Posted:
I have been traveling this week and just caught up on the week's episodes. I could only laugh all through but then wait, what just happened towards the end!!!
Mama has a heart-to-heart with Dev. Tells him he has a right to be happy, a right to love. Then proceeds to share about his own love story that was nipped in the bud by his family (and Ishwari's). He didn't have the courage to stand up for his love and history repeats.
This reminded me of a comment RR made sometime back about her Mother-in-law - about how tight fisted she was and how she couldn't do anything against her MIL's wishes. To which Ishwari's reaction was, 'aap meri ma ke bare mein baat kar rahein hai'...
So basically, the entire back story about Ishwari losing her husband and being left all alone to fend for 4 kids, the hard life, the struggle etc was just that - a back story. Even without this back story, Ishwari would have been a possessive mother taking decisions for her Son. And here I thought that the loss of her husband made her project her identity on to her Son because that's what women do - project their identities on to the roles they play - daughters, wives, mothers etc. and she is fighting to save her identity and the fight has gotten ugly.
Moving one step further. Bulls eye from Friday's episode.
Ishwari comes to Dev and in sugar coated words tells him 'she is disappointed in him'
'You always think about your family & I always think about you. In fact, you have always taken care of your family since you were 11years old (I thought since he was 8 years old but whatever). I have been so hard on you. Put the entire family's responsibility on your shoulders. But then I trusted that if anyone could take us out of our situation, it was only you. That's why I gave you the opportunities that my other kids deserved (unke hisse ke mauke). Its like you pour more oil in the diya that burns brightest. That's why even a tiny mistake feels big. Like a speck of dirt on a clean white sheet stands out.
I shouldn't have done this. I shouldn't have put so much responsibility on you." and walks off.
All this after telling Dev clearly that he should not call Sonakshi. Whatever happens, good or bad, her family will take care. You just stay away.
Masterstroke. So here's a mother telling her Son - I invested in you. I gave you all opportunities including those your siblings deserved. You made a mistake by falling in love & now by not being able to keep away. I trusted you but I shouldn't have!
Emotional manipulation at its best. Make your child feel how much you love him, how much you gave, how much you sacrificed and how he let you down.
After years of such sweet underhanded blackmail, all that came out of that backstory is an emotionally ruined Dev who is schizophrenic - carrying the heavy burden of Mother's love & expectations and unable to handle the first relationship he tried to form.
But even without the hard years, this mother would have been equally possessive of her Son - It's heredity!
This mother clearly knows her Son was the one to break off.
Ishwari to RR - 'Dev is just feeling guilty that because of him, someone is hurt'.
She is aware that her Son is hurting.
Ishwari to Baba - 'Dev is strong. He has handled much pain and come out of it. He will handle this too'.
She just cannot tolerate dirt splashed on herself. That's why all she stresses about is 'I didn't ask him to get in the relationship nor did I ask him to get out of it. No matter what anyone says, I didn't cause this break-up. It's not because of me'. Would she spare a thought to what exactly was the reason then - No need, as long as the result is in her favor.
Makers - What was the need for the backstory then? Probably to romanticize the Mother's sacrifice angle similar to all Amitabh Bachchan early movies - helpless widowed mother, sewing clothes, washing dishes and getting insulted. and lo & behold, rise of the angry young man!
But that's where the similarities end. This mother manipulated her way into her Son's adulthood and continues to softly pull the strings the moment he strays an inch.
All that mama needs to do is tell his sister, 'I told Dev that you don't approve of Sonakshi & so he broke up with her'. She will deftly turn that to her favor too but there's a need for some dirt to be splashed on her clean white cloth... from within the family.
Dev itna bechara nahi hai but he has learnt the art of being strong/manipulative in practical matters and playing 'bichara' in relationships and letting others take action from a pro - His Mother!... Heredity repeating itself!
This mother doesn't want her Son's focus to waver from her well-being.
Learnt by example, Dev feels an unwavering focus is how love is!
But my question is to the makers - Every other character in the show is expressing what these 2 characters (Dev & Ishwari) are doing wrong. Now Ritwick is expressing what Sona is doing wrong (running away from reality at full speed) so is this all leading somewhere or this is just like the back story - relevant in its part with no link to the whole? or like Sona's chosen bedsheet on Dev's bed these days - it's just there because it looks good but has no part in the story?
OR
is it a case of a storyline that started at one place but seems to be heading into a totally different direction than originally planned - similar to the case of the Coconut cookies (Sona's favorite as the restaurant waiter remembered) that turned to Choco-chip cookies in the very next episode (as screamed by Dev when he told Sonakshi that she ordered their favorite which means she still loves him?!?!?!) ... Confused much!
