And so the story continues:
With....Plans for Lodhi!!!!
First and foremost, Kaju sees this as a perfect excuse to invite her sasural vaale! So, what does she do? Call Saasu Ma of course! Surveen's performance was brilliant! She was so desperate to make sure that her Devu would be coming as well, that she was doing everything she could to make sure the invitation was extended to him. "Aap...sab...aa rahe hai na?....Aur...D-De....Mera matlab hai....SAB aa rahe hai na?" And Mom was enjoying her struggle! Both were just wonderful! I think they too have a great relationship/chemistry! And when Mom finally says "Hum sab aayenge - main Dev ko bhi kahungi", Kaaju feels like she's been caught red handed! "Nahi aunty...mera matlab vo nahin tha..."!! Oh it was just too cute! The two understand each other so well! :)
And so, Mom keeps her promise to her bahu....and the next morning, tells her chand ka tukda to make sure he comes home early from work. Initially, Dev says he's got some important work to tend to, but then, when he hears that his Kaju barfi has invited him, his whole attitude changes...his expression...his face lights up with delight, but, he stays cool, and simply says "main...koshish karunga..." - giving Chachi the perfect chance to chime in and pull his legs..."Agar tum, nahi aa sakte to koi baat nahi, rehne do..." to which Devu quickly replies "nahi - hum...chalenge na!" in fear of losing the opportunity of a lifetime!
Soon after, our love birds are faced with another problem....Lodhi ke function mein pehnenge kya?!?! This scene was just TOO cute! When Kaju was trying to figure out what to wear and Hottie teases her about how she only wants Dev Sir to see her and only her tonight....the way Kaju sharmofies!!! It was brilliant!!!!! Aur us taraf, uska Raj Kumar yehi soch raha hai! Pehle to vo as usual, suit chada deta hai, lekin phir, vo sochta hai, ke nahin - ye nahi chalega - this event is a bit more special....(and the way Apu says "nanananana"....I JUST LOVE IT!!!!! I must have watched that scene a million times! He's just too cute!)...very special infact - kyounki Kaju ne pehli baar usse invite kiya hai! And he wanted to look good for her! So, Ms. Kaju chooses a Red outfit to match the flowers her Dev Sir had given her, and Dev Sir chooses a light blue sherwani, to match his mommy's sari! 😆
I must say they were both looking VERY NICE!! Surveen was looking very beautiful in the red, almost backless dress - actually, I think something about her here made her look a bit more mature....and Dev....Well, we all know that Apu is dashing, but that light blue sherwani was like icing on the cake! He was SO handsome! 😳😳😳
At the function, Kaju was so restless, longing, pinning to see her rajkumar...and finally, he graced them with his presence! Immediately upon seeing him, it was clear that her insides were going crazy! She was so frazzled....the mere sight of him took her breath away! And the way Kaju stole looks at him while pretending trying to pick up the sweets that had been knocked over! If you didn't notice, she was SO restless here! Unable to take her eyes off of him. And at first, he was completely unaware, completely immersed in completing the formalities with her dad....but then, as if he felt her gaze on him, he turned towards her, but the 1st time, didn't see her....so he continued with the conversation, until again, she glanced in his direction, and this time, he turned again, and there she was...but, careful not to let him see that she was looking at him, she again immersed herself in picking up the sweets, while he watched her, silently...intensly!
For the next scene, I have to Thank Hottie! When she left them alone...the initial uncomfortable silence between them was nerve wracking! Neither one of them knew how to start the conversation - what to say! There was so much tension in the initial ten seconds, but then, our beautiful Sherni turns to the love of her life, and says, very hesitantly, "vaise...uh...kafi...a-ache lag rahe hai aap..." That was brilliant! Kudos to Kaju for breaking the ice! Aur Devu ka reaction? "uh...aap bhi...teek tak lag rahi hai..." As if he hadn't complimented a girl in YEARS (which, he probably hadn't)...and the look of surprise on Kaju's face told him that he screwed up...and instantly, he tried to correct himself..."nahi, m-mera matlab hai aap...achi lagrahi hai..." - and then, as if he's trying to get of grip of himself and his emotions, he turns away, gathers an ounce of courage, and finally says..."actually, aap...kafi achi lag rahi hai." Hehe! Wow! What progress over the course of 30-45 seconds!!! hehe!
