Episode Feedback: 16/08/12

I know what my problem with this week's episodes is.

Problem #1: The amount of power in the narrative that V is given [which has his scenes stretching and stretching while one dialogue follows another, his thought process shown and drilled, down to the tiniest detail while others' are skipped].

Solution: Few episodes without V entirely, or balance him out with the two other leads. I swear that Sia had like three dialogues in the entire episode and Raghav had like two or three. V, on the other hand, wouldn't stop yapping.

These are two extremes -- one is too much and one is not enough.

Problem #2: The relationship between Raghav-Sia has become repetitive and bland in a way [e.g. they're not given any real dialogues to support their interaction -- in fact, apart from occasional eye-contact and a deep line thrown in outside the mandir, there's no real interaction between them].

Solution: I don't know. What should have happened is that upon Jahnvi's escape back in April, V should've been out of the picture for a while, allowing the hero and Jahnvi to gain some power in the narrative, allowing their relationship to grow. There hasn't been given any amount of breathing space for this jodi -- for their bond to build. Raghav-Sia is one of those couples who need time and the full attention of the writers in order to develop/build, because they're deeply layered characters who share a deep bond founded on trust and mutual understanding. There's an innocence and purity about them. Plus they've both got their own demons to fight with, their internal struggles with their pasts and present.

But now it'll be near impossible to focus on them as two individuals, growing to love each other [and this applies specifically to Sia], because 99 percent of the time, V is occupying their minds. It's all about how they can battle V, what's his next move, etc., and so the emotional turning point of their relationship -- the fake marriage and Sia's growing feelings for Raghav -- isn't given much attention. Awkwardness and caution is tangible between them. But that isn't enough.

Before, at least there were small, intense moments such as the scene at the police station when Raghav leaned down and gave her water, or she'd stare at him, or when she'd gone to visit him in jail and they'd had that small disagreement, or when he teased her and she got his joke [which added some spice to their bond] -- but now the writers just seem a bit lost in relation to Raghav/Sia.

Being in the same frame doesn't make things happen. There has to be interaction and the relationship needs to be nourished -- Raghav would naturally keep his distance since he's helping Sia for her own sake and believes that she doesn't love him. But Sia had actually started to grow feelings for him which was evident for a few episodes and now she seems distant again. This is understandable, because V is preoccupying her peace of mind. But it's unnatural for her to not -- subconsciously -- be aware of Raghav's presence and even practically show signs of it; such as standing closer by his side, or attempting to speak to him more often [and not always about herself].

I don't know. Something's missing for me recently. I felt like the writers had finally started to focus on them, on adding those brief moments in between the serious ones to slowly, but surely, build their relationship up -- and now it's all on standstill again. In fact, they've seemed more like strangers since he got out of jail. And not in the "oh, this is an awkward situation for us" way, but more like "the writers aren't focusing on us right now" way.

Yes, I have felt the awkwardness in between when they've had an uninterrupted moment. Like outside the mandir today. But gosh, I'm tired of how Sia repeated how tired she is. I am tired, too. Of waiting for some kind of development between them.

Problem #3: They're both still weak in character strength compared to V [because they're not provided with enough dialogues and screenspace].

Solution: Give them more screenspace and dialogues to balance V. That'll make me look forward to V's scenes too and vice versa.

That being said, I did enjoy the episode. There was a nice flow between sequences. Yes, suspense was a bit high tonight, but they didn't drag it. Story progression was there too in terms of V figuring out that it was a fake marriage and possibly figuring out that Raghav is aware of his true nature.

One other thing -- I am stocking up on patience here, because I do sense how the writers are attempting to amend for some character cracks and direct the story in a certain way. I would like to give them an honest chance to do that and see how things unfold. It should not be overlooked that they're working hard and care about the show as much as we do.

>> Pros:

1) Gayatri is still upset and Komal consoles her

I loved how Gayatri's heart told her that something wasn't right, that Raghav/Sia were, in fact, lying to her. But the best part was how she was more hurt than anything else. It was the fact that Sia had lied to her face, and then -- of course -- that Raghav had supposedly married without thinking/considering his mother's feelings.

