The Beast Palace: The Complan-Horlicks Mortal Kombat
Two things first:
1. Rishabh is both hateful and scared of emotions , anyone being unconditionally nice to him, being kind to him, bonding with him. From where he comes at the age of 29, he lives in the psychological bubble that if anyone is being nice to him or even giving a trace of feelings - it will disarm him of his demoniac weaponry that he hides behind, if anyone will be kind to him, love him, it will be the dreaded 'Sympathy-Empathy Syndrome'. He thinks low of himself to the extent that he believes that if anyone is being kind, affectionate or nice to him, the person is taking pity on him, reminding him just how lonely , pitiable and a cursed cause he is. So, now, I feel its better if Maddy doesn't fall in love with him first ( though I feel that is exactly what will happen) - Maddy's love , her feelings will only make Rishabh even more furious and remind him of his twisted victim-complex . He is bound to believe that Maddy is taking pity on him, doing a merciful act of benevolence , a generosity for a vagabond orphan child. He will not see her heart - he will see what he wants to see -Madhubala Rishabh Kundra, the good Samaritan who is giving alms to a beggar in the name of giving him her heart.
2. Madhubala - the defiant aggressive tigress who sent Rishabh to jail, gave him the attitude that still fascinates him, slapped him four times and whose eyes always spark with fire -That's the woman who caught Rishabh's temper and his fancy .And he admitted it today - He misses her. This mute porcelain doll is not the girl he wants . He is turned on by the fire in her , her defiance and that is cute in many ways. Its like be my maid, my servant , my valet , listen to my Complan Energy sparked bakwaas but hey, don't you ever stop roaring. He wants Maddy to react , to jump up and down like a psycho tigress , fight with him, even if she is filing his nails and getting his shoes polished along the way. Radhaji is so right about Rishabh. The man has no idea what he really wants and we saw that today. Agar Maddy ek aur chaanta mar de na, toh khush ho jaayega ki shukar hai , wahi ladki hai aur isko personality disorder nahiin ho gayaa.
Now, getting on with the episode:
I loved the ice broken between Maddy and Radhaji. Maddy smiled at her , listened to Rishabh's 'cottage cheese' tales like a little girl , still trying to form an image of what a nice Rishabh must have been like. Radhaji addressing Maddy as 'Beti' and Maddy nodding in respect. Finally, there is one relationship building in this house which is not stained. Maddy and Radhaji are finding each-other over bonding over a man who apparently hates both of them. But of course, Rishabh chainn se ye saas-bahu serial kaise chalne de sakta tha? He came to the kitchen stalking his 'biwi' since he refuses to share her with anyone or let his mother give his wifey a picture or a hope of a Rishabh whom he himself cannot find again.
Rishabh's nature is very intense , viscose and passionate. All emotions are heightened in such people -so naturally, his bitterness, his hatred and his alienation over his mother evokes the demon in him. He hurts his mother , insults her indirectly , rejects the food cooked with her hands . Why? So that he can give her the hurt , the resentment that he suffers. He lives in the thought bubble that hurting others will make his own bitterness go away. Foolish man. It doesn't ' it compounds the gall inside you and you go from bad to worse. Maa kya kehti? Uski Maa ko dard ki aadat hai , so she was like, chalo 2.5 liter aansoo beh kar foundation kharaab bhi hua to kya , ye mera hopeless beta hai.
Aur phir Maddy ki class to lagni hi thi. Lagg gayi. Pehle wo infamous ' tum meri designer suit aur anarkali jewelry waali naukrani ho' waala lecture aur jo Vanity Van mein uskaa poora ka poora orchestra bajaaya Rishabh ne, so alag. Why? Because Rishabh doesn't want Maddy to feel bad for him. He doesn't want her to feel sorry for him. He doesn't want to see pity or compassion in her eyes for himself . He doesn't want Maddy to ever get the thought in her head that Rishabh can be vulnerable and needs a hand over his head that tells him - Hey, its okay. Burst into tears and let it all go. No way. So , he pounces on her , pushes her around, grabs her and tells her categorically - I am the villain and don't you dare see me as anything beyond that just because my Mom has been feeding you scenes from Sooraj Barjatya films. Maddy had called him an animal and that hurled abuse has never left him - "Jaanwar samajhti ho na mujhe . Hamesha yahi samajhnaa."