And then the first hand contact of the evening! (but before this, must mention, was very sweet of Rati Mom to look upon her son and daughter-in-law-to-be and pray for her son's happiness...) Ok, so, the first hand contact of the evening...again, Hottie is a boon from the skies! She holds the til plate infront of the two and they both reach for it at the same time! And what happens? Kaju looks at Dev sir, then sharmofies and looks away, and he, reaches for the til, at the same time that she hesitantly reaches for it as well! Aur parinaam? - An explosive physio-chemical reaction occurs between a Kaju molecule and a Dev molecule...and immediately after that, the "pehle aap" sequence! They were both so cute here...Kaju says "Sir, pehle aap" and he replies, "Nahi, pehle aap" and she says, "uh, sir, vo aap..." and then, Dev Sir for just a few seconds, goes back to his usual self - and talks to her as if they're in the office and he's ordering her to do something! It was Marvelous to see this come out in him! He says, in a very purana (pre-I Love Kaju Mode) Dev-esque fashion: "Maine kaha na, pehle aap!"...and then, as if realizing how harsh he sounded, sweetly, in the new Dev mode again, adds, "...please..."....hehe! It was BRILLIANT! So, Kaju takes the til, throws it into the fire, and asks for nothing more than the smile on her Dev Sirs face, to remain there FOREVER! (SO CUTE and SWEET!)
And then come the Children! Thank you Gannu Bhaiya for the Children!!! If Gannu Bhaiya hadn't sent the children, Kaju would never have lost her balance, and Dev wouldn't have had the "pleasure" of catching her! It was so cute how Kaju was irritated at the children for pestering her Dev Sir for Lodhi money!...aur iske peeche jo raaz chupa tha, vo ye tha, ke in reality, she was irritated that they interrupted her tete-a-tete with him...but our Devu, calmly says "ek minute, ek minute, ye rahi aapki lodhi...aapas mein baatna sab, alright?"...must say, it was VERY cute to see him interact with the children! :) And the children become so overjoyed, they run right through DK, knocking Kaju off balance. Must commend Dev for his reflexes here! He was so quick to throw his arm around her and catch her! And then, they lock eyes again...their face a few inches apart...and the world seizes to turn for a few seconds...to let them have their moment. And then, Kaju, regaining the concept of time and place first, straightens herself into a standing position, and quietly, shyly, says "thanks, sir"...and our Devu, completely taking advantage of the moment, says "MY PLEASURE!" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was ready to jump out of my seat!!!! And, the look he gave her after seeing her shocked expression!! As if he were saying "yes, u heard me correctly, I said, MY PLEASURE!" Oh it was TOO good!!!! APU YOU ARE BRILLIANT!!!! What a huge leap Dev just made! The purana Dev would NEVER had had the nerve to say that! He was actually beginning to expreince to "pleasure" of love - the pleasure, of the ehsaas that was deep inside him...the one that he was trying so hard, to ignore! Aur hamari sherni ye soonte inti sharma jaati hai, that she runs away...and Dev, ever so happy with himself, pops the prasad into his mouth with the CUTEST expression on his face!!! 😳
And then comes the dancing! Bua ji is just tooo funny! I LOVE HER! She sees Dev standing there by himself, smiling and clapping along to the music, and she goes up to him and says "oye, toote dhol, bhai lodhi hai, zara haath pair hila!" 😆 I love this woman!
Aur phir, Kaju sees her Dev sir repeatedly refusing to dance, and decides to take the matter into her own hands! She goes up to him, and hesitantly says "sir...aap...aayiye na." To which he calmly replies "Kaajjal, mujhe, naachna nahi aata!"....And she giggles at him!! It was soo cute! And then, she offers some help..."Sir...aap, chahe to...mein aapko sikha deti houn."...He hesitates for a second, and asks "sure?" to which she eagerly replies "ji sir" aur Dev, ahsaani se maan bhi jaata hai! Jo kaam bua nahi kar payi, vo kaam Kaju ne do second mein kar dikhaya! Aur Devu? Vo apni sherni se "na" kaise keh sakta tha? So off they went, to dance! It was so refreshing here to see Devu having such a good time! And then, the explosion!
Dev suddenly stops dancing, stares in the direction of his Kaju barfi, and says to himself "BAS, IS EHSAAS KO MEIN AB AUR NAHIN DABA SAKTA...YE SACH HAI, MUJHE TUMSE PYAAR HO GAYA HAI...I LOVE YOU"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU GANNU BHAIYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!! Dev admitted his love to himself!!! And so, our hesitant, "must stay away" Dev finally realized, that he just couldn't stay away! And with that, we have, the cute, sweet, now very vulnerable, light on his feet, happy-go-lucky, boodhu, rusty in his line marofying ways, DEV PRATAP SINGH! And what a pleasure it was to see him this way! :)
**As a side note, must also Thank Gannu Bhaiya from deep within my heart for making sure that Dhruv didn't make it to the Lodhi Function...Gannu Bhaiya, we are all indebted to you for that!**
Will continue with this, in Part 3! :) (Yes, I'm sorry to say, there has to be a part three! Its getting late, I can't finish this tonight! 😕)
Again, thanks for reading...hope it was worth your time! :)
Dev Ki Deewani,
~Payal
Cricket
