Hello ladies! Great topic, once again... Allow me to brew myself a cup of herbal tea, and I'll begin my essay.
Ready? Ok!
RK's personality has been shaped by his father's suicide. Forgive me for stating the obvious. For a 12 year old to have seen his father's death (or to be more precise, his dead body), and in that manner, would have been a trauma of horrific proportions. Again, quite obvious. Now, let me quickly jump to the state of psychological care in India for a minute. Even today, seeking psychological help is quite a taboo and is actually considered unnecessary, especially in situation such as this. The understanding is that the family rallies together and help one another cope. Seventeen years back, this would have been the norm.
Back to RK now. The boy's father committed suicide and soon afterwards, he was deprived of the one emotional support who could possible have seen him through - his mother. My case is that Rishabh Kundra has PTSD and RK is the persona he uses to cope with the trauma he experienced as a child.
A bit of general reading on PTSD. Not in my own words. Wikipedia zindabad! - It is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. Diagnostic symptoms for PTSD include
re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks or nightmares,
avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and
increased arousal'such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger, and hypervigilance. Secondary symptoms include - depression, dream content distortions, self-mutilation, sexual function reduction and sleep hours reduction.
You'll notice that RK has displayed every one of the major symptoms and some of the secondary ones on different occasions. Where he hasn't actually shown the symptoms, he's talked about experiencing them.
Also, the loss of his father is coupled with the loss (emotionally) of his mother. It's interesting how RK seems angrier at his mother, who is clearly caring and loves him dearly, than at his father, who abandoned his wife and son. Immediately after the suicide, Rishabh would have turned to his mother for comfort, but Radhaji is clearly unable to take charge. Instead, she turns to Kuku, hoping for emotional support from him and Rishabh perceives this as betrayal. Still, he is unable to cut himself off from her completely. Instead, he allows her to stay in the same house (I don't know if he had a choice initially, but how long would it take for him to throw the Bhatias out now) and tolerates all the relationships that she has brought with her, though ungracefully.
In the midst of trauma and betrayal, Rishabh evolved the personality of RK - cold, uncaring, unaffected and arrogant. He enjoys the adulation of the masses, loves it when people mill around him and fawn over him, believes that he is the centre of the world he inhabits. Yet he is intensely private. Bittu is his confidante to a certain extent, but all he knows is the persona. He knows what makes RK tick, what keeps him happy, what displeases him and what frustrates him, but he is completely unaware of what Rishabh thinks and feels. I'm not sure even RK is in tune with Rishabh. Rishabh is traumatised emotionally, hurt and aching and
weak, according to RK. so he keeps himself hidden and cuts off all emotional involvement for fear of triggering a breakdown (not articulated, but almost involuntarily).
Is RK a virgin? I don't think so. A star like him, he must've had groupies. Dipali might be one of them. Or not. [God, I hope not! In fact I'm sure my 😛 RK has better taste than that makeup ki dukaan. Let's hope the dreadful past doesn't hold intimacy of ANY sort. But I guess that's too much to hope for. That 'gussa ya taqleef' line is scaring me, honestly. Sigh] In any case, RK is not a stranger to adulation and attraction. He's played the consummate lover on screen, he definitely understands the mechanics of desire and he actually enjoys the effect he has on women (ref initial episodes). Rishabh, however, is different. I don't think he's emotionally connected to any woman, or even another person, for a long time now. Physical intimacy is not strange, but emotional intimacy is. And like all strange, new experiences, it is scary. Which is why his fingers tremble when he has to tie that goddamn dori. Madhu is the woman who he's cared for all through the night, even if it was out of guilt. He's just unburdened his heart to her, even if it was in a fit of rage. Madhu now has seen Rishabh, previously concealed carefully under RK's exterior. His awkwardness isn't entirely sexual, as I see it. [Some of it was sexual and nothing anyone says will convince me otherwise. A girl can dream.] It is the awkardness of being with a person who knows too much about you. For a private person, there is nothing more embarrassing than the thought that someone else knows him and his motivations well. And given Madhuji's propensity to look soulfully at him through those big eyes, I'm not surprised he regrets having shared himself with her.
And Dipali? I think she suspects (or worse, knows) that there is a Rishabh inside RK and she delights in making him uncomfortable. I guess we'll have to wait and watch to know more. I get the feeling that RK puts up with her for his mother, just like he puts up with the Bhatias. Notice how he never says anything about how the Bhatias treat him, even indirectly. This is possibly an extension of the same behaviour. It must be draining to fight off sexual advances all the time, which explains why he looked so shocked when he saw her. However, this time he has Madhu around to shield himself. He's sent out a clear message that the place in his life (and room and bed) has been taken, whatever be the reality of his relationship with Madhubala. I just hope Dipali gets it...
What do y'all think?
Edited by bhoomi.s - 12 years ago
Real Estate
Fan Fictions
