Chandra Nandini 86-90: Sylvan idyll - Page 8

Originally posted by: liberty2

Originally posted by: liberty2

Aunty, not fair at all.😆did not krishna Bhagwan pardoned Shisupaal's 100 paap, and that too, in whatever yug was that. This is kaalyug, your tolerance needs to surge too😆😉.

Yes, my dear P2, three solid whacks with my trusty belan! This is your first time, and your comments were not lurid, so you are let off, but as Rajnikant would say, Mind it!!

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: sashashyam

It was great fun,Sarika. It was odd that they could not find a ladder!

The precap was a con trick, or perhaps just a mistake. They showed the bit about Roopa's kidnapping first and then Chandra rushing to Nandini's rescue when she falls into the mud. So the two together looked like one continuous scene.

As for Chandra's great leap, it reminded me more of Tarzan than of Robin Hood.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Folks,

Like railway engines do sometimes when switching tracks, let us begin at the end and go backwards. You will not regret it!

Pataalgram: Night

Nandini, stretched out on the mat next to Chandra, her head pillowed on his outstretched hand, ruminates about his soft side that he keeps assiduously hidden most of the time. She moves his angavastram and once more regards the deep burn mark on his side, the mark she now knows was inflicted by his foster father when he was a child. She stretches out her hand and almost touches it, as her eyes soften in tenderness.

Jaanti hoon, shaareerik peedha tum sah sakte ho. Parantu jo ghaav tumhein samay ne diye hain, kaash main unhein mitha paati!

I had noted , in my last post, while describing that madcap chase across their room, that when Chandra wonders to himself at the way in which Nandini's happiness gives him santosh, all unbeknownst to himself, he has summed up the very essence of love. Now, in wanting to wipe away all the pain he had ever suffered at the hands of fate, and if need be to take it all upon herself, Nandini too is defining, in a different but equally telling fashion, the very essence of love.

I found myself wishing that Chandra had woken up at the precise moment when she was looking at the scar of his old wound, and that she could then have summoned up the courage to repeat to him what she had just said to herself. But then their love story would have been speeded up by God knows how many episodes, and that would never have done for the CVs, would it? 😉

Now now Aunty, we have a local saying for this 'menunggu kucing bertanduk' literally translated to wiating for the cat to grown horns 😆

Instead, in a sudden realization of what he now means to her, she moves closer and cuddles up to him as she falls asleep in her turn.She has used him as a teddy bear earlier, but that was accidental, and it shocked her when she woke up. This is a deliberate, desired closeness, which is sought and cherished. Which is what makes all the difference.

I was hoping that the next scene would be the morning after scene, with waking up on Chandra #3, only this time I imagined a confused Chandra wondering how she had transferred herself to him, and a coy smiling Nandini blushing pink. Alas...no mercies for me. All that was granted was a seething Roopa twirling her tresses for no good.

Instinctive empathy: Nor is this empathy that she feels for him something born of the moment. It is by now instinctive.

This is the beauty of this love story that I have come to fall in love with too. THer eis no abrupt realization of love. Both falling in love at teh same time and almost same pace, and the pace being slow and gradualmarked by their change of mind about the other due to the experiences they share together.

As soon as the two of them enter the old family hut at Pataalgram, Nandini watches Chandra's face cloud over and his eyes look veiled, as if he was hiding an old hurt (Rajat brings this out beautifully). Kanika's exhortation to him not to brood on the past - Puraane ghaav khurede jaayenge to phir se peedha denge...- puzzles her still more, and she scents something amiss. Her eyes reflect his mood and his sadness, though she does not understand either of them.

When she sees the scar of that old wound in Chandra's side while they are cooking, these half formed impressions probably resurface. The sudden surge of feeling in her eyes is striking, as she presses him hard about how and where he got that wound. She gives up when he dodges the question - Smaran nahin hai mujhe- but the subterranean sense of unease probably lingers in her mind.

This sequence is also remarkable for the way in which Chandra looks across at Nandini before sidestepping her query. The shadow of that old, ugly incident clouds his eyes, and darkens his soul all over again, even if only for an instant. It was a truly marvellous shot.