Best line: When Gayatri said that if it turned out to be a lie, she'd never forgive them. That struck Raghav and Sia hard, and it should. They should know the consequences of doing one wrong thing [lying] in order to reach a good end [V's exposure].

Komal was fantastic. The way that she comforted Gayatri -- it was role reversal here. Just beautiful performance by both actresses.

2) Raghav and Sia feel guilty for lying

I'm relieved that they feel guilty. It shows that they have a conscience and feel remorse. I still hope that there will be a consequence for them, because a message has to be given that lying is not the right answer here.

I liked the scene between them outside the mandir. For one thing, you could feel the very awkwardness, the tension between them. They were partners in crime, in a way, but also they were pretending to be something they weren't -- married and in love. Plus Sia knows that Raghav loves her and that's bound to add to the awkwardness.

The shot of their feet, the distance between them, and how they were both struggling with their own emotions was beautifully captured. I especially enjoyed Harshad's expression in this shot as controlled his emotions, meticulously, and then called over Krish as if he had not been emotionally wound up just a second ago.

And also, I liked how Sia tried to make him say something because the silence was kind of bothering her, adding to her tension.

3) Taashu's glares

Nice detail. She kept glaring at Sia and she's starting to really dislike her. I do wonder why she doesn't simply confront Sia about what she overheard. Clear the air. But perhaps she doesn't want to ruin Raghav's happiness.

4) "Happy Fake Marriage"

This was an awesome scene, in fact. I loved how Raghav had this small smirk, even as V put his arms around them both and whispered "happy fake marriage".

5) Gayatri's shocked at how she could've overlooked Sia's first husband

I'm so glad that the writers remembered this detail. Of course someone should mention to Gayatri that Sia's marriage could be illegal, and who better to burst the happy bubble but V himself? But what I loved about the scene was Gayatri's reaction. The way that she just dropped on the couch in shock over how she could've overlooked this detail. Fantastic!

She is human, after all.

It was interesting how she put the entire blame on Raghav. She still doesn't trust him and finds him capable of being entirely irresponsible, which tells us that even though she has accepted him again and loves him -- she still hasn't entirely forgiven him and she doesn't completely trust him either. The escape from jail dented their relationship again, and now the sudden marriage has complicated it further.

6) Sia's calm response on how her husband's dead

Fantastic performance by Sriti. Loved her cold expression, her unwavering voice, and the way that she glanced at V with a cool smile in her eyes. That was a slap in his face. There was a bit of truth in what she said -- V is dead to her as a husband.

7) Delighted to have Gayatri and Komal in recent episodes

It's really good to see more of them. I'm grateful for that.

>> Cons:

1) Why can't they just tell the truth?

I don't understand what the purpose is other than giving a twist to the story. You see, they could simply pull Gayatri aside and tell her the entire truth, explain it to her. If they'd done it before the fake marriage, then she would've believed them. But now they have actually dug their own graves. She won't believe them now, even if they told her the truth because they breached her trust by lying to her face.

Furthermore, it's out of Raghav's character. He's actually placing Sia's significance in his life higher than his mother's. He finally got his mother back, after four years. He'd finally earned her trust -- and now he's risking to lose her by doing all this for Sia? Raghav is a family man -- he'd always put his family before anyone or anything else. It just does not make sense to me that he'd be willing to lose his mother over this.

In fact, he would've attempted to find an alternative solution -- something that wouldn't put his mother's trust in him on the line.

Plus he's always been a confident character and he's not afraid of V.

2) Raghav's and Sia's silence throughout Gayatri's rant

Um, I cannot fathom how Sia could stand there in silence and watch Gayatri rip Raghav, especially when he'd done the deed for Sia. I mean, I get why Raghav was silent since it was his mother and he knew that he was at fault, so he had nothing to say. But Sia? She could've at least defended him, saying that it wasn't his choice alone, that she'd been a part of the whole thing too -- I mean, seriously. She let him take the blame, which made no sense, because just a few days ago she was willing to go to jail for Raghav.

3) When will we see Raghav visit Sundar?

