Where do I begin? This was a brilliant episode, beyond what I was expecting, to be honest. Today the focus was largely on people’s wishes and their objectives at this point in their lives. Minnie wanting confessions, Babita wanting to rid HS of his drinking, and HS wanting Babita to take a stand for their relationship.
HS was trying to explain to Minnie that their relationship was complicated, and even though he tried to simplify it for her, he knew she was too young to understand. So he gave her the highlights - the fact that Babita was married before, that she had a lovely big girl (and here his expression changed slightly as he realized he still could not call her his daughter) and had to consider what was right for them both, that he was a man in uniform who was a little rough around the edges who might say things out of line and hurt her, so he did not want to take a risk, etc.
Minnie went straight to the point: her objective was that confession should happen yet she did not see how at this point. Again, I was impressed by how HS didn’t even blink as she said so, because he had known exactly what she had been wanting. I also loved the way he told her directly that her mother would have to confess, that they both couldn’t expect HS to do all the heavy lifting.
Minnie, knowing her mother’s insecurities was concerned that she would never be able to express her feelings. HS surprised her by saying he would be fine with the status quo, because he was. He did not want to upset the balance as he had found his comfort zone within the various boundaries and dynamics.
Live-in
There was also a very strong message when he talked about living together under one roof: they were his family, no matter what. They didn’t need to feel bound by labels or official relationships in order to continue to be one happy unit. Hilarious hilarious moment when he said he had no objection to a live-in relationship, which amused Minnie to no end. I hope one day he finds out (probably from Mickey) what that actually meant.
Another interesting thing to note was that while he was Minnie’s father and she his daughter, there were some things father-daughter did not talk about so easily, at least these two haven’t had such topics come up. It’s common when girls start becoming women that they feel shy to discuss certain topics openly with their fathers (some never do!). If he had not become her father I think she would have felt less awkward, to be honest. So for once, Minnie was highly embarrassed and knew that HS would be too if he knew what he had just said. The scene ended with him none-the-wiser and it reminded me of the whole friendzone conversation.
Mickey was right that she should not underestimate HS but there was no way HS would go talk to Babita about live-in relationships or what Minnie had told him about “husband-wife romance”.
Minnie's Devdas Parents
Babita requesting Mickey to buy alcohol was a cute scene but it showed that she was still a bit conservative about such things. Which is fine, she has never drunk or dealt with alcohol herself. I know that Babita’s method of getting HS to stop drinking seemed naive but I do appreciate that she was trying in whatever way made sense, even if the thought of handling alcohol made her squirm a initially.
Poor Minnie was wondering, wasn’t HS bad enough that now her mother had gone off the rails? She was trying to be open-minded about her mother developing a new pastime but just couldn’t match that to what she knew of her so far.
My favorite dialogue of the episode:
Devdas ban chuki hai woh, tu jald se Hanuman Uncle se confess kara le yaar, warna roz roz (as Mickey indicated filled glasses)
I had to pause the video here and spend about 5 minutes laughing at the image of Babita drowning her sorrows in alcohol, unable to handle her longing for HS.
Kaun kambakht bardaasht karne ko peeta hai?
This image of Devdas has always been associated with men but to flip it over and imagine a woman becoming Devdas, is very much in line with the subtle feminism these writers insert here and there. To be honest, I thought Babita was going to challenge him by offering to start drinking with him. It would have been awesome to see HS being mortified at the thought that somehow he had driven her to try such a thing in the first place. I wonder if I would actually love to see her start drinking, if only to stop him, and then become addicted herself.
Meanwhile, Minnie was alarmed by and upset at the thought of having do do darubaaz at home.
Guys, don’t you think I deserve better parents?
And just like that, she alluded to HS as her father. We’d written post after post on how Minnie would get to the point where she’d accept him as her father, but this scene was, to me, far more powerful than anything elaborate they could have shown. In true PB style it was insert in an unexpected moment but carried so much meaning because it was so matter of fact. She had already accepted him ages ago, what was the fuss about? I love the way the writers use simple lines to make big statements, and this was by far one of the biggest on the show. Kudos!
Babita chickening out and hiding the bottle behind HS’ plates was comical as was her being witness to the exchange between HS and Lala about HS expressing his feelings to Babita. I wonder if she heard everything they said. It was interesting to hear HS admit that even though he was normally a brave person, he would chicken out every time he saw Babita. It was said in jest to a certain extent but we know that he also loses his courage when he thinks about all that a confession would bring about and the commitment he would have to make to his past, present, and future.
So HS had returned home after a day full of ups and downs and he recognized Babita’s stance when she folded her arms across her chest - she was up to something. He was not going to be walked over today, though. I am quite sure neither Lala nor he had had any intention to drink that night but Babita’s prodding turned things around. If he was addicted to alcohol then what about her net addiction? In typical HS style he started to deflect things to her when the spotlight was on him.
