Posted:
Watching Chandra Nandini, this forum, and this take have definitely been the fun highlights for me in what has been a crazy busy week at work. Finally caught up with the episodes, and here is my take.
At a high level , I continue to like the pace of the show. Also, the multiple characters around Chandra continue to throw out a lot of questions , particularly the role each will play in his life. Usually, a show gets interesting after the marriage , here it looks like a lot of the spice and drama will happen till we figure out how he will end up getting married to Durdura, Helena, and Nandini. Biggest question of all, how will Nandini rise to prominence of being the title role given how much Durdura and Helena have already done for Chandra? I think that may be one slight challenge with the show- while it is Chandra and Nandini who get the "la la la" background music and have the swordfights and other encounters, deeper bonds seem to be in place with Durdura and Helena. More on that later.
Here is my "filmy" take for the week. The fun/ humor is not to be sarcastic against the show, but more me trying to have fun :) And those who know me, know I take very few things seriously.
1. Yaadon Ki Baarat: The classic Hindi movie where a whole family gets separated in multiple directions and slowly starts to get back together, and that is what is happening to the show.
As chance would have it, a wedding shopping trip of Nandini and family turned into a critical step of the reunion- bringing Chandra's sister Chaaya/ Vaishali into Magadh, with her Uncle and Aunt. Also, the Nand family's arrogance again played a role as they insisted Vaishali and family come when they tried to say no. And they invited trouble once again.
Vaishali seems to have the same fire of revenge that Mura and Chandra have. She was about to take revenge and stab Nandini in the very back that she had seen her mom whipped in front of her own eyes at the prison earlier.
But alas, Nandini (who is her dad's lucky mascot) was the one who was saved by Nand caling out to her. But it was meant to be as Vaishali did not know that Nandini was fated to have a famous love story with her brother Chandra ... Hence, Nandini had to be saved.
In "Yaadon ki Baarat" , there was a song for the lost family members to recognize each other. Here the code word seems to be "King Shakuni." Mura seems to have been a good advanced planner determining a code word long before if the family were to ever fall in trouble.
I am surprised more that Mura cannot sense her connection with Vaishali and Chandra ... but I guess that is a Karan Johar K3G specialty, where when the son comes to the doorstep, winds blow and mother senses it. That being said , she did look at Chandra's name engraved in the rock, when she heard of the attack amidst the stormy , ominous clouds. I am just surprised she doesn't feel it is her son and wonders when her son will come; perhaps, when she hears his name is Chandra?
2. Teen Deviyan: this is one interesting angle of what the role of the three women in Chandra's life will play. Even more surprising is all three have already entered but there is no clear path to Chandr's marriage to them for any of them. I guess that is what the drama will be about.
Durdura: The one Chandra cares for
I will start with Durdura, the new entry. She is sweet, childish, and truly cares for Chandra. In every way a foil to Helena and Nandini. They have a comfort level and bond that Lashy has already described beautifully in her thread on episode 18. I will mention two specific moments I liked of this intro scene:
- Chandra asking Durdura - "How are you?" It shows she is one of the few people (and maybe only) he actually cared for, though eating was his first priority after 4 days of hunger. Similarly, Durdura expressed the same care for him in making sure he was okay and asking when he would be back.
- Durdura having some fun at Chandra's expense by getting him in trouble with her Dad. It shows she won't just be a silent bystander in front of Chandra. She likes to pull his leg as well and Chandra handled the situation light heartedly as well.
However, with Durdura wanting to be a "Patni Parameshwari" , Chandra clarifying there is nothing beyond friendship for them, and even Durdura non-chalantly saying her Dad is looking for a groom for her, how will Chandra and Durdura get married? The mystery remains. Maybe to protect her Chandra will marry her? Just a hunch.