When? Raghav must be feeling guilty for not having reached Sundar on time and saved him. He should be shown visiting Sundar at least once, apologizing [even though it was not his fault], and asking Sundar to wake up. I mean, this is his best friend through, like, 26 years?

I know that there's a lot going on right now, but this is what I mean when I say that they could ease down on V's long-stretched antics and thought processes and instead show us how other characters are processing emotional struggles -- like Raghav and Sundar.

4) What's the difference between V's methods and Sia's methods?

Like V, Sia builds lie on lie without batting an eyelash -- which was out of character for her. Like V, she manipulated Gayatri's feelings and breached her trust -- which was again out of character for her.

5) V romances the floor and his "why? why? why?"

I rewatched the episode and realized that this felt more like a con.

I liked KB's performance. But it was long and quite a bit repetitive. V said things like "I fed you" and then the flashback of the chicken scene [when he forced her to eat meat], and "I protected you" and the flashback of Jahnvi imprisoned in her own home. However, we already knew all this from the million times before that he has expressed the same thoughts.

Something else was how he said that she'd married another man while he had never as much as said someone else's name -- excuse me, but I recall a girl named Priya that he romanced for quite a while and whose life he destroyed by sending her to an asylum. It's no better than a death penalty.

What's interesting about this scene is how V knows the truth of his actions, understands the wrongness of his deeds -- yet he ignores them, twists them to his own convenience. That's a sharp-minded man.

But something to note about this scene is how it was dragged and stretched when there was nothing new or earthshattering in it.

I'm sorry for the slightly negative feedback tonight. But I'm just a bit tired of how I feel some characters' thought processes and relationship growth is being ignored when there's enough screentime for it if only the writers would cut down on some of the suspence and V's repetitive drama. Like, I used to enjoy V's scenes once -- now I'd like to enjoy some of the other characters' scenes as well.

Kher. It was a good episode[in the sense that we got Gayatri, Komal, KriGhav, etc.], so watch it.

I am fed-up enough said!!! I won't waste my time repeating myself over and over again ... they think so much of V sells? Let them try it ... they will know how pathetic that makes the show!!! I just hope later on they don't put the blame on something else because even a fool can see what is messing the show up ... but if they are not ready to balance other characters with V and want to just show V, V and V let them, how many times can one repeat the same thing over and over again ... may be they think viewers are also like viraj jaisey wo har epi mey same dialogue, same actions repeat karta hey viewers too want to see V over and over and over again 🥱🥱🥱 Let them do what they want ... they never focused on RaghaVi and i don't expect a thing from them now on!!! 🥱 Epi full of V, precap full of more V ... is this a story or a one man show? And if they seriously think its a one man show then its good they declare it as one and run it like that ... why call it jhanvi ki kahani when na kahani hey na jhanvi or any other character related to her ... dunno kis ney di bad dua VirajBhava 🤢 There is so much of V all around in the show that am not able to enjoy or watch some good scenes he might have actually because his mere presence now puts me to 🥱

You know...you're right. I would have absolutely loved if they'd stalled V's arrival more and gave Sia time to grow, time to emerge from her victim phase and become a survivor. When V finally made it to the Singh house, he had more or less made it around the time frame where Sia was still in her victim mode, and only just realising that staying in that state was unhealthy for herself and for people around her. It takes a person a long time to get to the survival phase...even with counselling. Back when we had the Raghav track, I was actually hoping it would run parallel to maybe her getting counselling of some sort, that she would learn defense, and that she would clearly start seeing...and then when she was emotionally ready to deal with it, Viraaj could appear. By which time she would have healed to an extent, gain some confidence in herself, and started working towards making her life more fulfilling, of which Raghav would be an integral part as well.

I m tired too. Tired of putting my hopes on cv's n being let down everyother day. How many times do we need to repeat that we r not interested in "Viraj ki Kahani". Yes, his cheezy acts used to entertain me earlier, bt watching the same thing over n over again is just too much. I cant watch V romancing with the floor, skull stick, J's poster, mirror etc anymore. They all look the SAME. The only change is the prop. Why cant giv Viraj a break n then later re-enter him with a new scary personality.

