Originally posted by: skanda12
Friends, I want to start this post by saying that nobody but Jodha could have spoken to Jalal the way she did yesterday and made him understand his true priorities at a time when his "Badi Ammi" was drawing her last breath and her son was still on a high horse nursing his brittle anger at her!
It was extremely clever reverse psychology used by Jodha to try and expose to Jalal his own true inner feelings. But as always, when someone uses reverse psychology there are a lot of attendant risks. The person you are addressing may well take everything in bad spirit and your tactics could boomerang. Also Jodha in her words to Jalal had often to use some strong language to really shake him up and make him understand that "this was not the time for anger, personal hurts, ego or even grievance-nursing". (Why she used words like "ego" I have explained later in this post.)
Jodha made him aware that this was a time to forget everything - including the curses on the babies - that Maham had ever said to him as the "mother of Adham" speaking. What he now needed to do was to listen to the feelings of his heart (which were visible in the tears in his eyes) and go and talk to the "mother of Jalal". He had to go not as the Shahenshah - but as a son. He had to do this not for the lot of harm Maham had done to him over the years (some of which he didn't even know about yet) but for the several instances in childhood when she had saved his life.
He also had to do it when there was just a bit of time to spare for her death rather than forever live in the remorse of deep feelings incompleted!
Only Jodha - not even Hamida, Salima or Ruq - could have ever reached that deep into Jalal and touched his heart strings ... or have had the temerity to speak to him as ruthlessly as she did to make him aware of his own inner crying at the thought of Maham having just two days to live. It takes tremendous courage to tell someone the unvarnished truth like it is, especially when that someone is adamant, stuck in a rut of his own mental frameworks, and holding onto his own hurts without the mind to think of the hurts of another in the throes of death. Jalal owed Maham an opportunity to make amends, because as Jodha said, it would actually make him whole again!
That's why I think the way Jodha found the opportunity and words and compassion to tell him the bare truth, and to make him drop anger or hurt, and to give Maham this last chance was fabulous. Jodha carried the whole episode on her shoulders yesterday. She was in fact involved in three extra-special dialogues that I want to detail and explain why I loved them!
Jodha with Ruqaiya: an establishment of who is superior!
Jodha is rushing towards Maham's jail cell when Ruq sees her going past and wonders "Where is she going now?"
Ruq rushes forward to close the distance between them and says "Stop Jodha Begum, where are you going?" Jodha replies in a cold calm voice "To see Mahamanga". Ruq raises an eyebrow with self-assumed authority. "You will not go there" she says as if it is her lot to dispense permission. Jodha simply replies "Ruqaiaya Begum, I have to go. I'll return quickly."
Ruqaiaya holds Jodha by the hand to stop her. "You cannot go there!" she repeats, "You may not care about your own child, but I cannot forget that in your womb there is also my baby." Jodha replies with a voice of steel "I know that. I'll also have you know that I have agreed to give you my baby from my own wish. But that gives you no rights to be dictating where I go or come from."
Jodha simply releases Ruq's hand from her own and takes a few strides forward as Ruq shouts again "Jodha Begum, why don't you understand my words. This is wrong!" Jodha replies "This is perfectly right, Ruqaiaya Begum. And I am going to see Mahamanga for the last time. And I will go and see her."
Ruq grabs hold of Jodha's hand again. "Oh so you think you are stubborn? So am I. The Shahenshah has charged me to make sure you go out nowhere. Even so, if you're hell-bent on seeing Mahamanga, you'd better go and get permission from the Shahenshah!"
Jodha voice drops several notches to a tone of utter self-command "I have already taken the Shahenshah's permission!" she says, as Ruq looks stunned into silence. "Can I go now?" Jodha asks Ruq again sarcastically, hinting that Ruq must remove her hand. Ruq does let go of Jodha. Jodha then marches away without a backward glance.
Ruq fumes "How can Jalal have given her permission for this!"
