Friends, yesterday's episode of Jodha Akbar had two events I expected , and two big surprises I never expected. The two things that I had expected were these. One, was that precap scene of Jalal drying Jodha's hair and their sweet convo. And two, was Jodha tentatively broaching the subject with Jalal of freeing Sharifuddin from jail for Bakshi's sake. (I was expecting it to come sooner rather than later and it did!) The two big unexpected events for me were these. One, was the new Sujamal angle - of planning war on Mewat and the Mughals stationed there, and then making a trip out to Agra to check the health of his sister Jodha after her snake poison ingesting. And two, was the games Jalal played - he first played chess with Jodha, and then a game of jealousy-inducement with Ruq. Before I try to decipher the game that Jalal is playing, let me just take a moment to congratulate the screenplay yesterday ...
The way the story unfolded was very interesting. Someone had done a great directorial job of weaving all the scenes together so well that the whole episode had a kind of fluidity to it.
One scene melted into another and every earlier scene has something of value to carry into the next one. It was continuous and not choppy, and by the end of the episode a lot of ground seemed to have been covered via just a few critical sequences.
The episode opened with Bakshi thanking all the ladies for her "happy state of pardon" by Jalal, and with everyone in turn wishing her well. The air was full of gladness and bonhomie. In that atmosphere we next went to the scene of Jodha having her hair dried by Moti and talking to her on the pleasant subject of the Shahenshah. She was full of praise for him and sometimes also full of delightful confusion about who he really was since he changed his tactics so often ... till Jalal himself then quietly took Moti's place and became the silent recipient of Jodha's confidences on the dreams she had after the snake bite. Jalal heard quite a bit about how Jodha loved his hand-holding in the dream which then melted into reality. Then suddenly, as it were, Jodha looked to her right to find not Moti there, but Jalal! He then started ribbing her about her confidences, even as she demurred that he shouldn't have been eavesdropping. It was all good-natured banter though and a included a bit of hand-burns first-aid by Jodha, and so things were placed beautifully between them as they later met again in the episode.
Just then we had a quick intercut scene to Sujamal somewhere far away in a different terrain, plotting with his men to fight a war that very next day, attacking Mewat and taking on the Mughals stationed there who were at least twice as large as his own army. But just then he got word that his cousin Jodha had saved Jalal's life by drinking snake poison intended to kill him, and Jodha was recovered but shaken. Sujamal planned to go directly to Agra, despite dangers to himself after such a war with the Mughals, to check on Jodha's welfare.
Now as if on cue for Sujamal's impending arrival, noises started being made about Sharif's release from jail. Jodha met Bakshi, when Bakshi said wistfully that things would have been happier if only Sharif were there by her side through this pregnancy ... which led Jodha to want to help her achieve that.
Fortuitously, in the very next scene, we saw Jodha walking into a room full of human chess mohras and a giant chess board, where she chanced upon Jalal still in a pleasant and flirty mood ready to play for a wager. Jodha got her opportunity to ask for Sharif's release. Jalal was actually waiting for Ruq to appear to play this game with him, but as History and Destiny would have it, Ruq was late. In the mean time Jalal saw no reason why he shouldn't play with Jodha instead as she was already there and pretty intrigued by the game, and the rules were set - that the victor could claim a prize from the vanquished. Jalal fully expected to lose to Jodha (as she had beaten Ruq, who always beat Jalal) but instead Jodha seemed to deliberately allow Jalal to win, just to be able to extract a trickier prize from her. Jodha said "You win, so you get to gift something very special to Bakshi ... her husband!" Jalal was not seen replying ... but since he always plays fair, I suspect he knew and was prepared to let out Sharif!
Ruq who had meanwhile arrived late to watch the chess game already well under way between Jalal and Jodha got understandably miffed, and left Hoshiyaar with instructions to summon Jalal to her room when he had finished. So after the game Jalal went to Ruq. He looked up and down at her fierce scowl, and then in a move so characteristic and yet so inexplicable, he told Ruq that though he had played this chess game with her many times, he had never enjoyed it as much as he did playing with Jodha that day! Next thing we know we have the precap where Ruq is so angry that she tells Jodha "You're taking everything of mine step by step, now please go ahead and rule the harem also. I hereby give it all to you!"
So you see there, folks, how the scenes just led beautifully from one to another. It seemed like a flowing orchestration of events looping into each other!
