This show has killed me. I've been dead ever since I started watching IPKKND, but since I viewed the promo, and then the dance sequence on SBS/SBB I've been transformed into a zombie state. I've lost my mind and I can't stop thinking about what will happen next!
To make a long story short – I've gone nuts.
And its not just the dance that's making me go crazy (though it might be contributing a small part J.) No, it's what will happen after the dance – what will happen to the Arhi relationship after this – that's making me lose sleep over it.
As we all know, Arnav Singh Raizada is a complex character. I don't think we are yet ready to claim that we know him inside out – he's been shown as a man with a thousand faces, and then some. But I love his character, and for that reason, I've been trying to figure him out. *Really* figure out who he is, what drives his actions. I've been trying to view him as Khushi views him, and I think I might have chanced upon something.
So far we know that he's a man who has shut himself up emotionally and mentally. We don't know what goes on in his head, or what goes on in his heart. But we've seen that there are two sides to him – Arnav and ASR.
Brief History: Instances of Care
Having started off as a mean, manipulative persona, we saw him start to melt under Khushi – the first instance when this attraction was set off for her was when he saw her in that red sari (the office photoshoot one.) Since then the first chinks in ASR's armour were made, and slowly we saw more and more instances when the Arnav buried deep within him would surface. However, ASR hates Arnav. The man as a whole has been hurt so badly in his past, that he doesn't believe in emotions, feelings and all that filmy crap. We don't know what happened exactly, but its clear that he's had his heart torn out and stomped on. And from another angle, we can see that the man is simply afraid to open up because he's afraid of getting hurt again.
I would say his love for Khushi started to set in ever since the guesthouse incident. Arnav would not have risked his own life by entering the crumbling ruins had he not already had deep, strong feelings for Khushi. Afterwards we've seen instance after instance, giving us a glimpse of how kind and caring Arnav really is. But no, Arnav Singh Raizada himself had not thought anything had changed within him.
The next big tumult in the ocean was the so-called Nainital Trip. Yes, he shouted at her in that dhaaba room, threatened her to leave before morning. But when he saw her sick, he was the one who tenderly nursed her back to health. The love within him had grown by this point, unbeknownst to him. It took him by as much surprise as it did Khushi when he jumped on those goons and nearly killed one for merely giving Khushi a push and a bruise on her forehead.
And that was the first big battle of heart vs. mind for ASR. Logically for him, it was unforgivable that he showed her such a caring side, that he burst into violence in her defence, that he showed her his vulnerability. He keeps questioning himself: "Why did I do that?" When Khushi asked him what would he have done if the goons had raised their hands against her, Arnav's heart and emotions burst forth in outrage and love, but no, the love isn't ready to come out yet. And he shielded himself and lashed out with the only method he knew – anger. "Get out! Leave me alone."
The Pattern
The Hospital Hug – not yet ready to hug her back. Won't allow himself. The love increases and we all see it in his eyes as he places his hand on her head after paying the hospital bills, after he sneaks in silver coins in the washing powder as a surprise and watches from afar, after he unravels her from the fairy lights, after he blows away the dust from her eyes, scene after scene after scene. Khushi sees that love. We, as the audience see it. But does he see it? Oh no no no. He sees and acknowledges nothing, even though he *is* in love with her. There's always that front of cutting remarks and biting words. Always anger at the forefront of that tidal wave of love.
Anjali: "Chote, tum us shirt ko aise kyon dekh rahe ho? Pata hai, aisa humare saath tab hua tha jab hume pyaar ho gaya tha."
ASR: "What nonsense Di. Pyaar, aur main?"
Diwali night, we see the same pattern. By now, the love has grown out of control. It's this monster inside him crying for release. After almost kissing Khushi, he realizes how vulnerable and exposed he has become to her. And how dare he! Unable and not yet ready to let out his heart to anyone, he lashes out again, the only way he knows - "leave me alone, go away, mujhe tumse koi baat nahin karni. In fact, tumhari shakal tak nahi dekhni." In his mind, Arnav pegs this all as Khushi's fault – no, he's angry at himself too for feeling this way, but he's even more angry at Khushi for *making* him feel this way! Woh apne aap ko samajhti kya hai? I wonder, what would have happened if the phone had not interrupted them? I'm sure Arnav would have kissed her, but then would have either pulled out mid-kiss, or afterwards, and the same fiasco would definitely have taken place. In a way, it's better that the phone call interrupted them, otherwise Khushi would have been scarred beyond repair to hear those lashed out angry words at her *after* a kiss took place between them. After having her heart torn out and stomped on, Khushi vows to forget about him, and not to feel anything for him.
