Aunty, Sandhya...🤗
Lots of valid points raised...but, this is my take - wonder if it'd satisfy you!😛
My poor Jalal...there is not a single episode that goes by where his actions are not dissected and watched with a critical eye - especially in the past three months...ðŸ˜
I feel that the viewers expect him to be Lord Krishna to Jodha, Lord Ram to Ruqaiyya, Shakuni mama to Shareef/Adham, Chandragupta Maurya in the DEK and Ashoka on the battlefield...
But, he is 22 year old Jalal...and I love him for it!
HAREM COURT
Aunty that was only a Harem court...so, him shouting at them NOT to interrupt wasn't really that out-of-place, was it? Obviously, he's been annoyed with the harem issues lately - spilling on to his political affairs et al - (Remember, how he mutters that the harem war was worse than any other war he's seen) so his annoyance spilled over! Surely, he was far more dignified in shutting them up than the women who were WWFing barely a day ago😆
Also, the 'unfairness' of the harem kaand and issues coming to light lately have given him a bad reality check, me thinks
As soon as he comes to know of the news in DEK - he realizes the kichdi paking!
JALAL-RUQ
Before saying that we'd never wish a friend like Jalal in our life...but, wouldn't we rather never have a friend like Ruqaiyya first?
Everyone's saddened that he gave up on Ruqaiyya soon...but, where is it soon? Every time he asks his friend the question 'Do you want me, do you feel jealous when I spend time with other ladies...and what am I to you?'
Her answer in various (actions, gestures, words) have been 'You are the Emperor and I am your chief consort...You are a man of power and position and I'm proud to be associated with that power and position!'
Which best friend really gives an answer like that?^^^
Ruqaiyya is loyal to the Mughal Sultanat and obsessed with the power she holds in it - Jalal is a means (albeit her favourite means) of ensuring her Sultanat and her position in said Sultanat is safe!
He is supposed to sit down and have a talk with her? Why? Did she sit down and have a talk with him when he lost his father? Did she sit down and have a chat with him when he was committing blunder after blunder during the Ben track? He was blinded by ego, right? What about her - she could have thought of it rationally! She is supposed to be his advisor right? Her egging him to marry Benazir during that track was in far poorer light than anything Jalal's done to her lately! After that, Jalal granted her a gift in the DEK for getting rid of Benazir - did she apologize to him for having committed mistakes? No! Instead, she tells Jodha choose anything BUT Jalal...like REALLY?
HIS EGGING
And as for the egging - the Jo vs Ruqs primarily started only during the BEK elections, right? Even then, after he teased Ruq about the chess game - and saw her reactions - he disappointedly advices her not to be so driven to delight about the loss of Jodha rather than the victory of her friend! In that way, he's been egging Jodha too - to confess her feelings and the jalan bit!
This 'teasing' habit of his might be a drawback, an annoying characteristic of his - whatever - but, its nothing new! Initial episodes when the twosome were more cordial the egging ended with pleasurable scenes. (I like it when you get angry and I like to manaa you) Lately, when he's realizing Ruqaiyya's reality, the ending is not so pleasurable!
Jalal is good to those who are good to him...vindictive towards those when he thinks/learns of those who are not so good (when he realizes the truth that is)!
For all of her initial shortcomings, he forgave Jodha because apart from being attracted to her, he knew she was a woman of integrity - one who didn't crave power/position/materialistic comforts!
At the same time, despite all she's done for him lately - neither has he forgotten the narnaal issue, nor has he forgotten the dhakka incident!
For all of her shortcomings, he kept forgiving Ruqaiyya up until the recent Harem meeting. He trusted her to be truthful to him if nothing else! He trusted her allegiance to the Sultanat and thought she was 'just' in Sultanat affairs if nothing else (like how she gave the land back to Saleema in the DEK scene)
Now; despite all of their history together, he's never going to forgive Ruqaiyya for having back-stabbed his trust in this manner!
He's put up with her audha rants, with her constant 'tell me you don't love Jodha Begum' with her 'I me and myself' importance because he knew it was HER!
However, with the recent harem issues coming to light (Begums complaining about how they're being mistreated), him watching how she was pulling Jodha along etc he was beginning to get disillusioned! This moorthi plot only made it worse!
JALAL IN JO VS RUQ
And Sandhya, I wouldn't say that Jalal's cerebral cog-wheels ONLY work in Jodha's case and not in Ruq's (it would seem that way cos this entire serial has been outlined with tracks that show every other person in the Sultanat plotting against Jodha!)
His brain had stopped working during the Tasneem track (a Ruqs affair) due to depression and during Benazir track (A Jodha affair) due to ego! Also, during Ruq's MC kaand he had taken it upon himself to do the investigation and solved it too - till MA outwitted him at the last minute!
As long as he is clever enough
and treats women with dignity - especially in public, I have no qualms about the rest of his portrayal! 😆
As for why he's so fond of Jodha - well, its a given...Heer Kunwari was Akbar's beloved...he spoilt her, adored her, had a separate palace built for her...then what's wrong if this Jalal does the same? At least, we see HK is a strong woman, intelligent and beautiful...at least here Ruqs is not very desirable as a companion...
There have been kings who've fallen for beloved queen no.5 or no.6 when queen no2, queen no3 or queen no4 did nothing really wrong!
Yes, he is no 'Holier than thou' white hero...but, then that's what makes watching this grey-shaded guy so interesting...as Divya had said - his action every day is the wildcard... changes a track every possible way!😃
Ayooo, this was a long composition...hope I didn't bore anyone to death...just my views..not meant to offend anyone...😳
Periyamma hope your eyes get better by the day 🤗
***Love you Lashy, for the support, I so agree with you.
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