Originally posted by: AKT.JA
Thanks for struggling to say something about this pathetic episode. Your laptop's battery is wise and compassionate to force you to take a break. Like it, my own mental battery is also about to run out. 😊
The forthcoming King-Kong knock off will be a new low, even by the most forgiving standards. If someone finds it "scary" as a few have said, I can only congratulate them, for at least they will get some thrill out of it. As someone who actually enjoyed some very good alien and monster movies in my youth, I expect to feel mainly emptiness as well as irritation with myself for wasting time.
I shudder to think that there is now a real possibility that for the next few episodes I may find myself remembering Benazir and Sujamal/KS days with longing and nostalgia!
Whenever JA episodes sink to new lows, I usually seek asylum in either the 2008 movie, or in one of the previous episodes of the series:
* First Gangaur festival
* Sukanya's wedding
* Badal-Kajri
* When Jalal prevents a mob from burning a widow (seperation track)
* When Jalal recognizes Jodha among veiled dancers (seperation track)
I have these saved, so I can fast forward through any boring parts that are obligatory even in otherwise good episodes. I did the same today, reaching back to Sukanya's wedding to change the taste in my mouth and the emptiness in my heart.
It so happens that my wife tends to watch the well-known BBC serial Downton Abbey around the same time when I watch JA, and later we usually chitchat a little about each. When I mentioned how I felt today, she replied as she often does, "I told you that you should have started Downton Abbey with me instead!" I too reminded her, as always, that I am really not a TV serials person, but there was this promise of making a contact with Indian history/civilization that pulled me into JA. However, today I was also forced to add my wish that one day someone as sincere and as capable as "Team Downton Abbey" will remake JA.
I should have simply skipped this clownish "war". Nothing about it had looked promising. Just before it began, the Mughal Empire had its energies focused on one attempted molestation charge: with the accuser, the accused and every witness present on palace grounds, it couldn't investigate or handle even that properly. I should have recognized another clue when the forces of Mughal Empire and Kabul could only field 5-6 horses each, possibly fewer. Having missed that one, yet another clue, this one as subtle as a lead brick falling on your head, came when the Emperor took off his helmet mid-battle, then left the battlefield and started searching for his "Apa". Could it have been worse? Well, possibly yes; Javeda could have walked through the battlefield making comments and asking questions about what was happening. However, even without such help it was convincingly bad, pretty low.
There are many majestic portrayals of wars in the history of cinema and TV, and all of us would understand if JA's producers didn't have the budget to match those. However, films such as "Seven Samurai" and "High Noon" make us realize that even small scale conflicts can be presented in a gripping way.
I am now tempted to skip whatever dark shadow remains of this "war". I will keep in touch with written commentary such as yours and then watch the episodes more selectively than I have till now.
As I said, if someone does manage to get a real thrill or scare out of the coming "Incredible Hulk" scenes, they should consider themselves very fortunate. Good monsters are rare nowadays, just as good writers, producers, and directors are.
Jhanak
