Originally posted by: sashashyam
My dear Khushi,
Before we get to Ruqaiya, you might like to see how I saw Rajat's Jalal in the earlier scene on Friday with Jodha, before his Begum-e-Khaas appeared on the scene. It was in response to Adiana's post on my Changeling Consort thread, whence the opening line.
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Spot on, Adiana, except that to my mind, it is not passion, but exquisite, delicate, gentle tenderness. The two are quite different, you will agree. There is no pain, only a kind of yearning coupled with a new found possessiveness.
Again, when Jalal is looking at Jodha with that aarti thali, it is not that he is not there; he is merely lost for a moment when he spots her, and that shows in the startled look in his eyes, followed by a dawning gladness at this unexpected vision.
Immediately thereafter, when he looks at her, it is with that hesitant possessiveness for the real Jodha, and it is a carryover from the way he caresses her cheek the night before.
But what I loved best of all was the MS powerpoint show before he offered her the prasad. He was eating it when the idea dawned on him, and one could see the sudden brightening in his eyes. Next, he weighs the chances of such a gesture being welcome to Jodha Begum: one can see the instant of grave contemplation as well. Then he decides that yes, it will pass without any negative reaction. So his head comes up with some confidence and he picks up a morsel and starts navigating past that horrendous cartwheel!
Faced with this effortless subtlety, Jodha confines herself to shy or bright eyed coyness, whether it is with the aarti thali or when tying a mannat ka dhaga.
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So, my dear Khushi, it is not going to be enough just for the CVs to press the romance accelerator. Already, with the precap, a definite repetitiveness is beginning to set in.
Now for Ruqaiya. As I wrote to Tripti above, what I hold against her is how stupid she is. I am prepared to admire slick villainy, but not such asinine comments and moves which expose her so badly, and that too in front of Jodha. It is then left to Jalal to cover up for her. How can one believe that this woman ever had enough political savvy to advise Jalal? She now seems to have been dropped on her head.
And if she does such a dumb and insensitive thing as to pretend to be expecting, it will be the limit .
Incidentally, my dear , I hate to disabuse you of your sunny confidence in the Begum-e-Khaas, but the first fainting fit, knocking down the largest vase she could find so as to make a clatter loud enough to be heard by Jalal inside his rooms, was a pure fake.
The Hakim Sahiba finds her pulse normal, you would remember, and then you would only have to recall the sly look on her face when Hoshiyaar was making concerned enquiries about her health if you had any doubts on that score!
I would not hold that against her; it was quick thinking and a clever move to divert Jalal's attention towards herself. But from that to pretending that she is going to have a baby when she is not will be the pits, for that would be hitting him on his most vulnerable spot.
Now this leaves the bulk of your thesis intact, bar only the opening part!
As for The Case of the Two Portraits, I do not share the criticism of Jalal for having feigned a headache (the chap is usurping all our feminine prerogatives, from crying on a man;s shoulder to faking a headache!😉) and sending Ruqaiya off.
In his place, I would not at all have liked the way she talked about Jodha being fit only to be on the side of his feet.
NB: It is another matter altogether that the bulk of the Indian audience, familiar with its Mahabharata, would have immediately spotted the parallel to Arjuna and Duryodhana when they went to seek Lord Krishna's support in the Kurukshetra war! And would have started laughing at Ruqaiya.
But of course Jalal would not know of this story, despite any sporadic coaching from Rahim! Given this, I felt that despite the blatant folly of Ruqaiya in making that comment - I cringed when I heard her say that - Jalal was still admirably patient and unruffled, and put her in her place very gently with that remark about each person having her/his own ehmiyat, jagah aur makaam. his face was a study before, during, and after he administered that mild reproof, which I am sure the purblind Ruqaiya took to be an endorsement of her very ill-mannered remark.
After that, I too would have feigned a headache to get her to go away, and not make more uncalled for snide remarks about Jodha. For Ruqaiya to be jealous is one thing, and it is entirely understandable, but for her to expose herself like this, and that too in front of Jodha, must have been very embarassing for Jalal. As Ash has noted elsewhere, Jalal hates it when Ruqaiya lowers herself before him.
Shyamala Aunty
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