Friends, we had a strange episode yesterday that was obviously a kind of time-stretcher till the big climax scenes can come on Friday to hang us all upside down over the weekend. Since the CVs have mentally decided to have Jodha and Jalal fall into the net and get trapped in the Friday episode, they seem to have largely spent the whole of the Thursday episode showing Jodha and Jalal in various stages of getting ready to go to the mandir together.
The good part of the episode was that aside from a couple of small scenes where we had to bear seeing Ruq, we got a fair bit of Jodha and Jalal together and in amiable harmony. We also got a bit of Salima-Jodha bonding, a bit of Salima-Jalal bonding and a bit of Jalal-Atga bonding.
I thought the nicest part of the episode came when both Jodha and Jalal reached the mandir and started the havan and other pujas. The pujari all through thought that it was Jodha who was the pregnant wife of Jalal and made both of them address all prayers for that unborn child of Jodha and Jalal. The strange and very heart-warming thing was that Jalal did not even correct the wrong impression of the pujari and seemed happy to go through all the puja motions with Jodha with their own mutual baby in mind ... right down to whispering into each other's ears their wishes for their child. I am quite sure God knew which baby to bless, and dear Baby Salim, when he is born is going to be the ultra-blessed one thanks to all these prayers of his parents. As for the fake baby of Ruq, even God won't know how He can bless a non-baby!
Accha, in between all this hungama, Shehnaaz did a bit of acting as if she wanted to go to the mandir too and then acted pacified when Jodha cajoled her to postpone her visit for another day. This was the childish Shehnaaz. Later after Jodha and Jalal left for the mandir, the fiendish Shehnaaz burnt the Sultanate flag saying she will thus burn the entire kingdom and reduce even Jalal and his power to ashes. Since the precap after that showed Jodha and Jalal on the way back from the mandir being attacked by a random bunch of trained sipahis who overcame their own sipahis and pulled Jodha and Jalal into a trapping net, it is natural to assume that Shehnaaz may be behind this trapping. But I suspect Shehnaaz does not have an army of sipahis to do this kind of professional entrapment job.
So if the entrapment was not by Shehnaaz, who was it by? Abul Mali? Or Mahchuchak Begum? We'll have to wait and see, but I must say I am fast unable to keep count of the number of villains and villees we now have. Any of them could have done this. Let's just hope that by an accident of fate Jodha and Jalal cut themselves out of the Net and run into a surang entrance nearby ... and thus land up at the very same surang where Chand Begum is in the process of being threatened by Maham. That should be a happy surprise for Maham!!
For those who want to know what all happened yesterday, there were three strands of the story progressed ...
Ruq tells all to Maham in a fit of absolute idiocy!
The episode in fact began by showing Ruq sitting casually and confidently, eating some angoor with deliberate arrogance, when Maham walked into her room, all full of praise that Ruq had pulled off a masterstroke in the Hakima pregnancy test. "How did you manage this, bravo!" said an apparently impressed Maham wearing a face of curiosity for Ruq's benefit. Ruq at first teased Maham saying "Try to guess what I did?" and guffawed with artificially pumped up laughter. Maham made some wild guesses but drew blanks with all of them. "Please don't tease me further" pleaded Maham and so "Ruq The Brainless" started telling her all that she wanted to know.
Ruq said she had already, well before-hand, prepared a pregnant bandhi to wear the same clothes and the same uptan on her face to resemble Ruq. When the time came for the Hakim to check her, she was actually checking the pregnant bandhi and confirming the diagnosis, while the real Ruq was hiding behind the voluminous curtains in the room. Then after the diagnosis, out came the real Ruq and the whole gaggle of Jalal, Hamida, Salima and Jodha were taken for a major ride! After explaining all this Ruq went back to eating angoors very proud of her handiwork, while Maham wore a look of frozen awe. Maham then asked Ruq, "But how are you going to manage this lie when later the baby bump has to show or you actually have to deliver the baby?" That exposed Ruq's shallow planning for she said "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now I am effectively separating Jodha and Jalal and that's all that matters!"
As Maham left the room, her fake look of awe quickly changed to a denigrating sneer! Ruq had thrown all her ammunition into Maham's hand, the silly little idiot! And she hadn't even got a plan for what comes next, she was just swinging it according to how she felt at each moment! Maham shook her head in disbelief. The girl and her third-class plan were doomed for disaster ... and soon!
Jalal and Atga hug and bond as the time nears for Atga's demise!
