Friends, yesterday was again a pretty fast-paced episode that ended sadly with the death of poor Atga. It's a moment of great sadness for me because I really like the rotund guy and his deep sincerity and his utter loyalty to Jalal. I thought that we would have a gap of about at least two days this week before we see the death of Atga, but alas, the fateful event happened yesterday itself. How very sad was that, and what a hero's death he died!
And what's more, in the precap, we see Jalal with a bloodied face and hands coming down the terrace to meet Maham, who seems to have been temporarily let out of jail and is surrounded by sipahis. From the look of that precap shot, I am getting a feeling that Jalal has already had Adham killed (or maybe has killed him himself or been involved in the killing) and maybe Maham has been given permission to come out of jail to see her dead son. This I say because the expression on Jalal's face in the precap is both angry and rueful as if he trying to tell Maham "I had to do this to Adham. He left me no choice!"
The Atga death came in the third part of the episode. The episode itself seemed divided into three parts. The first part had the rather romantic interlude of Jodha and Jalal playing cat and mouse with each other. In the second part of the episode the systematic trap laid by Adham for Jalal became apparent, but as usual Adham bungled twice and failed to get his prey - Jalal. But the overall momentum towards the climax was built up. In the third part of the episode, after drinking himself into a lather all night, Adham, in the wee hours of the next morning went on a senseless rampage - or rather a wild carnage. At the end of this mindless butchering of sipahis left, right and centre, was the disgustingly macabre murder of Atga!
I've divided my analysis below also into these three parts since each of them had a different cinematic pace and quality.
The romantic beginnings of the episode
Earlier in the episode things seemed to be jovial and happy as the three Begums of Jalal served him the food they had cooked, while he was playing cat and mouse games with Jodha. He was trying to wheedle Jodha to sit beside him, spend time alone with him and give him a chance to make love to her. But Jodha was playing games with him, trying to elude him. She wouldn't sit next to him at lunch though he tried winking at her to do so. Then he finished his lunch and asked for a walk, and she cleverly got him entangled into a game of chess with Ruq. He finally finished that when he went into her hojra to nab Jodha there, when she again demurred and by then he had got the drift. This naughty queen was playfully extracting revenge for the Atifa affair!
Jalal then decided to turn the tables against her. When she finally yielded to his embrace, and decided to reciprocate his feelings of love, he said he was busy and had to go and she had to do puja and distribute the prasad, and he started walking away. She then had to beg him to stay and after they both mutually realised that their games were up, they stood together in a truce that changed into a hug, and they presumably spent the rest of the afternoon together!
The trap is set by Adham but he bungles twice
After the romantic scenes we first got wind of something sinister afoot when Atga got word from a suspicious-looking messenger that some bhagis wanted a secret meeting by the river in the dead of the night with Jalal. Atga prised this information out of the messenger at swordpoint and then decided he would go in Jalal's clothes rather than let Jalal risk his life. To be fair he did tell Jalal of this plan (which we were shown later in flashback) but Jalal clearly vetoed the plan! Nevertheless, at the appointed hour, Atga did go with a small set of troops to the riverside, wearing Jalal's clothes.
Meanwhile Javeeda saw Adham stashing his sword into his belt and leaving his room with his henchman Shamsuddin in the dark hours of the night. Despite her asking him pointedly as to where he was going, Adham merely cursed Jalal and set off. Alarm bells must have rung in Javeeda's head for she seems to have run behind Adham to warn Jalal.
At the riverside, Adham and his henchman waited restively for Jalal but meanwhile a frenzied Javeeda ran towards them shouting Jalal's name. The ruthless Adham threw a dagger at her to silence her. She fell with a mighty flop to the floor, severly wounded, and a callous Adham did not even care to look that way. He had meanwhile spotted Atga and his men, and thinking Atga to be Jalal he sent another dagger flying that pierced Atga's chest and pushed him also to the floor. But then the disguise of Atga became apparent, and seeing that he had made two mighty blunders in the space of three minutes, Adham rode back his horse from the spot , fleeing like a coward.