As amazing an actor as Rajat is, you are equally comparable in your writting. You give live to the unamed, subtle emotions that the characters are projection, and the best is that you capture those almost microminute changes be it a nod, change in the eyes even a simple slight curve at the end of ones lips. You magnify it marvelously with your words. Its like we are all sitting in this old fashioned medical lecture hall, while watching a real time dissection. you hardly can see the actual thing, but you 'see' it because your lecturer gives you this detailed and complete second by second commentary. What Rajat does, you do to...only you do it with your words.

It is when Nandini finally learns - thanks to Kanika's unusually candid confession about how she had failed him as a mother in his childhood - about all that Chandra had suffered at the hands of his foster father, that the mystery of the old wound is finally cleared up for her.

Kanika ...oh...Kanika

With that comes another seminal understanding, of what it is that makes Chandra wary of love, distrustful of indulging his heart, and letting it drag him into a crippling emotional dependency on another. It is this vital new level of understanding that will shape their future relationship from her side. And it is the shared pain at the thought of all that he has suffered that leads to her Parantu jo ghaav tumhein samay ne diye hain, kaash mein unhein mitha paati!

Chulha kaand: It is tough to say what it was that I liked the best about this marvellous segment.

LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT...😉

It could be the self exculpatory try by Nandini: Maine roti nahin jalayi! Wo jal gayi!😉

She has me rolling on the floor with this retort...what more with her atta smeared face and her conviction that she was indeed not the culprit. SBP can do this adorable female part very well. She appeared all so lovable, that I dont know how this Chandra is never tempted to just grab her and kiss her senseless ...Rhett Butler style

It could be the smart and aggressive comeback she makes when Chandra ribs her about having boasted of her cooking prowess: Karya hum donon ka hai na? To tum khade khade tamasha kya dekh rahe ho? Sahayata karo!

Or the childlike urgency and stubbornness with which she clamours, as soon as he has got the chulha going: Main bait thi hoon! Main karoongi! Main karoongi!! The way is which she dismisses his remonstration: Pehle seekh to lo!, with an even more insistent Nahin, aa gaya! Tum idhar aao!, as she ousts him from the seat in front of the chulha and takes charge.

I thought she was desperated to make sure Kanika does not find him at the stove instead of her.

Or the pleasure with which she receives his instructions as to how to make the roti, her hands, held closely between his own, rolling out the dough. Or the open affectionate admiration in her gaze as she asks him confidentially how he learnt to cook so well, and listens to his explanation.

(Photos kind courtesy of Sarika or skamunugama)

Affection and warmth which match his own as he looks at her smilingly, clearly enjoying this new adventure of hers as much as she does. For it is all as new, and as delightful, for him as it is for her.

Domestic Bliss...which is something the unfortunate Mr. Bennett would never know of

Or her innate honesty which almost torpedoes Chandra's determination to give her the sole credit for all the cooking, and produces a small, shame-faced grin as he looks across at her while Kanika is praising the food.

Or the way in which she, a princess used to being served and waited on hand and foot, serves the food with grace and warmth and obvious pleasure. What we in Tamil would call kuduttana paangu, or in the manner of an accomplished housewife.

I also like the fact that SBP choose to bring a childlike ethusiasm to the character rather than a regal very princessy type. It makes it more endearing to see her as a woman who lacks ego and pomp of a princess and being just simple woman.

Saanjhi peedha: I could not quite understand why the two of them had to go from door to door seeking bhiksha, but I suppose it was because they are not producers of food here, and so have to seek it from those who are. It is noteworthy that Chandra will not take more than a handful from each house, and insists on approaching all the houses in the village.

Oh, i thought they were asking for grains for the purpose of sowing.

Nandini is dead set on making up for the chulha fiasco and not being found in the least wanting this time. But when her folly in hiding that bad cut in the sole of her foot is detected at last, Chandra first dresses her down like a sergeant major, for he feels any hurt to her as if it was his own. Then he cleans and bandages the wound - a very painful one judging from Nandini's reactions - with careful attention and even offers to carry her for the rest of their round when she will not let him go alone.

