Jodha Akbar 72b-75: From bad to worse - Page 3

Originally posted by: Sabdabhala

HI AUNTY

HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT DEEPAVALI!!

WELL, MY SAY NO TO CRACKERS MANTRA TO MY SON PUFFED UP IN SMOKE, LITERALLY, EVEN AFTER SHOWING SOME INITIAL PROMISE. SO YES, MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING WITH THE PAINFUL HYDRO BOMBS THAT WERE BLASTED WITH GUSTO 😡. SO MUCH SO THAT I HAD TO RETREAT TO THE CONFINES OF THE TV ROOM, WHERE I SAW THE RECORDINGS OF THE EPISODES. AND HENCE I AM ALL SET FOR THIS POST DIWALI TREAT!! 😆

HONESTLY, THESE EPISODES SORT OT TURNED ME OFF JODHA TO A LARGE EXTENT. SHE HAS CONSTANTLY BEEN SHOWN AS A BELLIGERENT AND SELF ABSORBED TEENAGER, ONE WHO HAS NO IDEA OF THE BIG BAD WORLD, AND ONE WHO LIVES COMFORTABLY IN THE COCOON OF HER OWN MAKING. SHE COMPLETELY FORGETS HER RANTS ABOUT JALAL KA SAR AND GHRINAA AND SQUARELY BLAMES HIM FOR EVERY WOE OF HERS.

75b - YOU HAD MADE A COMMENT ON THE "UNLIKE ROYALTY" BEHAVIOUR OF JODHA IN THE EARLIER EPISODES. I DID AGREE WITH YOUR TAKE, BUT NOT COMPLETELY SO. BUT WATCHING THESE EPISODES, MADE ME EMPHATICALLY AGREE WITH YOUR TAKE ON THE TOTALLY UNROYAL BEHAVIOR OF JODHA.

IN THIS SCENE, SHE CAME ACROSS SO TOTALLY SELF ENGROSSED THAT SHE PROLLY DIDNOT EVEN REGISTER THAT THE SHAHENSHAH E HIND HAD GIVEN HER AND HER BROTHERS AN APOLOGY, AND THAT TOO IN PUBLIC. HER LACK OF RESPONSE WAS STARKLY WIERD, BORDERING ON VAIN/DISGUSTING/CALLOUS.

REGARDING HER CONVICTION THAT JALAL WANTS HER TO GO BACK TO AMER, IT IS HER WAY TO SAVE FACE - SHE DEF WANTS TO GO, (ALTHOUGH I CAN NEVER IMAGINE HOW SHE CAN EVEN THINK THAT THIS STEP OF HERS WOULD BE VIABLE) AND THE STORY THAT SHE WANTS TO TELL EVERYONE IS THAT JALAL ASKED HER TO.

SHE CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BE RIDDEN BY A SPECIAL KIND OF AMNESIA/SELECTIVE LISTENING OR UNDERSTANDING. SHE CHOOSES TO INTERNALIZE WHATEVER SUITS HER AND BELIEVES THAT EVERYONE WILL BE FINE WITH IT 😆

ESCALATING MELODRAMA - SHE UNDERSTANDS THAT HER PARENTS WOULD BE DEVASTATED WITH HER GOING BACK TO AMER, BUT STILL SHE DREAMS UP A SCENARIO THAT THEY WOULD BEND BACKWARDS TO KEEP HER HAPPY, ALBEIT, A PARITYAAGITA.

JALAL WAS BRILLIANT IN HIS EXPRESSIONS IN THIS SCENE, BUT OVERALL THERE WAS TOTAL LACK OF SUBSTANCE AND LOGIC TO THE ENTIRELY WEEPY MELODRAMA ( WAS AGAIN SUITABLY REMINDED OF APNI MAAYOOS MEENA AKA MOANING MYRTLE). ABSOLUTELY NO REFERENCE TO HER COMPLETE DISGREGARD OF WIFELY, OR EVEN QUEENLY DUTIES, AND FULL ON BLAMING JALAL FOR EVERYTHING.

REALLY WONDERING WHERE SHE GOT HER EDUCATION OF A MODEL HUSBAND OR A MODEL WIFE OR, FOR THAT MATTER, AN IDEAL SASURAAL FROM 😆. HER IDEAS ON ALL THREE SEEM EXTREMELY RADICAL, I MUST SAY :) SHE SEEMS TO HAVE CERTAINLY MISSED OUT ON KEY CHAPTERS ON OBEDIENCE, RESPECT, EMPATHY...(PHEW, THIS LIST IS ENDLESS). She has been spoilt rotten in Amer, and this is the result!

SELF CONTROL - REALLY, JALALNEEDS TO BE GIVEN A MEDAL FOR EXERCISING SUPREME SELF CONTROL 😡. HER CONSTANT NEED TO BLAME HIM, BERATE HIM IS ALMOST CRIMINAL, KEEPING IN MIND THAT HER PATI IS ALSO THE SHAHENSHAH.

