I'm at a loss for words right now. And since I'm very rarely rendered speechless, you can very well guess that something very momentous happened today. So profound and significant was it that I'm still reeling from the impact.
Because today I saw the dark side of love. And it's associated facets; the depths of despair, the utter vulnerability, the heartbreaking pain, the bitter notion of betrayal, the destruction of the most precious thing called hope and a steely resolution to bear it all and to rise again to avenge oneself.
The episode started with Kripa slumped on the floor in a pool of bright light, crying for her loss and looking at pictures of Angad and then suddenly, in a flurry of movement, setting alight the picture she was holding. And as the snapshot burned, her memories of happy times with Angad flashed across the screen, superimposed over the burning picture, symbolically being burned too.
Prithvi comes in and on seeing Kripa sitting lost in her own reverie, surrounded by a burning mess, goes running to drag her away and finally Kripa snaps out of her trancelike state and tells Prithvi, and I'm going to quote the exact dialogue, since I seem to have permanently memorized a lot of today's lines:
"Sub kuch phir say khatam ho gaya. Angad nay mujhey phir say dhoka day diya."
But today, I can't even bring myself to be mad. Because yesterday when I was finished ranting and raving after watching the episode, I had a bit of a think and realized something; that in life sometimes, our circumstances cause us to do things that we would never have thought possible, sometimes hurt the very people for whom we would gladly give our lives, come to conclusions that would normally seem preposterous, because we are only human and thus possess all the human faults and follies too. It doesn't mean that we are bad human beings; it simply means that we are, after all, only human.
Anyhow. Kripa wants to meet Angad one last time to ask him why he did this to her. Cut to Kripa walking towards a holding cell, where Angad was shown with his back towards the camera, lounging against the bars, with his legs crossed and arms folded. His stance making it clear for anybody watching that he was ready to take on anything and anyone.
Then came the first A-K confrontation of the episode. It was a very nicely done scene and the dark ambience of the jail suited the scene perfectly. Angad tells Kripa that it was indeed a pity that she didn't trust him, to which Kripa counters that he remained quite when she wanted her questions answered. Angad makes a last ditch effort to convince her that it was all a plan of Simone's to avenge herself but alas, it was not to be. Kripa remains unmoved and as a parting shot, takes out a box of Sindoor and flings it across Angad's face, telling him to either think of it as a present or a slap. And saying so, turns around and walks away, while Angad looks on silently.
Was it just me, or did anyone else have the feeling of things having come around full circle. It all started with the Sindoor, and it's only fitting that it also play a part in the end.
The screen fades and we too are left with our reveries while the title track of kyph plays in the background while the credits are flashing past on the screen. And the only thing I could think of was what had happened to these two? Where had the vibrant, larger than life Angad gone, where was the Kripa we knew, the girl who had her dreams displayed proudly for all to see. Why had our two lovers been replaced with these grim strangers?
Is falling in love with someone and wanting to spend the rest of your lives with them such a big crime that a person must suffer for it again and again and again???
The second set started with Kripa stalking out of the police station to be met and comforted by Prithvi. And while wicked Prithvi is busy giving her false reassurances, Shabbir comes hurrying up and says that he overheard Kripa's conversation with Angad and felt that it was his duty to inform her of the truth. But Kripa is by this point completely blinded by her pain and rage, she flails at Shabbir that she wasn't mistaken in understanding Angad, in fact, only she ever really knew him and that for guys like him, girls were just a passing fancy, like the changing seasons, one today, another tomorrow. Congratulations, Kripa. You have just managed to deliver a stinging blow in the face of true, devoted love. I just feel sorry for her because she's going to find out the error of her ways one day and when she does, her pain and self-contempt will be retribution enough for her.
She continues with her anti-Angad spiel and says that it's a good thing that she had her dreams shattered now before she was married to him because otherwise, and I quote again, "Shaadi kay baad meray naseeb may sirf dard hota." Words that may come back to haunt you, Kripa! I pray that you don't get married to Prithvi because otherwise these words are going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Shabbir tried to talk some sense into her but she refused to budge and reiterated her desire for Shabbir to drop the case, but Shabbir once again proving that he was a 100% loyal and dependable guy, told her that if she wanted to go, she could, but that he was going to stick by Angad's side and continue to fight for justice on his behalf.