In a separate scene, Atga was seen showing his hurt hand to his wife JiJiAnga, and she was very concerned that a bit of swordplay practice should have created such a big gash. Just then Jalal too walked into the room, asking how Atga's hand was! Atga, being the brave soldier and loyal wafaadaar that he was, hastened to tell Jalal that this was but a trifling hurt, and in the protection of Jalal he would even give up his life rather than let enemies get to Jalal. Jalal did not even need that statement of unstinting support. He knew that Atga was one of the finest.
But Jalal had another question on his mind entirely ... why was Adham so vicious that he was treating sword practice like a real fight and even going to the extent of hurting Atga with such unbridled hatred in his eyes? Atga agreed that Adham's motives at the practice were tinged with hatred in reality. He then explained to Jalal that when Jalal had left Agra in search of Jodha, an altercation had taken place between Atga and Adham, where Atga had called Adham to account for some of his financial misdealings. Now Adham was trying to hit back at Atga with that residual anger burning inside him.
"I don't mind, though," said Atga, " I can give my life for you". But Jalal hugged him close and said "Please don't even talk of dying. You know I have already lost one atalik in Bairam Khan. I don't ever want to lose you too"! The men hugged like father and son, although no blood relationship bound them together. Loyalty at Agra was obviously a rare and treasured commodity - that no amount of relationship by blood could match!
Jalal and Jodha's mandir trek ends up with a prayer for a different baby!
The story of how Jodha and Jalal eventually got to a mandir to perform a vrath for their own mutual baby was a story that unfolded over many scenes.
In the first of those scenes, a hesistant Jodha visited Salima with a bowl of halwa that she had made. She told Salima that she had taken a vrath for Ruq and Ruq's baby and had prepared this halwa to take to the mandir where a havan puja had to be done as the vrath was opened. Salima immediately sensed that Jodha was planning this trip alone to the mandir although opening the vrath and doing the havan would all require her husband to be by her side. A little further probing by Salima showed that Jodha had not even told Jalal about the vrath and the pujas at the mandir, for she knew he wouldn't be able to accompany her. He would insist that either she or he stayed with Ruq as they couldn't trust bandhis to care for Ruq at this time.
The ever-gracious Salima then made up her mind that Jalal would have to go with Jodha, and she would herself let Jalal know that Jodha had taken this vrath and had to have it opened and the havan done with her husband beside her. Salima offered to personally help with Ruq's care for the duration of the mandir visit, and said it would be no big deal since Rahim could be easily managed by a few bandhis for just half a day! That having been settled between her and Jodha, Salima then went purposefully to Jalal.
She first wouldn't say what she had come to him for and instead insisted that he promise to give her whatever she asked for. After some teasing Jalal agreed. Then Salima told him all about Jodha's vrath kept for the wellbeing of Ruq and Ruq's baby ... and how she would need her husband to open the vrath and be with her during the mandir havan puja. Jalal readily agreed to Salima caring for Ruq in the interim and then he set out to tackle Jodha.
In Jodha's room, Jalal decided that a teda approach was required. He therefore told Jodha "I have taken a mannat for Ruq and the baby for which I need you to accompany me to the dargah today!" That put Jodha in a right royal pickle for she then had to blurt out why she couldn't go ... she at first tried to say "One of us should be with Ruq, isn't it?" but Jalal said Salima would handle Ruq. Then running short of reasons to not go with Jalal to the dargah, Jodha had to let spill that she too had kept this vrath for Ruq and the baby and she too needed her husband with her for the vrath-opening and the havans.
Jalal smiled his satisfaction at having eked this truth out of Jodha for he knew that if he had not been teda she would never have told him anything and would have just assumed that he would insist on one of them staying with Ruq. Jalal went close to Jodha and held her muoth closed with his hand to prevent any further excuses from her. And then he told told her, looking right into her eyes, "You know what we share between us now, don't you? You say you love me. Then why do you not share your wishes with me and instead have to go and tell your wishes to Salima? You should have come straight to me!" Jodha relaxed. "We have to trek by foot" she reminded Jalal and he agreed heartily that it would be very companiable trek.
Just as Jodha and Jalal were then setting off, a rather childish and mulish Shehnaaz saw them and insisted like a kid to be taken along to the mandir. Jalal didn't seem to like this one bit but even as his usual temper seemed to be rising, he saw how adroitly Jodha handled Shehnaaz by saying the puja today would have to be done by herself and Jalal so she would take Shehnaaz another day! Shehnaaz seemed satisfied, and Jalal took another opportunity to get close to Jodha to whisper to her that her hunar in politely handling the recalcitrant Shehnaaz was praiseworthy ... but then it was no big thing for her since she had already even been able to convince him despite his own recalcitrance that he had a "dil"! Jodha preened with happiness!
