Posted:
I've been thinking, probably a little too much, about the current track. And honestly, I kind of love it. I'm surprised at this because at first, I wasn't the biggest fan. Some of you probably wont agree with my thoughts but I needed to express them.
I think the writers are doing something that's pretty ingenious. And this isn't sarcastic at all.
Like most of you, I was pretty put off by Anjali's pathetic state. I understood that it's only logical that she would be feeling that but something still seemed a bit off. And I couldn't help but compare her to Khushi.
I've read some posts that lament that the writers are sexist or that they are trying to portray women as weak beings. But I think that they are doing the exact opposite.
Lets think about it:
Khushi- Strong, independent, loving (unconditionally), caring, resilient, and humorous
Anjali- Dependent, trusting (blindly), loving, caring, and sweet.
Khushi is very independent when things are falling apart for her. Even when they are she chooses to overcome them by thinking about others and adding laughter in her life. Partially because nobody is there to share her pain with her and partially because she doesn't want others to be burdened.
Khushi also bounces back with amazing zeal. No matter how bad the situation is, she lets it go and moves on with her life. She is an optimist-- everything will get better one day.
Anjali, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. She's always been dependent. After the tragedy, her younger brother took it upon himself to fix her problems and to care for her, almost as an older brother would. This was the major starting point of her dependent nature. After marriage, her husband "took care of all of her needs" and doted on her, he even called her "Rani Saiba." They put her on a pedestal, she was a china doll. Everyone she interacted with took care of her and she had huge faith in God. So her blind trust formed, she didn't ask questions she just went with what people were saying.
Khushi- Her husband hated her for 6 months of her marriage. Even before they married he was terrible to her. He had some moments which made her believe that he care for her but for the most part he was pretty evil to her. No matter what his reasons were, there's no denying that he overdid it most times. Even though she loved him, and it tore her apart when he was cruel to her, she still moved forward. I think the writers aren't saying that Khushi is dumb; rather, Khushi is an admirable character. Her characteristics mirror many amazing Indian women I've had the fortune of living with and learning from. Her character highlights that women are, in fact, amazing creatures. We have the ability to overcome things that may knock us down, but in the end with have the ability to succeed.
She really is a new type of Bahu, she's independent from her husband. And before you jump up with indignation. Here's my argument: Khushi LOVES Arnav, there's no denying that. She loves him A LOT. BUT She can live without his support. (I'm not saying she can live without HIM) Remember, he hated her for 6 months. And even though she was upset, she didn't sit around depressed that nobody cared about her. How many characters in Indian television can do THAT!?
Now, about Anjali. I think the fact that the episodes last week were so centralized around her made the comparison more visible.
Anjali said it herself, that she has never been that strong and that she doesn't ever want to be so strong that she wouldn't need Shyam. When I heard this, I gagged a little. I was disgusted that she could say that. But then I started to think about what she said. It wouldn't leave my head.
I came to the conclusion that Anajli and Khushi are foils. They are supposed to show two different extremes.
Some have been disgusted by the portrayal of Anjali but I think its necessary to show what kind of mental state she is in and WHY she's there. She never became independent. She never had to hide the pain from others. She never learned that. Whereas, Khushi HAD to.
This doesn't mean that Anjali is weak, per say. I think she has the ability to become an amazingly independent character. But that can only happen once Shyam's truth is revealed and when Arnav takes a step back from acting like her older brother.
I like to think that the writers are showing that the Anjali dependence is something EVERYONE (male or female) should stay away from. And the Khushi independence (maybe not to her extreme) should be something to learn from.
I hope that some of you share your thoughts on this. I find it to be amazing. I'm kind of in love with this track. And I can only hope that you may start to share the same feelings for this track.
Please let me know what you think!! Thanks!!
**Sorry it got a bit wordy!😳
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