Mahakumbh 25-28: A tale of two tables - Page 4

This is the same lot that made Maharana Pratap, which was very good to start with and for a while afterward, till it took such horrendous liberties with history that though I loved Faisal Khan, I was driven away. This one bids fair to be worse. But that forum, where I looked in last night, seems to be delighted with it, so there is no saying what people will like if they are determined to do so!😉😉

Originally posted by: elasingh

Oh Shyamala I am not going off MK , I just watch it becoz there is really nothing to watch at 8 pm...and I love reading ur posts...I would be offended if U did not pmed me...I read ur posts from a different point of view...for the insight and flow and beauty...not to discuss MK..

I hope you start writing for Ashoka now...It seems interesting...

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Now don't start racking your memories to try and remember where in the last week there were two tables in our tale! You had me there, I was immediately off on that track...😆

...Maimuyi ka pallu: The tone for this exquisite, intensely moving scene is set, first, by the haunting Kuchch bhi na kaho.. and then by the smoky blue ambience and the stretches of bare, dull yellow sand at the Sangam, the perfect interface between the world of mortals and the world of those who have passed on.

When Maimuyi hobbles up to her bachuwa, curled up, embryo fashion, in the sand, the first thing she does is to tuck him into a blanket that she is carrying. There could be no more telling symbol of maternal protectiveness than that.

And when Rudra gets up and moves close to her, the first thing he does is to catch hold of her pallu, which for him symbolises a haven of peace and safety, and snuggles with sudden relief into the warmth of her embrace. Thus does a child cling to his mother as his sanctuary from the world outside. His reaction as she stands up to leave reflects the same visceral dependence. He is still grasping her pallu like a demanding child, and he looks up at her with his heart in his eyes.

Maimuyi's homily for her beloved bachuwa, heavy with parable - as in a rock eventually being reduced to a grain of sand - and hoary myth - that of the Shiv Neelkant who swallowed the halahala vish in order to save the world - seems to be centred on just two points.

Maimuyi's body language, the arthritic hobbling, the crouching in front of the fire ( a clear contradiction, for no one with arthritis in the knees can possibly crouch like that, and I should know!), the abundant love for Rudra and the equally abundant and assertive advice for him, the parting comment that the hapless Chandrabhan must be waiting for her (he must be by now resigned to his fate!😉) they all ring so true that watching her is an unalloyed delight. Delight probably doubled by the sudden pleasure of having her turn up again against all our expectations.

Dastaan-e-daadi: Clubbing together the two halves of this passage, Rudra's discovery of his daadi in the underground ruins of the Brahma Nisht Panth ashram, and the part in the hospital with the hapless doctor and then Rudra himself, what we get is a tour de force. Not just of scripting, not just of the perfect lines, but of the performances.

NB: Grierson seems to have a very clever tailor, who knows how to fit a huge pocket, big enough to take the first Book, into his flowing gerua vastra😉. He produced it out of a matching jhola-bag, not a pocket, I thought! He's clearly a dandy, our Grierson😕

Miscellany: Who is Devesh Naanu's Guru Maharaj, who has been observing a maun vrat for the last 22 years (not 24, like most other things here) ? Me too, wondered about that! Perhaps he is referring to Rudr's Dadi who may have been missing for 22 years, hence described as silent? I think that Nanu was hiding something for sure (maybe something looted from Sivanand's house) when he was tidying up his "Guru Maharaj"'s podium... which looked like a large box with a carpet cover and plenty of possibilities! Plus there was book on a stand as well right there, which could well be Book of Secrets Vol.2 hiding in plain view- I'm guessing not too many people visit Nanu's hideout anyway.

Dear Shyamala Akka,

This is such a brilliant, in-depth take on the week. Thank you for all the effort put in. Going through your post makes it so much easier to understand things.

With regards to last week, I was too impatient so posted a comment on the 31st on the Maimui/Rudra scene on the Cat's cradle thread! Will simply copy paste it here now.

xxx

Thank you for the links to the previous threads.

It was a good week, with the most beautiful scene being Rudra seeking out Maimui in his dream.

Firstly I am not very good with explaining things, but will try my best to put across my thoughts. How do I say it, ok here I go..

This scene to me felt like a meeting of Rudra & Maimui at the Gates of Heaven. The cinematography by TV standards was just ethereal and beautiful. The blue, smoky look of dawn it was.

To me here the soul-to-soul talk between the two was the crux of Mahakumbh. Felt Maimui represents the Amrit of the soul. Her soul had attained eternity. She still lives on.

I could be totally wrong and too early to say, but two things made me believe so. One was the promo where Rudra's mission was to save the elixir or his loved ones. And the other his Daadi speaks of Shivanand being the cause of their family falling apart. (It meant that in his quest to save the secrets of this Elixir he has lost his family and they all were torn apart)

One decision would have Rudra protecting an elixir that provides physical immortality whilst the other is choosing his loved ones and family that would lead to salvation of the soul.

It would be for Rudra to look into the depths of his soul and Maimui is the one who would give him that answer. Maybe in order to chose his family he would have to give up his powers and all that comes with it.

I am confused as I write, maybe you could shed some light or correct if I am wrong...I don't know that scene just felt this way.

And yes I think Daadi is one of the very important Garudas. So this way the Garudas span two or more generations. #Daadi #Thapadiyamai #Shivanand #Rudra #Charles #Katherine # #Pannu or Rudra's mom.

Diana

xxx

Now after reading you amazing take, I think I seriously don't make any sense!😕

To continue further, I never did think of Kuba as a Rashak. Now that would be amazing!

