Jodha Akbar 147: Discordant expectations - Page 6

Thank you so much, my dear. Yes, that is it. There is no point railing all time against the ahistoricity of the narrative and the characters, and against hackneyed tracks, when the viewers are so easily pleased and appeased, as you say, with a couple of pedestrian nok jhok scenes. Yesterday too, all the Jalal-Jodha taane were so stale and predictable. Jodha's face too., it always looks pinched and angry.

It is then best to keep quiet, do not rant against Ekta, and just watch the telecasts.

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: Jaz713

A pleasure to read your thoughts Shyamalaji!

The forum was in seventh heaven this week after the Jodha-Jalal scenes and it was enough to appease them for the time being. But again, these were hackneyed scenes and I found little to no pleasure in them. I won't go into the illogical aspects of the behaviors of our favorite pair since I no longer have the patience for that. It seems that lowering expectations is the only way to continue to enjoy these episodes.

Yes, yes, yes! Have they forgotten every detail about their marriage? It is especially surprising for Jalal since supposedly his hands were trembling that day and according to him, they only tremble during important events of his life! If so, it only makes sense that he should remember every thing having to do with his marriage with Jodha!

Lashy darling,

Aap ke liye to sau khoon maaf, to ye sab kya cheez hai!!

I can see where you are coming from, my dear, and I sympathise wholeheartedly. The problem is that much as I would love to agree with you all the time, as I do with my favourite nieces, I am much older than you are, and I can no longer be satisfied with this kind of tired banter, always so stale and repetitive, just because I like the leads. I would not tolerate Rhett and Scarlett if they mouthed such lines. .

Just see that triangular scene last night- every line in it was standard issue, as were Jodha's expressions at each point. What was there that was even marginally fresh, and what was all of that supposed to mean, anyway?Jalal reduced the near fatal narnaal fiasco to a joke, and the day before, he appeared to forget that their marriage was solemnised according to Hindu rites becasue HE had agreed to let Jodha remain a Hindu after the marriage.

I do not think Jalal knows where he is headed any longer- there was real anger in his eyes at the end of the darbar scene, but then where was the need to praise Jodha's role as his wife so lavishly? Both of them know that his praise is a farce, and why this need on his part to make it appear to the Ameris - whether it is Shivani during the tel maalish (I am daily expecting Dabur Amla Hair Oil to start sponsoring Jodha Akbar😉) or Bharmal & Co. now, that his marriage with Jodha is flourishing?

I simply no longer get Jalal at all; he is drifting, pushed here and there and ending up moving in circles, like flotsam in an eddy.

And The Shove now seems to be public knowledge, as much as if they had put up a poster about it in the harem😉. How did Ruqaiya come to know about that, unless he told her every single detail the next morning (the conversation was in silent mode, you would remember) ? Anyway, what she says in the precap is absolutely justified, and I am waiting to see how Jalal responds to her.

As I wrote in this post, the Shivani-Mirza marriage makes NO political sense at all for the Mughal empire. The only explanation possible is that Jalal is now in a masochistic state of mind, and cannot escape his unacknowledged enslavement to his wife of his.

On the one side, he is constantly scraping the skin off that psychological wound made by The Shove, instead of letting it dry out by total neglect of the woman who did that to him. On the other, he is letting her lead him by the nose like a compliant sheep. Lashy, which husband would let his wife - that too this sort of nominal wife - settle his brother's marriage to her sister without his prior permission? Even today? Try that on your husband, if you are married, and see what happens. It is beyond belief.

What is it with his yo yo attitude to Benazir? At one moment he is smiling like a cat looking at a bowlful of cream as she undulates within inches of him, and the next morning he dismisses her as of old. It is as if different writers were doing alternate episodes without having seen the previous one.

I cannot tolerate this aimless, uncertain, confused, helplessly compliant Jalal at all. I never cared for Jodha anyway, and I can stick her even less now. Rajat is superlative when they let him be - the way he rolls his head when Jodha is praising Mirza in his chambers was so fresh and so funny - but even he will not be able to keep this show afloat if this stasis and the deterioration in his character continues apace. There will come a point when even you will realise that.