But in the midst of all this one question is confounding me. What is this game that Jalal is playing with Ruq? And especially after he has learnt of his own love for Jodha?
He seems to want both his wives to find their own places in his life. He privately "loves" Jodha and wants her to reciprocate. He has a different kind of "fondness" for Ruq that he wants her to limit herself to. But what perplexes me is that sometimes it looks like he wants to see the two women "fight jealously" over him. When his two wives seem to be on placid terms with each other, he has often asked Ruq why there is no jealousy of Jodha.
On the recent trip he seemed quietly to accept Ruq's rude sleeping arrangements despite having four days of alone and lovely time with Jodha. And yesterday he actually provokes jealousy in Ruq by saying "I loved playing chess with Jodha more than I have ever loved playing with you." Now Ruq is in a fit and wanting to handover the reign of the harem to Jodha ...
So what is this game Jalal is actually playing. I was not at peace without finding out the answer to this puzzle, so I tried hard to analyse it. Two things have made me now build a theory that I want all of you to give me feedback on (to see if I have got it right) ...
1. Jyoti has always been telling me that Jalal will not fight openly with Ruq and rub his new love of Jodha in her face. She is too old a friend, and they have a friendship bond that goes back a long way and so he will never openly tell Ruq that he now has given his heart to Jodha and Jodha is his No. 1 one now. Instead he may give Ruq the space and time and opportunities - and a bit of egging now and then - to realise on her own that he has fallen in love with Jodha. He will thus leave Ruq to reconcile to the realities at her own pace and he may put up with some jealous behaviour from Ruq meanwhile. He will also hope that Jodha, if she too is genuinely in love with him, will accept Ruq's bad behaviour while it lasts with a patient maturity and without a catfight. Since he is surer of Jodha behaving well, without overt jealousy and tantrums and aggressive behaviour, he knows he has the leeway to let Ruq let off steam and then reconcile - without Jodha taking umbrage. So maybe he is doing just that. Trusting Jodha not to violently react and trusting Jodha to be accommodative, he is pushing Ruq to vent her jealousies ... and then to hit calmer waters eventually as she reconciles to his love for Jodha. To help Ruq get it all out of her system fast, maybe he is deliberately needling her jealous pangs as he did yesterday. Either way, it seems to me, that he is actually being kind to Ruq by taking this tack.
2. I have a book at home where it teaches parents how to handle the jealousies of an older sibling when a younger second child is born. The gist of what it says is very interesting and seems apt for this Ruq case. The book says "If an older child has lived with parents as a lone child for a long time, the jealousy upon the arrival of the second child can be hard to swallow. The parents should of course at first try to reassure the insecure first child that she too is still loved. But if jealousies become unbearable, it may even help to take the directly opposite tack. If need be, parents can try to deliberately encourage the first child to openly vent jealousies, instead of trying to suppress them. After the negative feelings and tantrums are encouraged to come out, they get healed faster - and the first child may be able to reconcile more easily to the reality of the second one. The two children may even become friends if after allowing lots of space for venting, the parents tell the first child that they need help from the older one to protect and nurture the second child. The older child then sees itself as on the "parents team" and begins to feel needed and wanted in a different way."
I am beginning to think that Jyoti was right in her assessment, and this is what Jalal is trying to achieve with Ruq. He seems to be treating Ruq exactly as a parent would treat a jealous first child and even encouraging or inducing Ruq to vent her jealousies - so that she reconciles faster to Jodha's newer presence and importance in his life. And later he may actually even make Ruq feel like an older sister and on "his team" helping him ensure Jodha is properly protected and nurtured in the Agra environment.
This is the only explanation I could find that fits what is happening with Jalal and Ruq. What do you all think?
For my detailed analysis, I have picked two scenes I liked best ... the Jodha-Jalal hair drying scene ... and the whole chess game sequence.
How Jodha bared her secret longings to Jalal to his surprise and delight!
Jodha is in her room getting her hair dried with incense by Moti. The curious Moti seeing Jodha in deep thought asks what she is thinking about and Jodha says she is thinking of the Shahenshah. Jodha says "Sometimes its so tough to understand the Shahenshah". Moti asks what is so tough to know about him? Jodha says "I can never tell what he is thinking. For instance, take the case of Bakshi Bano ... he loves his sister so much and yet for a small "bhool" of hers he gives such a stern "dand". He is never partial when it come to "nyaya"."
