September 10th, 2009: Atul-Anjali, Armaan-Riddhima: Elation and Nostalgia...
I was rendered speechless after watching this episode - the first time after quite a long time that an episode centering around Armaan and Riddhima left me feeling absolutely amazed.
The sheer amount of nostalgia that I came away with today is partly because of Armaan-Riddhima, partly because of Atul-Anjali, and partly because of little details from DMG's semi-prequel, Sanjivani.
Note: I think my format will vary a lot, depending on the content of the episode in question...Bear with me, and most importantly, please post your thoughts! 😊 Thank you!
1. Atul and Anjali share a smile as they watch Armaan and Riddhima meet after the "kidnapping"
These two have been with Armaan and Riddhima the longest, they have seen the very first arguments and fights between them, they have seen a romantic relationship form (although it was kept secret from them) and break multiple times due to misunderstandings and personality clashes (and ego clashes). They have seen Armaan and Riddhima take a step towards the marriage altar, only to be torn away from each other by a tragic incident. Despite so many ups and downs, this separation would have been too hard on both Armaan and Riddhima.
After immense difficulty in getting Riddhima out of the airport and to Armaan's house, seeing their plan succeed must have been extremely relieving...And it clearly shows in their smiles...It's almost like they are congratulating each other on helping bring Armaan and Riddhima together again, for possibly the last time. And it's almost like they are looking at each other and saying, "See, we can make anything possible if we're together as a team!"
First of all, I just love how Shashank always calls Atul "Dr. Joshi" instead of "Dr. Atul," in contrast to how he calls Armaan "Dr. Armaan" most of the time. I don't know if it is a conscious effort (on Mohnish's part, that is) to keep that thin connection between Dr. Omi Joshi and Dr. Atul Joshi present in the audience's mind, but I love it, since it always makes me feel as though Shashank still remembers the interns he supervised, and the close rapport that he and Omi shared during those years.
Second, it is so funny how Shashank takes Atul's non-attentiveness in his stride and instead takes to playing along with him, teasing him, if I may say so...Shashank's personality in DMG is much like it was in Sanjivani: serious, thoughtful, brooding, tough on the outside but sensitive and good at heart. There have been very few times in DMG where this characterization really shines through, but I can always find it in Shashank-Atul scenes and Shashank-Anjali scenes, for some reason. Maybe it's chemistry, maybe it's something inexplicable.
Shashank's gentle way of teasing Atul for not paying attention to him made me smile. Atul has always been intimidated by Shashank, and I really don't think it has lessened much over time, either. So Shashank takes to repeating Atul's words, "Riddhima kahin nahi jaayegi..." And then, Atul, in his typical fashion, launches off on a tangent, while Anjali looks at the ground, probably thinking "Oh god, Atul just had to embarrass himself in front of dad..."
Shashank plays along with Atul in his semi-sarcastic way of gently poking fun at people...I love this quality about Shashank; his sarcasm goes hand in hand with his wit, something that Anjali has acquired from him (and both Mohnish and Sunaina play their characters so naturally that it is incredibly hard to believe that Sunaina's Anjali hasn't "grown up" into the Anjali Gupta we see in DMG. But that topic's for another day!) Anjali can detect her dad's humor feeding into the exchange that is taking place...She looks up and smiles, no longer embarrassed, and quite happy with the way things turned out.
"Haina, Armaan?"
ROFL, this scene was hilarious! Atul and Anjali are so funny without even meaning to be, and that is actually the type of "comedy" I like best...I don't like much over-the-top comedy...But then, I am a huge fan of subtle nuances, light-hearted banter, things like that...
Atul and Anjali are off in their own little world (aka Reality) while Armaan is off floating in his dreamland...So every time he hears his name, he answers with a noncommittal "Haan, haan..."
Of course, Atul-Anjali are all up for teasing the lover-boy (I think Anjali even called him that sometime during the show), so Anjali's next "Armaan" question is targeted at Armaan himself! LOL! Armaan falls out of the clouds when Atul and Anjali start laughing...Aww, poor guy...Hahah!
Just a random thought: I am quite happy with the casual Atul-Anjali scenes that are being shown...At the hospital and even otherwise, they are together...It's a very simple way to show how much their relationship has progressed...Not only are they together physically, but it also seems like their instincts and thoughts are in tune. If Anjali turns to look at Atul, he almost immediately turns to look at her as well, sometimes even at the same time as she turns to him. So much is communicated nonverbally, and it is so fun to watch!
Ohhh! And there's more...Atul imitating Anjali's words for rhetorical effect...That was so cute.
So Anjali starts off, Atul echoes her...Then they both echo Riddhima and Armaan...They're having a blast, and it really shows! The anticipation builds, and then comes the climatic line....
Armaan: "Tum bahut sundar lag rahi ho..."
Atul-Anjali's reaction: 🥱 (That's the closest I could find, hahaha!) "Khoda mountain, nikla mouse..." LOL, hilarious!!! Exactly. (Oh, yeah! That's another typical Anjali phrase! "Exactly!") I love PaNa's timing...Not even comic timing...Just their reaction timing. Perfect. Always perfect.
Atul's "Main sundar lag raha hoon?" was yet another ROFL moment! Pankit is awesome! Anything he does, he does with style! (LOL, Karan's face...And Su just started laughing when she turned to look at Pankit...)
The first scene made me laugh so much, and it's pretty obvious why! LMAO!
As time went on, Armaan-Riddhima faced situations that strengthened their bond, and I slowly began to feel that Riddhima's love for Armaan was growing with every obstacle that they came out of together. That question in the back of my mind started to fade away. When Jenny stepped into Riddhima's shoes, that little nagging question vanished completely. Today's Path Lab scene set the answer to that question in stone. Yes, she loves Armaan immensely. Why else would she have done something that she knew was wrong, why would she put both her and Armaan's careers at stake so that he could be saved from leaving Sanjeevani (since she knew that he would never go through the humiliation of doing his internship again because he failed an exam)? Why would she decide to leave Armaan, even when her sister and friends want her to change her decision? For his happiness.
A few of my favorite sprinkles of dialogue:
- Armaan: So I guess...That's a yes...
Riddhima: *a smile lights up her face as tears slide down her cheeks* Phirse bolo...
5. Last, but certainly not least...That tune at the end of the aforementioned scene...I think most DMGians know it as Armaan's love theme (I label tunes like that for convenience's sake...Plus it sounds nice!), but anyone who had watched Sanjivani long enough to remember...
It is actually Shashank's theme - one of them; it has more sad connotations than happy ones for me, unfortunately. The first time I heard that tune, I don't even remember when, I was so mad (I wasn't too fond of Armaan at the time, mind you). I learned to tolerate it...
Today, when the longer version of Shashank's theme played in the background, I was stunned and extremely, extremely happy. It just seemed to fit so well with the situation...And I LOVE KaJen...And they played the longer version of the tune! The "La la la...La la la la..." part and the bit immediately preceeding it in particular is what I'm referring to...It is easier to understand what I'm writing if you listen to the scene...
Simply hearing the tune brought a flood of Sanjivani memories back...😳
I can't believe I actually ended up writing so much! I was wondering whether I would be able to write much at all, but then it took me more than an hour to write all this...If you are reading this, then huge congratulations to you...Wow! Thanks SO SO much for reading...😳
~ Borna
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