Right now, I cannot imagine this relationship between them ever being transmuted into one of desperate caring for each other, of the one being incomplete without the other. Just look at Jodha moaning to Kanha about her being upset only when Benazir is with Jalal. The only conclusion one can draw from that is that it is a class thing. Jodha cannot bear the idea of being supplanted by a "mere daasi". Ruqaiya or the other begums and Jalal - no sweat - they are highborn, so it is ok. What kind of beinteha ishq does this foreshadow? None.

One fine day, that "epic love" will descend on us, out of the blue, with neither logic nor continuity. We will be TOLD that it is so, Jodha will drape herself all over Jalal, Rajat will pull out all the stops, and we can imagine a placard in the backround, like the ones in the silent films "Ab shuru huyi hai in donon ki amar prem kahani!" Bingo!!

Did you note one point? Practically none of those responding on this thread have touched on my key point/question: Why complain about the script when you drop your expectations at the first Jalal-Jodha scene, no matter how stale?

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: lashy

Yup...Yup I'm one of the guilty 'gushing' parties here...and guilty of describing Tej as a handsome dude too...😆 I can totally sense the disappointment in your post...

Its ok aunty... I never expected too much logic from this serial to begin with...on the contrary, Ruqaiyya's grey shades - her pregnancy - a few harsh Harem truths etc - basically, tracks that showed they were bringing aspects from History took me by surprise. [I didn't expect the creatives would try to take leaves from the Akbarnama - I thought they'd rather just stick to Ashutosh's fairy-tale version! ]

However, all of that 'pleasant surprise' was neutralized within no time...

So, I went back to the not-expecting-logic phase - especially after the boat ride episode, the body heat fiasco(I think members would remember the extent to which I protested then) the fake pregnancy track (I was absolutely furious by this point) and the last straw was Tasneem track...

Now I'm done...well mostly...I might protest again if they decided to let Jalal don a jeans and a pair of cooling glasses maybe...but, beyond that I'm tired now...😆Come to think of it, Jodha's already donned a nightgown with that long 60s style eye make-up and pouf on top, right? *sigh* Nevertheless...back to what I was talking about -

Oh yes, I'm just here for the other bits that brought me here...Rajat, Paridhi and their romance!

This serial has moved past the 6 month mark and its peak has passed...we might get an exceptional track here and there, but I can imagine it'd be quite a herculean effort and requiring the likes of someone like Vishal Bharadwaj to undo the pits that have been caused - thanks to the aforementioned 4-5 tracks one after another!

It's just that I'd been so tired of bashing the leads and criticizing every angle that for sometime I needed a break ...I wanted to look beyond it all and revel in the couple of pleasant scenes we'd been blessed with off late...

I can shamelessly admit I'm here henceforth primarily for the leads' chemistry and romance...I don't expect much 16th century Mughal ethics and protocols any more...😆

Oh yes, I think I've lied a little - I have been doing some bashing - of the character that Meghna Naidu is trying to portray😆

shyamala, to this day i have not understood how ekta is going to show jodha changing jalal! seriously all she has been doing is being arrogant and standing in front of shahenshah as if she is going to attack him any time..no respect for a husband whatsoever! what all i have heard of rajwanshi wives ekta's jodha does not possess all those qualities..! to change someone for better one has to set forth their own example! and what impression she has given to shahenshah is that she is arrogant and full of anger...! well, that is what we call as the real melodrama ott that brings trps!

as far as the forum is concerned of not acting much to jodha's behavour and instead bashing jalal left right and center i just fail to understand..for me i do not like bashing the characters left and right because at the end in these daily soaps especially the ones that are stretched like a chewing gum make no sense at all! they all lack logic big time..does not matter how hard we try to be critical or analytical at the end we just make a fool of ourselves by creating so much fret and fury over something that is beyond one's understanding and not close to reality!

