Jodha Akbar 147: Discordant expectations - Page 2

Sandhya dear,

I loved your comments, and you have covered so many bits and pieces that I had not. The parts @blue are splendid.

My sweet, the old Jalal is gone for good. This is what an infatuation does even to a strong man or a learned man (remember the professor in The Blue Angel, besotted with the cabaret dancer played by Marlene Dietrich, though he at least had some excuse seeing whom he flipped for!😉). The roar and the shove at the jashn was like a child crying out to its mother I hate you, I hate you! The minute he spots Jodha, the craving for her to be nice to him kicks in. There is no salvation for him at all.

Let us hope that at least Shivani elopes. That will make up for a lot else!

Jalal should have married Sukanya. She would have been good for him and good to him. Not this perennial affliction.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

Dear Aunty,

By now we have grown so used to Jalal and his self-respect being butchered in every possible way that his being sidelined also looked like a usual routine. But yes, it was a public shove of his izzat.

When we had Jodha Begum declare and assure that Maharana Pratap & Co will not initiate any tussle in Sukanya's wedding, it was not surprising that she was sure about Shivaani's compliance in this wedding too. She is always tooo confident of the Rajvanshis-esp-herself-never-wrong attitude. That is why I very badly want Shivaani to elope which would crash all her pride and Rajvanshi-egotism. Jodha should be doubly, triply blamed by all in Agra, esp Jalal because she has chosen to brush aside his sincere concern for Shivaani's consent. I am really hoping that MA won't let me down this time.

And if Jalal as much as lifts his little finger to help, I'll want to shove him myself. If he doesn't allow Jodha to suffer the consequences of her vanity and short-sightedness, how will she ever learn to overcome it?

Moreover they can't show that he actually helped Shivaani and Tej unite. The emperor of Hindustan can't afford to have a non-royal for a relative (even if Tej's status is improved he would still remain a commoner). It would be against his pride. And it should be remembered that Jalal is future Akbar who stood against his own son marrying a commoner and was always rutba-conscious.

Jalal questioning Jodha about why their wedding was according to Rajvanshi customs is plain silly. Is it Amnesia again?... he didn't mind it that way as he wanted to impress upon those kings that Mughals are not alien to Hindustan and that they can mingle and be one with Hindustanis. A part of his 'poora Hindustan under one Mughal parcham plan' -----Wonder if he even remembers the plan now!🤔 He tells Shariffu that 'back at Agra, everything will be according to our customs' and they did have a Mughal style 'qubool hai' ceremony as well. Didn't they. It was shown for a few seconds with bg music just before the jashn.

And her answer was impertinent and rude...as usual...and as you rightly said aunty, after SKLL all these appear like mere pinpricks.

But when she was complaining about the 'paristhithi' factor, I so much wanted him to reply that he ought to have made her his 'haram ki shaan', the way he told Bhaarmal back then. He should have driven home the point that the marriage was a lucky deal for her and her family and nothing for her to complain or lament about. Given the mood he was in yesterday at the bachelor's party, I was expecting such a response...the old Jalal would have surely snubbed so.

Also the comical way the narnaal disaster is referred to everytime sounds strange. Not once has she been blamed by anyone and not once has she apologised. Her lepping doesn't acquit her of her foolish behaviour.

Jalal back on foot is a big relief. Was sick of the (same) red shawl on his legs in every frame. But will the day come when he is back with his wits?

As of now neither the emperor, nor the empire nor its administration are anywhere near capable. The jailed Shariffu is better informed on issues of political importance than the emperor. Ben can bring a trunk full of poisonous snakes right into the palace without any security check. Neither the king, his brother or the queen is half as smart as the daak-munshi who decoded the Ben's letter in a jiffy. And what happened to the Tafteesh of his mysterious death by snakebite ?(a flying snake that bit him on his lips?) Jalal who spotted mud in Hakima Saahiba's nails couldn't see the strangeness of the bite? This Shahenshah-e-Hindustan is brow-beaten by his vain wife every time and he is clueless how to shut her up.

