Friends, yesterday, what do you know, the episode gave us two lollipop scenes, not just one. And it gave us nothing at all from Kabul! So we have all got to first start by thanking the Creative gods for such mercies!
(We also have to be watchful ... because I hope it doesn't mean we will get zero lollipop scenes and a dreadful overdose of Kabul scenes today in the mega episode. I don't want to spoil your mood, but "hope for the best and be prepared for the worst" is a good policy!)
There was substantial progress in this Shehnaaz versus Todarmal situation. Shehnaaz systematically and cleverly planned the entrapment of Todarmal into a "compromising situation" and I am afraid Todarmal seemed to be falling straight into the trap.
Shehnaaz was smart enough to make sure that Jodha knew at every step of the way what Todarmal was doing to her, so that Jodha's suspicions on Todarmal may also keep simultaneously rising. All in all, the girl who was supposed to be mad turned out to be cleverer than most of her "victims of saazish" ... and the remarkable thing was that she needed no inputs from Maham to be executing her saazish with consummate ease.
She sequenced her actions adroitly, and step by step ensured the nailing of Todarmal. Now it remains to be seen how much Jodha believes her in the end, and how Todarmal may extricate himself from the trap he has fallen into.
I think the general goodwill that Todarmal enjoys from before and even after arrival at Agra should stand for something, because he has always been a gentleman with manners and etiquette - so I want to see how many people give him the benefit of doubt. At the same time, this Shehnaaz, with her consistent childish innocent act has also ensured that since arrival she at least has garnered the sympathy and forbearance of a lot of people.
So it will all come down to who has earned more brownies points from the people at the Agra palace hitherto - was it Todarmal with his grace and dignity, or was it Shehnaaz with her simple innocence and artlessness ? Who will people naturally believe and support? And what new events will take place to unmask Shehnnaaz and exonerate Todarmal?
One of the immediate escape points that Todarmal has that strike me is this: He can ask "How would I have torn Shehnaaz's clothes or manhandled or molested her when both my hands are so wounded and bandaged and I am incapable of using them even to eat at this time? How am I supposed to have molested Shehnaaz in this condition?"
I hope Todarmal uses that argument for no one can refute that. And at the same time I hope Jodha remembers the bandage on Shehnaaz's hand and puts two and two together to start suspecting her "burnt in hot water" theory.
Also, because I like Zakira a lot, I want her to have some clear part in helping Todarmal and exposing Shehnaaz. Maybe Zakira would know if the scar on Shehnaaz's hand can be from boiling water or not or if it's a definite poison scar. Maybe her shrewd mind can guide Jodha into sizing up the situation accurately. I have a feeling that soon Todarmal is going to be a prison-mate of Zakira and tell her all about the scar on Shehnaaz's hand. I hope Zakira tells Jodha to think why Shehnaaz should suddenly put a rape charge on Todarmal, and whether it may be connected to the wound in her hand that Todarmal noticed that she is not able to properly explain ...
For those who wish to have the gist of the whole episode here it is:
In the previous episode Jodha had asked Jalal not to eat the food cooked by Hamida in case it was poisoned. In this episode Ruq and Maham were seen screaming like banshees that Jodha should not have the temerity to question the food cooked by Hamida for her own son. But Salima came to Jodha's defence first and said it all just showed how much Jodha cared for Jalal. If someone could poison a crown they could well poison the food as well. Hamida herself agreed wholeheartedly that tasting the food was a good idea. Ruq turned to Jalal and said "What do you think?" to which he asked her to shut up as he also saw it as care and concern from Jodha. Jodha further said she would herself taste the food and take the risk, and she did so. Hamida then said she would herself taste the non-vegetarian dishes - and finally all was declared fit for the King to eat. Jalal then didn't lose a chance to joke with Jodha. He told his mother her food was great, but it lacked that mirchi that he had got used to! Jodha had to smile behind her hand as she put on an act of outrage!
In the next scene poor Zakira was sitting forlorn in prison when she had a visitor - it was the great man Todarmal himself. He came straight to the point. "Why did you poison the crown? You weren't obviously acting for yourself, so who were you acting for?" he asked. Zakira again pleaded to him that she gained nothing by doing this and in fact was a loyal wafaadaar of Jodha and Jalal after they had freed her from prison. There was a ring of truth in her words that affected Todarmal. "What do you think of Shehnaaz? Would she have done this?" he asked Zakira. But she replied "I am not sure but it's hard to suspect her", she opined. Todarmal then told her "I believe in your innocence and I promise you, if you are patient, I will catch the real culprit and you will soon be free!" And with that he went, leaving Zakira in the hope that she had at least one friend in this palace.
Jodha and Jalal were sitting on the steps of the Angoori Bagh when Jodha was holdng a tray full of lit diyas in her hand while some lit diyas were floating on a water stream nearby. "This reminds me of our first meeting at the Gangaur in Amer", Jalal said " but the second Gangaur was one of fights between us and so it was an opportunity lost." Jodha then told Jalal "I am angered by things you say and do. You are sometimes so loving and sometimes you bring up old hurts." "Now how is this other thing I do?" he asked as he moved closer to sit beside her with no gap between them, as he put his arm on her shoulders. "Don't get so close to me or my anger will burn you too" she said to him, but he had a ready reply "If coming next to you burns me, I'd gladly get burnt."
