Rishbala - Through the prism of ep 19th Feb 2013

Alongside (the timing-conflict with MEIEJ was the *only* possible gripe about the fabulous treat of seeing DVD light up the screen on two different fronts👏⭐️😃), DVD's fantastic Colors Live Chat stated outright that there's no track of RK *having* any illness.😊

Which still *might* leave room for loopholes such as being misinformed about having an illness, taking semantics and serial-track exigencies into account.😕

But the actual cliched possibility of illness is off the table. (Still wondering whether that's relief or worry.😕😛)

As to 'revenge', DVD were ambiguous rather than clear, though they were clear that the series was intended to go on for a long while yet.😕😊

But what was the most reassuring thing about today's ep was that what the Sunday promo had only shown a glimpse of, this ep showed at length.😳😊

As Madhu's dupatta billowed out from the cupboard and enveloped him, it was Madhu that RK imagined at his side.

Seeing that vision of Madhu looking sad and forlorn, he extended his hand to cup her cheek tenderly.

There was no hesitation in his gesture, no qualm in expressing his care and love.😳

And it was only when that vision vanished that he drew back, visibly pulling himself together.😳

And then he struck out, yelling for the servants to remove all of her things.

Why, when imagining her near invoked such tenderness in him? Unless he is not in a position to act on it, and his feelings would only stand to get exacerbated by sight of her things.

An earring that slipped out from a pile of her stuff being carried away immediately invoked the memory of Madhu getting that pair of earrings back from him on Karvachauthh.

He flung it with the rest of her things being gathered, and instructed that all her stuff was to be removed.

And then he saw her little white idol of Lord Ganesh that he had installed in that very room.

The servants would not dare remove the idol he worshipped from that shrine position except if he specifically ordered them to. He did not.

He remembered Madhu helping him make floral offering when his hand was injured.

While his grudge against Bappa for not having prevented his father's suicide had been a long one, the depth of his feelings for Madhu may perhaps exceed that of all other relationships for him.

But now, while he did not turn his back on Bappa, he did not look to him with any hope either.

Just as his reconciliation with his mother has remained intact even after his ousting Madhu from his life, his reconciliation with Bappa too remains intact.

If there is good cause for RK to be doing what he is doing, he does not appear to be willing to seek support from any quarter.

Assuredly not from his mother, but astoundingly also not from Bittuji nor even the God he would address bitterly or cordially.

He left, leaving behind an instruction for the servants that would encompass Madhu's things, but not anything that might be considered his as well.

It should be interesting to see if the framed photo of him and Madhu still remains on the wall when he returns to the room.

But the scene that preceded this showed that one may always underestimate Radha in the length of determined selfishness and imprudence that she will go to.

He knows his mother is fond of Madhu.

But he neither knows nor understands that Radha's son and her relationship with him matters more to her than her daughter-in-law's anguish.

He spoke of his triumph and Madhu's desolation, and Radha fled from there in tears.

But it was that same Radha who soon after came to Madhu, armed with information that she would not have had but for her son.

When she could not succeed in persuading Madhu directly, she knew to speak of Madhu's most recent encounter with RK, using that as a goad.

If Madhu would not endure his misbehaviour to make him realize he's in love with her, then she would surely fight on to remain in his proximity to teach him a lesson.

Radha's son who woke up calling for his Biwi.

Radha's daughter-in-law who panickily persuaded Bittuji to resume his job because RK would feel completely alone otherwise.

A couple whose every reflex speaks of love for each other to their very core, how long would they be able to remain antagonistic if in constant proximity?

And unfortunately for Madhu (and fortunately for us viewers who want to see the lead couple together in the same frame😳), Madhu's willingness to trust in the wisdom of the two mother-figures in her life (Padmini and Radha) has never taken into consideration the sense of their advice in individual instance.😕

Padmini has never shown herself to be capable of unalloyed selfishness, and Radha is very much the opposite.

And yet, today's instance of Madhu being influenced into an imprudent decision by Radha's spirited words reminded of the day Padmini had in towering melodrama told Madhu to fight, and Madhu's situation vis-a-vis RK had rapidly escalated into a disaster.

Radha proved today - as in her helping coax Padmini to remarry - that she does know what arguments to advance.

She started off straightforwardly, by speaking of how bringing Madhu and Rishabh together would be good not only for her son but *also* for her daughter-in-law.

When that didn't work, she changed the tack. The actions she advised were the same, but now she claimed a different result would be forthcoming.

What a few moments earlier she had stated would bring the couple together, she now claimed that course would prove Madhu strong in front of RK and would break him.

Six of one, and half a dozen of the other.

Madhu might yield to the second reason rather than the first, but the end result would be what Radha wanted.

Rishabh would yield to his feelings, win Madhu back, and bring her home. And Madhu would restore Radha's son to his cheerful loving version that Radha had just recently regained.

When Padmini had given Madhu imprudent advice, she herself had stood to gain nothing by it.

Radha has everything to gain by Madhu's aiming for RK - to reconcile with him or teach him a lesson or whatever other *intended* reason.

She had heard from RK of the devastation Madhu suffered during the most recent encounter with RK, and Bittuji's expression had corroborated the account.