Maddy is being a more perfect Woman Friday than Rishabh could have imagined or would want. She just stays quiet , walks around like a smiling robot ( she smiled twice today - with Radhaji and with the crew member on sets) , looks at Rishabh with her big saucer like eyes. Is Rishabh happy about her subservient attitude? No. She doesn't react on the ' 9th naukrani' crown, nicely files his fingernails with a short and soft ' Lo ho gayaa', feels humiliated and shocked that Rishabh would want her to do his pedicure , which, he said only because he wanted her back and wanted her to react, she innocently takes his shoes to get them polished without any grudge and cutely tells him that the shot is ready and she is only doing her work, she smiles with the crew members. Awww, cho-chweet. Right? No. Red alert. Rishabh ko abb iss khoobsoorat ghulaam se bhi problem hai. His eyes follow her all over the set and he abuses her like a sulking child with a 'motti chamdhi' taunt because his fave toy is suddenly running on her own battery.
Abb kya kare ye bechaara Rishabh? Jab tak iski biwi Maddy isko dinn mein 10 baar ghoor na de, isko bottles todhne ka mauka na de, bechaare ke gale se Green Tea bhi neeche nahiin utarti.
Enter Padmini - just at the right moment when The Complan Boy was missing his Horlicks Girl. Why did Rishabh behave like that with Paddy? Disdain and disgust for mothers and mother figures? Hatred and prejudice for all the women who forgot their first husbands and held some other man's hand? The sadism arising from his own broken relationship with Radhaji is the main cause of it , besides seeing it as a muft-muft-muft supersaver offer to give a tranquilized Maddy the Horlicks dose. What Rishabh did and does with Paddy is his angst against his own mother which has not found a vent till date.
But hey, in that set scene where Rishabh made fun of Paddy, Rishabh may have got all the dialogues and display of swag, for me, its Padmini , who actually slapped Rishabh across the face with that one line which proved her to be a lady of dignity , respect and honour , irrespective of what Rishabh thinks of her.
For me, the powerhouse moment of the episode was not Maddy and Rishabh's challenge to each-other. It was Maddy's response to Rishabh giving her 5000 rupees with loaded insults.
" Tum mere damaad ho na. Isliye mujhe tumse bakshish nahiin leni chaahiye . Mujhe tumhe neg denaa chaahiye."
And she gently took Rishabh's hand and placed the cash in his hands, walking out with full honour and dignity , telling everyone that she is sorry she wasted Rishabh's time and the shooting time.
Take that, Rishabh. Honour and pride are two different things. You may have all the pride in this world but what Paddy showed you today was a dignified honour. Instead of feeling sorry for Paddy, Maddy should have been proud of her mother. Aur Rishabh maane ya na maane, apni saasumaa ke attitude se wo solid impressed tha. Ye 5000 ka ne gab woh apne pillow ke neeche rakh ke soyega.
Anyway, bas Paddy ke jaane ki dair thi. Maddy aur Rishabh ka Mortal Kombat shuru ho gayaa. Maddy sunaaoed him a lecture on tameez and ghooroed him with her saucer eyes aur Rishabh ke cheeks khushi ke maare rose pink ho gaye. He actually told her that now, she looks like his own Maddy. Wo cheekhe, chillaaye, use 10 baatein sunaa daale, Rishabh usi mein khush hai.
Phir kya tha, mansion waapis aake poora ka poora WWF channel chaalu ho gayaa . Bhatias left everything and preferred to be entertained with the mortal kombat of the complain boy and the horlicks girl. Maddy was like a strict headmistress jo jaan de degi lekin Rishabh se sorry bulwaa ke chhodegi and Rishabh was like that rowdy 5th standard kid who put chalk powder in his teacher's head - class se baahar nikaal do, murgaa banaa do, lekin maafi nahiin maangunga sasumaa se.
Match kal hai , so come back for rest of the fight.But I hope Maddy plays it fair and with honour by forcing Rishabh to say sorry to Paddy on her own , without using anything that the Bhatias give her to attack Rishabh's weak spot.
Dialogue exchange of the day ( reminded me of those Blondie comic strips)
Rishabh : Biwi, mere liye green tea lekar aao.😎
Biwi- Kisi aur se mangwaa lo.😡
P.S- Rishabh knew that Maddy will not insult his mother to avenge what he did to Paddy. He knows she is a good human being who would never hurt anyone's honour except his.
P.P.S- That tick-tock dialogue from Rishabh to Maddy was a straight lift from Don 2. SRK had used it and I was reminded of his sexy voice and his swag in the film.
Love and luck always to all,❤️
GOD bless everyone. 🤗
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