My comments on this scene:
I want to know, folks, with what authority this Ruq is ordering Jodha about? Fancy saying that "You WILL NOT go anywhere ... you CANNOT go anywhere ..." with all sorts of assumed authority over Jodha! And fancy clamping her hand down on Jodha's hand like she's holding back Rahim or something!
I found it hugely irritating that Ruq thinks she has such powers to scold Jodha that she doesn't have. Later when Jodha challenged her ability to order her around, Ruq said "Jalal has put me in charge of seeing you go out nowhere!" Jalal did say she was to be looked after, but did Jalal really say Ruq was to become Jodha's minder?I certainly don't recall him ever saying that?!
And what about that sentence "You may not care for your baby but my baby is also inside you!" For God's sake, woman, it's your baby only when it comes out and is handed to you ... not before that!
I am so glad that Jodha gave the most fitting reply at that point "I know what I am doing. And I'll have you know it is my baby I am planning to give you by my free will! And besides I have Jalal's permission to go where I want ... to Mahamanga!" That just sealed the rubber-gob of Ruq!
Really this scene was grand and it was sorely needed simply because if Jodha had not given Ruq back those sharp retorts, this lording over Jodha would have continued endlessly. At least now I hope Ruq has received enough of a tongue-lashing from Jodha to know never again to try and control her movements. For me it's not even enough yet that Jodha has given Ruq a fierce verbal salvo. I want Jalal to do it also, especially on the subject of "her baby inside Jodha". Then let's see if her motor-mouth shuts up for good!
Jodha with Maham: a study in compassion despite derision!
Jodha enters Maham's jail cell as a racking cough makes Maham's whole body shake and rattle. But despite her failing health she has lost none of that verbal shrewishness. "Why have you come again?" Maham asks. Jodha looks sad for Maham and says "Forgive me Mahamanga Ji!". Maham smiles sarcastically. "Begum Jodha, do you know what my mother used to say. The one who keeps repeatedly saying sorry is the one who doesn't use the brain but uses only the heart. You are not at all the shathir-dimaak or brainy one who can make Mahamanga a bewakoof. You played a really dirty trick on me." Maham was no doubt referring to the lie Jodha had told her about Javeeda's pregnancy.
Jodha replies contritely, "I didn't intend to give you pain, Mahamanga Ji. I only wanted you to get healthier. And to tell the truth even now I wish to do something to help you."
"You want to do something for me?" says an agitated Mahamanga. She rises with Jodha's help to sit up and then pulls Jodha down on the bed to sit in front of her. Still holding Jodha's hands she repeats "You want to help me? Can you bring back my Adham? You can't! Remember I have two sons - one of my own flesh and blood and the other that I brought up. But the whole world knows that I neglected the one of my own flesh and blood. I gave Jalal all the importance. I should have loved them both but I always gave Jalal more love. Both were so strong like they strengthened my own hands. But I was only able to make one the Shahenshah and couldn't even bring up the one one properly. The result was that Adham became jealous of Jalal, started hating Jalal. Adham all the time wanted to attain whatever Jalal had and I tried to help him do that. Did I do wrong? From your eyes, what I did may be wrong, but if you look at it all from a mother's eyes, what did I do wrong? Jalal has called my attempts to help Adham a "gunah", of the kind he will never ever pardon." Jodha's eyes fill up with every word of Maham's. She can't take her eyes away from the face before her still so proud and held high despite the bleakness in the eyes.
Maham then breaks down even more. "You want to help me, you say. I have two sons, but look at me today at death's door and not even one son is with me at this time. Your husband, who is now the Shahenshah ... I knew him from when he couldn't even walk. I taught him to walk. I know him from when he couldn't speak a word except the one word "Badi Ammi Jaan". It used to be so wonderful to hear. He just had to say the words "Badi Ammi Jaan" and I could understand what he wanted, and what was paining my child. Even from a great distance when I heard him call for me I used to know why. But do you know what ... from that day I made that big mistake, he just said ruthlessly "From today you are not my Badi Ammi Jaan." I got my greatest hurt that day. That was my saddest day."