Luckily, the RK Films logo moment that follows, as Nandini attempts to demonstrate that she is fine, thank you, is blessedly brief!😉

It is another matter that the CVs forgot all about this serious injury in a trice, for at the milking scene itself Nandini was walking absolutely normally!😆

Ghatak prahaar!: Now for the unquestioned piece de resistance. Everything about this bovine encounter is priceless, and the P should be uppercase. 👏

It begins with Nandini's unconsciously hilarious query Kahaan se? when Kanika tells her to get the milk, as Chandra is silently chortling with ill-suppressed mirth in the background. 😉

It continues in high gear as she tentatively approaches the cowshed, wondering to herself Duhte kahaan se hain? OMG this part where she questioningly looks at the cows...I think i died twice laughing, while Chandra, lounging against a post and taking large bites out of a fruit, watches her uncertain progress with mischievous glee, and kindly informs her that one usually sits down to milk a cow.😉

I watched the making of this scene. Turns out that Rajat is the one who was actually afraid of the cows. That was quite funny.

The ghatak prahaar by the supposedly gentle animal lands poor Nandini with her hand in gobar, and by now she has abandoned all pretence of being a pro at milking a cow. She is thus grateful when Chandra takes the matter in hand, and approaches the cow only when assured that it will be all right, aur phir main hoon na!

What follows, as Nandini gets her first experience of doodh duhna, and even more so of drinking milk straight from the cow, is pure delight. For her, for Chandra, and for the viewers, who are drawn irresistibly into the magic world that the two of them inhabit for the moment.

Their faces, close enough to touch each other, are awash in bubbling delight, as Nandini licks her lips and rejoices in how good the milk tastes, and her joy in these simple pleasures is mirrored and amplified in Chandra's laughing eyes and his wide smile.

You must give it to Ekta for this pairing. She definite struck gold. The just create magic moment in almost all their shared screen time. Very especially during happy or poignant shots

(Photos kind courtesy of Sarika or skamunugama)

This is not romance. This is something rarer and more precious, a perfect camaraderie of the spirit that, for the moment, has blended the two of them into one symbiotic, supremely happy whole.

I could have clouted Kanika when she turns up, most inopportunely, and puts a (temporary) stop to their idyll, 😡and Chandra comes back to terra firma with an almost physical jerk. I have dubbed her the karadi that came and spoiled the shiv pooja. COuldnt she have just stood in a distance adn let the magic continue? Can't she just like us bask in the sunlight of the joy between them? But the magic still lingers as he remarks: Sach kahoon to bada anand aaya uske chehre par gai ka doodh maarte samay. And it would have been clear even to a blind man that Chandra's anand at her delight was no less than Nandini's.

The rest: Compared to these exquisite scenes, what was left, including the jhoola nritya, was just not in the same league.It was predictable, down to the admiring glances exchanged between our lead pair, the ease and grace with which they danced, and the obvious comfort level they shared.

Even this was spoilt by the shots devoted to the snake in this Garden of Eden, the literally hissing Roopa, glaring at the dancing couple from behind a bush, and wondering why, instead of doing what she has come here to do - alienate Nandini from Chandra for keeps - she is now obsessing with getting Chandra for herself.

@ bold 🤣

Aficionadas of Pride and Prejudice would remember Elizabeth joking that she fell in love with Mr. Darcy as soon as she caught sight of his spectacular ancestral property of Pemberley. For Roopa, her fixation on Chandra clearly dates from the moment when she first caught sight of his perfectly sculpted abs!😆

Its amazing how only a single look at his abs and she forgets revenge against Nand and Nandini, and now channels all her energy to getting Chandra. but of course in her case, she get Chandra means she also gets her revenge. So its a win win situation. Only person for whom this turn of intention is not good is Helena. But Roopa's vamp attempts are on the OTT. It appears that her idea is just be all over him, throw herself at him and pin him down. Small mercy is that he does not appear to be enjoying it.

So we arrive at the end of Chandra-Nandini's first day at Pataalgram. As they settle down to sleep, it was somewhat odd to see Chandra almost apologizing for her having to spend the night with him in the hut, and also adding, with a curiously placatory look at her, Kuch hi dinon ki to baat hai, so jaate hain!, as if she had not done precisely that, without any problem, for days in his rooms in the Pataliputra palace!

