. Putting up a show of independence and self-sufficiency and actually being independent and self-sufficient are two different things!

She needed that Argus (rabbit) to make her happy, Malay to love and be loved, and Chandra as her strong pillar of support in the darkest hour of her life. She is not the kind of person in whom happiness and fulfillment comes from within. She seeks external sources to make her happy and contented.

Two of these straws have deserted her. She is clinging on to Chandra with tripled vigor to make up for these double losses. Chandra will also cheat her for his higher goals. I dread to think how she is going to take that betrayal. We know that ultimately both Chandra and Helena will marry.

Chandra will be the pillar of support that she now sees him to be after their marriage. But will she find the softness and kindheartedness (We all know that she is a bit vicious and vindictive in her behavior as well) in her to forgive his initial betrayal and start her relationship anew with him, only time can tell! All the same I applaud the courage and bravery of Helena in trying to challenge existing stereotypes on what makes a perfect woman and creating an identity of her own.

Almost a parallel set up is being planned for Chandra and Nandini as well. Chandra is going to end up hurting Nandini as well by hurting her family for his higher causes. Nandini is all too chirpy and heart for now. She doesn't look like one who will go to extremes for her love or hatred. Will that change after their marriage?

Aunty speaking of movies, there are two movies I am eagerly awaiting. The first is of course the second part of Bahubali and the second is the Telugu historical epic movie Gautamiputra Shatakarni on the life of a famous Shatavahana King of the same name.

The first one is going to be excellent, but it is the second one I have my doubts about. The director of GPS is really excellent in writing and directing period movies and historicals. I remember one period movie on the Second World War, Kanche directed by this director. It was a really awesome movie. But it is the lead actor, Nandamuri Balakrishna whose 100th movie it is that I have my doubts on.

Most of his movies are Telugu versions of Rajnikantish stuff. I remember a few juicy titbits from his movies like there is one movie where he sends his pet hen which murders his enemies after some sort of animal hypnotism, one movie where he shoots an arrow in a desolate forest and it goes and hits his enemy in a speeding jeep miles away from the place, another where he kills one poor chap just with his eye sight, another movie where he flicks off bullets fired with a stick, etc.

But I am assuming that if the actor himself chose such an unusual subject for his 100th movie, he would have done it not for commercial box office success but to give a memorable movie as his 100th movie. So I am keeping my fingers crossed. After both these movies release, if CN is still running, I am practically sure there will be several lift offs from both these movies.

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Thank you so much, my dear Bhavini, for such a warm and affectionate response. Wish you too a healthy, peaceful and safe year ahead!

But the next time, you naughty girl, do not take refuge behind the charming and clever "as always speechless" phrase, and get out of making any comments or critiques on the episodes or the post or both!

Affectionately,

Shyamala Aunty

Aunty I completely agree with you... Not fair... Next time I will sure try to comment it... but I am not good at analyzing , my observation is too poor to even critique. but I will definitely try... At least I will comment on what I love in your analysis the most... Your reply and wishes brought big smile on my face. Thank U... Love U😳

Thank you, my dear Debastuti, especially for liking the pot pourri section!

If you do come back here, I would be interested in seeing what more you have to say.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Shinning_Stuti

Loved the analysis Aunty... Especially the Chandra-Chanakya part, your views on Padmanand's fatherhood and the pot pourri portion. 😃

Will comment in detail when I will get enough time. 😊

My dearest Preeti,

It feels good to have you here once more. Warmest good wishes for the rest of the festive season, up to the New Year, for good health, peace of mind and fulfillment.

Yes, we have a lively lot of young folk around, and as you have noted, many of them are new, which makes it that much more interesting.

I am delighted that you enjoyed the Rishyasaringa part, which is my favourite too. It is this aspect of Chandragupta, as he is till now, that is so novel and fascinating, and Rajat's take on it is perfection itself. The Chanakya's child part wrote itself, but there, the favourite bit , for me, is the one explaining why Chandragupta is careful to maintain his social distance, so to speak, from Helena. There is as interesting psychological angle there. Do take another look at it.

May I suggest something? Begin watching the episodes online from No.4. Rajat comes in at No.6, but a bit about the charming Jr. version would be both interesting and useful. From No.6 onwards you must watch the whole episodes. You have only 16 in all thus far. So do get started! There are so many here who say my posts are enough for them, but that is nonsense. The written word can never replace the visual, especially the visuals of our Chandragupta! Remember what I wrote about him in one of my earlier posts? That was no exaggeration.

Even now, with an inverted soup pot on his head in his Greek soldier's get up, he still manages to look good. 😆

The plot is not only getting to be very interesting, but it is beginning to move very fast. My next post, due out tomorrow, will be called Plot on a trot!😆

As for the ahistoricity complaint, which is anyway meaningless in what is clearly historical fiction, I cannot do better than to share with you what I wrote in response to one such complainant. Here goes.
______________________________________________________________________Prem,

Prem,

There is no point in this extended exercise, my dear boy.

In the 1990 Chanakya, it was shown with what infinite patience, effort, and untiring, relentless persuasion Chanakya built his coalition against, first the Macedonians left behind by Alexander, and then against the Indian allies of the Macedonians, beginning with Purushottam (aka Porus) - whose daughter, married to Ambhi of Takshashila, was a devotee of Chanakya's - and finally against Magadha. This narrative is like shorthand, but at least they are making a beginning with Ambhi and Purushottam.

As for Chandragupta never having met Durdhara or Nandini (there is going to another actress playing Durdhara, Chandragupta's first wife and the mother of Bindusara) before his marriages with them, you are once again back on your hobby horse, of comparing the script with what could be called real history. I have said this to you once, but I shall say it again: this kind of constant complaints about the script being ahistorical is pointless.