"Begum Jodha,, you cannot do anything for me. You want to do something, but what will you do? Can you bring my son Jalal to me? See what I said, I said "my son jalal", not the "Shahenshah Jalal". There is a difference. Your husband the Shahenshah has lots of power and position. But bring me my son Jalal. You are a Rajvanshi and I have heard a lot about how you all even give your lives to protect your given word. I have no use for your life. But if you can and really want to help, bring my child, my son Jalal to me. Tell my son to call me "Badi Ammi Jaan " just once before I die. You say you want to help ... "
And then Maham loses all strength and hope as her head falls back again onto her pillow. She is again racked with cough. "I know nobody will be able to bring Jalal here. Nobody can bring back Adham either." she moans, "Before I go to Delhi ... my child Jalal, my baccha ..." she falters and her voice wanes mid-sentence. And then she turns away from Jodha as she curls back on the bed, a sad and deteriorating human being. Jodha is in copious tears as she puts the blanket over Maham and turns to leave the room completely flustered.
My comments on this scene:
Folks, I have two things to say here.
First of all did you all notice that throughout this whole scene Jodha just barely got one sentence to speak? The rest was all said by Maham, and all that Jodha got to do was to emote to what Maham said. But you know something remarkable? Just shut the sound on the TV and watch all that is going on in this scene, and you will know exactly what Maham was saying and feeling just by watching the reciprocation on Jodha's face. That was a remarkable piece of acting by Paridhi, when you could almost feel the nuances of every sentence that Maham spoke just by looking at Jodha's face, eyes, her body language and her deep absorption of what Maham was telling her. Especially look at Paridhi when Maham tells her about the days when she used to know what Jalal wanted when he merely said the words "Badi Ammi Jaan" ... and then look at her expressions again when Maham spoke about Rajvanshis being legendary in giving their lives to keep their words. See Jodha's body language at those two points. Fabulous, is barely the word for it!
Mansi, Paridhi was just super yesterday and I am glad she is getting SOME praise on this forum!!! 😉😆
I was cracking up reading some random comments that Jodha does NOT understand Jalal! MA does/did!!!
IF MA had understood Jalal she would never have done this to him. Cos all she had to do was need to ask and he would have given her the world.
MA only knew the young Jalal and understood HIS needs. When Jalal and Adham grew up - MA lost sight of HER son Jalal in her greed, in her attempts to make it right for Adham - she ended up doing wrong to both.
Jodha knows Jalal's hurts, his pain without having to say it or even when he himself has not acknowledged them to himself. It is ONLY Jodha who understands he needs to make peace with MA, for HIS sake. Cos he never wronged MA, nor Adham and it is a horrible feeling to live with entire life thinking someone he loved more than his own mother - might not have loved him but only used him. The curse is eating up Jalal cos he will forever feel insecure and worried about his babies - wondering if HE is the cause for them getting cursed.
Jodha is just trying to heal Jalal's hurt - cos SHE understands Jalal best. After this I hope to see Jalal tell Jodha nobody understands him like she does, she even knows the deepest feelings hidden in the innermost recess of his mind to mend his heart and heal him.
As for Maham and her soliloquy ... what a spectacular piece of acting again. What cadences there were in her voice as it rose up and down as if her breathing was getting more and more difficult as she spoke. In the end she was barely able to sit up ... she crumbles down on the bed in a heap. But what sensational acting skills Ashwini possesses and brings out whenever the occasion demands it. The thing about her dialogues were that at no point did she actually "beg" Jodha to bring Jalal to her as we all thought she would. She did not even "plead". She was in fact almost her usual derisive sarcastic self (albeit a less loud one) at many parts of the dialogue. "Oh so you want to help me?" she asks Jodha many times scornfully. And then again she says "You're a Rajvanshi and I've heard a lot about your words of honour ...". There was both acknowledgement as well as challenge in that sentence. Even nearing death, Maham cannot be said to have driven herself down to begging, pleading or selling her spirit and soul. She was full of fire, like a flame flickers brightest as it is about to go off! She was almost demanding Jalal's visit by right by stating every argument why she should be given this chance. She made it sound like Jalal's owning her greater love was the cause of Adham's inglorious death. She made it sound like Jodha could help if she wanted to but Maham was not really counting on her Rajvanshi-ness that she would give her life to preserve any word of honour! " I have no use for your giving up your life" she said. In fact she didn't think that Jodha or anyone could sway Jalal, but she could try if she wanted to help ...
