Friends, today's episode was again a sort of foundation-setter for the future entry of one of the Great Navratnas - Todarmal - to join Jalal's court as one his most trusted and valued men. Although we got a small bonfire-side hand-holding and teasing romantic scene between Jodha and Jalal to start the episode's proceedings, almost the whole of the episode was swallowed up by events at the Todarmal residence! In the end again, there was a smallish Baba Salim Chisti prophecy scene again and that wrapped up the day.
I will write a little more in detail about these scenes that made the episode, but first let me give attention to the precap which was the most interesting part for me. So finally it looks like Ruqaiya Begum has in fact reached the place where Jalal and Jodha are stationed after their meeting with Todarmal and Chisti. Jalal and Jodha are still in their disguises looking like the average common Seth and Sethani, while Ruq has arrived in all her queenly finery. Unfortunately for us, Ruq did not get waylaid by any dakus or weather storms forcing her return to Agra, so she has caught up with "her Jalal".
But lo and behold, what I saw yesterday in the precap was not really "her Jalal".
This was a whole new Jalal, it seems, who spoke fairly menacingly, ruthlessly and peremptorily to Ruqaiya! He said "OK, so you want to join us on the rest of this trip? Then go and dress like me and Jodha. See how well Jodha has dressed herself." In answer to this Ruqaiya seems to be making one of the hugest blunders of her life yet. She rails against the idea and says "But there's whole lot of difference between me and this Jodha Begum".(Tch, tch, tch ...!)
That's all we saw in the precap, but that was enough!
I suspect that when we see the full scene in the Friday episode, we are going to be subjected to the full Ruqaiya "audha-khas" diatribe, and Jalal is going to feel very very disappointed in this Ruqaiya that he has got to see. Maybe the scales will finally fall from his eyes, especially when the comparison between Jodha and Ruqaiya becomes patent. Since Jalal is now looking at Jodha with the eyes of man in love with her, he is going to be already slightly prejudiced against Ruqaiaya. He may now start feeling his own tiredness at Ruqaiya's repetitious "audha-greed and naked insecurity". Rather than feel sympathy for Ruqaiaya s insecurity, I think he is going get exceedingly irritated by it. That is a very unhappy prospect for Ruqaiaya if Jalal should ever get fed up of her tantrums and "insecurity excuses". That will be the moment when her "audha" in his eyes really falls!
Notice, folks, that this precap scene follows the Baba Salim Chisti visit - when the Pirbaba said categorically to Jalal and Jodha that it will be Jodha who will set a new path for the Sultanate by becoming the Marium Uz Zamani. We all know the significance of that! We know that the title of Marium Uz Zamani goes to the Begum who produces the waaris for the kingdom. So Salim Chisti has said in as many words that Jodha is surely going to become the mother of the waaris!
Now this must be sweet to hear for a man in love like Jalal, especially to know that soon one day Jodha will become his at the bodily level also ... but more importantly, when just after this prophecy of Jodha's importance, Ruq comes rushing to Jalal refusing to "reduce herself with commoner clothes like Jodha who is her inferior", surely Jalal will remember the Chisti prophecy that Ruq is not going to become Marium Uz Zamani, whereas Jodha is? Would that play on Jalal's mind as he re-assesses his two wives in the light of Ruq's "audha tantrum"?
I foresee this precap scene as a watershed moment in the lives of Jalal-Jodha-Ruqaiya. I think the trip out by Ruqaiya was not only foolhardy physically, but also a huge booboo from her positional point of view in the Agra household. I suspect we are today going to see the first signs of a great shift in Jalal towards Jodha - and away from Ruqaiya. The friendship between Jalal and Ruqaiya may not change overtly, since the bonds were forged in childhood, and he loves her too in a different sort of way. But the future is what we should look at now.
Who does the future belong to as far as Jalal's heart is concerned? No prizes for guessing that while Jalal himself is feeling love for Jodha now, Ruq, instead of trying to secure her already established position is actually undoing everything that was holding her firmly to Jalal. He will still be polite and kind to her, bear with her mood swings, or even continue to like or love her, but he will in some corner of his heart start feeling that to "love the good" is less than to "love the best". And while Ruqaiya will continue to be "the good", Jodha will become "the best"!
Why did I write so many thousand words in this post about Ruq? Because I feel strongly that we have come to that tipping point where Ruq's marginalisation is about to begin. And if as a result she starts feeling even more insecurity, and throws even more reactionary tantrums, from audha-erosion fear, she is going to dig her own grave. She needs no help, she will do a fine job of alienating herself. Remember the numbers of the people at Agra in favour of Jodha (Hamida + Salima) are greater than the numbers in favour of Ruqaiya (just Maham, and even that is a dubious supporter!). The shoulders that Ruqaiya can go to cry on are not reliable, or in her corner! Jalal was her only steady rock, but if that rock itself starts shifting, where is she going to be?
