Posted:
The One year Anniversary of the perfection that is RiKara is coming up so let's work our way up to it.
It was during 22:30-23:00 on Monday 13th February 2017, when I fell for a couple on a new show - India's very first spin off series. I climbed onboard a ship and set sail on a then untold adventure... and it looked truly promising. There was a dashing hero who had locked away his delicate heart, a feisty heroine who held her own against him and a terrifying villain like no other I've encountered on the small screen. Now, approaching a year later, I look back and reminisce this turbulent journey and feel a mix of emotions. I feel indebted to have discovered such beautiful characters both individually and jointly.
Stripping it back to what the two characters are as individuals, then we have a girl who thrives on belief and and a man who has lost his belief in most things.
Gauri is someone who has seen hardship (I mean from what we've seen of her Maa, she can't look after herself, let alone independently raise a child), she never had a real childhood, but despite all of that I see her as an innocent. Probably the most innocent on the show (barring Rudra, who ShivOm have babied to the extreme - but that's what makes his character lovable because despite being so spoiled he has a good heart... OK gonna Shut up about Rudra now), because although she can handle herself against villains and all, she understands very little about relationships. The reason I found it so hard to believe Om never questioned his misunderstandings about her is because she just doesn't understand the complexity of a mature relationship. It is all fiction and Shiv Parvati for her. There is no deceit veiled behind beauty in her mind, which is why her initial reaction to Svetlana was confusion: Why would a woman be a threat to her fiance? Why would she spy on her fiance? She avoids initiating contact with Om because she doesn't understand the effect she can have on him, and takes his every reaction as anger, every frustration as anger. Does he never wonder why she hasn't taken advantage of her beauty, or rather is it the extent that he's attracted to her that makes Om convinced she is purposefully enticing him? Either way she sees marriage as a golden opportunity to happiness and even her short tenure as GOSO (how wonderful it has been), has not changed her mind on that.
On the other hand we have Omkara, who has seen the worst kind of marriage. For his mother marriage was the sweet honey trap that sucked her in, clipped her wings, and grounded her for life. For his father marriage was just an inconvenience and the relationship he had no desire to nurture. I personally don't think Om fears becoming his mother in marriage - he's had relationships previously and was always open to the idea of falling in love. I think his deep rooted fear is falling out of love. Once upon a time Jhanvi and Tej loved each other enough that she eloped from home to marry him, then after marriage and children he fell out of love. I think Om worries that if he marries then he will one day fall out of love with his wife, and that will turn him into Tej Singh Oberoi - his worst nightmare. Om's issue is not with Gauri, his issue is with himself.
The problem is that Om's worries are beyond Gauri's comprehension, so she needs to see more of TejKara interaction, as it's the only way for her to understand him. As for Omkara, I think when he finally falls in love fully, his worries will mean nothing. He will love Gauri so fully that there will be no other option than binding her to him, and once he feels real love he will become sure that there is no way to fall out of it, as it will become his reason to breathe.
That's the stage I think Omkara is at now - but we get so little of their viewpoint so can we really tell?
Gauri is someone who has seen hardship (I mean from what we've seen of her Maa, she can't look after herself, let alone independently raise a child), she never had a real childhood, but despite all of that I see her as an innocent. Probably the most innocent on the show (barring Rudra, who ShivOm have babied to the extreme - but that's what makes his character lovable because despite being so spoiled he has a good heart... OK gonna Shut up about Rudra now), because although she can handle herself against villains and all, she understands very little about relationships. The reason I found it so hard to believe Om never questioned his misunderstandings about her is because she just doesn't understand the complexity of a mature relationship. It is all fiction and Shiv Parvati for her. There is no deceit veiled behind beauty in her mind, which is why her initial reaction to Svetlana was confusion: Why would a woman be a threat to her fiance? Why would she spy on her fiance? She avoids initiating contact with Om because she doesn't understand the effect she can have on him, and takes his every reaction as anger, every frustration as anger. Does he never wonder why she hasn't taken advantage of her beauty, or rather is it the extent that he's attracted to her that makes Om convinced she is purposefully enticing him? Either way she sees marriage as a golden opportunity to happiness and even her short tenure as GOSO (how wonderful it has been), has not changed her mind on that.
On the other hand we have Omkara, who has seen the worst kind of marriage. For his mother marriage was the sweet honey trap that sucked her in, clipped her wings, and grounded her for life. For his father marriage was just an inconvenience and the relationship he had no desire to nurture. I personally don't think Om fears becoming his mother in marriage - he's had relationships previously and was always open to the idea of falling in love. I think his deep rooted fear is falling out of love. Once upon a time Jhanvi and Tej loved each other enough that she eloped from home to marry him, then after marriage and children he fell out of love. I think Om worries that if he marries then he will one day fall out of love with his wife, and that will turn him into Tej Singh Oberoi - his worst nightmare. Om's issue is not with Gauri, his issue is with himself.
The problem is that Om's worries are beyond Gauri's comprehension, so she needs to see more of TejKara interaction, as it's the only way for her to understand him. As for Omkara, I think when he finally falls in love fully, his worries will mean nothing. He will love Gauri so fully that there will be no other option than binding her to him, and once he feels real love he will become sure that there is no way to fall out of it, as it will become his reason to breathe.
That's the stage I think Omkara is at now - but we get so little of their viewpoint so can we really tell?
There are very few scenes I could testify my love for above the dargah scene... it was filmed so beautifully Atif Khan please take a bow. Keeping my love for it in mind, I asked a few of my fellow RiKarians to summerise that scene in a single word and my thoughtful chirraiyas came up with quite a few:
Shiv Shakti
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Hindi TV Shows