Just as she is talking, Jalal enters her room, dutifully leaving his footwear outside. He is just in time to hear Jodha saying "How can a person have such control over his own heart? Where "nyaya" is concerned he never lets any relations or anyone come in between." Jalal sees that Moti has spotted him and signals her to keep quiet about it. The clever Moti then plays along inducing Jodha to talk even more.
Moti says "That is the hallmark of a great Shahenshah." The totally unaware Jodha now continues to Jalal's delight "This time I am so happy he listened to me and forgave Bakshi Bano. Bakshi needs her family now in this condition. But one other thing is also clear now. However hard-hearted the Shahenshah looks, inside his heart there is some deep softness. Now and then he becomes hard but then again he grows soft. I am never able to tell what is his real nature."
By now Jalal is mesmerised, moved and delighted with what he's hearing.
Jodha then continues "You know Moti, even in my dreams he is so strict. When I became unconscious after that Benazir vish-drinking incident, I felt as if I was going away to some other world. I felt as if my life was ending. And there was the Shahenshah suddenly. He held my hand and stopped me from going away." Moti wanted to keep her talking so she said "Oh really, Jodha?" Then Jodha continued "I pleaded with the Shahenshah to please let me go away, but he never listened! Oh God, how can someone be so firm even in one's dream?"
Jalal, by now was close to where Jodha and Moti were sitting. He took the incense from Moti and let Moti slip out as he took her place pulling his fingers through Jodha's hair to dry it just as Moti had done. But Jodha was still blissfully unaware of the switch that had taken place. Jodha said "I am still not able to believe that even in my dream he started giving me orders that I should not go anywhere! And then he caught my hand. Then when I awoke, I found him still holding my hand". Jodha's voice goes all whispery by now and Jalal is motionless, turning to look at her face, as his own face reveals he cannot believe he is hearing something so private and precious. Suddenly his hand seems to pull at a strand of hair making Jodha turn sharply, She exclaims "What are you doing Moti?", when she sees Jalal there where Moti should have been!
Jalal looks up and down and side to side - anywhere but at her - as she is stunned into a guilty silence. "You are here? Why didn't Moti tell me?" Jodha asks with a stutter. Jalal says "I prevented her from telling you." Jodha says "You were listening quietly to what I was saying?" to which Jalal replies "And you were holding my hand in your dream?". He looks at her sideways, seeing her blushing and looking trapped.
"This is wrong Shahenshah.", she says "It is "chori" to overhear oother people's conversations." Jalal is quick to reply "Its no "chori" Jodha, you were talking as I entered. And in any case you have no right to object as this is my room given to my Begum. " "Still you shouldn't have listened " Jodha insists. Jalal cleverly replies "And I wouldn't have listened either if the talk was not about me. If your dream was about me, surely I have the right to know about it?" Jodha insists again "No. This was my private dream.". Jalal says "Strange then, Jodha Begum, that you are ready to share your private dream with your friend but not yur husband?" He looks so straight into her face that she tries to hide her confusion "There are some private things that I still don't want to share with you". Jalal says with a bit of mischief in his eyes "OK, then I wait for that time when you will share with me. For now I'll take my leave".
He is just about to move when his hand knocks the hot incense jar and he gets a bit burnt. Instantly Jodha grabs his hand in hers with a great deal of concern. She blows cool air on his hand and says in a flustered voice "Why are you always in such a hurry Shahenshah?". She then pours cool water on his hand and blows more cool air on it, still holding onto his hand tightly. He raises his eyes to her face, his expression loaded with amusement and happiness. "And by the way, Jodha Begum," he says "if you have a dream tonight please try to remember it - as we never know when you may feel like sharing it with me. Good night". And with that he reluctantly pulls his hand away, and leaves the room with a knowing smile, wearing his shoes as he goes out. Jodha is left looking very self-conscious, indignant, guilty and caught out - all at once!
Oh gosh, I have been waiting to see this whole scene ever since we got that double dose of the precap! Diksha, where are you? No more of the same precaps ... we finally got the scene itself! And what can I say, it floored me to think he has heard all that she is holding very close to her heart. Does she really need to tell him that she loves him, or has he heard enough to guess that she's very much on the right track?
How a chess game brought Bakshi, Sharif, Jodha, Jalal and Ruq into play!