Ruqaiya has to grow up very very fast now and realise that "the old order changeth". She has to keep pace with changes in Jalal, and reconcile to the fact that among his many wives, he needn't always be impartial or indeed favour only Ruqaiya - he has the right to favour any one of his wives as his heart disctates. Ruqaiya cannot draw rules for Jalal's heart. And the sooner she realises this, I feel, she'll settle down to feeling safe and thankful about her own strengths (that is, if Maham lets her settle down!)
Let's watch Ruqaiya in the days to come. She is a very interesting personality ... and the ups and downs of her own moods is acting like a weather gauge for us of Jalal's own heart-swings.
Okay so much for my thesis on Ruq today. Let me go on to describing the three topics that made the Thursday episode!
Bonfires, handholdings - and Jalal's teasing interpretation of Jodha's inclinations!
In a short, but cute, scene at the very head of the episode, Jodha and Jalal were spending the night under a tree in a forested area, waiting for daybreak which seemed imminent. Seeing Jodha looking cold, Jalal rose to gather some wood for making the weak bonfire bigger, but Jodha stoopped him, saying daybreak was almost upon them. Jalal insisted that dawn was still a while away and the bonfire needed to be bostered to keep Jodha warm. She immediately went into a fit of giggles at the thought of the great Shahenshah reduced to gathering twigs for a fire, and he did not know what was tickling her so much.
Instead of further explaining why she was tittering, Jodha grabbed him by his hand and made him go back and sit under the tree, and it took a short while before they realised they were holding hands - Jodha hastily pulled her own hand away.
But my favourite moment came when Jalal said to her "Oh, I now know why you said there was no need for a bigger bonfire. You wanted to cash in on the fact that I am here near you, and there's no one else nearby to watch us, and you secretly wanted to hold my hand and be close to me, didn't you?" Jodha shot upright like a rabbit and moved away as if he had touched a raw nerve.
I got the distinct feeling that now that Jalal knows that he loves her, he is not going to lose any chance to make her admit her own feelings. He was half-teasing but I am sure he was also half-eaten with curiosity to see how she would react to his teasing suggestion!
Very cute scene ... I thought the rest of the episode would follow along the same romantic lines, but then things took a very different turn!
Events cascaded upon them at the Todarmal home - but the visit ended very poignantly!
As Jodha and Jalal heard some ominous noises when they were deep in the forested area at night, Jalal swung into alertness. It was after all a daku-infested area where they were, and they needed to stay silent and sharp. As it happened, however, an approaching horse and rider came upon them and looked over them. The rider, who looked like a fine gentlemen of some breeding and status, cautioned them against staying the rest of the night in this dangerous place and said they were welcome in his home nearby where they would be safe and snug for the night.
Okay, now I saw something very interesting. Jalal was still on the alert, baton in hand, but from behind his back it was Jodha who first said "He looks like a kosher gentlemen and I think we can trust him". And then Jalal acquiesced. (Oh, oh, folks, no prizes for guessing who is going to make the decisions in the relationship of this royal couple. The Shahenshah already defers to his lady love's assessments!)
Okay, so they then followed the gentlemen to his home, and after due thanks for his graciousness, introductions were in order. Jodha said she was Kajri, a Sethani, and Jalal callled himself Badal, her husband. The fine gentlemen said he was Todarmal as his wife stood beside him and offered them all some drinks. Todarmal was again into discussing the menace of dakus in that area when Jalal chanced to see a portrait of a warrior hanging on the wall, and went towards it. Todarmal said it was the painting of his ex-boss Sher Shah Suri, the man who ousted Humayun from this throne. Todarmal for many years had been his "munazim" (did I get that right?).
Jalal fists clenched upon hearing all this. His mind flashed back to the days when he had heard stories from his mentor Bairam Khan about the evil deeds of the hated Sher Shah Suri and how he had dethroned and humiliated Humayun, and how among the men who surrounded him was the greatest one, Todarmal. Jodha noted the fall in Jalal's countenance, but she didn't yet get the chance to ask what it was all about!
Then suddenly there was a commotion outside as a battalion of brigands entered the little village where this house stood - and they looted and set fire to almost all the houses there. They also started advancing towards Todarmal's house, and Todarmal instantly took out one of his swords to go and meet the intruders. He refused Jalal's offer of help in this fight, as Jalal was a guest. Jodha and Jalal exchanged meaningful glances again, when Jodha seemed to tell Jalal to wait - and Jalal steeled himself to stay quiet and let his host go. (One more instance of Jalal deferring to Jodha?)
There a huge fight ensued where Todarmal did give a good account of himself, but alas, the intruders were too many for him to handle - and he was soon outnumbered and surrounded, and on the verge of having to give in or give up! His wife started crying pathetically inside the house, for her husband's safety.
Again in a splendid display of who was bidding whom, Jodha sent eye signlas to Jalal that the time had come for him to go and add his might to Todarmal's fight. (Oh, boy, she sure is dictating Jalal's moves so much already! I wouldn't call Jodha bossy over Jalal, but it sure looks like Jalal is all too ready to defer to her "judgement" ... very interesting!)