TO AN EXTENT, JALAL ALSO SEEMED ANGRY IN THIS SCENE, NOT BECAUSE OF JODHA'S TORRENTIAL COMPLAINTS (FOR WHICH HE HAD EVERY RIGT TO BE), BUT ALSO BECAUSE HE NEVER THOUGHT JODHA WOULD BE FOLLISH ENOUGH TO TAKE THE GO BACK TO AMER OPTION.

JALAL-JODHA 1 - PROLOGUE - REGARDING WHY JALAL DOES NOT TELL BHAGWAN DAS THAT JODHA WOULD BE RETURNING TO AMER, MY TAKE SORT OF DIFFERS FROM YOURS

FIRST OF ALL JALAL WAS NOT AT ALL AWARE THAT JODHA WOULD CHOOSE THE AMER OPTION. SECONDLY I FEEL THAT JALAL HAD NOT SENT THE PAIGAAM TO AMER EARLIER, AS HE HAD MENTIONED. AFTER GETTING THE SHOCK THAT SHE ACTUALLY WANTS TO LEAVE, HE WAS WANTING TO DRILL SOME SENSE INTO JODHA. FURTHER, ALL THIS SECRECY REGARDING THE MATTER WAS PROBABLY TO NULLIFY HER EMBARRASSMENT, WHEN SHE SEES SENSE AND CHOOSES THE OTHER OPTION AND STAYS ON. LIKE YOU SAY, HE HAS CERTAINLY COME A LONG WAY FROM ENJOYING HER TORMENT. IN THIS CONTEXT, I ALSO FEEL, THAT HIS PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR THE MISCARRIAGE FIASCO WAS MORE FOR JODHA THAN HER BROTHERS

No, Lavanya, the public apology was more for the Amer princes than for Jodha. She is added on only so that it does not look odd, for Jalal has already apologised to her the night before. The public apology is a political act meant for the Amer princes, not for his brothers-in-law.

Secondly, while he hopes that she will choose to stay on, how on earth especially after the dature ka ark affair and the way Jalal tormented Jodha, and Jodha alone, during that track, can he be sure she will stay on? Of course he is not sure of it at all, and it is also proved during the DEK scene when Mainavati makes their stand clear, that Jalal does not know about Rajput customs regarding a parityakta daughter. so he would have been assuming that she would be taken back and looked after.

BUT, ALAS, THAT WAS NOT TO BE. INSTEAD OF JODHA SEEING SENSE, IT WAS JALAL WHO WAS SUBJECTED TO THE TORCHER OF A WEEPY BHAASHAN, ENTAILING WHY JODHA COULD NOT BE HAPPY IN AGRA

IMO, JALAL WOULD HAVE AENT A PAIGAAM TO AMER AFTER THE BHAASHAN, AND AFTER HER BROTHERS LEFT. REASON - HE KNOWS BHAARMAL MIGHT BE ABSENT, OR AT LEAST, OCCUPIED WITH OTHER PRESSING MATTERS. THIS WOULD GIVE HIM SOME MORE TIME FOR RENEWED EFFORT AT RECONCILIATION

SWORD PRACTICE - YOU HAVE CAPTURED THE EMOTIONS PERFECTLY. NOTHING TO ADD, EXCEPT THAT JALAL WAS JUST TOO GOOD :)

MEENA BAZAAR - THE MOST SHOCKING PART OF MEENA BAZAAR FOR ME WAS WHEN JALAL BOUGHT THREE DUPATTAS FROM RUKKAIAH, FOR THIS 3 KHAAS BEGUMS??? SALIMA'S ENTRY INTO THE ROLL OF HONOR, I CAN STILL UNDERSTAND. BUT JODHA??? AND KHAAS??? Yes, my dear, I forgot to add that in my Questions of the day, but it was very odd. I suppose he wanted to include her as she was leaving, but there was no need to say that he had 3 khaas begums. The funny thing is that Ruqaiya does not ask him who they were!

SALIMA JALAL SCENE AT MEENA BAZAAR, WAS, AGAIN, QUITE NICE AND WELL BROUGHT OUT. RAJAT'S EXPRESSIONS WERE GENTLE, APPRECIATIVE AND SUPERB, AND EVEN SALIMA WAS GREAT. THE SCENE SHOWED THAT A SORT OF CAMARADERIE AND MUTUAL RESPECT WAS BLOOMING AMONG THESE TWO. TILL NOW JALAL HAD ONLY HEARD HIS KHAN BABA PRAISING HER. NOW HE IS GRADUALLY GETTING TO KNOW THAT THE PRAISES WERE WORTH IT

I AGREE WITH YOU THAT JODHA'S BEHAVIOR WAS CRASS AND LOWLY AND TOTALLY UNBECOMING OF ROYALTY, EVEN OF A SMALL STATE LIKE AMER. SHE CONSTANTLY INSULTS JALAL AND ACTS AS THOUGH SHE HAS DONE HIM A HUGE FAVOUR BY BECOMING A PART OF THE BAZAAR. HER COMMENT TO HER DAASI - SUNO, INKO JITNA RANG CHAHIYE, DE DO - WAS SPECIALLY CAUSTIC. I MEAN REALLY??