It’s my life, it’s my home, I will do whatever I wish to do.
He had a point.
I think he was even more ticked off that not only had she stepped into his personal space again, she had also stepped in between his relationship with Naeem Bi, someone who is indeed very close to his heart and with whom he shares a relationship that transcends logic and blood ties. Not only that, she had made a promise to his mother, on his behalf.
I was really pleased to see him react not only to the fact that she was showing care for him, but also the way in which she was doing it. As in, what did she want to achieve? Why should he stop just because she said so? He was ticked off enough to become adamant and finally start drinking, even though he had earlier in the day emptied his house of bottles.
Dekhta hoon kaun rokta hai.
He wanted to see how far Babita would go with this and was not going to give in to her demands as he usually did. Laley di jaan tried to escape but could not as HS asked his wingman for support.
Bheegi billi mat ban, Hum log sher hain sher.
Single hain na apan aaj single malt piyenge.
There he was, asserting his rule in his kingdom, and highlighting the fact that he was single, in no way bound to her or anyone else for anything.
Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?
When she stopped him at the door, and with the authority she thought she had, she had already gotten too close to the boundary line. He requested her to step aside and then started the back and forth, each of them lashing out at the other. He was not going to let her emotionally blackmail him today.
During that exchange it was interesting to see that each of them focused on different things. He pointed out aspects of her behavior, specific actions, and restrictions that hurt him, whereas her complaints were more about expectations from him that were unfulfilled, largely because she had never articulated or owned up to them before.
B: Meri binti ki koi parwa nahin aapko?
H: Aaj tak aapne kabhi mhaari binti ki parwah ki?
B: Aap ko koi farq nahin padta ke mujhe kitna bura lage ga?
H: Aur manne kin kin cheezon ka kab kab bura laga uska to lekha jhoka nahin hai aap ke paas koi? Counting nahin ki aapne, ussey to na gina aap ne?
She was not keeping count but he had been.
B: Ginti ki baat kar rahe hain aap, to ginti shuru keejiye. Aapki na ginti kam pad jayegi lekin meri shikaayatein kam nahin hongi. Khatam nahin hongi.
H: Chalo koi ek bhi shikyat ginao aap, main gin raha hoon yahan pe.
She stuttered before she could start because she did not have the presence of mind that he did and had not been prepared to be questioned like this. He, on the other hand, had all the points in mind, a reply to every question or comment of hers, because he always thought things through, analyzed them, especially when it came to their relationship.
They started off by talking about exchanges that happened through Minnie.
B: Aap ne Minnie ko ek baar kya kaha tha, ke thaari maa mein na zara si bhi saahas na hai chori.
H: Aur aapne kya kaha tha? Aap ne Minnie se kaha tha ke main anjaan logon see koi baat share nahin karti. Mhaare hi ghar mein aap ne manne anjaan bata diya. Tab na socha aap ne ke manne kaisa lage ga, kaisa feel hoga?
Then came the direct attacks:
B: Aap ko kya lagta hai, mere andar koi jazbaat nahin hai kya? Jab dekho tab chillate rehte ho mujhpe.
H: Mere se jazbaat ki baat na karna aap. Aap baat baat pe shukriya bol deti ho. Aap ka yeh shukriya kitna mhaara dil cheedta hai yeh aapko na maloom. Kabhi mehsoos hi na kiya aapne.
B: To kya kahoon fir mein. Aap ne isse zyaada haq diya kahan mujhe.
H: Haq to aapne bhi na diya ji.
B: Meeta ko bhi apna samjha aap ne. Haath pakad saki wo rote huey aap ka. Yaad hai na aapko? She said, stunning Hanuman as he understood what that had meant to her but also that she had the nerve to complain about that when in fact:
H: Haath to aap ke aur bhi badhaya tha, lekin aap hi... I was right, the rejection still hurt him and still weighed on his mind.
Aur Meeta ke haath pakadne ki baat kar rahi hain aap. Uska haath pakda aap ko bura laga? He was asking her a direct question here, but she could not muster the courage to say what was on her mind.
I love the way they brought that incident back into this conversation so beautifully, so naturally.
B: Koi bura wura nahin laga mujhe. Aur mujhe kyon lage ga bura? Waise bhi aap ke liye main bas ek kirayeedar hoon na?
There, she asked for what was coming next and he wasn’t going to let her off so easily this time.
H: Yo rishta, aur is rishtey ki seema woh bhi to aap hi ne decide ki na? Main to aap ke aadesh pe chalta raha, aap ka hukum sar aankon par. Jaise aap ki marzi, waise.
His voice shook every so slightly as it became gentler, the hurt showing clearly in his eyes.
B: Aur agar main aap se kahoon aaj meri marzi hai, aap mat peejiye daroo? To maanenge?
