Posted:
Admit it.
Deal with it.
Today, they both felt it and reacted to it.
A reaction that the smart director kept for long enough in both the actors so that it registers with the audience.
The reaction to the chemistry between Rudra and Paro and their first 'feeling' of a possibility of attraction between them. Yes, it was SUPPOSED to be a combative situation where Rudra was just trying to tell Paro that how wrong he is for her as a husband , and Paro was getting her claws out in disgust as she saw her dushman-dost getting all touchy and feely with her.
And SUDDENLY, the whole mood of the dhishoom-dhishoom changed. All it took was a tender and husky "Chaai" from Rudra, a very tender wiping off the Taj Mahal tea from her cheek. Smooth transition from a heartless brute to a caring and compassionate man. This care, this tender compassion registered with Paro. The disgust on her face took a backseat and she lifted her eyes to his face - eyes that had reluctant search for tenderness, wonder at his 'Rangrasiya' shades. And those eyes melted Rudra's ridiculing and taunting concentric circles , and softened his face... this is when you see a registered reaction to the FIRST mutual sign of attraction. This is why Paro pulls out of his embrace and pushes him. And instead of Rudra sneering at her and Paro calling him all the soap-heroine waale names , they both take a few seconds to get their act together and revert to the combat.
Point? The point is that its good to be on either of the two sides. Either you hate a person. Or else you love a person. The frustrations and the emotional draining begins when these two oceans mix with each-other. Its like you THINK you hate someone , but what you FEEL is something else, completely.
Strange. How a man like Rudra looks innocent and unsettled when hit with a sign of attraction towards a woman he could LOVE. And how a naive and unexposed girl like Paro feels the rush of attraction but ignores the threatening hyperventilation.
Paro says she hates Rudra with her life, but at the same time, she chooses her trust on him over promises of freedom. She would rather die than marry him, but she tells you that he is the one to keep her honour and keep her alive.
Emotional Oxymoron? Check.
Likewise, Rudra visits another woman with whom he has been in a clinical relationship for 8 years , to only crib, rage and rant about Paro. Errm, about Paro and her vital stats, if i may add here. He says he hates her but she rides on his mind and ruffles his ribs 24x7. So, much so that you feel its Rudra and Paro in the scene, Laila is invisible.
Psychological Oxymoron? Double check.
Later, Rudra repeats it to Paro that yes, we are at war and i don't understand why you are signing up for a life of pain and anguish with me. What are you even thinking as you say that you will marry me and stay with me 'umar bhar' ( she said it!) ? Look at me. I am not the man of your dreams. Inspite of all the gall between them, Rudra is willing to admit that he is not the right person to be her husband. Yes , he is pushing her for his own benefit, but at least the man has it in him to accept the truth of his own shortcomings. Meanwhile, Paro, burning, crying , suffering is listening to all these warnings... she is refusing offers of freedom... and walking in Rudra's direction , with an unconscious faith deep down that Rudra may not be the sunlight she hoped for, but his firefly light is enough to keep her alive.
Now, that you think about it. Paro has always been the one to knock at Rudra's door and whenever she has knocked , he has opened the door...allowed her in... only to tell her to leave him alone. Symbolic , much?
BTW, what Rudra told Paro as she left his room is a shuddering and echoing statement.- " I am used to poison , so I can live with it and I can live with you. But you are as pure and fragile as that butterfly. Too pure for all the gall that am filled with."
In short, Rudra called Paro a nectar bottle and himself a vial of poison. Rudra , apart from all the misogyny and loathing directed at Paro, admits that he cannot be a part of her beautiful white world. He is too dark and damaged for that. Shades of Othello? Well, lets see. Maybe a little bit here and there. ... along with VISIBLE signs of attraction.
BTW, the scene where Rudra and Paro lock eyes with each-other while she stands in the courtyard and he is gazing at her from his room . That was BURSTING with chemistry. The camera work and the expressions of both the actors, without being in one frame, were flawless.
P.S- When Rudra took Paro's name... it sounded beautiful like never before. Its almost like you feel you are hearing her name for the first time.
P.P.S- As someone said, Thakur Sa eloped with the wrong sister. Mohini was his ideal match. Kya dhamakedaar jodee hotee. 😆
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