But it all ends charmingly, after a spell of mutual day dreaming about each other, when Nandini, who was a moment ago well set with her own arm for a pillow, complains about not being able to sleep without one. She promptly ends up with a bonus, Chandra's arm, and in due course, Chandra himself to cuddle up to .

At which point we shall leave them both in the arms of Morpheus, and move on, or rather backwards in our tale. Nothing of what remains to be covered is going to be even a patch on what we have already done, par kya karein, it is like homework, and has to be done!

Shyamala/Aunty/Periyamma/ Akka/Di

Instead, in a sudden realization of what he now means to her, she moves closer and cuddles up to him as she falls asleep in her turn.She has used him as a teddy bear earlier, but that was accidental, and it shocked her when she woke up. This is a deliberate, desired closeness, which is sought and cherished. Which is what makes all the difference.

I was hoping that the next scene would be the morning after scene, with waking up on Chandra #3, only this time I imagined a confused Chandra wondering how she had transferred herself to him, and a coy smiling Nandini blushing pink. Alas...no mercies for me. All that was granted was a seething Roopa twirling her tresses for no good.

ya - That would have been lovely but it would have been a repeat of what they did in Balgram in some sense. DDLJ cannot be rebooted again and again . 😆

Instinctive empathy: Nor is this empathy that she feels for him something born of the moment. It is by now instinctive.

This is the beauty of this love story that I have come to fall in love with too. THer eis no abrupt realization of love. Both falling in love at teh same time and almost same pace, and the pace being slow and gradualmarked by their change of mind about the other due to the experiences they share together.

Absolutely !! They become kids with each other but they have immense passion also. Every scene of CN is accentuated with extreme possesiveness, abusive fights, tender loving care or pulling each other's leg. They are an abos**te delight. I smile while watching them throughout.

This sequence is also remarkable for the way in which Chandra looks across at Nandini before sidestepping her query. The shadow of that old, ugly incident clouds his eyes, and darkens his soul all over again, even if only for an instant. It was a truly marvellous shot.

As amazing an actor as Rajat is, you are equally comparable in your writting. You give live to the unamed, subtle emotions that the characters are projection, and the best is that you capture those almost microminute changes be it a nod, change in the eyes even a simple slight curve at the end of ones lips. You magnify it marvelously with your words. Its like we are all sitting in this old fashioned medical lecture hall, while watching a real time dissection. you hardly can see the actual thing, but you 'see' it because your lecturer gives you this detailed and complete second by second commentary. What Rajat does, you do to...only you do it with your words.

You have put it beautifully. For people like me, I get pleasure by multiple viewing ( Hotstar does not crash in my laptop these days. Me and hotstar have been JoJo - please come up types 😆). Then Akka's posts and varied reactions and beautiful dissection of writing and scenes. I am enjoying all of it.

It is when Nandini finally learns - thanks to Kanika's unusually candid confession about how she had failed him as a mother in his childhood - about all that Chandra had suffered at the hands of his foster father, that the mystery of the old wound is finally cleared up for her.

Kanika ...oh...Kanika

I thought Kanika was good in village segment. She is a cheerleader but. 😆

With that comes another seminal understanding, of what it is that makes Chandra wary of love, distrustful of indulging his heart, and letting it drag him into a crippling emotional dependency on another. It is this vital new level of understanding that will shape their future relationship from her side. And it is the shared pain at the thought of all that he has suffered that leads to her Parantu jo ghaav tumhein samay ne diye hain, kaash mein unhein mitha paati!

Chulha kaand: It is tough to say what it was that I liked the best about this marvellous segment.

LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT...😉

It could be the self exculpatory try by Nandini: Maine roti nahin jalayi! Wo jal gayi!😉

She has me rolling on the floor with this retort...what more with her atta smeared face and her conviction that she was indeed not the culprit. SBP can do this adorable female part very well. She appeared all so lovable, that I dont know how this Chandra is never tempted to just grab her and kiss her senseless ...Rhett Butler style

Watch out for Belan 😉. Seriously - She has a child like quality and almost not conscious of her hunars. She is very earnest in her interactions with him . She adores him totally, while being in love with him. Their moments are magic.