"This is exactly what I don't like about you" she then said coming out with the real truth of what was giving her angst. "You never care about your life and take undue risks. Do you even realise how vital your life is to so many hundreds of people?". She was meaning the food he was about to eat without checking, no doubt. He then said in return "And I don't like the fact that you took the risk of eating it yourself to check for poisons. You have had a hard time recovering from the last time you drank poison to prove a point!"
"But it depends whose life is more valuable and yours is more valuable to more people than mine" she said. He was moved. He pulled her face towards him and kissed her forehead. "Nothing will happen to me if I am with you," he said calmly. And then he lay down with his face in her lap. "Shahenshah, people are watching" she started saying but he interrupted her "It doesn't matter to me. Now what were you saying?" But she just laughed it off and said "It was nothing. Lie down and take rest." And with that she started stroking his head tenderly.
The next morning, Adham came to Maham saying "If that Shehnaaz is not really an innocent and she is gunning for Jalal's takht then she should be killed. She stands in my way." Maham then admonished Adham saying he should not interfere in this matter as she was already handling it all her way quite successfully so far.
In a very cute scene that followed, Salima was seen looking distraught as the naughty Rahim had climbed up a tree out of reach of his mother and all her bandhis, and had gathered some mud in his hands which he was throwing at others. He refused to come down the tree despite kind entreaties and more dire warnings of punishment. Jalal who came there and was told of the happenings then tried his luck with Rahim. "No more such childish mischief" Jalal said to Rahim - to which Rahim cheekily replied "If a child won't do mischief, who will?" Jalal gave up... he was laughing at Rahim's sauciness.
Just then Jodha too appeared there and she seemed to find the whole thing rather funny and she burst out laughing. "Yes please laugh" said an irate Salima "let's see how you manage when you have a child of your own". Jodha blushed and Jalal enjoyed watching her blush. Then the smart Jodha, who knew exactly how to handle Rahim said to him "Rahim, up there yesterday I saw a dead rat!" "Oh my gosh" said Rahim at once, slithering down the tree and chucking away the mud in his hands. Salima got hold of him at once, and Jalal was impressed.
After Salima left he told Jodha "Looks like you have a lot of experience with kids? So how about some of your own? What say ... what's your opinion about starting with that?" Jodha blushed again, and yet again Jalal looked thrilled to have discomfited her. After he left, Jodha was left blushing and supressing her smile for a long while.
In Jodha's room later Shehnaaz arrived when she was stringing flowers for a Kanha mala. Artlessly and almost childishly, Shehnaaz let drop a piece of information that seriously disturbed Jodha. She said "That tall man with a beard who usually is with Jalal, he called me to a separate room and there he gave me laddoos". Jodha instantly knew she was referring to Todarmal, but her mind was spinning with the revelation that Todarmal had called Shehnaaz alone to any remote room. Having thus sown the seed of suspicion in Jodha's mind, Shehnaaz then went away.
In a strange scene that I never expectedn Maham was then seen taking Adham into the surang where she showed him his first glimpse of the mad Chand Begum! Adham was aghast at the condition his mother had kept the Begum of Humayun in. "What have you done with her?" he said almost out of pity, but Maham brushed aside his sentimentality. "It has taken me years to get her here and keep her alive and she is your farman - your ticket - to the Delhi takht. Her daughter Nigar (Shehnaaz) thinks Jalal has incarcerated his mother here. Leave it all to me and the Delhi takht will soon be yours. We will ensure that both Shehnaaz and Jalal are eliminated by this trump card we hold to the farman", Maham said, but the look of distress on Adham's face was a revelation. He actually seemed to be stunned upon seeing the real naked ruthlessness of his mother like this!
Shehnaaz then began her act of trapping Todarmal even more securely in her web. She saw Todarmal walking on the terrace and immediately she herself started walking within in his vision putting on a surreptitious look. She knew he would try to follow her. Meanwhile Shehnaaz had already seen that Jodha and Moti were headed that way . When Todarmal, seeing that Shehnaaz was trying to hide, something felt intrigued to follow her, Shehnaaz ensured that Jodha and Moti got the clear impression that this "poor innocent girl was being followed by this ill-intentioned older man". Shehnaaz then quickly ducked behind a curtain to see exactly how far Todarmal had come following her. Meanwhile Jodha's mind by now had become deeply suspicious of Todarmal!
Shehnaaz then ducked deliberately into an empty nearby room, still to Jodha and Moti's awareness, knowing Todarmal would also follow her into the room. In the room she deliberately took off her dupatta and gave it in Todarmal's hands saying in a childlike way "Let's both play chupa chupi". Todarmal tried to give back her dupatta and resist this game, when, at the right moment, Jodha and Moti entered the room to catch Todarmal red-handed as it were with Shehnaaz's dupatta in his hands! "Did you come here for something?" Jodha pointedly asked Todarmal. But he just said "No nothing, I'll take leave" and he left abruptly. As Jodha picked up and returned Shehnaaz's dupatta to her, her mind was ticking over at high speed at what she had seen!