He realized what she was trying to do. As usual, trying to back him in to a corner through emotional blackmail, teary eyes. He was having none of it. Today he would stand his ground and see how far she was willing to push him and herself.
H: Na ji, makaan maalik or kirayedaarni ka rishta jo hai woh kisi ko peene se rok sakta hai ke?
B: To yeh zid hai aap ki?
H: Hai zid hai yeh. Zid hi hai aaj.
She shut the doors and took out the bottle, shocking Lala and HS. It was then that HS realized the extent of her planning and preparation, in terms of logistics, but he knew that she was not prepared for the back and forth that was about to ensue. I am not sure if he would have actually drunk any tonight but he was getting annoyed by her bossy attitude too. She wasn’t the president or commissioner to be ordering them around.
After all that bravado, he struggled to open the bottle and kept distracting her with small talk. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Agar aap ziddi ho na, to Hanuman Singh usse kai zyaada ziddi hai.
This… Aaj to panga le hi liya HS ne.
Don't Play with Fire
He had started the day off in a good mood, had a spat with her, had been fighting against the sharaabi label all day and now when he may not even have planned to drink tonight, she was challenging him. He knew what she was trying to do right from the get go. I think he also wanted to prove to her that she was naive and that her stubbornness wasn't going to get them anywhere. The whole day just went downhill as far as he was concerned. He had told Lala he would deal with it, and all things considering, I think he did a great job of maintaining his self-control.
Minnie’s arrival was a speed breaker and Lala used this chance to run away. He did not want to see the women upset. HS continued with his bravado, that those two were no big deal to handle.
Minnie was skeptical about Babita’s tactics but she was also curious about this new side of Babita she had never seen before. Of course, when something like this is going on and you tell kids to stay away they’re bound do to the exact opposite. She is going to watch her mother go through this phase and go through many changes in her life. I think Babita was overconfident in her ability to prevent HS from drinking.
HS noticed her changed hair and dupatta as she walked back downstairs, and knew she was back for round two. Bring it on, he thought. He wasn’t afraid of her. For all that the cap seemed stuck, he ended up winning the bottle cap challenge for the night, and then asked Babita if she would give him company.
I remembered the Devdas dialogues and half hoped she would say yes, just to shock HS. But no such luck, and HS continued to say he was used to drinking alone. This whole bit was symbolic of Babita not accompanying him in his sorrows, which he had become used to battling on his own. Like others, she was also standing on the sidelines telling him what to do, instead of stepping into his circle and seeing the matter up close to support him.
Even when she picked up the glass, I had hoped she would threaten to take a sip. HS, slightly shocked, made a quick recovery and asked her to go first. Just like in their relationship, he wanted her to come forward first. But just like every other conversation or question between them, she avoided it and threw its contents away. After the second time, his anger started rising. He knew that they could both keep going but that she had no idea what she was getting into, so he started off with a request.
Manne aap provoke mat karo please.
After she threw the alcohol the third time, he warned her not to repeat it and that once he lost his temper he would not be able to control his actions. As she made to pick up the glass the fourth time, he grabbed her wrist and held it firmly. I also think this was some continuation of their earlier exchange where she denied feeling bothered by Meeta holding his hand, and where he had reminded her that she was the one who had refused to accept his outstretched hand. As though he were acting on her and his desire both.
I am still on the fence as to whether this was “aggressive" or not. He was not being abusive, and I understand that she had well crossed her limits but I would have preferred he not do that in the first place. I just didn’t like seeing him lose his temper and his self-control because of her, but he’s human after all. How much can he tolerate?
Ghani der se samjha raha hoon, lekin aap hain ke maan ke nahin de rahi.
Double meaning if there was ever one. He had made it clear that if she wanted the right to stop him, she also needed to take responsibility for their relationship and how she would define it. Part of her was angry that he wasn’t saying anything about his feelings for her, but his point was that why was she not saying anything either? He had bent over backwards for her, not anymore.
Mhaare andar ki aag ne na uksao. Jo ek baar mein jal utha to aap ne bhi jala le jaunga.
He warned her not to play with fire.
Lekin aap ne na jaane kaun si zid chadi padi hai.
Why was she doing this?
Something dropped and they realized Minnie had seen them like this. HS let Babita’s wrist go, feeling uncomfortable. For a couple to go from not even confessing to be seen in that position made the embarrassed Minnie infer what her young mind wanted to: these two needed to be married off because they couldn’t control themselves anymore. I think after the pot making, there’s no going back for them in that aspect anyway. I know there will be fireworks one day but right now HS is burning too bright for her. The way he grabbed her hand and talked about fire is how he would have reacted to Imarti but it won’t work with Babita. She's too sensitive and he knows it.