POETIC JUSTICE - WELL SAID. THE DUPATTA, AND ALSO JALAL'S COMMENT THAT MIGT RAVE AND RANT ABOUT IT, BUT SHE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE MAHATTVA OF RANG :)

THE WHOLE MAHAM HOLI DEBACLE WAS QUITE OTT, IN MY OPINION. (JALAL IS HIS BLUE JAMA WAS, OF COURSE YUMMYLICIOUS :))

AS YOU HAVE MENTIONED IN EARLIER POSTS, JODHA'S ANGST IS ONLY RESERVED FOR HER PATI DEV. IN THIS MAHAM DEBACLE, SHE HAD A FAIR CHANCE OF PROVING HERSELF TO BE INNOCENT, SHE KNEW IT WAS AN ACCIDENT AND COULD HAVE HAPPENED WITH ANYBODY. BUT SHE ACCEPTS HER ERROR AND ALSO CALLS IT A BIG GUNAAH. SHE IS ACTUALLY BADLY SCARED :)

IF IT HAD BEEN JALAL IN MAHAM'S PLACE, I AM SURE HE WOULD HAVE GOT AN EARFUL OF HOW HE SHOULD HAVE STEERED CLEAR WHEN HE KNEW THAT HOLI WAS ON IN FULL SWING ETC ETC I am sure this is exactly what she would have done!

MY TAKE ON THESE EPISODES IS THAT INITIALLY JALAL WAS SURE THAT JODHA WILL STAY. SHE DEF CANNOT TAKE THE GOING AWAY OPTION. WHEN HE GOT TO KNOW THAT SHE WAS ACTUALLY PLANNING TO TAKE THAT STEP, HE WAS SHOCKED. HE TRIED HIS BEST TO, AS YOU SAY, NUDGE HER TOWARDS THE CORRECT OPTION, BUT JODHA IS TOO FAR GONE IN BEING SELF ABSORBED, REBELLIOUS AND CRASS. HENCE THE INTERACTIONS DURING MEENA BAZAAR AND SWORD FIGHT, WE SEE JALAL'S FACE EXPRESSING A KIND OF SADNESS FOR HE THINKS HE IS ABOUT TO LOSE HER DESPITE HIS HUGE EFFORTS.

FINALLY, THE MAHAM COLOURING DEBACLE, IS THE LAST STRAW FOR JALAL. HE GIVES UP HIS EFFORTS COMPLETELY AND VENEMOUSLY SPITS OUT - AMER JAANE SE BATTAR AUR DARDNAAK SAZAA KYA HOGI!!!!

THANKS AUNTY, AND TAKE CARE

LOOK FWD TO YOUR NEXT Coming up tomorrow.

Originally posted by: karkuzhali

Dear Shyamala,

Thank you very much for your quick response to my post.

My reply to your rejoinder in green.

Saraswathi.

Dear Shyamala,

A very elaborate and beautiful analysis.

Thank you for the PM and I have given my comments in red.

Saraswathi.

Edited by sashashyam - 9 years ago

Originally posted by: alffim

Dear Shyamala Di!

I have no way to do a large translation now, but I would like to express my admiration and gratitude for your wonderful analysis already today!!! Hopefully this weekend I'll can. Once again my great admiration!!! 👏 👏👏

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

Edited by sashashyam - 9 years ago

Originally posted by: harshu27

Hello aunty hope u njoyed ur Diwali... 😃 u have given fantastic analysis of d epis as usual it was interesting to read...and also all d comments r so superb that it makes me nervous while commenting on ur thread... 😛 😕 but anyways aunty I have nothing to add as u were awsum as always... 😃 will b waiting for ur next analysis...take care aunty... 😛

Originally posted by: Donjas

Another great analysis. I really enjoyed reading it. In fact I read through it twice.

My views-

1 The first JA scene reminded me of a pair of gun fighters circling one another, each trying to make the other blink, so that he makes a mistake and they are able to get in the decisive shot.

You know, this reminds me of one of the films of your favourite Clint Eastwood ( I am going by the photo), where there is often a Mexican stand-off. It is a very powerful image.