I want some FRESHNESS in this show. I want to know what's going on in Raghav's n Sia's mind. What are they heading too? In tonight's epi, it looked like Raghav Sia came infront of Gayatri without any plan. Their idea looked kiddish infront of Viraj's wits. C'mon, they need to b SHREWD n more clever than Viraj. Are all the dialogue written for Viraj? RaghaVi seems to b mute throughout the epi with a little murmur here n there .

Raghav is the HERO. Give him his due. I wanted to see what happened after Sia ran away. Bt looks like any scene related to Raghav will b cut n edited or completely deleted. I m most interested in his mental status than anything right now. I kno its terrible when you kno ur dreams r fulfilled just to b crushed. Bt I wanna watch it. One dialogue wont do it. It needs a long monologue.

Wat's wrong with Sia? Have she forgotten that Raghav loves her n she should b a lil selfless sumtimes n think abt Raghav's feelings too instead of making him feel guilty everytime. Today d mandir scene made me feel that the feelings for Raghav which she had (as a friend) turned null again. If she consider him as a FRIEND, shouldn't she make him feel that she IS with him instead of saying "Mujhe ye sahi nhi lag rha". Dammit, that guy is doing everything for YOU. Today she dissapointed me.

Precaps r so depressing. Every precap warns me that tom get ready for 15 mins of V drama again🥱

ANA..good analysis once again..

I'd just say that if the actor playing Sundar is busy with that Zee show, replace him. Otherwise we'll have ppl saying, oh look Raghav doesn't care for his frnds.

And it's a shame how less the lead pair of the show get importance. Get the balance right.

1. Gayatri knows something is amiss and it matches her character nicely. She isn't the type who can accept something like this marriage right away. She knows that there is something off and I'm sure she'll find out sooner or later.
2. They know that they're doing wrong by lying and I'm glad that they show it. If they didn't, it might not be as believable for me. That said I hope this doesn't continue and they manage to continue their fight against Viraj. They're awkward because they've finally reached a point where they're stuck together.
3. Taashu may slowly turn negative here. Have you thought about that?
4. This whole scene seemed quite ironic to me. The flashbacks seemed to be the exact opposite of what he was saying and it just goes to show what he thinks of himself.
5. It just goes to show how insecure V is and how Raghav knows that.
6. Gayatri is human and she was already overwhelmed with the news of the marriage so it was human for her to forget. And since she trusts Sia more than Raghav that was set as well that she would blame Raghav for it. After all, like you said, the jailbreak dented the trust she had in him.
7. What I liked about this was V's reaction. He's finally understood what Sia thinks about him. And kudos to Sriti!
8. They're also there in proper form.

1. I never understood that either. By telling Gayatri the truth V would end up behind bars. So why didn't they just do that?
2. Exactly. Why didn't Sia speak up right away? Why did she wait until Gayatri was done?
3. Sundar has completely disappeared for god's sake. Where is he?

Also i want to know is Raghav the hero of the show or not? Its time CVs make it clear ... if he is not fine but if he is where is his screen time? How do CVs expect people to relate to the hero of the show if in comparison to villan he gets no space ... either in terms of screen time, action, dialogues or script!!! Its like villan gets 90% and hero hardly gets 5% sometimes even less ... and no am not saying V is not needed he is an integral part of this story but no story can work without the right balance between characters which this show does not have at all.

i mean they don even giv a proper 2 minutes scene 2 RAGHAV,nd ppl over here cum nd bark dat TRPs fell becos of him...

I watch this show for raghaVI and if raghaVI are not getting justice then for me its just waste of time. I am done seriously done. CVS only care about viraj and viraj so then why they had raghav sia in the show? why are they wasting harshad sriti talent? If they want to show viraj then they should have only viraj in the show.

And it seriously makes me angry that these cvs introduce such a beautiful jodi but are hell on ruining them and showing them less. and once this show ends. we might never see this jodi again and this all will happen only because of these cvs!!!!!!

if only wanted to show viraj then why did they introduce such a beautiful show?????

I NEED ANSWER