In the precap, Shehnaaz was seen wailing and crying that she'd been molested. Her blouse was torn and an angry Jalal was pointing one by one to all the men in the Agra palace asking "Who was the culprit?" Shehnaaz pointed to Todarmal, much to Jalal's utter shock!
My comments on the episode:
Although the spoiler said that it would be Maham who will give Shehnaaz the idea to cast rape charges on Todarmal, I was surprised to see that till yesterday Shehnaaz was orchestrating this whole rape saazish entirely on her own. I think she must have been desperate to do something to save herself from Todarmal telling everybody about her scarred hand. The fastest way to ensure Todarmal would not be able to speak up, or that even if he did, others wouldn't believe him, would be to cast disgrace upon Todarmal - and that's exactly what Shehnaaz was counting on.
I thought she was rather smart that she ensured that Jodha should get the recurrent impression that Todarmal was stalking her and trying to prey upon her innocence. Shehnaaz had seen enough of the Jodha-Jalal dynamics by now to know that if Jodha got supportive of her cause, Jalal would not go against Jodha's judgement. But the cardinal error Shehnaaz may have made this time is that Jodha may actually support Jalal in his judgement for a change. I think the spoiler says Jalal will not believe Shehnaaz - and Jodha too, despite her misgivings, will decide to tell Jalal to get to the truth rather than to just accept Shehnaaz's story offhand!
I think Shehnaaz will now play up her torn clothes and distressed mind to the hilt and ensure that the general opinion in the Agra palace is in her favour and against Todarmal. Maybe Jalal will have to put Todarmal in jail till further evidence proves his innocence. And thus Todarmal and Zakira may be in closer contact than before and have the time and space in which to analyse the happenings.
I think Todarmal's best defence is that with his scarred and bandaged hands he could not have torn Shehnaaz's clothes nor manhandled or roughed her up. I won't be surprised if it's Zakira who gives Todarmal this idea to use in his defence. Also it will not be enough for Todarmal to simply prove he was not the molester, because the question will still be up in the air as to why Shehnaaz was saying she was molested. Thus to erase the "daag" on his character fully, Todarmal will also have to prove why Shehnaaz needed to use this rape ruse against him. He will have to prove that he had seen the scar on Shehnaaz's hand, and seen that it was similar to his own. He will have to then prove that Shehnaaz, in order to cover up that scar-betrayal had deliberately put Todarmal in a compromising position before Jodha to seal Jodha's opinion of him. He will have to prove that he was never in any room alone with Shehnaaz giving her ladoos. And he will have to prove that he was giving back Shehnaaz the dupatta and not actually taking it off her!
There is a lot of proving to do and much of it I suspect will be his word against hers, for how are such cases to be solved other than by weighing the strength of the two sides of the argument? This is where the relative integrities of the man and woman in question will come in and we will get to see who trusts whose word more.
Also there needs to be some further incriminating evidence that the scar on Shehnaaz's hand is genuinely a poison scar. If Shehnaaz gets nailed on the crown poisoning, then everything she says against Todarmal will look trumped up and doubtful. In this situation I think the knowledge of poisons that Zakira has will become vital. She may be able to tell if the scar is from the poison or by hot water burns using some some distinguishing marks. Or she may know of some antidote to erase the scars which will work on both Todarmal and Shehnaaz's hands thus proving the origin of the scars. I also think that to help Todarmal, Zakira could actually do something dramatic like putting some remaining drops of poison on her own hand to demonstrate the scar it makes. Somehow Zakira will become the key to the solution, I feel, and in this way will repay the debt of trust that Todarmal showed in her!
I, for one, like mystery stories ... especially detective stories. So I am hoping that in the midst of this general blahness of the serial, the mystery of the "Shehnaa- molestation-charge-cum-crown-poisoning-hand-scar" will at least be solved in an interesting way. I want to see how the brains of Jodha and Jalal function in such a situation of whom to trust ... and how the brains of Zakira and Todarmal function in a situation of how to win back public trust.
The question then arises: after Shehnaaz is exposed and Todarmal is exopnerated then what? Will Shehnaaz then openly declare who she is and why she is here and challenge Jalal to a duel for the takht? Will Maham advise her in any way on what she should do - or will she act as a lone operator? Will the mega episode focus just on the tehkeekaat of the Shehnaaz rape case or will it also show us the beginnings of the swordfight that Jalal refuses to fight in and lets Jodha fight with Shehnaaz instead?
I am afraid to set too many hopes on the mega episode, so I'll stick with my modest expectation that at least we may get a conclusion to this "Shehnaaz rape-cum-crown poisoning mystery". If that is solved using very smart and clever tactics by Zakira and Todarmal, and Jodha and Jalal show steadfast trust in Todarmal and do not fight with him or amongst themselves (taking opposite sides) I will be a happy bunny.
Also throughout this mega episode I want NOT EVEN ONE SCENE of Kabul, even if I do not get any lollipop Jodha-Jalal scenes. Then my atma will be in shanthi over the weekend!
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