My God, what a speech from what a woman, gasping for the last few breaths she had in this world!
Ashwini was fabulous. I watched the repeat what started as sarcasm and taunting of Jodha, turned into a unrealized plea where MA knew that if she wanted to meet Jalal once then only Jodha can do this. So MA kept saying to Jodha if YOU want to do something for me, bring me Jalal my son.
Jodha with Jalal: a study in love despite the risk of failure!
Jodha is returning from Maham's jail cell when she sees Mansingh and Todarmal readying the palki and the sipahi contingent for the trip to take Maham to Delhi. She thinks to herself "Mahamanga has for the first time ever asked me for help, and I am unable to do anything because the Shahenshah has turned his face away from Maham and will not heed a word I say."
Jodha suddenly remembers something Jalal had once said to her "You know Jodha Begum my Badi Ammi was so loving that she preserved everything of mine from childhood, everything I wore or played with. She keeps it all carefully and will not let anyone touch all that, not even me!" Jodha also remembers replying Jalal then "That's a true mother, Shahenshah who loves not only her children but even the memories associated with them". Remembering all this makes Jodha determined to do something about Maham's request, but what could she do? An idea seems to have struck her to use some reverse psychology on Jalal to jolt him out of his anger, ego and hurt.
Jodha is then seen marching into Maham's room with an army of bandhis and with Moti. "Clean out this whole room", she says peremptorily as if everything in the room was distasteful. Jalal walks in just then to see and hear all this sudden action to rid the room of Maham's things. "There are too many unwanted things in this room, clear them all out!" Jodha deliberately shouts to Jalal's hearing. And then she acts as if she's just seen Jalal and greets him.
"Why did you call me here, and why are you cleaning this room out?" he asks, and Jodha notices that his voice is barely above a choked whisper. "Shahenshah," Jodha says with a put on air of casualness, "This Mahamanga is not going to live beyond another two days. So I thought we could clear her room out. It's full of unwanted rubbish!" Jalal looks startled to hear that Maham has so short a time to live.
"By the way," Jodha continues with even more casualness, "she said she wanted to see her son's face for the last time." "But I don't want to meet her" Jalal says with as much anger he is able to artificially summon. "I too told her categorically that it's an impossible hope, " Jodha continues, "And at any rate why would you want to look at the face of the woman who cursed your unborn babies? Huh, what a hope!" Jalal looks rather uneasy as he listens to Jodha thus rattling on.
Then Jodha goes to a chest in which Maham has stored old clothes of Jalal's as keepsakes. "Oh God, what is this rubbish, " she says as she pulls out some old clothes of Jalal's. "Oh by the way Shahenshah, wasn't this the dress you wore when she pulled you out from behind a tree in childhood? Look at the way that lady has lost it. Imagine keeping all this like she's preserving some khazana for the future?" Jalal's face has become small by now and his expression is increasingly looking like a little lost boy than a powerful King.
Jalal interrupts Jodha's tirade with a tangential thought on which his mind is stuck "Is she really breathing her last right now?" he asks, his voice very small and barely audible. Jodha know she is hitting pay dirt, but she relentlessly continued the charade of anger at Maham. "Good riddance to her too, " she says, "What kind of mother curses her own son's babies? And so what if she gave fed you her milk and even saved your life on a couple of occasions. She was only doing the duty she was paid for. And all this can't take away from the apraadh she has done against you, right? Shahenshah, don't worry, this dark chapter of our lives is going to be over in the next two days! And she says she wants to see your face before she dies ... why? To curse you again? Paakhandi aurat!" Jodha has done such a fabulous bit of acting so far that Jalal's face is by now quite contorted with inner pain. He blinks back tears from his eyes.