Prithvi, standing in the background, senses the threat to the execution of his well laid out plan by Shabbir's meddling and goes in for the kill. Oops. Bad pun. Sorry.
He once again slips into his sham helpful faade and invites Shabbir for drinks at some lounge. Cut to the lounge and Shabbir appraising Prithvi of Simone's scheme, while Prithvi pretended to be deeply stunned by the disclosure. Shabbir sips his drink and suddenly becomes hazy and unfocused and at that time, we see Simone coming to stand besides Prithvi, inquiring as to whether the work was done. And the last thing that Shabbir saw before blacking out was Simone's hazy silhouette.
Phew! Let me just express my relief at the fact that Shabbir's drink was simply spiked with some drug to take him out for a couple of hours. I was very much afraid that Shabbir might go josh's way too, for meddling in Prithvi's affairs.
The last set, indeed the most momentous set, of the episode opened in the courthouse, with Angad standing in the defendant's box, totally at a loss while the judge inquired from him about Shabbir's whereabouts. Seeing his obvious lack of knowledge about his lawyer's situation, the judge observed that this, twice now, absence of the defendant's counsel left him with no choice but to assume that Angad was in fact guilty of Josh's murder and he read out Angad's sentence, 14 years in jail - life imprisonment.
The camera pans the shocked faces of the crowd present for the hearing, but the two people who's reaction truly stood out were Aaliyah and Prithvi. Aaliyah's desperately shaken and traumatized expression and Prithvi's evil smirk were stellar pieces of acting.
And all this while Angad just stood there, silent, his face completely shuttered, giving nothing away.
Angad is shown being led to the police jeep when Shabbir, with his bouncing locks fairly gleaming. Lol, draws up alongside and tries to explain his absence to Angad. But Angad merely brushes away his explanations and coldly informs him that he was just sentenced to 14 years, moreover, a sentence he was willing to fulfill.
But as Shabbir watches Angad being led away, he silently promises himself that he wouldn't just stand by and watch Angad rot in jail, thus endearing himself to me even more.
Shabbir is shown busily pondering the puzzle as to why did he pass out the previous night. And then his memory stirs and an image of Simone standing next to Prithvi and asking his if the job was done flashes across his mind. There's no stopping him then and he shows up at Simone's doorstep at 2:00 am at night. At first he tries a threatening manner with her, but then switches to a softly persuasive approach, trying to appeal to her better side, and strikes gold. Because Simone gives him the proof that he needs to get Angad's sentence overturned by proving in court that he was innocent. Simone, though, doesn't disclose Prithvi's name but simply shows him an mms clip on her cell phone that shows a faceless assailant fleeing the crime scene and Angad arriving moments later.
Once again, the setting shifts to the courtroom and Angad is led in wearing his prison garb, (Sniff! Soooo sad to watch.) The hearing starts and after considering the evidence, the judge passes the verdict that though this absolved Angad of the murder charge, however his presence at the crime scene still implicated him and that he would still have to do time, three years to be exact, because he was being charged as an accomplice of the murderer.
Thus, the seal was set on Angad's destiny today.
The last scene of the episode was…well it just was. I can't even find words to describe it. But I'll try, nevertheless. It was the final stamp on the A-K breakup, it was heartbreaking to watch, and it was the preview of Zeb's character. The air of finality that hung over this scene was so dense that I could have cut it with a knife.
And I might as well admit, I shed a few tears over it too. What can I say; I'm just a sentimental fool who gets choked up over everything.
A dark cell is shown. An overhead light is swinging around, trying to dispel the gloom, but not doing a very good job of chasing away the shadows. Then the camera swivels and we see a figure lying on the ground, lying with his head supported on his folded arms, staring fixedly at the ceiling. I'm too depressed right now and it is taking a very conscious effort on my part to continue writing. Our Angad cannot be reduced to this; some common felon languishing in a dark, dank cell. Sniff!
Cut to a girl walking towards the cell. The camera moves up slowly and we see that it's Kripa. She halts at the bars of Angad's cell and after looking at him intently, while Angad also ignores her fixedly, she says, "Yeh tumhari nayi zindagi ki shuruwat hai!" and for once in these past few days, I completely agree with her.
