Posted:
Originally posted by: Cleo12345
Very good post Mandy. Thought provoking. It is always refreshing to see things from a different perspective. I'll share my views here...I am commenting on reel not real Rukkiya.1. Is her jealousy justified? Yes... Can her recent actions be justified? ...I don't think so. A lot of us give her credit for accepting the presence of other women in Jalal's life. Is she being magnanimous ? Or should we feel sorry for her because the love of her life has other women in his life? To help us answer these questions, it important to first understand polygamous relationships and how real women cope with it. I'll use the example of some polygamous sects in the US...yes, I am talking about the United states of America. Just because, I have had an opportunity to study and interact with a few. Sects like the members of the fundamentalist church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( FLDS) practice 'pleural marriage' . After reading about them and watching news/documentaries, I was curious to know how can these 21st century women be comfortable living this kind of lifestyle when they clearly have options and support of their govt and people. I personally know a couple of these women who were part of such relationships but later moved out ( for different reasons). According to them most( not all) women are very comfortable with this lifestyle and don't want any help to get out of the situation. In fact a polygamous family filed a lawsuit questioning the anti polygamy law in the US last year and a judge in state of Utah ( has the max number of poly families) struck down an important part of the law as unconstitutional!!! These families are now rejoicing( including women!!!!!)What can explain their acceptance of this type family structure? My theory after talking to them...since this is what they see while growing up they view it as ' normal'. They explain, ' Do you have a problem with your parents choosing to have other kids besides you? Are you jealous that they are also very important to your parents? Honestly, I couldn't see the similarity...but they did.Same is true for 16 th century women. They accepted polygamy as 'normal'. Rukkiya accepting Jalal's other wives is not an act of magnanimity...neither should it be used as an excuse to explain her recent mean and vengeful behavior. If she absolutely didn't want to share her husband physically or emotionally, she had a choice...divorce him...some may argue...divorce in 16th century wasn't acceptable...well, neither was expecting husbands to be monogamous...tough luck Rukkiya.2. She has already been given a second chance. BB and Rukkiya committed a somewhat similar crime... They conspired to degrade Jodha in front of everyone for their selfish reasons. One used a medicine to mimic pregnancy to dishonor her, other used religion and Mughal law to do the same. Infact, in Rukkiya's case, she was the mastermind as well. Had Jalal not trusted Jodha in both the cases, she would have been punished severely per Mughal Laws. When exposed, while BB was punished, Rukkiya got away with a harsh warning by Jalal in the privacy of their Hojra. Jalal had evidence against Rukkiya...and finally she did confess. Yet, he didnt punish her...infact he protected her and did not reveal the facts and evidence to anyone else. So she did get a second chance.However, he was upset that she lied to him and warned her not to plot or scheme again...did she really listen to him? ...in retrospect , it is clearly a very cunning and unfair move on her part to ask Jalal to vote first. He voted for her(his reasons- another post) knowing that he is giving her back her position and Audha which will make her more ferocious towards everyone who voted against her. He also knew that she did not deserve it after the idol incident. She had an agenda and chose to let Jodha win the election.Therefore, this was her third chance. He finally saw through it and was clearly upset but civil with her. She continues to lie to him and wants credit for her devious act as ' barrapan'So the question is should she get a forth chance?
Right! You can't look at 16 the century the way you look at 21st century. My view: Ruqayya was the one who treats others as dirt.
@ Mandy,
Even if she has positives, her vices cloud all of them. She continues to hate and plot. She continues to keep ranting of her audha, her dosti with Jalal, her importance..blah..blah. Till yesterday, did Jalal even say a thing to her? No. Her wishes always granted, her demands always met, all her tantrums were ignored, her meanness towards others was sidelined. There has to be a breaking point and for Jalal that happened when Ruq tried to defame Jo using chela tactics and that too involving sensitive religious issues. None of her qualities dignify her as a queen. No matter what the insecurity and inner turmoil, the wives of the ruler of India ought to have some dignity. It was more of her forcing her audha into everyone's face rather than bringing it out through her actions. Why should Jalal even love someone as mean as Ruqayya? I think we love being around people who spread positivity and energy all around, not around those who always rant, throw tantrums. These kind of people just drain the energy out of you. Was Ruqu even purely happy for a single day at all?No. She'd somehow demean others, plot or exemplify herself. When Jo newly arrived in Agra, her position was much worse than Ruq. She had to conquer people's hearts biased towards religion, she had a husband who openly hated her, she didn't have her close family, she experienced a cultural shock. Yet she tried to be happy, she smiled infront of HB, Salima to almost everybody else she met. If Ruqu had tries that for even just a day in her life, she would have been much better today. That is why Jo has become respectable today and that is why Ruq has fallen in my eyes.
I only pity Ruq that hers is a world full of suffocation... Suffocation because she chooses to be mean, ungrateful and arrogant every second she breathes. I don't think Jalal is wrong. Jalal has always listened to her. Polygamy was a norm in those days and you can't feel what they felt, nor can you step into their shoes. I can't imagine myself in her place as I can't remain mean for long and I look for positivity so Ruqs attitude is definitely not what I am comfortable with.
I would however love to see her redeemed. I would love to see her feel the brightness of sunshine instead of sulking in the dark. I would love her to spread warmth with pure intentions. This is not something Jalal can bring about. Sitting and talking about his feelings would only rile her up. Only she can bring about change in herself with the help of her god. She needs support and encouragement from her near and dear ones but that can only happen if she's showing an inclination to reform, will power to change her life. This is something she lacks and I don't blame Jalal or HB or someone else for that matter. She has ample sense to see the right path. (Afterall she managed the Harem and did Jalal ke diamaag per hukumat!!)
That's my two cents.
Indian Idol 15