Helena: One Chandra respects and admires and a give and take relationship
The Helena-Chandra dynamics are a very intriguing one. Helena has given Chandra quite a bit- training on the Greek army tactics and now has saved his life in helping him escape. Similarly, Chandra has saved her life and was her "anti-love guru" , supporting and fueling her sense of revenge going aa far as getting Nandini's precious dad-gifted bracelet.
But as per Helena, the scores between them are not settled (which means being the anti-love guru and bracelet doesn't count). Hence, it will be interesting to see what Helena extracts from Chandra later and how she will deal with being his wife, after commanding him around so.
Another first in their dynamics was Helena seems to be the first woman Chandra admires for her courage and intelligence. I liked Helena's response that it is because she is a woman she is neither a traitor like Malayketu nor a loose canon in speaking like Chandra.
Helena may have spoke all our minds on why Chandra talks so much ... it is unclear how Chandra was planning to escape if Helena had not arrived? Or was he so sure she would and that was the masterstroke of his plan? Not sure, but will give Chandra the benefit of the double
Also interesting was the "dil" and "dhimaag" (heart and mind) Helena claims a woman like her can rule over. In her case, will it be Chandra? After marriage, Helena will definitely try to rule Chandra, the question is how successful she will be. Especially with competition from "Patni Parameshwari."
Nandini: Nand's daughter and filled with hate for Chandra
At the moment, Nandini's only identity is being Nand's daughter and she does everything that reflects this- being spoilt, arrogant, and brazen. Hence, I am okay with her behavior.
The odd dimension of this week was Nandini's involvement with the war. This is I believe a part of Star Plus' Nayi Soch campaign which is to start Monday... as per the promo for "Nayi Soch", Nandini says no one can control my destiny, not even my husband.
And given no one can control her, she controls key war decisions- including making war plans as her brothers nod, sending the female army, and celebrating her dad's victory as if she was single handedly played a role. Maybe she did, after all it was her fiance-to-be coming for the engagement that saved the day. She was not only a lucky mascot but also lucky planner I guess. Whenever such occurances happen, I just remember- "Nayi soch" campaign and take a deep breath.
Again, the only relationship Nandini shares with Chandra is hate, that only deepened in the midst of the war. With the bonds Chandra already has with Durdura and Helena, unclear how Nandini will come to be the lead lover and be the one who teaches him the power of love. She is starting on a backfoot, really really back.
3. The Man who would Be King/ Raja Hindustani
What a seeti maar entry Chandra had as the new leader as he was introduced by Chandra. Again Lashy descrbed it beautifully on her thread for 18, so I won't go into too much detail.
The most important part to me seemed the juxtaposition. On one hand you had Sikander, coughing, weak, returning to Greece. On the other hand you had Nand drowned in Gold and wealth and arrogance and hate.
In contrast you had Chandra enter as a new leader, strong , rising in strength, and minimalist in look with simple ornaments and no Gold. The contrast felt meaningful. I also liked the background music, truly befitting a leader.
As a mark of his leadership, I also liked Chandra's speech before the battle as he spoke of unity, the common goal for the Motherland, and how he was not only a weapon for himself but also for them.
4. Guru Shishya 2 (though no sequel exists in movies I called these actions part 2): In the spirit of Guru Shishya, I liked how Chandra bent down and took Chanakya's blessings before the war. A contrast to the arrogance of Malayketu and Nand. The bond between these two is so strong, and it needs to be if it is to survive the Teen Deviyan above.
Rewinding a bit before that, I really liked the interaction between Chandra and Chanakya before the war, particularly Chanakya's words of wisdom as Chandra was worried he would not be able to meet his expectations.
What I liked particularly was his pragmatism including:
- His guidance to not over-think. And the role of emotion in the form of confidence in winning. Thus far, Chanakya emphasized the brain. Here he gives a place for emotions as well.