It could be the smart and aggressive comeback she makes when Chandra ribs her about having boasted of her cooking prowess: Karya hum donon ka hai na? To tum khade khade tamasha kya dekh rahe ho? Sahayata karo!

Or the childlike urgency and stubbornness with which she clamours, as soon as he has got the chulha going: Main bait thi hoon! Main karoongi! Main karoongi!! The way is which she dismisses his remonstration: Pehle seekh to lo!, with an even more insistent Nahin, aa gaya! Tum idhar aao!, as she ousts him from the seat in front of the chulha and takes charge.

I thought she was desperated to make sure Kanika does not find him at the stove instead of her.

Or the pleasure with which she receives his instructions as to how to make the roti, her hands, held closely between his own, rolling out the dough. Or the open affectionate admiration in her gaze as she asks him confidentially how he learnt to cook so well, and listens to his explanation.

hotos kind courtesy of Sarika or skamunugama)

Affection and warmth which match his own as he looks at her smilingly, clearly enjoying this new adventure of hers as much as she does. For it is all as new, and as delightful, for him as it is for her.

Domestic Bliss...which is something the unfortunate Mr. Bennett would never know of

There is a movie Madhuri, Salman and SRK. SRK as jealous hubby and Salman as Madhuri friend. In that movie, Madhuri Dixit looks every bit wifey material. The way she goes about doing household chores and bossing around SRK. She looked very sweet. Hamara Nandini be aisi hai - For Chandra's sake, she can morph into any role.

Or her innate honesty which almost torpedoes Chandra's determination to give her the sole credit for all the cooking, and produces a small, shame-faced grin as he looks across at her while Kanika is praising the food.

Or the way in which she, a princess used to being served and waited on hand and foot, serves the food with grace and warmth and obvious pleasure. What we in Tamil would call kuduttana paangu, or in the manner of an accomplished housewife.

I also like the fact that SBP choose to bring a childlike ethusiasm to the character rather than a regal very princessy type. It makes it more endearing to see her as a woman who lacks ego and pomp of a princess and being just simple woman.

She displays both thankfully.

Saanjhi peedha: I could not quite understand why the two of them had to go from door to door seeking bhiksha, but I suppose it was because they are not producers of food here, and so have to seek it from those who are. It is noteworthy that Chandra will not take more than a handful from each house, and insists on approaching all the houses in the village.

Oh, i thought they were asking for grains for the purpose of sowing.

Me too. But then for that you need Nel and not arisi . Right ?

Nandini is dead set on making up for the chulha fiasco and not being found in the least wanting this time. But when her folly in hiding that bad cut in the sole of her foot is detected at last, Chandra first dresses her down like a sergeant major, for he feels any hurt to her as if it was his own. Then he cleans and bandages the wound - a very painful one judging from Nandini's reactions - with careful attention and even offers to carry her for the rest of their round when she will not let him go alone.

Luckily, the RK Films logo moment that follows, as Nandini attempts to demonstrate that she is fine, thank you, is blessedly brief!😉

Classic Akka humour. She hates RK banner I know. We are of a different kind. We need variety and innovation. RK logo is beaten to death.

It is another matter that the CVs forgot all about this serious injury in a trice, for at the milking scene itself Nandini was walking absolutely normally!😆

Ghatak prahaar!: Now for the unquestioned piece de resistance. Everything about this bovine encounter is priceless, and the P should be uppercase. 👏

It begins with Nandini's unconsciously hilarious query Kahaan se? when Kanika tells her to get the milk, as Chandra is silently chortling with ill-suppressed mirth in the background. 😉

You must give it to Ekta for this pairing. She definite struck gold. The just create magic moment in almost all their shared screen time. Very especially during happy or poignant shots

Sure - EKTA has struck gold. But for some reason SBP could not get the hang of it till she got married to C. Now her performance is rarely out of Shruthi. This is Jugalbandhi of the highest order. After the Shruthi bedham she had in **, EKTA has learnt her lesson. 😆

Oh boy !! I am so happy.