Jodha is hugging Bakshi in delight, exulting in her happiness at her brother giving his pardon, when Bakshi lets slip that it would all have been even better if her husband Sharif was with her at this time. She looks sadly reconciled to his not being there with her. But Jodha says to her "Don't worry, as night turns to day, everything will always turn out okay!". That seems like her promise to Bakshi, even as all the ladies decide to celebrate the "goad bharai" rasam that same evening.
Jodha then walks away through the corridors of the Palace towards her own rooms, when she suddenly looks down into a room below where it looks like a giant chessboard has been painted on the flooor and real men are officiating as chess mohras on the squares of this board. Immensely curious she descends to get closer to the board even as Jalal comes through the same corridor to see her inspecting this game board. "It looks like a chessboard" she says to herself and Jalal replies "Yes you're right". He is also now in the same room with her. "Real people are the pieces of this chessboard. How do you like it?" he asks. "It is strange to see real people here as mohras" she says, "but who will play here?" He replies "We can. I usually play with Ruq here and I was waiting for her but she's not here ... well, we both can play, shall we?" "Oh yes", she says almost too readily, "but these chess pieces are so big how do I move them?".
Jalal explains that the rules of the game are the same but the pieces are directed to move by "hukums".
(Meanwhile in her room, Ruq is running very late and still trying on another pair of shoes to go for the game with Jalal).
Jalal and Jodha have however started the game and Jalal demonstrates how he "orders" the pieces to move and Jodha follows suit. In the first moves, Jalal is engaging Jodha in so much talk that she gets distracted and his knight cuts her pawn with ease. Jodha admonishes him for distracting her mind with chatter. Jodha then reciprocates by distracting him while she cuts his mohra. But then they both start enjoying the game in earnest and they both make their swift moves and countermoves. Jalal says there should be a prize at the end of it, and whoever wins can put a sharth on the other to be complied with. He says he may well lose, because he always loses to Ruq, who has once lost to Jodha - and so Jodha must be the superior player. But lo and behold, in the end Jalal wins.
Ruq, meanwhile, has arrived with Hoshiyaar but its all too late. Jodha and Jalal are already well into their game and Ruq in a very miffed tone tells Hoshiyaar "Wherevere I go, this Jodha Begum is one step ahead of me and butting into my life with Jalal. Stay back here and when he finishes tell him I want to see him in my rooms" and she walks off.
Jalal at this point says to Jodha "I have won, but there's no thrill in it for me, since I know you have deliberately made me win." Jodha says "No, I was just learning, but anyway you have won". He then says "In that case I get to ask you for some prize." "But what can I give you who have everything?" she asks. "Think what you can give a Shahenshah!" he replies. "Okay I'll give you a gift by which you'll become even more popular and loved" she says.
He dismisses all the mohras from the room.
"My gift" she says "is the opportunity for you to give a gift that is very precious to Bakshi Bano during her "goad bharai" rasam today." "You are a very strange one. You give me a gift that I give Bakshi a gift?! OK so what is that gift?" he asks. "Its something she will thank you about for life. Give her Sharif, her husband!" Jodha says. Jalal just looks hard at her and walks off. I suppose he is a fair man and will honour her request and needs not say an express "Yes!"
En route he hears from Hoshiyaar that Ruq has given him summons . In her room a fuming Ruq acts all affronted as he enters. He just looks up and down at her angry countenance. Then he says with a bit of clever incitement and enjoyment "I must tell you I never enjoyed playing chess with you as much as I enjoyed playing with Jodha today!".
Obviouslyafter hearing that Ruq must be ready to dissolveinto the floor with extreme jealousy! She is seen in the precap telling Jodha "You've taken everything from me step by step. Now I am giving you the whole harem also to run!"
Folks, Jalal is so ambivalent that he confuses us and his wives. He is sometimes friendly with Ruq but also extremely ruthless when it counts. We have seen the same kind of behaviour with Jodha also. He can be extremely charming and flirty and pacificatory one moment - and extremely insulting or rude the next moment.
I have learnt to live with that, and I no longer look at it as a character "flaw". That's just him and that's how he plays the game. The question in my mind yesterday after the episode was "Okay he's playing a clever game in his own "now-on, now-off" style. But exactly what is his game?"
And that how I've arrived at my own theory about this. I am desperately wanting to hear everybody's views on my theory which I've given in my opening remarks - of how he's getting the first wife to accept the second wife just like a parent helps the first child adjust to the arrival of the second child (with a carrot and stick policy)!
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