As I wrote to Katori above, this is a mantra that half the folk here repeat day in and day out, in a kind of cyclical, self-reinforcing process.

Now let us look into two aspects, one, the actual amount of reasonably authentic historical data in Chandra Nandini thus far, and two, the difference between historical fiction and real history.

For the first, if you read serious sources on Mauryan and pre-Mauryan history, you will realise how much uncertainty there is about almost everything. ? For example, were the Nine Nandas the sons of Maha Padmanand or were he and they brothers? The historians are not sure.

But one thing seems certain according to serious academics, who go by Buddhist, Jain and Greek chronicles of the period and the Arthashastra, which is that the founder of the Nanda dynasty was either a barber or the son of a barber. That means that Ekta's naapit who became the king is authentic.

Similarly,the Buddhist chronicles attribute royal lineage to Chandragupta, as belonging to the same Sakya clan as Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. Piplivahan and Suryagupta fit in here, and are not, as I initially assumed, natakiya rupantar.

In fact I was surprised by the extent of historical backing of one sort or another for the narrative so far.

We are not here to write a thesis on Chandragupta Maurya, and very little is known about his personal life anyway! So. it would be a good idea not to fret constantly about "history" and instead see whether one likes the acting and the narrative in general. And on both counts, especially the first, above all Rajat's performance, Chandra Nandini is doing very well.

One has also to remember that they were to make a clinically historical Chandragupta Maurya serial, like the 1990 Chanakya, it would not last 2 months.

It is very interesting to read Abhay (history_geek)'s latest about the pre-Mauryan dynasties, especially the Nanda dynasty, as also his earlier one about the origins of Chandragupta Maurya, just for personal information. He is very careful to mention the alternative theories, as he is a serious researcher.

As for the difference between historical fiction and history, I cannot do better that quote in full a recent post by my young friend Shailaja on my last thread, and I am sure she will not mind it.

"My friend you are in the wrong place if you are looking for historical accuracy. It is a costume and period drama. Moreover for the small mercies it is named Chandra Nandini to tell eternal optimists like us that this is a love story and not a history.

I guess the genre definition Historical Fiction ought to enlighten us to the fact that there might be a lot of fiction and very less of history or even nothing of history. According to its very categorization, you could call it a historical fiction if you have a few names and events lifted from history. Your take on them could be entirely different and might not even fall within the historical timeline. Still you would be justified in calling it historical fiction.

You'd perhaps be surprised to know that Shakespeare's Historical Plays adopted a timeline which did not coincide with the historical timeline neither did he stay close or true to history. It was his own imaginary take on history and it was what sold during his times as entertainment. Many famous historical novelists like Walter Scott did the same thing. They too were no pujaris of history. They too wrote what was entertaining and what sold!

If it was a documentary, or a text book on history, I could have understood your logic. Even there, there are times when we find history missing or distorted. Watch the series with an open mind you will find a lot in it to like as well. Dislike also becomes a habit if we give it too much importance. A stage comes when nothing could please us or keep us happy. "

I do not mean to try and put you down, my dear Prem, so I hope that you will take the above in the right spirit and not get upset about it.

Finally, it is of course your decision to take, chill, and try and enjoy the good things in the show - like Rajat's performance and to a lesser extent, Chanakya - instead of indulging in doom and gloom! Look at me! I am surely very much older than you are, and I have been a hard core professional, an Indian diplomat of all of 38 years till I retired. Still I am able to have fun with this because right now, it is worth my time. When it fails to measure up, as happened with Jodha Akbar after about 220 episodes, I shall quit.

Shyamala Aunty

______________________________________________________________________________

'Enuff said, don't you think, Preeti?

See you soon, on my next thread, that is , after having watched those missing episodes!

Affectionately,

Shyamala

Originally posted by: Coolpree

Dearest Shyamala, A very happy Diwali and a prosperous New Year. May this new season usher in a healthy and happy year for you and all the wonderful people on your thread.

I am so sorry I have not been able to comment much as I have not watched a single episode yet 😕. I have however read your posts with interest and have enjoyed them thoroughly. I have to say that besides for your talented old JA gang, I have also really enjoyed the insightful comments of some of your new friends.

On this new thread I have especially enjoyed your section on "Rishyasringa". Very insightful. Also thoroughly enjoyed " Chanakya's child" where you have so vividly described the actor's performance that I could almost visualize the entire scene in front of me.

I am intrigued on the portrayal of Helena in this show. Not how I thought her relationship was with CG in history🤔. However I do remember your commandments and shall say no more on the subject😉

I apologize for not being able to contribute much more without seeing the episodes. I clearly need to catch up soon as judging by your posts the show seems to be getting more interesting?

warm regards and take good care of your eyes/ vision

Preeti

That, Riyya, is what is very likely some R rated stuff about what would happen if Ekta staged a triple wedding for Chandragupta with Durdhara, Helen and Nandini all at once.

Anjali, Khushi, Sandhya et al know that if they start any such thing on my threads, I will whack them with my belan and throw them out. So they are now joking about it in coded language about cough syrup. They had better not go any further, if they know what is good for them!😆

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: riyya6

What is cought Syrup Stage "

Riyya,

I am disappointed to see that your attention span is still pretty much what it was. 😆 But do you mean to say that I slave over this 5 page plus post, and all that you find to say about it is that the Rishysaringa part "caught my attention"?

The love story can wait. I am now concentrating on the Chandragupta-Chanakya schemes, which are fascinating, and I am not particularly interested in the hate to love stuff due to turn up some time. Not too soon, I hope.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: riyya6

Awesome post ' I had tough Time reading IT but the rishyasaringa part caught my attention...

Aunty i have one question if there is no attraction how to proceed with the love Story ... but have to admit its interesting




Happy Diwali All 😊