But here, Jodha did not remind me of a fighter, which she usually is, spitting fire and biting sarcasm. Here she is too miserable, for whatever reason, and too worn out, and whatever force there is in her words is drowned out by the lachrymose tone.I did not feel that she was needling him and trying to provoke a reaction, merely that she was voicing what she felt, and railing against him, for she sees him as the sole cause of the abject misery that possesses her then.

As for him, I cannot judge as, firstly, we do not learn what the khushkhabri is - though I did not feel that he was being sarcastic in any way when he says that - and then again, he says hardly anything except for the closing line.

What is interesting is that you feel he is sure she wants to go back to Amer, but others here, like Lavanya, feel the opposite. That is the charm of an interesting premise, that there can be diametrically opposite points of view about it.

As for me, I share your viewpoint on this; I feel, as I wrote to Saraswathi, that he believes she would want to get out of this marriage that is hateful to her, especially after the way he behaved with her during the dature ke ark affair - though he hopes, in some corner of his heart, that she will stay back. Then again, as was clear from the scene with Mainavati, he does not anticipate that her mother will refuse to take her back as a parityakta. This last, as I will be discussing in my next, comes as a shock to Jalal.

In this scene both Jalal and Jodha are needling each other to provoke a response. Jalal starts the facedown with his khushkhabri, I agree with Jodha's presumption here that this had something to do with her return. The objective of Jalal is obvious, he is convinced she wants to return but he can also see that she is unhappy, so he probes for a chink in her armour.

Granting this, what do you think Jodha's objective could be in launching on this tirade? To make him feel guilty? But most of what she says is so OTT, and at times so far from the , that even she could not have believed it, not to speak of Jalal!

Then Jodha lets loose with a torrent of complaints, this time to provoke Jalal. It nearly succeeds. And finally Jalal with his parting shot of 'do din ke mehman' devastates her.

But of course, your scenario fits the facts too. The only difference is in my scenario both the parties are trying to provoke the other, not just Jodha.

2 I think your logic of Jalal waiting for Bharmal's response before deciding on a course of action is totally correct.

3 I liked your 'translations' of the coded language of the Lep scene. I could almost feel their brain thinking, the way you described it.

4 Your analysis of the Meena Bazaar scene was superb. Jodha at her worst behavior trying to provoke a reaction from Jalal. Of course her conduct was unbecoming of a queen, especially in public. The only reason I can think of is that she does not care anymore.

We seem to be of one mind regarding points 2-4, so I shall merely thank you for your very kind words!

5 I think Jodha's fears about the Holi fiasco were justified. Riots have broken out over much smaller issues. Yes, this is true, sad to say.

Jodha is astute enough to know how much Jalal has bent to accommodate her religious beliefs. She knows he is forever fighting fanatics who question him over it. Jodha knows that Jalal will do whatever he can to stand by the promises of religion he made to her, but maybe that won't be enough to stave off extreme reactions from bigots and what if this error of hers is made out by the fanatics as a deliberate attempt by a Hindu queen to insult the religious sensibilities of the Mughals.

Now this is something about which I am not so sure. There was nothing in the script to show that she realises this, apart from the one line spoken by the Green Jodha, which shows a certain level of subterranean understanding of what I have highlighted above. But on the surface, Jodha takes all that Jalal has conceded to her, and upheld, for granted, and rails endlessly about what he has done to her and what he has, allegedly, deprived her of. That is why I was so happy when, after fishing her out of the forest pool, he held a mirror up to her and showed her what she was. In a way, this lack of acknowledgement by her was similar to her lack of reaction to,and subsequent disregard of, all that Jalal suffered as a child.

It is instructive to note that even when Akbar became all powerful, there was a section of mullahs who very unhappy with his liberal beliefs, they declared him a 'kafir' and declared holy war against him.

Of course, and I agree completely with your last para. Not just that, I read somewhere that most of the rebellions during the latter half of Akbar's reign were by disgruntled Muslims angry with his liberality towards his Hindu subjects.

Originally posted by: sashashyam

My dear Donjas,

Your comments are not only crisp and telling, they are also invariably comprehensive. It is the same here. Thank you so much for liking this one, and even more for letting me know why you liked it.

My supplementary comments are in blue.

Shyamala

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Sandhya my pet,

I am sorry you had such a damp Deepavali. It seems to be continuing, the rainy weather, and I only hope there are no cyclones ahead, hitting the eastern coast. Another thought: how nice it would be if you could ship some of the rain Pune-way! We are now under water-rationing, with the storage levels in the dams supplying the city being only 40%, and things are surely going to get worse before they get better.

We would love to ship the waters anywhere now to whoever wants them if it were possible. The only positive outcome of Mr.Varundev's excessive sudden love for Chennai is the alleviation of the prevalent routine water-rationing here.

My supplementary comments are in blue.

Shyamala Aunty

Edited by Sandhya.A - 9 years ago