Jalal at the Palace was already in a bit of lather because the khwaja sera supplier told him he had seen Atga leaving the Palace in Jalal's clothes. Jalal immediately comprehended the situation, but by the time he could react the bodies of Javeeda and Atga arrived on stretchers needing immediate medical attention. Jalal took over the care of Atga while Jodha decided to take care of Javeeda. Hakims were pressed into service at both ends, and on his part Jalal told both Atga and JijiAnga that he was very displeased that Atga had disobeyed his orders and taken such risks on his behalf. But the ever loyal Atga swore that he wanted to die in the protection of his King. Jalal could do no more than be moved by such loyalty.
Javeeda on the other hand was unconscious and her hakim said she wouldn't speak till at least the next afternoon, so Jalal had to wait to interrogate her, for he had heard there had earlier been a fight between Adham and Javeeda - and it was most likely Javeeda knew a lot of what had happened and she too had given her life to save Jalal from something or someone!
Mansingh, Munim Khan and Aziz Koka were pressed into investigative service. But meanwhile Maham going slowly mad in her jail cell started having hallucinations of the young boy Jalal covered in blood and it looked to her like it was an omen for Adham trying to kill Jalal. She desperately wanted to send a paigam to Adham to tell him to desist from any such thing, but the jailer simply would not heed Maham's request.
And then the absolutely unforgiveable thing happened.
Very early the next morning, the ever loyal Atga woke from his wounded state to rush to check the accounts ... for Todarmal had told him there was major fraud being perpetrated by Adham. He was thus sitting with the account books, when Adham who had been drinking the whole night decided to wait no longer to kill Jalal - and to kill Atga who always saved Jalal. He rode into the Palace with his sword at the ready, and started cutting up all the sipahis into ribbons. He marched along in his murderous mission almost till he reached Jalal's hojra where Jalal was still asleep.
Then perchance he came upon Atga in the accounts room and decided to take the diversion. He went in, blamed Atga for all the ills in his life - notably his loss of jagir, rank and status - and kicked down the already hurt Atga and slashed his sword across his stomach, further gravely wounding him. Still valiantly, Atga swore loyalty to Jalal and berated Adham even with his last breath. But unable to hear a word more, Adham then viciously stabbed Atga in the chest with a vertical blow of his sword. With a huge splatter of blood, Atga was dead!
Meanwhile, for those who want it, here's what all happened in the episode yesterday:
Jalal is having lunch served by his wives, but he is aching to spend time with Jodha. He winks to Jodha to sit near him. But she teases him by staying away from him saying she has to feed Rahim. Hamida meanwhile says to Jodha this idea of hers to divert Jalal's mind from his sorrow about Maham is a very good one. Jalal wants, however, to find ways to spend time alone with Jodha but she keeps eluding him.
Atga is in his room when a messenger enters saying he has a message to be given only to Jalal. Atga threatens that he should be told. The man then says two bhagis from Gwalior and Jaunpur want to make a deal by the river at night with Jalal. Atga decides to tell Jalal but go himself dressed as Jalal - - but Jalal vetoes the plan.
Meanwhile after lunch again Jalal again tries to get Jodha alone for a walk but she says she has leg pain. But she cleverly makes Ruq play chess with him and eludes him again saying "I am going to see Ammijaan". He now realises she has no leg pain and is getting back at him playfully for the Atifa issue - and he is determined not to let her win.
In her room Jodha is again surprised by Jalal who comes and hugs her from behind and says he has already played with Ruq and done all his meetings and is now totally free and she has no more bahanas to try and evade him. Jodha tries to say he must play again with Ruq when he shuts her mouth with his hand. The gesture makes them grow closer and lock their eyes, and soon Jodha yields to Jalal's persuasive ways. Then she starts leaning against him and wanting his hug and his company but he turns the tables on her.
He now starts saying he has work to do and she has to do puja and give prasad to all - and he tries to leave till she has to beg him to stay. He says "I know what games you have been playing with me and I can do the same." She yields to him again and this time without protest - and eventually they both embrace and spend time alone together.