Lashy has rightly said, nowadays Jalal looks like a well dressed Suppandi.😭

PS1: Why didn't Shivaani elope with Tej from Amer itself. Why come to Agra and then elope. Won't these Amer girls ever let Jalal live in peace? Of the three Sukanya is the only one with sense and sensibility. But thank God, Jalal has only 2 saalis. His tensions on their account should end here.

PS2: It is one consolation that chathur Jodha Begum, the hunar ki khan, recognized and deduced 'prem' in her devar's eyes for her Rajvanshi-sanskaar-drenched sister. But in her husband's eyes it is only SKLL. (I'll never forgive her the shove and this SKLL comment till she apologizes proper). But why is she not able to read her own sister's eyes and decode the emotions in her expert style?

Nonetheless, let us keep our fingers crossed!

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: dafla

Yep i agree with u in this...and i want shivani to elop jus to watch jodhas face but i also know its not goin to happen...

Originally posted by: sashashyam

My sweet, the old Jalal is gone for good. This is what an infatuation does even to a strong man or a learned man . The roar and the shove at the jashn was like a child crying out to its mother I hate you, I hate you! The minute he spots Jodha, the craving for her to be nice to him kicks in. There is no salvation for him at all.

Then what is epic about a love that reduces a capable proud emperor to an incapable baffled craver, that strips him of his dignity and doesn't even allow him to react, especially when it is not reciprocated even by a small percentage. How is his love different from his sister's?

The answers to the blue parts are : nothing and in no way. And I have noted, clearly,

Only then, let us stop abusing Ekta and the CVs for ruining this "epic historical love story". It is no such thing, but she knows her onions, does Ekta, and she knows what works. Let us just accept that, and go with the tide, patiently and without complaint. That will spare our nerves, if nothing else!

It is interesting and revealing that no one so far has reacted to this part and to the opening paras.

As for Jodha's honesty, I do not know how much it might help. I really do not see why she is jealous of Benazir alone. It seems to me to be a class complex, to be supplanted by a "mere daasi". Ruqaiya or another begum would be ok. Not a lowly daasi. Jodha does not know about the imperial ambitions of the KL! But if the KT really believes that Abul Mali will make her his Malika, she must have bats in her belfry.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

Then what is epic about a love that reduces a capable proud emperor to an incapable baffled craver, that strips him of his dignity and doesn't even allow him to react, especially when it is not reciprocated even by a small percentage. How is his love different from his sister's?

The only consolation here is that with Jodha's basic honesty, there is hope.

Dear Deepti,

A very good set of comments. Mine are in red.

I find that we are of a mind about almost everything, but you are much younger, and so have a , softer corner for a romantic track, real or imaginary, that I do.Also, I have very strong objections to Jalal becoming worse than a ventriloquist's dummy!

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: Deepti1808

Put Jodha aside for a minute, Why did Mirza not discuss this with his brother first? (OK i see many who found that objectionable) I did too, and I have said so in the post and highlighted it.

So maybe all made assumptions that as Jalal himself married a rajvanshi he would not have any

objections to another alliance between his family and theirs political and emotional considerations not taken into account. No, my dear, not into the same family. The very logic of political marriages is to spread them across various kingdoms, not all in just one.

Or maybe Jodha wanted to talk to them(Jalal and her father) together as the postal service was not as it is today she would have technicallyspoken to Jalal before the so called letter reached her father. (Yeah I know this is lame and even I do not like how casually she made the decision for jalal)
It is not just not liking it, Deepti, It is completely wrong and would have got her into bad trouble in any other royal household. She simply cannot sidestep her husband like this,it would be unheard of even today. If you are married, do you think your husband would quietly accept you fixing up a marriage between his brother and your sister and merely informing him? A Rajput king would have sent Jodha back to her maika.

As for Jo Ja scenes I don't mind them in the least eps as you said the chemistry between the leads is great.