(Photos kind courtesy of Sarika or skamunugama)

This is not romance. This is something rarer and more precious, a perfect camaraderie of the spirit that, for the moment, has blended the two of them into one symbiotic, supremely happy whole.

Happy Whole.

Hello Aunty,

How beautifully have you described the romantic moments between the couple. Lovely. My replies in red.

Folks,

Like railway engines do sometimes when switching tracks, let us begin at the end and go backwards. You will not regret it!

Pataalgram: Night

Nandini, stretched out on the mat next to Chandra, her head pillowed on his outstretched hand, ruminates about his soft side that he keeps assiduously hidden most of the time. She moves his angavastram and once more regards the deep burn mark on his side, the mark she now knows was inflicted by his foster father when he was a child. She stretches out her hand and almost touches it, as her eyes soften in tenderness.

Jaanti hoon, shaareerik peedha tum sah sakte ho. Parantu jo ghaav tumhein samay ne diye hain, kaash main unhein mitha paati!

I had noted , in my last post, while describing that madcap chase across their room, that when Chandra wonders to himself at the way in which Nandini's happiness gives him santosh, all unbeknownst to himself, he has summed up the very essence of love. Now, in wanting to wipe away all the pain he had ever suffered at the hands of fate, and if need be to take it all upon herself, Nandini too is defining, in a different but equally telling fashion, the very essence of love.

I found myself wishing that Chandra had woken up at the precise moment when she was looking at the scar of his old wound, and that she could then have summoned up the courage to repeat to him what she had just said to herself. But then their love story would have been speeded up by God knows how many episodes, and that would never have done for the CVs, would it?

Instead, in a sudden realization of what he now means to her, she moves closer and cuddles up to him as she falls asleep in her turn.She has used him as a teddy bear earlier, but that was accidental, and it shocked her when she woke up. This is a deliberate, desired closeness, which is sought and cherished. Which is what makes all the difference.

Such a lovely scene and such a wonderful description. Inspite of the infinite loopholes in the script, I enjoy ChanDini scenes. This was such a poignant and tender scene that it brought me back memories of another couple who had some wonderfully tender moments - Saras-Kumud.

Instinctive empathy:

This sequence is also remarkable for the way in which Chandra looks across at Nandini before sidestepping her query. The shadow of that old, ugly incident clouds his eyes, and darkens his soul all over again, even if only for an instant. It was a truly marvellous shot.

Rajat was very good in this scene. And I agree with you that he is exploring a lot more emotions on this show compared to the previous one. All in all, after watching him in JA and now in CN, I feel there is no scene this guy can't perform. Even after nearly 80 odd episodes of CN, I still can't find Jalal. Kudos to this guy. And anyways, if I want to watch Jalal, I'd rather watch the old show.

With that comes another seminal understanding, of what it is that makes Chandra wary of love, distrustful of indulging his heart, and letting it drag him into a crippling emotional dependency on another. It is this vital new level of understanding that will shape their future relationship from her side. And it is the shared pain at the thought of all that he has suffered that leads to her Parantu jo ghaav tumhein samay ne diye hain, kaash mein unhein mitha paati!

For starters, she can at least confess to Chandra about her multiple personality disorder. A lot of his hurt would be wiped away! Nevertheless, I think Nandini and Chandra are very perceptive when it concerns each other.

Chulha kaand: It is tough to say what it was that I liked the best about this marvellous segment.

It could be the self exculpatory try by Nandini: Maine roti nahin jalayi! Wo jal gayi!

It could be the smart and aggressive comeback she makes when Chandra ribs her about having boasted of her cooking prowess: Karya hum donon ka hai na? To tum khade khade tamasha kya dekh rahe ho? Sahayata karo!

Or the childlike urgency and stubbornness with which she clamours, as soon as he has got the chulha going: Main bait thi hoon! Main karoongi! Main karoongi!! The way is which she dismisses his remonstration: Pehle seekh to lo!, with an even more insistent Nahin, aa gaya! Tum idhar aao!, as she ousts him from the seat in front of the chulha and takes charge.