Now remained the matter of breaking this news to Ruq. Jalal and Jodha went to her room to tell her about this mandir trip being necessary, when Ruq made all kinds of noises that at least Jalal should not go and he should stay with her. But Hamida and Salima marched into the room in timely fashion and shushed Ruq - and so despite her miffed feelings she had to let go of Jalal.
Jodha and Jalal were then seen doing the arduous trek to the mandir by foot without slippers or shoes, and with a small posse of sipahis to guard them on their way. Jodha told Jalal she loved it that he was undertaking this trek with her, and he promptly locked his hand over hers and they walked on in loving silence. But all the while, from behind trees and bushes some alien sipahis in substantial numbers were trailing their movements unknown to them.
When Jodha and Jalal got to the temple, they had to start with the aarti. Jalal had his hand over Jodha's shoulders almost hugging her close to himself. She had to send him many eye signals before he took his hand off to preserve temple decorum! They then together rang the temple bell and approached the priest.
The voluble priest was a fat and jolly fellow reading more into their vrath than they expected him to! He said "The child that you have both done this vrath for, the child in your wife's womb (meaning Jodha) ... may it be blessed and happy!" Jalal and Jodha looked at each other a bit taken aback but not displeased by the idea of Jodha's own pregnancy. But as Jodha was about to correct the priest's wrong impression, Jalal brushed her aside and let the priest continue with his assumptions. He said "When our child is born we will surely bring the baby to this mandir!"
And thus it came about that the rest of the puja and havans were all likely done with Baby Salim more in mind than Ruq's non-baby! How fortuitous and what a sanket that was of Jo's impending pregnancy?!!
After the pujas happened (much of it holding hands) came another sweet ritual to perform ... the father and mother of the baby had to whisper into each other's ears their wishes for the baby. And look what Jalal said in Jodha's ear " I hope our baby troubles you more than I do with his naughtiness. And God knows, I want the baby to listen to you about everything - and to love you more than I do".Jalal was not talking about Ruq's baby at all, but looking at Jodha and murmuring his wishes for their mutual child. Jodha got caught in the preciousness of that moment, those lovely sentiments from Jalal, and she then whispered into Jalal's ear "I want our child to get all the happiness in the world and become a mahaan ... a mahann yodah, a mahan Shahenshah and a mahan manushya. I hope his heart is full of love for this world!". The Amer music came on just then as Jalal and Jodha looked into each other's eyes and their dreams for their own mutual baby was casting a glow on their profiles.
In the precap, as they were returning from the temple, there were scenes of the alien sipahis overpowering their own sipahis silently, leaving Jodha and Jalal quite alone and vulnerable. Then they both stepped into what appeared to be a hidden net that just closed around them and lofted them off the ground. On that tantalising scene the episode ended.
My comments on the episode:
Okay folks, we have got enough sankets from this episode ... so I think I will be right in summing this whole episode as one of "premonitions".
Maham's premonition of Ruq's doom!
First there was Ruq telling Maham that she had not planned what to do about her fake pregnancy when the time soon came when her baby bump had to show or she had to actually deliver. She was content for the present divide she was creating between Jodha and Jalal.
But the shrewd Maham read the future in that sentence. She knew that doom was not far away and that Ruq has hatched an under-prepared plot, and she was just wildly swinging it as it came. The signs of future disaster were written all over Ruq's plan, and so the question would not be "Will she get caught?" but "How soon will she get exposed?'. This was one big "premonition" moment for Maham and for us - that Ruq was stretching herself too far and too thin and would soon get out of depth with her own lies.
Ruq alone was living in a make-believe world where she would divide Jodha and Jalal forever with this baby ruse. In truth she could not even see where the next step was coming from!
Atga's premonition of his own end!
The second premonition n this episode came in the Jalal-Atga scene, where somehow Atga was talking of his own demise too much in such a short conversation. He said once too many times that as a wafaadaar he would give his life for Jalal any day, if that was what Adham was after. Jalal had to tell him not to talk of his death anymore - and as Jalal hugged Atga there was something of the little boy in him not wanting to lose the man closest to being his father at this time.
Jalal said in a choked voice "I have already lost one atalik and don't want to lose you too." I thought this whole scene was laced with premonition of Atga's impending death and even my throat felt tight as I watched them hug.
