ll Jashn-e-Ishq ll Episodes 1-3: The Masquerade Falters

Heya folks.. Firstly, it's not too late to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day.. Well, with DBO around, it's never too late to celebrate love, I guess. Hope the singles survived and the couples out here renewed their vows..

Moving on to Gul and Co.'s latest baby/offering.. Kahan se suruaat karein sasura.. Ee trainwa toh har-hariaayke daudat rahi..

Jokes apart, the pace is just perfect..

I apologise in advance for the slightly long post that shall follow.. LOL

I haven't done a daily episode analysis since Reporters ended.. Wanted to start with IB but kambakht kismet ne saath nahi diya.. Toh DBO hi sahi..

Just listing down the hits and misses that I feel were worth mentioning:

1. Spin-off: For a show that was marketed as India's first spin-off, DBO has fared relatively better than what we expected of it.. For folks who haven't watched American dramas in the past, it might get a bit confusing and taxing to catch up initially I suppose, but I guess that's the deal with spin-offs.. Either they flourish or they bomb.. DBO, I hope turns out to be a winner..

New characters, old characters revamped and given more screen space, new plots and new challenges for the makers..

While it does seem like a smart strategy, trying to cash in on the fame and success that IB managed to garner in a short time, there's no saying when Gul decides to give in to temptation and announce pack up (character assassination, in this case)

2. 4 lions and Gul-Arshad Khan - I feel like a seasoned warrior each time I return to a Gul show.. LOL Having endured the turbulent winds and sporting battle scars.. And yet, there's something that makes me toss aside my scientist brains to ship Gul's new babies..

One, perhaps two things that have contributed to their massive success as a PH- 1. Beyond perfect casting.. Jaane kaunsi jadibooti khaate aur khilaate hain apni team ko.. 2. Getting Lalit Mohan and Arshad Khan on board to salvage their sinking ships..

While one helms IB, the other commands the DBO ship.. Such is their talent and experience that these two men know just how to extract the best out of the crappiest tracks, every frame is aesthetically shot, bordering on magic, every single blink of eye means soo much in Gul land.. Few years back, a joke did the rounds that even a leaf wouldn't flutter in a particular frame if the director did consider it consequential..

They're the men we have to credit for helping us sail through the repetitive, often illogical Gul's brand of TV soaps..

3. Kunal Jaisingh aka Omkara Singh Oberoi: tbh, I'm here only for him. Although I do enjoy watching ShivOmRu just as much as Shivika and Omkara, Om as a character has so many diverse facets to it. The doting-protective brother and son, a self-righteous, self-made man had to be explored more. And what better way than to strike where it hurts the most. For a young lad who composed poetries and made sculptures to express his innermost emotions, he needed to learn that being white and black was always going to be easy. What's difficult is understanding and appreciating grey without actually turning grey. That is where the real challenges lie.. And that is what DBO should be about..

A lot of you, myself included are justifiably upset about the fact that the chocolate-eyed Shayar was forced to don the hat spun by Gul and Co. several years ago. It's tattered beyond repair and past its shelf life..

But after watching him stunned into silence by the chalti-phirti tamancha, it doesn't seem so bad either.

Of course, it'll be a while before we warm up to the idea of a seemingly ruthless and tough guy that he has morphed into.. And yet, the day doesn't seem too far away..

The poet, sculptor, painter, doting son and brother, ma da ladla is very much alive, breathing within the confines of the fortress that he has now built around himself. When he saw glimpses of his mother and her turmoil in her namesake, and after witnessing his car breathe it's last, courtesy Ms Gauri Kumari Sharma, the old Om rose to the fore.

Try as much as Gul can, I guess Omkara will never entirely morph into her typical ML. All of them since Maan, to the latest one being Shivaay possessed self-cultivated arrogance, were chauvinists at some point of time, gained a weird kinda sadistic pleasure by torturing the not-so abla FLs..

Omkara Singh Oberoi, though forged from the same mould has stark similarities with the wagon of characters Gul and Co. have belted out in the past. And yet he is not them..

The guy is already fighting so many battles of his own.. And the best part about them - he knows that he cannot rely on another soul to fight them for him; neither Shivaay nor his mother.

For a man who knows his strengths and weaknesses, never falters.. It's only a while that Om re-emerges shedding the pent up burden on his shoulders and his conscience..

4. Shrenu as Gauri Kumari Sharma: Well, what can be said that hasn't been said before. Now, it does feel like nobody else could have looked and felt good opposite Kunal/Omkara..

Gul's Gauri Kumari Sharma (GKS) is every bit her typical heroine.. Strong and feisty from the outside, and broken goods from within..

I'm glad that she has her share in the story as well.. Her background story, her relationships, her fears, her dreams and her love! Let's just enjoy the phase while it lasts, coz unfortunately even the strongest of Gul's FL's end up being reduced to love-sick puppies and doormats later..

5. Lastly, the Obros and Anika: Spin-off or not, the fact remains that no viewer/fan wants to saturate himself with just a love story that has been beaten to death by Gul in the past. The one thing that has set IB and now DBO apart from their predecessors is the entwined relationship between all the leads. It's endearing to witness their evolution. Now with Gauri on board, and the phone conversation with the Obros last night, I'm sure we're in for a lot of phunny episodes in the near future..

And a special mention of Rahul Dev! Matlab, ee sasura toh aag hi laga diye hain.. What badass swag.. *fangirl mode activated*

Now, the misses:

Just one so far and the glaring one:

Flashes of all her previous shows on watching the remodeled Omkara and the newly introduced Gauri. Again, why Gul you do this!

Matlab mohtarma bata hi do, ki kis janam ka bair nikaal rahi ho viewers pe? Matlab ab toh hadh hi paar ho gayi.. Kahani wahi, kirdaar naye.. Kuch zyada hi seriously le liye ho! 😆

That's it for today.. The precap has yet to sink in..

Ciao!

As is the drill, feel free to discuss, agree and disagree.. Would love to hear from you guys..

But if you're someone looking out for a chance to have some siyappa, please do me a favour and stay away..

Coz despite the hundred flaws in Gul and Co.'s shows, one thing has remained constant over the years..

I love them too much, dammit! Aur ee hi liye, sab kuch qubool hai..

Much Love,

Avantika..