I agree completely with your para 1. This is going to be in some way a test case for Hydaspes.
But I do not know how things can be made palatable for both sets of audiences - the pro-Puru one would match his telecast time in the percentage! - for you cannot square a circle. Porus became a tributary of Alexander's after the battle, so they cannot show this and please these 80%. In fact unless they adopt the Zhukov thesis that Porus won, they cannot satisfy the "nationalist" sections. I doubt if the audience would care much if Alexander were shown losing; after all today some are claiming that Maharana Pratap won at Haldighati, so revisionist boldness seems to be in vogue!😉
And I do have some reservations wrt the "lot of respect" you feel they have shown Alexander. After showing him as a compulsive kid killer, and a murderer of old women?
Don't kid yourself that there is going to be any post facto explanation of why Alexander staged that event, including the supposed execution of the kid. There was none last night, and now the focus has shifted and it is too late for explanations.
What this means is that the bulk of the TV viewership, watching Porus halfway thru their TV dinner, will conclude that Alexander is indeed another version of Mogambo.
They cannot be expected to read his eyes, note the flash of triumph in them when Puru saves the child, and also register that earlier, when the preparations for the execution are going on, his narrowed gaze switches from left to right as his eyes rake the crowd seeking the Bharatiya.
No, Alexander, as you can see from some posts here itself, is now enshrined in their consciousness as a Jallad.
If Alexander thought a marriage with Barsine was in the offing, he would run all the way to Bactria.😉 And I would not blame him at all. As for Barsine being in safe hands with Olympias around, Puru knows nothing about that lady!😉 She would probably eat Barsine for breakfast. And she would cut up very rough indeed at the idea of anyone showing compassion towards her.😉
Finally, the mission Puru is referring to as he is dragged off to jail is, methinks, not to rescue Barsine. That is now a non starter, seeing that Alexander knows she was trying to scoot. It is to get a list of the other major Macedonian weapons besides the 18 foot sarissa.
Shyamala Aunty
Originally posted by: inlieu
Jokes apart, I think the outcome of this sequence will be a key factor in how the CVs show the result of the Battle of Hydaspes. It's challenging for them to show Porus/India losing because audiences might not like it, but at the same time, audiences may not approve of them distorting history to the point of showing Alexander lost. In fact, the makers themselves may not agree with it because through the character sketch they have portrayed Alexander with a lot of respect in mind. They have taken pains to bring up his psyche, emotions, relationships, etc.
I have a feeling that whatever happens at the end of this gladiator sequence will make the ending of the show be easier to digest by both sets of audiences. Also, Alexander's understanding of the sentimental side to Porus will help him see things in a new light before and after he reaches India.
Of course, Alexander doesn't know that Puru's musketeer friends are lurking around. I wonder what he'll do if he finds out. Will their mission to rescue Barsine fail? Or maybe instead of Alexander showing compassion towards Sisygambis we will now see Puru showing compassion towards Olympias, and then he'll know Barsine is in safe hands while she's around. Puru himself will do the kanyadaan in the Alex-Barsine marriage, he will teach Barsine how to touch Olympias' feet, and leave her a parchment with the script of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi 😆.
Voila! Mission aborted so Puru go back to Paurav Rashtra and save Malay, ruin Shivdutt's plans, regain the title of crown prince, and basically save the world (again). 😆
I don't think Alexander would be angry if Puru treats Olympias like this. He would just be astounded, flabbergasted, flummoxed, etc when Puru touches Olympias' feet even though he refused to touch Hephaestion's considering they are both
azeez to Alexander
. He will begin to wonder what clay really the Indians are made of that cause them to behave in such opposite ways around him and with people close to him.
Maybe he will finally understand what Puru meant about ruling over people's hearts and not through fear. If the Indians really loved and respected Alexander he wouldn't have to force them to touch his feet, they would do it on their own out of love and admiration for the ruler. (Not that this would ever happen, of course)
The late Alexander would rise from his ashes if he were to see the Sony Alexander.
Edited by sashashyam - 7 years ago
Jhanak