Poor, dear Atga, he is such a decent fellow and to have this disgusting Adham take his life just for the cover-up of financial theft was such a dishonourable death for Atga! Even if Atga had died in war he would have had the name and fame of a great sipahi who died for his favourite son, his King. But to have to die at the hands of a cheat and a petty thief plundering the khazana is too sad to think of.
Shehnaaz's premonition of the Sultanate burning!
The third premonition in the episode seemed to come in the flag burning sequence of Shehnaaz. Left behind on the temple trip, she was seen standing near the window of her room looking at the Sultanate's flag and then burning it.
Many people on the forum have written on my thread in the last few days that it seems strange that Shehnaaz wants the takht for herself and yet she is also talking of burning the whole Sultanate. My personal feeling is that maybe Shehnaaz hates Jalal for being the Shahenshah of all that was given to him by his father, when she (Shehnaaz) got nothing and had to live with a poor foster mother when she was the older of the Humayun family siblings. She wanted whatever Jalal now has for herself. She hated Jalal for having it all, and she also hated all that he had - a curious cross-connection in her own mind between Jalal and his possessions.
I suspect when she burnt the flag she wanted to give symbolism to the fact that she resented all the power that Jalal stood for and had, not quite clearly realising that if it was all burnt what would she then have after she kills Jalal? Some forum waasis have said maybe she doesn't want the takht at all, and she is not Jalal's sister but the henchwoman of an enemy of the Sultanate ... and that's why she is burning the Sultanate flag. But I feel that her flag burning was symbolic of hatred for all that Jalal had. (She probably would burn this flag now as it was all his, and she probably would have got herself another new similar flag when she got it all as the Queen of the Sultanate after Jalal ... that must be her thinking.)
But anyway, the scene was one of premonition that Shehnaaz was not going to be a mere "subtle chaal producer" like Maham. She was going to be a physically violent enemy!
The temple priest's premonition of Baby Salim being on the way!
The fourth premonition we got - the greatest of them all - was that while Ruq's non-baby was not going to be getting God's blessings, the child to be born soon to Jodha and Jalal was probably already on its way. (Yes, in serials, just one SR is capable of instantly producing a baby! But still I feel the CVs can show us that Jodha and Jalal made many ultra-romantic tries to beget Salim!).
Anyway, the whole vrath by the mother, the accompaniment of the father to the mandir to open the vrath and do the havan for the child, and then the father and mother clearly whispering to each other their wishes for their own mutual child was too obvious a sanket of Baby Salim already leaving God's door with suitcase in hand.
I loved the way the Creatives handled this whole mandir issue and these whispered wishes for the unborn child of Jalal and Jodha. These types of scenes somehow seem to show us that great things and epic things are born out of divine plans, and the fortuitousness of Jalal and Jodha doing these rituals together at the mandir felt as if this epic love was also preparing for the epic birth of yet another great Mughal King of the next generation.
All this has not actually hit Jodha and Jalal yet as such a big moment because they think they are praying for Ruq's baby ... or they like to believe so. But when it becomes clear that there is no Ruq's baby the real poignancy of this temple moment will hit them. They both rang the bell at the temple together and in that moment I think, the waaris of the Sultanate started boarding the flight to Jodha's womb.
I particularly loved the moment when the priest misunderstood Jodha to be the "carrying mother " of the waaris, and Jodha and Jalal looked at each other in a sort of wonder. Then just as Jodha was about to correct the priest's impression, why did Jalal butt in with some other distraction and let the priest continue thinking and saying prayers for the supposed child inside Jodha? I doubt if even Jalal could have answered that question if he was asked - because at big moments of divine providence, the way one behaves and acts becomes almost automatic and goes with the flow of God. It was, to me, like a moment when Jalal was led by God to pray for the right and real baby to soon come into his life ... and God did not want him or Jodha to waste their prayers on any other baby that was not meant to be!
Folks, I have one more doubt as I watch all this. What of the Salim Chishti prophecy that Jodha would become the Marium Uz zamani? Would that not be working on Jalal's mind at all or would he have forgotten that? Or would he be thinking that maybe the son born to him would be from Jodha and if Ruq had a child it would be a girl? I wish we had some self-talks of Jalal on this subject - for I am dying to know if he remembers the Chishti prophecy at all, and what he thinks of Ruq being pregnant in the light of that! Should that prophecy not ring a bell in Jalal's head that Ruq may be faking it all?
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Vasudha
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
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