HS was displeased that Minnie had to witness this. He would have never wanted his daughter to see him like this, to be seen misbehaving with her mother after all that he had told Minnie about never hurting Babita. Little did he know what his daughter had made of the situation but he was not going to look away this time. He turned to face Babita, regretting what had just happened, but angrily looking at her again.
Wah, badi bahaduri dikha di na Minnie ke saamne? Nahin dekh liya maine aap ko. Zara sa bhi control nahin hai na?
I still don’t know what she was referring to: the alcohol, the wrist grabbing, or his words?
Agar Imarti ji bhi hoti na aaj meri jagah…
Uh-oh, she had brought up the forbidden name but HS would not let her continue her sentence. This was a no entry zone and he was going to stop her immediately. She had no right there.
Imarti has always been precious to HS - her memories pristine and untouched. She belonged in his past, where he had compartmentalized his feelings and grief. He was not going to let anything from the present, especially from Babita, taint Imarti’s memory. He was far from the point where by sharing his pain with Babita, he would be able to ease some of his burdens. She was not ready for it, and he knew it well. She had better not play with fire.
Imarti ka naam na lena ji aaj. Aap ne na pata ke aap kis aag ko hawa de rahe ho.
Imarti ka naam lete ho na ji to mhaare tan badan mein aag lag jaati hai.
This perfectly summed up the depth of his passion, grief, guilt surrounding Imarti, and how crazy he still was about her. All that is simmering under the surface and I can’t wait to see it. I felt a shiver go up my spine as he said that. Wow!
Aur kahin aisa na ho jaaye ke main apna aapa kho baithoon.
Dekho, Imarti Imarti thi.
He had just meant to draw the boundary lines and indicate to her that they were different women, that what applied to Imarti did not apply to her but she perceived it as though he was saying she could never match up to Imarti or have a similar place in his heart. It did not help that she was already insecure due to her belief that she was not worthy of him, which was true but not for the reasons she thought. She was not ready to handle the entire package that HS came in, and he was well aware of it.
As the hurt appeared on her face and in the salt water welling in her eyes, he realized what he had just said. They were both beyond brilliant in this scene, especially the look changing in HS’ eyes the moment he realized how she must have felt in that moment.
He knew he had hurt her but she had also hurt him a lot tonight. He wasn't going to run after her to apologize. He wasn’t going to let this one go easily - she needed to realize that she could not get away with hurting his feelings, that too on such a sensitive topic. He also knew that she had no idea what she was doing and where this would lead. If he did not stop her things would take a worse turn. So he did the only thing he could do, pick up the bottle to show her “her place” and walk out of the house. She ran upstairs to watch him from the balcony, hoping that he would not do this to himself - he had been waiting for her to appear there as he knew she would.
As if to spite her further, to show her just how much she had hurt him both as Imarti’s husband and as Babita’s lover, he defiantly drank straight from the bottle, chest heaving in fury, angry tears burning a path down his cheeks as he walked off into the night.
Interestingly, on one side we see this man who has always been gentle with Babita, has paid attention to every minute detail about her, including things like not letting her wipe her wet hands on her dupatta or the fact that her hands would become rough after washing dishes. Very light and fluffy, if you know what I mean. On the other, there was the burning passion he had shared with Imarti, the memories of which haunt him to this day. I think they must have been sizzling indeed and I am actually quite looking forward to seeing this hot (headed), passionate side of a younger HS, in contrast to his mature older self.
This is only a glimpse of the depth of his anguish. Can’t wait to see what happens next. They need to be careful around Minnie because she is going to be confused by what she will see going on between them. She thought her Babes would see no misery or pain with HS but that is just not true. This is a “good” kind of pain.
Even in the pre-cap, Minnie is fighting with him on behalf of Babita because she just doesn't understand. She also needs time to see HS' point of view. I don't want to go into predictions but I hope he gives her a talking down if she misbehaves with him again. He does not need to put up with rude behavior. Also, this is why kids should not interfere in the matter of adults, for that matter no one should interfere between consenting adults. Let them do what they want to. She is too young to get all the nuances and wants to see things as black or white. I hope HS or NB are able to make her understand. My feeling is also that Lala will be able to provide a lot of context for what's happening because he knew Imarti and he has stood by HS through thick and thin.
I think Minnie will hear HS’ side of the story at some point, so she will try and understand his pain. Which is why when he hurts Babita as we saw in one of the BTS videos, she will know where he’s coming from. She will feel helpless because in this case she won’t be able to take sides because no one is really wrong but everyone is hurting.
Just like Babita had her moment when she cut Ashok and her past off from her life for good, HS needs to get to a point where he can learn to accept and deal with his feelings and live with fond memories. This is the difference between people who are divorced and those who are widowed: being separated due to your partner leaving because they could not defeat death versus being separated because you were not meant for each other. You cannot just forget everything. You just learn to accept feelings and make room for new ones.
PS sorry for spelling or grammatical errors. I was too tired to proofread this.
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