- His guidance for Chandra to fight the enemy but look at him (Chanakya) for guidance (through the flags). I found that to be counterintuitive to all other guidance I have seen before in other serials which is to focus on the target. This seems to be the uniqueness of their dynamics and Chanakya's approach
- His understanding that they might not win this first encounter but that was okay as this first war (or maybe battle is the better word) was just the beginning of many steps. He wanted to test out Chandra's army as it had been cobbled together from very diverse groups.
- His guidance in the end of the week for Chandra to leave the battle ground to start afresh later. He reminded Chandra the danger of anger and the importance of being alive first. They could fire back in the next opportunitty. It shows the tricky balance with emotions- sometimes boosting, sometimes not.
To me, that is why Chanakya rushed the first battle between Chandra and Magadh- it was to test and highlight these weaknesses. As Chanakya aptly described, from every battle you either take away winning or a learning. And Chandra will take away a lot of learnings from this loss. As Chanakya describes in the preview for next week, Chandra'a wounds will further make him focus, learn, adapt, and then attack again, with the support of Chanakya.
5. Which takes me to the last take "Dharma Yudh" or rather this first battle in a war between "right" and "wrong."
This battle was the first test for Chandra's ambitions. While there were weaknesses, Chandra still showed his prowess with not only one sword but two swords. In additon, Nand and family had all but lost till Malayketu made an unexpected entry. Their biggest undoing was how they have not reflected on how successful Chandra was in beating them and as Avantika pointed out, this will be a problem for them in the future.
On the other hand, Chanakya and Chandra will work to learn from their mistakes and come back even stronger. During the war, I liked Chanakya's reference to the scorpion formation ... what I liked about it was his wisdom that the enemy cannot be this easy, no matter how much he disliked them. However, what came as the poisonous attack of the scorpion in this battle was a surprise for all, Malayketu.
Somehow this reminded me of the scorpion attack in Lashy's Hiding Behind A Stranger (HBAS), where a scorpion managed to bite the lead even when he thinks he had all sides covered (Lashy forgive me if you don't like the comparison)
With Chandra's defeat bringing closure to this week, the plot has thickened in multiple directions so we will have to see what happens this coming week. There are a lot of options!
In the meantime, I look forward to your thoughts on this take! Thanks!
At a high level , I continue to like the pace of the show. Also, the multiple characters around Chandra continue to throw out a lot of questions , particularly the role each will play in his life. Usually, a show gets interesting after the marriage , here it looks like a lot of the spice and drama will happen till we figure out how he will end up getting married to Durdura, Helena, and Nandini. Biggest question of all, how will Nandini rise to prominence of being the title role given how much Durdura and Helena have already done for Chandra? I think that may be one slight challenge with the show- while it is Chandra and Nandini who get the "la la la" background music and have the swordfights and other encounters, deeper bonds seem to be in place with Durdura and Helena. More on that later.
Here is my "filmy" take for the week. The fun/ humor is not to be sarcastic against the show, but more me trying to have fun :) And those who know me, know I take very few things seriously.
1. Yaadon Ki Baarat: The classic Hindi movie where a whole family gets separated in multiple directions and slowly starts to get back together, and that is what is happening to the show.
As chance would have it, a wedding shopping trip of Nandini and family turned into a critical step of the reunion- bringing Chandra's sister Chaaya/ Vaishali into Magadh, with her Uncle and Aunt. Also, the Nand family's arrogance again played a role as they insisted Vaishali and family come when they tried to say no. And they invited trouble once again.
Vaishali seems to have the same fire of revenge that Mura and Chandra have. She was about to take revenge and stab Nandini in the very back that she had seen her mom whipped in front of her own eyes at the prison earlier.
But alas, Nandini (who is her dad's lucky mascot) was the one who was saved by Nand caling out to her. But it was meant to be as Vaishali did not know that Nandini was fated to have a famous love story with her brother Chandra ... Hence, Nandini had to be saved.
In "Yaadon ki Baarat" , there was a song for the lost family members to recognize each other. Here the code word seems to be "King Shakuni." Mura seems to have been a good advanced planner determining a code word long before if the family were to ever fall in trouble.