Anyway Jalal jumps into the fray with a loud cry of "Jung abhi baakhi hai" which betrays his Mughal blood! Why would a Sethji forget his Marwari tongue and say the word "jung" for "battle" ... and where would a Sethji ever cut up so many dakus to ribbons in the space of minutes? Todarmal saw enough to know that his guest was no Sethji, this was a Mughal of the highest water!
Later the two men were with their respective wives. Jodha was tending to Jalal's wounds when she asked him why he was so upset when he heard of Sher Shah Suri from Todarmal? Jalal told her of how Sher Shah Suri had ousted his father and humiliated him in successive battles and forced him to flee, thus separating Jalal from his parents. He said he would not wreak vengeance on Todarmal now as he was after all opening his home to them, but a later day would come when he would fight Todarmal. In another room Todarmal shared the info with his wife that this was no ordinary Sethji, he was a Mughal - and Todarmal suspected he knew who it was.
Elsewhere in the Agra Palace, we were shown Hamida telling Gulbadan (as she continued her writing of the Humayun Nama) that when the wives of Humayun got separated from Humayun and he had to flee the battlefield, Sher Shah Suri sent back Humayun's wives to Agra under the escort of a wonderful and respectful gentlemen called Todarmal, who turned out to be an extremely good person.
Came the time for Jodha and Jalal to leave Todarmal's house, when Todarmal said "Wait, I have a gift to give you" and he gave Jalal a mohur of Humayun saying "This was given to me by Humayun as a thank-you gift when I returned all his Begums to him safe and sound!" Jalal was now forced to re-evaluate Todarmal! He was visibly moved by seeing his father's mohur and the respectful way Todarmal refered to him and his mother and step-mothers.
Yet Jalal did not still betray who he really was. As Jalal and Jodha departed, however, Todarmal told his wife "That was Shahenshah Jalaluddin Mohammed taking his father's mohur from me. And he knows I know who he is because I gave that mohur to him. But he is obviously in disguise and touring the country thus wiith some reason, so it would not be okay for me to openly show him up at this stage!"
In a beautiful, beautiful parting gesture, Jalal turned back and gave a last knowing look to Todarmal almost in silent thanks for finding out who he really was and giving him something so precious. The two men seemed to find enormous respect for each other in that silent moment ... and I had goosebumps all over! What a fantastic moment that last bit of the whole scene was!
Baba Salim Chisti foretells history - and Jalal hears that Jodha will be the Mariumm Uz Zamani!
After leaving the Todarmals, Jodha and Jalal reach the encampment of Baba Salim Chisti near Sikri, where the Baba seems to be able to know them despite their disguises, and seems almost to be expecting them. In his stentorian voice he utters a few words of great future import to both of them. He says "I know the immediate past was very treacherous for both you, but you have both come out of it with flying coours. Jalal, you will now go from strength to strength, conquering new goals and reaching new heights like never before. The future is one long path of ascension towards greatness for you. And as for Jodha Begum, you will now set the whole Sultanate on a new "raastha", for you are to become the Marium Uz Zamani".
If I were Jodha at that moment it would have surely occurred to me that the prophecy indicated that very soon a bedroom-sharing with Jalal was unavoidable - for one couldn't become the Marium Uz Zamanai without bearing the waaris for the kingdom! I was expecting Jodha to show some signs of "hichkichaahat" about that, but she just sat there with glazed eyes, serenely taking in the prophecy. Was she already almost okay with sleeping with Jalal soon? And, as for Jalal, I expected to see a wicked gleam in his eyes about Jodha soon becoming bodily his, but instead Jalal was wearing a look of slight incredulousness. I think he was a bit surprised that it would be Jodha who would bear his waaris for him and not Ruqaiya!
Overall the prophecy was wonderful for both of them to hear because it suggested that troubled times were over - and the season of "nafrat" had now give way to the season of "mohabbat". But I am not sure how exactly the prophecy will hit both of them later, on deeper thinking. I think this is where Ruqaiya's arrival will act as a catalyst. The words of Baba Salim Chisti will acquire a new meaning for Jalal as he suddenly sees the vast differences between Ruqaiya, his childhood friend, and Jodha his new deep love. And he will veer away from Ruqaiya towards Jodha, because there is now also a "divine sanction". And likewise Jodha may realise that she is feeling a bit jealous herself of Ruqiaya's arrival just when things were getting cozier and more exclusive for herself and Jalal ... and she will veer towards Jalal again because there is now a "divine sanction"!
Folks, I am dying to see how Jalal handles Ruqaiya now. I have a feeling that Ruqaiya is either going to be so miffed that she decides to turn back and return to Agra in a huff ... or she may decide to wear the Marwari costumes just to be part of the party, but be at her at disgruntled best souring the mood for everyone for the rest of the journey.
Either way I think the moment has come when Ruqaiya may expose her own "smallness " ... and how Jalal reacts to her being around when he is wanting to be alone with Jodha is something worth watching! I am seeing Ruqaiya's role now as a reverse-Cupid!