Jodha notices but again continues her charade "Your eyes are tearing up? Has some dust gone into your eyes?" She deliberately holds his face with both her hands to turn him towards her, but he avoids looking into Jodha's eyes. Then she caresses his face with her hands as her voice becomes compassionate as he cries. "These are tears, and they are glimpses of the hurt in the heart," she says to him in a softened tone. But just for added insurance she still maintains the acting again "Your feelings are pouring out of your eyes. All this for Maham who did such harm to you? Please wipe these tears and let no one see you weak. You are not the boy who grew up on Maham's milk, you are now the Shahenshah."
"Jodha Begum, not one more word against her" Jalal finally bites out through a voice choked with emotion.
Jodha knows she has succeeded in breaking the iron man. She softens her own voice to a whisper. "Why Shahenshah, are you really feeling bad to hear bad about Maham? That's only right and you should feel bad! Please lift this curtain of anger off your true feelings. Maham was no daasi, she was your mother and your "Badi Ammi Jaan". Even today you are full of pain for Mahamanga Ji. Then why this pretence, this brittle ego. Let the little boy in you come back from under this wrap as a King. I agree she should never have cursed your babies. But then she was distraught as the mother of the dead Adham Khan. Now she is asking for you as your mother. You can't forgive a "raaj drohi" but you can forgive a mother whom you have grown up with ... at least for that sake, go to her as she breathes her last. If you don't go to her now, you have no right to cry!"
And then for good measure Jodha again tells Moti "Remove all Maham's things from here" but Jalal can hear no more. He walks out of the room. Jodha lets out a sigh of satisfaction and then cries her heart out!
My comments on this scene:
Let me take Jodha's role in this scene first. The very idea to use reverse psychology on Jalal was a brainwave that we have all discussed yesterday itself. But I was not expecting such a full-blown piece of drama-acting by Jodha when she pretended to be throwing out everything that belonged to Maham - everything precious to Maham - from her room, just because she would not live beyond two more days. That was a masterstroke. To invite Jalal to witness this "treatment deserved by an undeserving woman" was another masterstroke. Jodha derided Maham as she riffled through everything she has careful kept over years in memory of the young Jalal, and with every word of hers she nailed truths into Jalal that he increasingly found difficult to digest. Jodha managed through her charade to convey two or three critical sentences to Jalal. One was that Maham had only two more days to live. The second was that she was asking for Jalal to come to her just one more time before she died to call her "Badi Ammi Jaan". The third was that she wanted to see not the punishing powerful Shahenshah but she wanted to see the son. Jodha deliberately described Jalal's position as justified ... and here she used words like his "anger, ego and hurt" all being justified. Whether it was his ego or not, the very fact that she included this word "ego" to describe him was very important. Because even when anger and hurt dissipate fast sometimes a slender bit of ego usually holds up people from climbing down from their high moral ground. So to anticipate ego-problems and nip them in the bud, it was important for Jodha to include his "ego" also as part of his self-protection armoury. When he finally started breaking down and tearing up and silently crying Jodha knew that she had done a sterling job on him, helping release his pent up emotions and asking him to unwrap the cover of anger from over his true depth of feeling for Maham. But even then she dropped her softness and advice to him occasionally to revert to the reverse psychological tactics because she did not want him slipping out of her grasp and again hiding behind his "hurts" caused by Maham. Even right to the end Jodha kept saying "Moti, clear this room" till Jalal could hear no more and had to walk off. A 21st century psychotherapist of world standing, if he were there, would have applauded Jodha I feel!