About Katherine's Garuda mark, it could well be her on her scalp and they might just turn her bald someday. Pure speculation on my part...I couldn't think of any other spot considering her kamariya, back, arms and lovely legs were exposed.😉

Regards

Diana

Originally posted by: adiana12

The famous Maimui - Rudra scene 😛 - well it is actually a projection of Rudra's - a manifestation of his deepest desires - but yes it was more effective than the Harry - Dumbledore Kings Cross scene due to perhaps one reason - this was a replay of something that we all must have done sometime in our lives when we are looking for that comfort from the one we loved the most (most often a parent) after that parent is gone and we are facing our first big big crisis where we do not have their hand on our head - while the Potter scene was more a projection of answers to questions that Harry had been searching answers for and in that duel with Voldemort found those answers - a more clinical one perhaps - we always connect with that which we have experienced 😉!!!! What was lacking in the Maimui - Rudra projection was that the one whose projection it was seemed less involved and the projection itself was more involved

Spot on Adi. Sometimes a paavam amul baby face alone doesn't suffice. That something plus that is in Madhubala's smile, Zeenat's urban looks, Kamal's performances, Maimuyi's maternal warmth, RT's 'the Emperor strikes back ' and 'Shakespearean Heights' which was so effective that made us sympathise with the accuser more than the accused...was certainly missing.

my bet on the seventh as of now is Maya - she is definitely illusion - the questions are 'What kind and for whom'.

For us of course. We keep believing that she is something else while she is the usual stuff. Aunty was pleased that she didn't drop the thaali. But she did the patent filmi heroine proud by declaring to naanu and maamaji that she will reveal their asliyat to Rudra.

My dear Adiana,

Shivanand is clearly not a rakshak. He does not have the garuda chinna, as Greyerson reports to the Cardinal after having strip searched him. This is after they discuss Prof. Rao's unpublished findings about the 7 rakshaks being invincible once they are all united. He has some sort of mark on his right hand, but apparently that is not the garuda chinna, going by Greyerson's affirmation. So he is out.

I do not see Daadi as a rakshak either, she is antagonistic to this whole research into the link between the garuda chinna and the Amrit and the Saraswati Kund. She tells Rudra today that her husband had the chinna, so he was clearly a rakshak, as Rudra is now. Perhaps it skips generations!

So as of now, we have Rudra as the primus inter parus, Charles, and I hear Thappadiya Mai, who apparently has the sign on her ankle. I would like it to be Kuba because of the special connect between him and Shivanand, who saw the kid Rudra in him. Let us see.

I do see where the manifestation theory comes from, and that is what the writer shows it as, one of Rudra's dreams. But I find it difficult to believe that even Rudra's subconscious would have been able to trot out all that Maimuyi told him. It did not sound like anything he would have thought up. This is why I just went with the flow and enjoyed the scene, and it was a very beautiful one. I do not want to over analyse it and take off part or most of its sheen! Once one starts dissecting something, one cannot any longer take in the whole. The Harry-Dumbledore scene was not a mood piece, and as you have noted, Harry needed answers. That is not the case here.

As for what you have said about the two tables, I agree entirely with your points.

Incidentally, the opening episode of Asoka was a huge disappointment, at least for me: bad sets, bad scripting, bad lighting and camera angles, bad casting and worse acting. The CGX of the Magadha riots was ludicrous, Chanakya looks like a suet pudding, and of the Greeks, the less said the better, with a dessicated Helen, with stringy blond hair (most Greeks are dark haired and dark eyed) leading the gang. The boy wonder Siddharth, for whom alone I came to this show, comes in tomorrow, so I will have something to watch, but I do not think the overall quality is going to shoot up.

This is the same lot that made Maharana Pratap, which was very good to start with and for a while afterward, till it took such horrendous liberties with history that though I loved Faisal Khan, I was driven away. This one bids fair to be worse. But that forum, where I looked in last night, seems to be delighted with it, so there is no saying what people will like if they are determined to do so!

Shyamala

Originally posted by: adiana12

thanks for the PM Shyamala. The tale of the two tables works for all forms / media of story telling actually. Cinema and TV are just two media, but this stands true even for other forms like writing, puppetry, Ballet, theatre, nautanki, street plays, even the Villupaatu - every story when well told grips its audience and the telling can only happen if it has been well scripted and well edited.

The famous Maimui - Rudra scene 😛 - well it is actually a projection of Rudra's - a manifestation of his deepest desires - but yes it was more effective than the Harry - Dumbledore Kings Cross scene due to perhaps one reason - this was a replay of something that we all must have done sometime in our lives when we are looking for that comfort from the one we loved the most (most often a parent) after that parent is gone and we are facing our first big big crisis where we do not have their hand on our head - while the Potter scene was more a projection of answers to questions that Harry had been searching answers for and in that duel with Voldemort found those answers - a more clinical one perhaps - we always connect with that which we have experienced 😉!!!! What was lacking in the Maimui - Rudra projection was that the one whose projection it was seemed less involved and the projection itself was more involved while another one from an year ago was a clear reverse and hence made greater impact 😉

As for the rakshaks - well Shivanand and Daadi seem to be two and so are Rudra and Charles. Perhaps Thappadiya Mai will turn out to be another - lets see if we do have Kuba coming in, he may be another (or may not be😛) - that makes it 6 - my bet on the seventh as of now is Maya - she is definitely illusion - the questions are 'What kind and for whom'.