I am surprised more that Mura cannot sense her connection with Vaishali and Chandra ... but I guess that is a Karan Johar K3G specialty, where when the son comes to the doorstep, winds blow and mother senses it. That being said , she did look at Chandra's name engraved in the rock, when she heard of the attack amidst the stormy , ominous clouds. I am just surprised she doesn't feel it is her son and wonders when her son will come; perhaps, when she hears his name is Chandra?
2. Teen Deviyan: this is one interesting angle of what the role of the three women in Chandra's life will play. Even more surprising is all three have already entered but there is no clear path to Chandr's marriage to them for any of them. I guess that is what the drama will be about.
Durdura: The one Chandra cares for
I will start with Durdura, the new entry. She is sweet, childish, and truly cares for Chandra. In every way a foil to Helena and Nandini. They have a comfort level and bond that Lashy has already described beautifully in her thread on episode 18. I will mention two specific moments I liked of this intro scene:
- Chandra asking Durdura - "How are you?" It shows she is one of the few people (and maybe only) he actually cared for, though eating was his first priority after 4 days of hunger. Similarly, Durdura expressed the same care for him in making sure he was okay and asking when he would be back.
- Durdura having some fun at Chandra's expense by getting him in trouble with her Dad. It shows she won't just be a silent bystander in front of Chandra. She likes to pull his leg as well and Chandra handled the situation light heartedly as well.
However, with Durdura wanting to be a "Patni Parameshwari" , Chandra clarifying there is nothing beyond friendship for them, and even Durdura non-chalantly saying her Dad is looking for a groom for her, how will Chandra and Durdura get married? The mystery remains. Maybe to protect her Chandra will marry her? Just a hunch.
Helena: One Chandra respects and admires and a give and take relationship
The Helena-Chandra dynamics are a very intriguing one. Helena has given Chandra quite a bit- training on the Greek army tactics and now has saved his life in helping him escape. Similarly, Chandra has saved her life and was her "anti-love guru" , supporting and fueling her sense of revenge going aa far as getting Nandini's precious dad-gifted bracelet.
But as per Helena, the scores between them are not settled (which means being the anti-love guru and bracelet doesn't count). Hence, it will be interesting to see what Helena extracts from Chandra later and how she will deal with being his wife, after commanding him around so.
Another first in their dynamics was Helena seems to be the first woman Chandra admires for her courage and intelligence. I liked Helena's response that it is because she is a woman she is neither a traitor like Malayketu nor a loose canon in speaking like Chandra.
Helena may have spoke all our minds on why Chandra talks so much ... it is unclear how Chandra was planning to escape if Helena had not arrived? Or was he so sure she would and that was the masterstroke of his plan? Not sure, but will give Chandra the benefit of the double
Also interesting was the "dil" and "dhimaag" (heart and mind) Helena claims a woman like her can rule over. In her case, will it be Chandra? After marriage, Helena will definitely try to rule Chandra, the question is how successful she will be. Especially with competition from "Patni Parameshwari."
Nandini: Nand's daughter and filled with hate for Chandra
At the moment, Nandini's only identity is being Nand's daughter and she does everything that reflects this- being spoilt, arrogant, and brazen. Hence, I am okay with her behavior.
The odd dimension of this week was Nandini's involvement with the war. This is I believe a part of Star Plus' Nayi Soch campaign which is to start Monday... as per the promo for "Nayi Soch", Nandini says no one can control my destiny, not even my husband.
And given no one can control her, she controls key war decisions- including making war plans as her brothers nod, sending the female army, and celebrating her dad's victory as if she was single handedly played a role. Maybe she did, after all it was her fiance-to-be coming for the engagement that saved the day. She was not only a lucky mascot but also lucky planner I guess. Whenever such occurances happen, I just remember- "Nayi soch" campaign and take a deep breath.
