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This post is going to be in regards to the initial episodes once again.
We all know that the mere thought of color is forbidden for a Hindu widow. All things that are permitted to a married woman - jewelry, colored clothing, vermilion etc. - are all prohibited for a widow. All that is allowed for her in adornment is a simple white sari. She is not allowed to even think about wanting any other self-satisfying materials.
Then we have Viplav come along and purposely throw a red color onto Dhani. This action is highly symbolic on so many different levels. Let's break it down.
The origin of the colored powder: I am uncertain of exactly what kind of prayer was going on but it was in relation to Shivji. His devotees were there and they were continuously chanting in his name. In this sense, the red colored powder which would have been used in the prayer in some form or another, would also be blessed by the frequent chanting. It would have absorbed the positive energy and well wishes that would have been emanating from the enthusiastic devotees.
The entrapment of Dhani: Dhani saw that there was a parade of devotees coming from both sides. Considering she is a widow, she had assumed that her presence there would have faulted the prayer in some form or another. She tried to get out but she couldn't as she was being cornered in by the devotees from all sides. In this sense she was trapped by society to take part in an event that she had no interest in being. (This alone can be seen as a metaphor of all the times Dhani has been entrapped by society. The dharma that the widows have to follow, the oppression that has been built against women but also against widows as well, and so much more).
Viplav & his choice of revenge: Now being brought up in a strictly Brahminic household Viplav knows for a fact all the differential rules that have been established for the different castes. Even if he does not know the minute details, he does know the broader and more famous ones. Undoubtedly, the association of color to a widow belongs to one of them. The way that Viplav had seen it, Dhani had hurt his ego and his self-respect. What can be hurtful to a widow than have her be tainted in character? Be presented as someone who goes against the structured life of a widow? Someone who has become disloyal to her husband after his death? It was the perfect mode of revenge for him and he acted without a second thought.
Viplav & his extremity in taking revenge: If Viplav wanted, he could have stopped the first time he threw color at Dhani and left it at that. He could have vanished out of sight as Dhani hadn't even seen him. He could have had his revenge and gone scot-free. But no, he deliberately chose to completely cover Dhani in red color. It was as if for a moment he had gained an obsession in removing any sign of white from her body. The white sari, to him symbolized Dhani's root of high self-esteem and ego. Take away the white and she'll be compelled to repress her opinions and thoughts.
The color that doesn't wash away: This is undoubtedly another symbolic and foreshadowing act. The color that Viplav threw at Dhani will not wash as it is pakka. It is fully ripe, ready to be harvested. It is permanent and unchanging. Dhani has now been selected to be a part of an unconditional love that will and has changed her life. Just as she can't remove the color from her clothing, similarly, she can no longer remove Viplav from her life. He has become fully ingrained within her in so many aspects that even if she wanted to, he cannot go away.
The bucket of permanency: This time around it was Viplav who got drenched in color. A bucket of white paint falling onto his head is again a tie-in to how his life has become entwined with Dhani's. Dhani has lived a colored life before and knows the merits of them. But her decision to live a widowed life isn't something that she has chosen for herself. It has been constructed by society and she has now come to believe that with her husband dead, this is the life that is now meant for her. The idea of marriage presents a possibility for another chance at living a colorful life, but it won't be something that she will be actively pursuing. Rather, she will have to be convinced that falling in love, or getting married once again, is not a crime and she has the right to do so. On a similar note, Viplav has always lived a colored life. He doesn't know or fully understand the hardships that come in living a widowed life. Even if he does become a widow, he will never have to be subjected to the same hardships that widowed women have to. The fact that Viplav manages to remove most of the white paint off of himself is a testament to this. The life a widow is greatly unknown to Viplav as he will never be able to experience it in the same manner as a woman does. His societal status and his biological sex of being a man prevent him from understanding these things first-hand. We can also view this as Viplav being the major actor in bringing about change in Dhani's life for the better. He refuses to let the atrocities of being a widow to break her down. He can give support and advice as is needed but will let Dhani to make her own decisions and act so as to inform her own life.
Both Dhani and Viplav have been affected by the colors from each other's life. How the color goes on to inform their lives, or how they deal with the color that has been forcefully thrown onto them, is left to be seen. (At least by me. 😆)
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