She launches into a long-winded spiel of Angad's many supposed shortcomings and the importance of trust in love. Snort! But Angad had finally had enough. He sprang to his feet with a roar and told Kripa, "Tum apni hadd par kar rahi ho!!!"
He let loose at her about her standing there so sanctimoniously delivering a lecture on love and trust, while she herself did not even know the meaning of the words. He finally gave free reign to his pent up rage and scathingly told her that she was supposed to have stood by him and have had faith in him, yet there she was, considering him to be Josh's murderer. And in the most heart wrenching moment of the episode, telling her that he was in there not because he killed Josh but because he fell in love with her and that he felt sorry for himself. But in a display of his steely resolve, he said that he wouldn't feel sorry for himself but rather spend his time in jail in a manner that would facilitate him in avenging himself for the wrongs committed against him and Kripa's betrayal when he was finally released. And in a haunting echo of a past time, he snaps at her, "OUT!!! Mai tumhari shakal nahin dekhna chata!!!"
To which Kripa churlishly replied that she would gladly leave, since this place was for people like him and not for "sharif" people like her.
And as she turns around and walks out of Angad's life once again, a voice started talking in the background. Pondering on the fact that historically all the great love stories that we are so familiar with, have had tragic conclusions and contemplating as to what would happen to the Angad-Kripa love story. And after a lot of words I didn't understand, concluding with, we don't even know if this is the ending of their love story or a new beginning.
Omg! I really have gone crazy. I'm getting all choked up even writing this. But at this point, I would just like to say one thing alone, real love stories never have endings.
Preview: Dubai!!! Shot's of Dubai's night skyline are followed with Kripa walking into a jewelry store and trying on a necklace, and being told by a visibly awestruck salesman that it was perfect for a bride. And while Kripa hurries to correct him (about not being a bride I'm hoping!!!) Mishty's drawl cuts across her refutation and she goes that actually she's the bride!!!!!!!!!
And once again, Angad and Kripa become a victim of circumstances; victims of mixed signals, things left unsaid, insecurities about the enduring power of their love, friends who would have put Brutus to shame and a world pitted against their love, right from the start. It's little wonder then that things came to the head that we are now seeing.
But this is not the end of the Angad-Kripa love story. We don't stop loving someone; we simply learn to live without them. And Angad and Kripa will never stop loving each other. They may resent each other, hate each other's guts, feel wronged by the other, but at the end of the day, it's only ever the two of them facing off. People can mess up their lives; temporarily separate them but they can never take them away from each other.
Kripa, in her great grief over Angad's supposed betrayal of her love and trust, committed a great mistake but Zeb is going to torment her for it, and somewhere in the process, the still glowing embers of their love will once again burst into a raging flame, once again consuming these two and drawing them towards each other all over again.
But in the meantime however, we will get to see the rise to power again by Angad. And his settling of scores with the people who turned his life into a living hell and threw his love and trust back in his face. Angad's destiny was sealed today and the maelstrom of emotions that are burning inside Angad right now would set the world aflame if they could take on a physical form.
Angad is burning in a hellfire created for him by his nearest and dearest, but out of this fire, Zeb will come forth. Just like a phoenix is born again from it's own ashes, so will Zeb arise from the ruins of Angad's lost faith and love and a desire for retribution.
And I am reminded of just one quote while looking at Angad's state:
Take this sorrow to thy heart, and make it a part of thee, and it shall nourish thee, till thou art strong again.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Angad's heartbreak, disillusionment and sense of betrayal will sustain him and give him the strength and singularity of purpose to carry out his vendetta against the people who in his eyes wronged him. At the lowest time in his life, paradoxically, his pain is what is going to nurture him and compel him to carry on.
Tomorrow is going to herald a new day, a new place and a new start for Angad in the form of Zeb and for A-K's relationship. So hang on tight for the ride that kyph promises to take us for in the next few days!!!
Take care everyone!
Loads of love,
Amal
P.s. Sorry for the excessively long post but I'm just too overwhelmed right now!!!
Don't worry though, have mids coming up, so won't be bugging you all that often for the next couple of weeks. Cheers!
Shiv Shakti
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