Adham in his room with his henchman Shamsuddin takes his sword and leaves secretly at night. Javeeda sees this and senses trouble and asks him but he doesn't tell her where he is going. Javeeda runs behind him to warn Jalal for she senses Adham is gunning for Jalal to kill him. Adham and his henchman hide near the bushes near river waiting for Jalal to meet the fake bhagis (a trap they have engineered).
When Jalal doesn't appear Adham gets restless. Meanwhile Javeeda comes running towards Adham, shouting for Jalal to warn him. With a kneejerk reaction Adham throws a dagger and almost kills Javeeda. She falls at the spot, quite seriously wounded. Adham lets her lie there as he spots Jalal and his troops, and from that distance he throws another dagger at Jalal and almost kills ... but its actually Atga dressed as Jalal who has come against Jalal orders. Atga also falls to the ground and collapses from the hit on his chest.
Adham sees his twin mistakes and gets onto his horse and bolts. Meanwhile the khwaja sera supplier at the court runs to Jalal to say Atga went out in the night wearing Jalal's clothes. Jalal is very upset that Atga disobeyed his orders. Just then both Javeeda andAatga arrive back at the Palace, badly wounded on stretchers. Jodha says "I'll care for Javeeda ...Shahenshah, you go with Atga". Jalal agrees.
Jalal tells Atga and his wife he is very upset with Atga risking his life, but Atga says "I want to die saving you". Hakims attend to Atga.
Meanwhile Adham is drinking all night and cursing himself badly for bungling everything. He gets more and more ferocious by morning. He begins to look for a scapegoat for his failures to kill Jalal and his anger turns against Atga, who time and again manages to shatter his plans to get close enough to Jalal to kill him. Adham decides that Atga too must be killed.
Meanwhile Jalal goes to see Javeeda but her hakim says she will regain consciousness only after next afternoon . Ruq says that some bandhis oveheard Adham and Javeeda fighting ... so Jalal thinks Javeeda may soon be able to tell all, when she's conscious again.
Jalal instructs Mansingh, Aziz Koka and Munim Khan to spread in all directions and search for the bhagis who he thinks were behind the Atga attack. In jail Maham starts hallucinating as if small boy Jalal is covered in blood and needs her help ... she immediately fears that Adham may be plotting the death of Jalal and this was the sanket her mind was getting from this hallucination. She wants to send an urgent paigam to Adham not to kill Jalal ... but the jailer doesn't heed her request.
Next morning Atga is up early as he goes to check accounts though still unwell. Todarmal has discovered major fraud by Adham that Atga wants to go over with affine tooth comb. But by this time Adham unable to control himself wants to kill Jalal.
Adham rides into the Palace with unsheathed sword and chops all sipahis guarding the way to Jalal's hojra where Jalal is still sleeping. Adham then spots Atga working on the accounts and decides to kill Atga. He blames Atga for preventing his attempts to get close to Jalal and says Atga is responsible for the loss of his jagir, his rank and his every privilege. He kicks the already wounded Atga and slashes his sword across his stomach to wound him gravely. Still Atga speaks of great loyalty to Jalal and berates Adham in dying words. But Adham then stabs Atga through his chest with a sword, and with a great splatter of blood, Atga dies on the spot.
In the precap, Jalal is fully covered in face and hands with blood as Maham is brought face to face with him surrounded by jail sipahis. (It looks like the scene where Jalal may have killed Adham and Maham has been told about it and has come out to be shown her dead son.)
Now the fallout of Atga's death is also not pretty to contemplate. I suspect if things are going so fast, today we may well see the end of Adham also. The precap seems to suggest that.
The question in my mind is: what then can we expect to see on Thurdsay and Friday? Would the episodes on those days have more to do with the effect of Adham's death on Maham? Or would it result in her banishment? Or contrarily would Jalal actually find a corner of pity for Maham and again soften towards her (which I don't want)? We'll have to wait and see ...
Diksha tells me that maybe next week (maybe, but not sure!) there may be a small leap of 6 months to go straight to the birth of the twins, so let's wait and see if that sort of thing happens too ...
Current Affairs