And yet, Madhu suffering further hurt en route to end-result of reconciliation means nothing if it will down the road restore to Radha the domestic and maternal felicity she seeks.

Radha's exhortation that Madhu should prove to RK that she is unaffected by him was in the mode of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

Madhu would have to endure hurt and angst in order to inflict them on RK.

Her intention of avoiding RK and moving on in life was the most sensible.

Walking away proves quite satisfactorily that one is so unaffected as to not even care to prove a point (but that wouldn't get us both leads in the same frame😳).

Madhu should never have taken advice from someone who said a course of action would ensure a particular result, and on being denied, blatantly claimed that a different result would happen instead.

One thing that is immense irritation and yet curious relief is that after three songs playing on Rishbala, the new song has no association to romance or love but is rather Madhu's singularly exasperating version of an actually very inspiring prayer just set to music.

Padmini is a truly admirable lady, but Madhu's replacing God in that prayer with either her mother or RK has always felt very discomfiting.

In fact, her attitude was never near worship towards her mother but rather to RK, which had the different discomfiture of the 'pati parmeshwar' aspect.

But if this new song means that they won't be tampering with a romance (anti- or otherwise) song at this juncture, then it would definitely be a relief on that count.

One very curious thing.

RK's film-names as depicted in posters - just one word - always seem to start off apparently representing him, and then rebound onto Madhu instead.

The posters serve to each time invoke a different specific emotion in Madhu for RK, but the duration of that emotion does not last beyond a few days.

The first was 'Qaidi'. RK got into jail for four days, but Madhu's life got encircled first by his doing and then far beyond his doing.

Now, 'Ahankaar'. At this stage, as far as the audience or the characters - especially Madhu - know, it is 'ahankaar' (arrogance/ego) that is driving RK.

But if one recalls the context to 'Qaidi', then how many days before 'ahankaar' too is shaken from its presently comprehended context?

RK's withdrawn and focussed attitude at work, almost mildly abrasive by his own standards, may be an emotional exhaustion side-effect if he is having to put on a real-life act at moment's notice for specific individuals on a regular basis.

It was only when he saw Madhu that the snark resurfaced, but in an almost utilitarian hurried capacity.

His ability to unleash verbal hits appears to have eroded at the precise juncture where Madhu has suddenly got catchier dialogues than ever before.

The question is how RK will react *beyond* the immediate.

There was an at-the-end-of-his-rope feel in his abrupt grabbing of Madhu's arm and hauling her away into his vanity-trailer.

His trying to target her selfrespect lacked the finesse of his previous encounters, as he sought to make her leave the job that would place her in his sphere, thereby ensuring that there would be no need for further performances.

He wanted her away from him. Now, she will yet be with him, though in a professional rather than personal capacity.

But as Madhu has shown in flashes of superb nuancing (Kudos, DD), she is deluding herself about her feelings rather than actually acknowledge any need to erase them.

Bravado may do wonders for appearance, especially with terrific sharp dialogues, but it's a sandcastle that may crash before a wave.

Proceeding with the belief that RK is pretending, his maintaining the behaviour he has so far over an even longer period of time should be ever more beneficial in hopefully causing her to become more distanced from her feelings for him.

A pretence unscripted where he must even guard every reaction of his.

One would think such a doubt on his part to be both prudent and sensible, if one thinks of this like a poker game where every one of those he is playing are the most attuned people to every one of his tells.

Madhu knows him, and whatever her verbal claims of moving on, she is as completely bound to his hurt as he so reflexively yesterday revealed himself to be bound to her hurt.

RK managed three flawless malicious performances for Madhu, and by the time the fourth performance was needed in this ep, he was having to turn his back on her for stretches of conversation that he might be able to taunt with greater spite.

The question is whether - with Madhu insisting on taking the job - RK may not soon find it paradoxically both torture and pleasure to have her near.

She would wish to prove herself indifferent or at least hostile, and she is most assuredly not party to his mother's and Bittuji's machinations for reconciliation.

But this means that while he is going to have to continue to pretend at home, he will also have to maintain the pretence at work even in Bittuji's absence - unlike during the interview in yesterday's ep.

And the temptation to have her near - even with the need to keep the bitterness unremitting - may be a draught at once of both sweet poison and bitter nectar.😳

Which may be why he appears desperate to have her away from him rather than near.

The latter would be a very good thing if he could be sure of his own act.

But if that act falters any worse than it did today, then he might as well not have crafted the preceding scenes on the two previous MEIEJ-verse days.

And one very great difference in the game this time is that RK is not playing for the pleasure of a challenge and a win.

Where once he would tolerate no one else disrespecting her, however ill he might treat her, now he would be willing to use any and all peripheral individuals to strike at her that she may leave.

Madhu may be assuming the game he once played has merely been resumed, and she would need to fight harder to hold her place.😕

But if in truth, this is a different act altogether and there *is* a truer reason, then RK will be fighting back from a cornered position, where his appreciation for Madhu's courage and spirit may not this time translate into good-humouredly planning his next move in a game of one-upmanship.

If there is cause beyond what RK has claimed that would have induced him to go the lengths he has in the past two days in MEIEJ-verse, then this is *not* a game for him this time.

He may not play fair in hostility or stand for Madhu against all others except beyond a certain point, if his haste to have Madhu distanced from him is paramount.