As for Jalal, even from the moment he walked into the room his voice was choking. He said very little but his face was shrinking with every passing minute of Jodha's diatribe against Maham, and finally Jodha knew he was hit on the raw nerve when he brushed aside what she was saying about the room to ask "Does she really have only two more days left?". That did it for Jodha. She knew he was unravelling - and I must applaud Rajat for being able to slip so easily from being the angered and hurt King to the little boy who was his mother's pet! Did you all see that change in his face as that mutinous look just slipped and a vulnerable boy stood there, blinking back his tears? Sensational piece of acting. And then after Jodha derides Maham again and again it becomes too much for him to bear, for his truth has started hitting him. I love the way he says in a subdued but uncompromising voice "Not a word more about Mahamanga!"In the end in true Jalal style he walks off without giving a hint of what he has decided to do. But I think Jodha knows him well enough by now to know that he will do the right thing. I love this characterisation of Jalal as the man who always stands at the edge of the precipice of any conflict, toying with what to do, stay on or climb down. Then it takes Jodha to show him how to think through the situation and what his priorities should be. Jodha never says "Do this or do that". She merely goes over all the pros and cons for him and then lives in suspense not knowing what his final decision will be. In the end he chooses the heart over the head unfailingly, and decides to climb down the precipice. By letting him feel he has made the decision Jodha lets him have the satisfaction of owning his heart and not feeling the hurt of his ego. This is beautiful characterisation of a powerful individual to show that he has a chink in his armour ... he is vulnerable whenever he comes to stand on a precipice in any conflict and gets stymied there till Jodha helps him think for himself! I love how the Creatives show this!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 I cannot add a word here. Mansi super.
What all happened in yesterday's episode:
As Jodha goes to see Maham Ruq stops her saying you can't risk "my baby". Jodha tells Ruq the baby is not yet here and she should stay within her limits. She says Jalal has given permission. Ruq is stunned thinking how did Jalal give permission? Jodha pulls her hand away from Ruq and goes to see Maham.
Sharif is carrying his baby and walking towards the harem and Ahtmad Khan is following him everywhere. The harem ladies who hit him with shoes are afraid he may take revenge but he is sweet to them and says the mistake was his so he is sorry. The ladies and Ahtmad Khan think he has changed into a nice person but Sharif privately gives an evil look.
Jodha visits Maham in jail and sees her in very bad shape. Maham says it was awful that Jodha lied to her about Javeeda, but Jodha says only she wanted to help and give Maham a reason for living. Then Maham says "If you want to help you can. I had two sons and not even one is here in my death. I loved Jalal so much as my son that I neglected Adham and indirectly caused his death by making him a bad person. Now the only other son I have is blaming me for supporting Adham in his bad deeds. Tell your husband to come and see me just once ... not as the Shahenshah but as my son calling me BadiAmmijaan'. You Rajvanshis are supposed to keep your word. Then make Jalal come to me at least once before I die as my son."
Jodha covers Maham with a blanket and goes away feeling very sad. In the garden she sees Mansingh and Todarmal readying Maham's palki and sipahis for the Delhi trip. She feels very bad that Jalal is still so angry with Maham and wishes she could change Jalal's attitude.
In the next scene Jodha is seen making a lot of bandhi's clean out Maham's room saying "What are all these old things of Jalal she has collected? Throw away all this." Jalal comes there and watches Jodha vacating Maham's room, feeling half sad and half angry. (Jodha remembers a flashback of Jalal saying how Maham used to preserve all his childhood things so carefully). Tears are in Jalal's eyes.
Then Jodha tells him "Maham wanted to see you for the last time as her son. But why should you bother after she cursed your children. Anyway she''ll be dead in two days!" Jalal asks "Is it true she will die in just two days?" Jodha says "Yes good we can be rid of that horrible woman!" Jalal is crying silently.
Then Jodha tells Jalal "These are tears of sorrow of the son for his dying mother and not the anger of a king against his gaddaar. Please let go your anger and stop being a king and just be a son. The day she cursed you she was Adham's mom. Today she is your mom. If you don't see her now you have no right to cry." Jalal goes off without a word.
In the precap, Maham is in the garden lying on her palki. Jodha goes there to say "Jalal is still angry and I did my best to change his mind but couldn't." But Maham is looking past Jodha with a faint smile of satisfaction and saying "Jalal!"
Okay folks, its Friday and I think its going to be Cryday as well. So get out your tissues and handkerchiefs and comfort food ... and cry shamelessly!
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