So "Farak Padta hai" comes as no surprise. Arnav loses his mind after he finds out Khushi is engaged. But he still doesn't get it! What an exasperating character! No, he's still reiterating to himself that she means nothing to him, nothing. "You don't exist for me. Tum ho ya na ho, kuch karo, kuch kaho, mujhe usse koi farak nahin padta." Ah, but those tears in those eyes. What mess have you gotten yourself into, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada? You've become a split personality, and even you yourself don't know whether your next action will be ruled by your heart or your head..
Character Summary
Did we expect after the Didi Tere Jethji Deewane song, after Arnav laughed his heart out and smiled with love, that he would come back and give Khushi some of his cutting remarks? No, we thought the love would blossom now, that it would be a new beginning. But it wasn't. And judging by the pattern of "love and lash out", we shouldn't be surprised anymore. Because whenever Arnav exposes himself, he comes back in anger. Remember this. It's been happening for the past seven months!
Now, I want to make one point clear here – *we* see that Arnav's love is growing day by day, and his anger and cutting remarks are getting feebler. But nonetheless, those angry words hurt. And Khushi cannot *not* have been hurt by his words by the door, by his challenge, etc. In Khushi's eyes, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada is an unpredictable man. Miraculously, he softens when he sees her cry, but he is a cruel man when he wants to be. Wasn't it only last week that he yelled at her so loudly "GET OUT!" when she accidentally slapped him? Wasn't it only last week that he reiterated: "Main tumhare bare mein sochta tak nahin hoon." Wasn't it only a week ago when he said in her bedroom, "Haan, main pyaar mein vishvaas nahin karta." He seems loving one second, but a stormy ocean the next. How can Khushi trust him so, when he's the very one who said those hurtful words on Diwali, after almost having kissed her nonetheless! After having her fianc and her engagement ridiculed. After Farak Padta Hai. Now Khushi is guarding her heart. She knows that if she gives in, she might only be hurt, as she is getting hurt every few episodes. And is this man just playing with her feelings to show how bad it is to have them, or what? What does he want? Caution, wariness, doubt, anxiety are Khushi's emotions these days, even though once, she did love him, but for now, she's scared of being hurt by him - again.
Now I hope I've explained well enough where both Khushi and Arnav stand in terms of what's been going on in their minds.
To the Point
And so we come back to the present time. Lalit Mohan was right – the Teri Meri dance is, essentially, Diwali reloaded. Arnav approached Khushi on an innocent enough premise that Diwali night – to return her payal. (But he got lost in Khushi soon after, cornered her, almost kissed her, but withdrew and lashed out.) This dance is a depiction of that Diwali kiss, had it taken place. Arnav will approach Khushi on the innocent premise to help her out, as hopefully, he will find out Mami cheated. Adding to that the fact that he mistook her tears for fake (when she was crying helplessly and needed him), and that she's about to be embarrassed in front of all the guests, he decides to help her out. So he will approach her to help her, as he can't help himself. But once he begins, he will get lost in the dance, in her. So he whirls her, twirls her, dips her, caresses her and only he knows what else! He exposes himself like he vowed he would never expose himself to anyone. In the dance segment, you can see Arnav unleashed, and Khushi hesitant at times, reluctant.
And then, the question which has been haunting me since yesterday: What happens next? We're thinking that the scorpion will bite Khushi which will lead to Arnav's realization. But wait. Not yet. That would not have the intended result. We need this tragedy to strike home, to hit Arnav like nothing has. This continuous "love and lash out" pattern which has been going on for the past seven months, tormenting us as much as its been tormenting Khushi and Arnav, needs to stop. But how do you break up this vicious circle of "love and lash out?" Do you think if the scorpion bites Khushi soon as the dance stops, and her life is in danger, Arnav will realize he loves her and never say to her again – you mean nothing to me?