Or the pleasure with which she receives his instructions as to how to make the roti, her hands, held closely between his own, rolling out the dough. Or the open affectionate admiration in her gaze as she asks him confidentially how he learnt to cook so well, and listens to his explanation.

They must have hired a separate writer to write Chandini scenes. They are so unique. Be it the milking scene, the drumsticks scene or even making the cow dung cakes scenes. I can watch their scenes many times over without getting bored.

Ghatak prahaar!: Now for the unquestioned piece de resistance. Everything about this bovine encounter is priceless, and the P should be uppercase.

It begins with Nandini's unconsciously hilarious query Kahaan se? when Kanika tells her to get the milk, as Chandra is silently chortling with ill-suppressed mirth in the background.

It continues in high gear as she tentatively approaches the cowshed, wondering to herself Duhte kahaan se hain?, while Chandra, lounging against a post and taking large bites out of a fruit, watches her uncertain progress with mischievous glee, and kindly informs her that one usually sits down to milk a cow.

These two have great comic timing

The ghatak prahaar by the supposedly gentle animal lands poor Nandini with her hand in gobar, and by now she has abandoned all pretence of being a pro at milking a cow. She is thus grateful when Chandra takes the matter in hand, and approaches the cow only when assured that it will be all right, aur phir main hoon na!

What follows, as Nandini gets her first experience of doodh duhna, and even more so of drinking milk straight from the cow, is pure delight. For her, for Chandra, and for the viewers, who are drawn irresistibly into the magic world that the two of them inhabit for the moment.

Their faces, close enough to touch each other, are awash in bubbling delight, as Nandini licks her lips and rejoices in how good the milk tastes, and her joy in these simple pleasures is mirrored and amplified in Chandra's laughing eyes and his wide smile.

This is not romance. This is something rarer and more precious, a perfect camaraderie of the spirit that, for the moment, has blended the two of them into one symbiotic, supremely happy whole.

@bold: Beautifully described Aunty!

The rest: Compared to these exquisite scenes, what was left, including the jhoola nritya, was just not in the same league.It was predictable, down to the admiring glances exchanged between our lead pair, the ease and grace with which they danced, and the obvious comfort level they shared.

One thing that I like about this couple is their comfort with each other. Else none of these scenes would have come out so well. It does make a difference when there is a level of trust, comfort between the leads.

The Mukhya Maharani track:

But he is nothing if not persuadable. After listening to Nandini's impassioned tirade against the unsuitability of his choice, he once again starts having doubts. In fact, one is dismayed that he does not have the political smarts to realise, on his own, what the likely reaction of the praja would be to his declaring a Yavani queen as his Mukhya Maharani.

Precisely! Until the praja and Chanakya intervened, he was happy to have a foreigner as the Queen. Even in today's times, we wouldn't settle for a foreigner as a Prime Minister (I was against Sonia becoming PM long time back despite her having settled in India for a long time). They have made a dumb Emperor out of Chandra. This is one of my main issues with this show. CGM ruled over a large empire. He couldn't have been this stupid!

Much of a muchness: Frankly, it says very little for Chandra's perceptiveness that he can actually mistake this brazenly seductive woman to be the Nandini he has by now known for weeks at close quarters. But that is exactly what he does do, following this folly up with another of his standard issue tirades once he is back in his rooms and finds Nandini, in the same costume but a bone dry one, ensconced cozily in the bed with one of her eternal pustakein. One presumes he thought she had duplicates of every single dress!

😆😆😆

A key stone:

As for me, I wished it had hit Chandra's head instead. Even with the protectiom of his massive pagdi, it might still have done him some good by shaking up his somnolent grey cells!

🤣You are on a roll

Unspoken pleas: So we come to yet another Chandra-Nandini confrontation, as he announces that he is now going to make her the Mukhya Maharani, and she first turns him down flat. This one is much better then the last one in their rooms, for the lines are far superior, both the spoken ones - about this being the desire of the praja, and about the need to avoid unrest, a possible revolt and bloodshed- and the beautiful unspoken ones:

Nandini: Kyon mera hriday chahta hai ki ek bar tum mujhe Maharani nahin, apni patni ke roop mein khade rehne ke liye kaho? Ek bar kaho ki tumne mujhe Mukhya Maharani praja ke liye nahin, apitu apne liye chuna hai!