but hats off to you all beautiful writers who take time to write analysis which is at times more fun to read than to watch the actual episode!

shyamala, this is going to be bit off topic but sort of indirectly connected..did u used to watch pakistani shows of its golden era..i would say around late 80s or even early 90s..now that is what i call quality work..the writers used to write the script in advance, the actors very well knew what to expect and the show used to wrap up in 6 months..they never stretched beyond 6months..and my my those shows were a class apart..no nonsense..close to reality,,full of logic and yet very interesting to watch...i will give u few examples, do watch them if u haven't..dhoop kinare, unkahi, waaris, and so many more...brilliant work of art and actors were extremely talented and very natural, no ott masala...now those are the type of shows worth writing about and respecting..their script was the hero and years were spent on writing the script before starting the show...now if we look at JA..compare the quality of initial episodes and the once that were made after 90 people walked out..the quality has degraded..just because enough research and work was done for the initial episodes and the actors knew what was coming..unlike now when the script is written on the spot and the actors also look lost at times..that is the reason we see discontinuity..closures left undone..half baked scenes at times and major inconsistency in the characters!

and dear this will keep going on as long as the show is stretched..i still miss that era of pakistani shows when u could see quality, good screenplay, adequate pace, logic, and relevant story..only one show that made sense and was close to classic pakistani plays was kismat produced by the yash raj banner..and they did not stretch it..the story was well scripted and finished on time.

i guess enough of my ranting for today..i hope i made some sense because i do not have great command over the words and literature like u have..take care dear..looking forward to ur reply😊

Aunty though apparently y'day's epi had nothing regarding the solvent of JJ's MU but I loved y'day's epi, cause I have to admit gotta love maham's cunning play..

thank u sooo much for ur deep,practical analysis...was missing it badly...i know that the present track is gng nowhere but the only delight left out for me is coming to the forum and reading your fab anaylsis...so please keep writing as u never fail to put a big smile on my lips.thanks a ton😛

My dear Jeevitha,

What a very, very sweet comment! You left an even bigger smile on my face after I read this.

I have no plans to stop watching the show, and I will of course write whenever there is some material to justify a post. With readers like you, my dear, who would not want to do analyses even of stupid stuff?

But things are not looking up. Do see my longish response to Lashy above, it will interest you.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Jeevitha.P

thank u sooo much for ur deep,practical analysis...was missing it badly...i know that the present track is gng nowhere but the only delight left out for me is coming to the forum and reading your fab anaylsis...so please keep writing as u never fail to put a big smile on my lips.thanks a ton😛

Pallavi dear, such perceptive words from one so young! I am really impressed, especially by the parts @blue. You have in fact read Jalal's inner state of mind during the triangular exchanges with Mirza Hakim and Jodha better than I did, and I agree with your interpretation.

Jalal's eyes are unnaturally bright and hard during that exchange, somewhat like his expression in the scene before the bout with Imtiaz when he calls her to his rooms to tell her that she has to attend that event. I am sure now that he was being not just sarcastic, but harshly sarcastic, with her yesterday. And when he looked at her in the darbar scene, there was real anger in his eyes.

But there is a lot else that I cannot fit in with all this. Besides, where is all this going? Does this Jalal even know what he is doing and where he is headed? Do take a look at my longish response to Lashy above, which covers this angle. It will interest you.

As for Mahaam, I always enjoy her scenes, even the OTT ones, and yesterday, she was in top form The editing was clever,with the first monologue meant to diddle us, especially as it was followed by the darbar scens (incidentally, what does Bhagwan Das mean by asking why the Shahenshah has not arrived? It is not for anyone else to question that, surely?). I was not foxed, because they never showed her interlocutor, so I knew it was not Jalal!