And I again agree with being disappointed with Jo's forgotten regret or lack of her even for once reliving the night and some retrospection.

How I would have loved to see her replay Jalal's words and come to some other conclusion. I can understand thatshe was too repulsed that night to have actually listened to him but COME ON!!! The listening part came first, and she would have taken in all his heart to heart outpourings before The Shove.

Akbar could be agreeing to the marriage as he could very well get some other princess married to his brother after Shivani is through.We know there seems to be no upper limit for the amount of begums the mugals had. So right now he has nothing to lose as such.

I for one feel that Shivani does marry her beloved karigar. As as Jalal put it in Islam the choice of bride and groom is taken into consideration.

So as i see it her elopement plan will be foiled much to Mahaam's dismay. But she will definitely say Qubool nahi haiduring the nikaah and I see Jalal come to her rescue.

Here is why I say this

Jalal will go against his begam Jo and her family and even against his own brother just so that history of his marriage to Jo is not repeated just as he said while he spoke to Jo.

Also as we know that Mirza was Anti-Jalal as per history books, so what better way to make him bitter.He will definitely turn against Jalal for not supporting his marriage and assisting the one he loves to marry someone else.You may well be right here.

PS: Great post btw. As always, a treat to read. Thanks a lot.

Shyamala How can JO be so STUPID ? Didn't see think to ask for Shivani approval before sending paigam to her father ?

Why Jodha stopped Jalaal asking Shivani ready for marriage or not ? Atleast if shivani tells she agrees to marriage & if later she disapproves also Jalaal will be on Jodha side ...

When BEN will finish her task ? How many days he want ?

Why Jalaal, Hakim, Jodha, none have shaaq on BEN ? Why can't they decode the BEN paigam ?

Shariff knows Abul mali in Agra but not Jalaal ?

How can a princess think to elope that too from her sister sasural that too when her marriage is fixed ?

Why allways maham gets reading the paigam secretly & now will know this?

CVS are making kichidi of JA serial, with never ending tracks... Just watching it for Rajat & Paridhi... Ekta and her shows never changes, nothing new in the story ...same old wine in new bottle...

omg i was seeing flaws in this suppose marraige talk n u highlighted all points so nicely aunty i wonder wat is this way of discussing marraige n suddenly they have no problem with mughal marraige is so very wierd to me

Absolutely Brilliant👏. Yesterday after i watched the episode i was sure that you will write.I was checking for your post since morning. and have been going through all the other posts. There was a time when i used to fight with my bro to watch this { I am 33 and my bro is 28}but now, 😕

Hi Shyamala, you have made your presence felt with your very conspicuous absence. That said, let me come to my favorite lamentation - oh where have they gone, those cursedly good writers! One of the most twisted journies is the journey of love. Love as Coelho says is an act of faith. That does not mean a total absence of doubt. As Coelho puts it when you cease to doubt you stop moving forward. Hence the act offaith is actually confronting those doubts and having the courage to gio beyond them. Coming to EK and her team and the story telling of Jodha Akbar - seems the biggest lacunae is the story telling to me! I am ok with the convoluted plots - as I have always said Love is a many splendoured thing. And the most twisted journey ever - what puts me off is the cliched and lackadaisical story telling. If EK and her team has researched Akbar for 2 years before they came up with the show the least that can be shown is his efficient spy network and administration. A 21st century hero brought up as the spoilt brat of super rich parents may be easily fooled by conspiracy but a self made man in the 21st century and in the 16th century will ensure that his back is always covered and would have eyes (s in spies) all around. And lets not forget Akbar did not get his empire on a platter. In fact Akbar's early life was a pretty hard one. That apart what good story telling needs is good characterization - especially at least one pivotal character which was created in TE but along with this what is also needed is character consistency. They have been consistent with Jodha's character who is incapable of seeing beyond her own POV but they have messed with the character who had actually made their show different - that of TE. I cannot complain since EK is running true to form - its just that I had actually allowed myself to be led on and hence have no one but myself to blame. Wonder how long I will last?!?