Chandra: Pata nahin kyon mera hriday chahta hai ki tum sada ke liye mere saath raho..Mera man batana chahta hai ki main praja ke liye nahin, swayam ke liye tumhein Mukhya Maharani banaoon..

The same longing echoes in his odd exclamation, almost a question, when she declares that she will accept the post for the sake of her praja, Bas kewal prajat ke liye!?! What the devil does he expect her to say?

She turns to him and looks into his eyes with her heart in her own, but he either cannot or will not read the message in them. For there are none so blind as those who will not see.

We are by now so used to these missed signals that we merely sigh and pass on.

These two are so stupid! They really deserve each other. He wants her to say only one thing which she doesn't say. Ditto for her. I sometimes don't mind it. Sometimes, longing can be as romantic as requited love. Especially with Rajat-Shweta who don't even need hand-holds. Looking into each others eyes, they create magic.

The first apaharan:

When Chandra discovers Nandini's recumbent form, the shock and near panic that grip him are all there in his voice. It is not hoarse. It trembles, it becomes almost suspended as he scrabbles around to see if she is still breathing. It was an amazing display of voice control by Rajat.

People often criticise Rajat for his voice. Not all male leads have a baritone or even a great voice. However, this guy can do some good voice modulation. And that people hardly notice.

Then follows one of their charming riding back together scenes, in which she is invariably unconscious. And just as invariably, his heart speaks the lines his tongue never manages to articulate.

Na jaane kyon mera man karta hai ki main tumhein sada yon hi thaame rahoon, aur samay rukh jai.. Ki tum sada yon hi meri baahon mein raho aur main har pal tumhari raksha karta rahoon..

He is very protective about Dhurdhara and Nandini. Loves both of them loads, albeit differently.

Later, in their rooms, once she is conscious, he barely lets her get a word in as he bombards her with repeated questions about how she came to be in that cave in the forest at night.

And he even, wonder of wonders, manages to actually arrive at the conclusion that Kabhi kabhi to lagta hai ki koyi to baat hai jo tum mujhse chupa rahi ho, jo mujhe batana nahin chahti ho! At this point, I almost fainted from shock.

Yes...too much brains from Chandra is difficult to digest.

What matters is the expression on his face as he says, almost in spite of himself: Aur jis avasta mein maine tumhein dekha, main.. where he comes into dangerous territory and makes an abrupt halt.

Nandini is of course stuck with her old mantra that he loves only Helena and cares nothing for her, Nandini. It is not only Chandra who is blind. If Nandini had eyes to see, the look on Chandra's face, which speaks louder than the words he says to himself: Ek pal ke liye mujhe laga ki maine tumhein sada ke liye kho diya hai..Main bata nahin sakta ki kya dasha thi meri..., would have told her all that she needed to know.

When I see these two, I am reminded of the tip of the root which moves makes its way around the rocks to reach its source of nourishment - water. Inspite of the many differences, misunderstandings, this couple manages to find love in each other.

Kamaal ki jodi: Finally, a few words about our Odd Couple.

It is clear that the two of them have a remarkable range in the kinds of togetherness they handle with consummate ease. The milking scene and the madira scene are the two extremes, and in between there are ever so many other shades: the farewell gifts, the packing, the vaanar jokes, the choice of the gift for Mura, the acceptance by Nandini of the Mukhya Maharani post, the list goes on. This is what makes the journey to their realisation of their love as engrossing as their eventual arrival at the end point. It is rarely that this is the case with romantic couples, so this pairing is really special. And we, the viewers, are really lucky.

I couldn't agree more.

I wanted to comment on your previous post which brought me back lovely memories of Lake Como. I loved it a lot. Due to some personal problems, I just wasn't able to sit down and type anything. But I really wanted to.

Please take of your health Aunty. I hope the summer gives you some reprieve from flare-ups of RA.