I hope, as I wrote in this post, that there is a first class blow up, and Jodha ends up with egg all over her face. It would serve her right for her uppityness about the marriage fixing. But Jalal would lose face very badly with the Agra populace, and Hakim is also going to be alienated from him, I expect.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: pallavi003

Aunty though apparently y'day's epi had nothing regarding the solvent of JJ's MU but I loved y'day's epi, cause I have to admit gotta love maham's cunning play..

she played a very astute game last night..she indeed proved she has some grey cell which I was doubting of late,.Maham said nothing except what shivani's mother or her elder sister Jodha would have said to her if they could get to know about tejwant. And though we know maham will help shivani to elope with tejwant, but I think she will do it remained behind the curtain, and no finger will raise towards her. The thing is really getting worse, whole agra is informed and shivani elopes, this thing is surely gonna blow up big time on Jalal's face creating a worse rift between JJ..

next the reality check of Jodha, every relationship needs contribution from both side, when Jalal is fulfilling all her wishes and his husband-ly duties, he also expects Jodha to fulfill her wife-ly duties, and behave gently with her husband, not rudely retorts back always on his normal questions which she did just in the morning while talking to jalal..🥱

and third the last scene, where Jalal pointed out the flaws in jodha but not blatantly , in fact subtly.and though hakim was smiling throughout the monologue of Jalal(poor chap,sans smiling what else he could do then) but actually those were not fun filled words that jalal usually says to rile up Jodha, in fact Jalal's way of saying those lines were laced with sarcasm and jodha pretty much understood this, and obviously she didn't like that her husband was revealing her idiotic acts in front of her brother-in law, who virtually has placed his bhabijaan on the top of the pedestal by now..And following it a few political talks, after a long long time,Jalal looked worried, thoughtful, angry on failure to suppress the rebel..

Precap- ruqaiyaa has asked a very sensible question, when those days marriages used to happen as political alliances, then why Jalal without any political advantage has agreed to the marriage..I want to see what Jalal answers..😊

Akanksha dear,

Thank you so much!

I do understand how and why you youngsters enjoy the Jodha-Jalal scenes, but to someone like me, much older than you are, they seem stale and repetitive. It was the same with the triangular exchange last night.

In fact, I am beginning to have serious doubts as to whether the CVs know at all where they are taking Jalal. Do take a look at my longish response to Lashy above; it will interest you.

Mahaam was in top form last night, and Jodha is heading for a huge fall, which she richly deserves for her uppityness in the marriage fixing.. But Jalal and the whole Mughal royal family will be the laughing stock with the Agra populace when Shivani takes off, and Mirza will also be furious with his paragon of a bhabhijaan, and perhaps also with his brother.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Akanksha_33

Shyamala aunty!

Brilliant post...

I too loved the nok-jhok scenes between the two... atleast we had Jodha and Jalal in one frame for a long time! 😆

what i don't like... is Jodha's rush and too much confidence on Shivani... Jodha herself is inviting big troubles for herself...

also Maham constantly eavesdropping on people... i mean now she's again going to get back to Jodha using Shivani and Tejawar! and maybe because of this Jalal will not forgive and send her to Amer again! or maybe Jalal may find out about Shivani-Tejawar and get them married and Jodha will completely be against her marriage with a Karigaar... and this may make Hakim go against Jalal...

I'm confused with the consequences of the love triangle on Jodha and Jalal! 😕

Thank you, my dear Nandini!

I can see your problem, and it is very tiresome at times, but Rajat always provides some nugget of enjoyment in one scene or the other. Perhaps you can look up only this last episode! I plan to stick with it for the present, but I do not think I will ever go back to daily analyses.

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: nandinidavid96

Brilliant Post Shyamala Madam...!!

Fortunately I' gave up watching Jodha's Akbar...so couldn't understand underlying sarcasm at places, but as always I loved reading the post😊

Shyamala, it's only your paigham PM that brings me here to savour your post. ...and I'm laughing... The Handhold now? to add to The Shove? What better way to catch up with what's happening (or not happening) in Jalal's confused Sultanate HQ.