I'm not so sure. No. *Something* else needs to happen still, before the tragedy. And this is what I think might happen:
Remember the pattern. What have we learned so far? What does Arnav do after he's exposed himself so vulnerably to Khushi? That's right. He attacks. Come on, they're dancing in front of the whole family – the family members, being brainless after all, will tease him that how good his dance was, etc etc etc. And with Khushiji!! How cute!! This will definitely irritate Arnav, and what does he do when he's irritated at his display of emotion? Yup – he'll take out his anger on Khushi. He doesn't need to do much actually. Even a single biting cutting remark of his is enough to counter the uncertainty and the hope Khushi will be feeling after the dance. Think of how Khushi will feel after the dance – a guy she thought had totally rejected her, how could *he* dance with her like that, awakening her dead feelings again? She will want to know what's up, what's going on, what she means to him, why the hate and the love drama? And over there, he's angry at her, again. Nothing new, eh? Diwali reloaded, all right.
So I leave it up to your imagination how this scene plays out (I am desperate to see what the CVs have in mind). Will he seek her out? Or will she? Or will they just chance upon one another, possibly near the poolside? I don't know what cutting remark he could make to her, it could be anything like: "You couldn't even win without me, I had to come to your help afterall." Etc. This was a possible scenario that came to me today:
Shocked, Khushi says she didn't need his help. And he'll reply, that she did. And how wrong she was to think that money and power don't have any importance in life. After all, the dancers he hired with money for NK's backup dance were all there and reliable, but the person she relied on (her neighbour girl) let her down. And now getting angry, Khushi can say that he was wrong about what he said earlier that evening – about how he said she knew him. She doesn't know him at all, and he confuses her. The only thing she knows about him for certain is that she'll get bitter words out of him. And does nothing matter to him emotionally? What was that that just happened on stage? Does that mean nothing to him either? Aap ko toh usse bhi koi farak nahi pada hoga.
ASR: Sahi kaha. Nahin pada.
And then I want to see a big retaliation here on Khushi's part. Something big – she needs to let him know how much his words cut her, how he has always hurt her, over and over. Like on Diwali, and even today, after what they just shared together. And what are his intentions? Does he think of her as just a toy to play with? That she's just something to amuse himself with when he has the fancy, and discard her when she's of no use? She needs to tell him that she does not understand who Arnav Singh Raizada really is – is he really the man standing in front of her right now, or is he the one she sometimes catches a glimpse of? What's the truth? I want her to use his own ASR dialogues against him. How she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. Ek baar jiji ki shaadi ho jaye, phir hume aapse dobara nahin milna. Not giving him a moment to speak or defend himself. And then when she walks off in a huff, then the bichhoo can strike. Better yet, let Khushi save Arnav from the bite and take the bite herself, for maximum impact.
The reason for this argument after the dance, and before the bite, is that Khushi *needs* to let him know what he's done to her throughout. The words need to be fresh in his mind, so that all the guilt within him at his actions and words, the fact that she took a bite meant for him, that she's lying there near death is his fault. And only then, with these strong feelings of helplessness and despair will Arnav be able to rise beyond ASR and realize his true feelings, the place she has in his life, that usse Khushi ke hone na hone se "farak padta hai". Only then can the pattern of "love and lash out" be broken. He needs to understand what he's feeling is love, and accept that he feels this.
At the hospital, I would greatly like Khushi to be unconscious for more than 24 hours. Arnav needs a lot of time to think, after all. I want the doctor to come out and say that there is only a very slight chance that she'll survive. And then I want the truckload of bricks and the rampaging rhino stampede to stun Arnav to understand himself, and to realize what Khushi means to him, and what her not being with him will mean.
And later, when she recovers and Arnav's heart-mind fight results in his mind defeated and heart victorious, I want him to continue what he left off at the hospital, so many months ago. The hug he was never able to give Khushi.
Forget the dance, I want a real, live Arhi hug, dammit! Seven months and the guy hasn't even hugged the girl! What the! Let's have it now. A hug where he tells her how scared he was that she nearly died. With much more chemistry than the hug between Arnav and Lavanya. Full of the purity of his feelings for Khushi. And then he can start wooing her back to him, slowly. Taking care of her, not being angry with her in that same way. Telling her his past. The trust and bond needs to be there between Arhi before evil creepwa Shyamu makes his move.
Sorry this turned out to be a novel. :p Couldn't help myself. Your views, please. Thanks for reading!
PS – Or, maybe none of this will ever happen. It's up to the CVs obviously. However, if they want to do justice to their characters, we need an argument before the bite for things to strike home.
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
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