Originally posted by: hypnotoad
Exactly. I keep saying it is Sadaf's story.
Throughout, we are being shown how Sadaf's feelings for BA are changing. The contestation between her growing feelings for BA vs. her prejudice towards his character is one of the main conflicts driving story arc.
Meanwhile, BA's feelings get no arc. He started his blushing in e2 and was giggling and finger writing her name in e3. Even though based on how much of Sadaf's face he saw in e1, he wouldn't even have been able to pick her out of a police line-up until e5. But I guess in this world, being Naamdar's daughter is the Patronus Charm - knowing that an attractive girl is Naamdar's daughter is all that a man like BA (who had such deep distrust of women) needs to fall in love for the first time, where he never even feels a moment of doubt.
I have read this trope so many times. In all other genre fiction where this tortured hero trope is used and it's not a FL-centric story, you get to see how the man struggles with even recognizing his feelings. He's used to seeing women a certain way, so why this one seems different, he can't fathom at first. He is confused why he can't stop thinking about her. At first, he fights against his feelings and tries to bracket her like all other women. The contestation between his feelings of distrust for women and his growing respect, admiration and affection for this particular woman is a main conflict that drives his arc. Having some interactions with the leads at this stage is important so he gets to see this woman is more than just an object but is morally upstanding, loyal, trustworthy, worthy of respect (and no, just being xyz's daughter doesn't cut it). Then comes THE moment of recognition and acceptance that these feelings he is fighting are indeed love. This whole arc is what is entirely missing from the narrative. Instead, all we get is Expecto Patronum.
Only after he recognizes it's love, should the second conflict have arisen where BA struggles with confessing his love to her or feeling inadequate or that he is not good enough for her. This then propels further growth in him - that he needs to change if he were to deserve this woman. But we never got to see how the cktr struggled to go from being an addict to being sober, how quitting alcohol made him ill and took a toll on him, how he was tempted, but he still persevered and went through painful withdrawal and cravings because he wanted to be deserving of this one woman's love.
Phir dikhate that now he is sober, he decides that it's time he confesses his feelings to her. Over time they should have shown BA and Sadaf built a camaraderie over the phone. Maybe she could have given him some positive words of encouragement during his addiction recovery. So he now thinks he will get a positive reception when he finally proposes. He is giddy and elated before visiting her because that moment his dreams come true is coming. If he wasn't sure of her feelings, he would have been nervous, antsy, unsure whether he'll get accepted or rejected. Not giddy. This was partly a writing but mainly an execution issue.
Since BA's arc never really got any attention, but we got to see since the beginning how Sadaf's feelings for BA are evolving. Yes, BA's feelings may go unreciprocated first then reiprocated later, but there is not change in how he himself feels about Sadaf. It's a straight line. A constant. What changes throughout is Sadaf's reaction to him. There's a graph to it.
So, the stages of love will be Sadaf's not Bilal's. Though Haseeb seems to be using stages of grief instead to show Sadaf's love graph.
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance:
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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