Again, the only relationship Nandini shares with Chandra is hate, that only deepened in the midst of the war. With the bonds Chandra already has with Durdura and Helena, unclear how Nandini will come to be the lead lover and be the one who teaches him the power of love. She is starting on a backfoot, really really back.
3. The Man who would Be King/ Raja Hindustani
What a seeti maar entry Chandra had as the new leader as he was introduced by Chandra. Again Lashy descrbed it beautifully on her thread for 18, so I won't go into too much detail.
The most important part to me seemed the juxtaposition. On one hand you had Sikander, coughing, weak, returning to Greece. On the other hand you had Nand drowned in Gold and wealth and arrogance and hate.
In contrast you had Chandra enter as a new leader, strong , rising in strength, and minimalist in look with simple ornaments and no Gold. The contrast felt meaningful. I also liked the background music, truly befitting a leader.
As a mark of his leadership, I also liked Chandra's speech before the battle as he spoke of unity, the common goal for the Motherland, and how he was not only a weapon for himself but also for them.
4. Guru Shishya 2 (though no sequel exists in movies I called these actions part 2): In the spirit of Guru Shishya, I liked how Chandra bent down and took Chanakya's blessings before the war. A contrast to the arrogance of Malayketu and Nand. The bond between these two is so strong, and it needs to be if it is to survive the Teen Deviyan above.
Rewinding a bit before that, I really liked the interaction between Chandra and Chanakya before the war, particularly Chanakya's words of wisdom as Chandra was worried he would not be able to meet his expectations.
What I liked particularly was his pragmatism including:
- His guidance to not over-think. And the role of emotion in the form of confidence in winning. Thus far, Chanakya emphasized the brain. Here he gives a place for emotions as well.
- His guidance for Chandra to fight the enemy but look at him (Chanakya) for guidance (through the flags). I found that to be counterintuitive to all other guidance I have seen before in other serials which is to focus on the target. This seems to be the uniqueness of their dynamics and Chanakya's approach
- His understanding that they might not win this first encounter but that was okay as this first war (or maybe battle is the better word) was just the beginning of many steps. He wanted to test out Chandra's army as it had been cobbled together from very diverse groups.
- His guidance in the end of the week for Chandra to leave the battle ground to start afresh later. He reminded Chandra the danger of anger and the importance of being alive first. They could fire back in the next opportunitty. It shows the tricky balance with emotions- sometimes boosting, sometimes not.
To me, that is why Chanakya rushed the first battle between Chandra and Magadh- it was to test and highlight these weaknesses. As Chanakya aptly described, from every battle you either take away winning or a learning. And Chandra will take away a lot of learnings from this loss. As Chanakya describes in the preview for next week, Chandra'a wounds will further make him focus, learn, adapt, and then attack again, with the support of Chanakya.
5. Which takes me to the last take "Dharma Yudh" or rather this first battle in a war between "right" and "wrong."
This battle was the first test for Chandra's ambitions. While there were weaknesses, Chandra still showed his prowess with not only one sword but two swords. In additon, Nand and family had all but lost till Malayketu made an unexpected entry. Their biggest undoing was how they have not reflected on how successful Chandra was in beating them and as Avantika pointed out, this will be a problem for them in the future.
On the other hand, Chanakya and Chandra will work to learn from their mistakes and come back even stronger. During the war, I liked Chanakya's reference to the scorpion formation ... what I liked about it was his wisdom that the enemy cannot be this easy, no matter how much he disliked them. However, what came as the poisonous attack of the scorpion in this battle was a surprise for all, Malayketu.
Somehow this reminded me of the scorpion attack in Lashy's Hiding Behind A Stranger (HBAS), where a scorpion managed to bite the lead even when he thinks he had all sides covered (Lashy forgive me if you don't like the comparison)
With Chandra's defeat bringing closure to this week, the plot has thickened in multiple directions so we will have to see what happens this coming week. There are a lot of options!
In the meantime, I look forward to your thoughts on this take! Thanks!
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
