Dangerous Views: 7-APR-2014 and 8-APR-2014 EBP (pics pg 3,4,5)

On Gudi Padwa, Aastha chose to hold on to Shlok while Jyothi chose to move on. Both decisions are taken independently without any pressure from their mothers. Their decisions are opposite of what their mothers would want them to do. Kalindi tells Aastha to leave Shlok while Anjali tells Jyothi to hold on to Abhay.

Jyothi decided to move on because she knows Abhay is not worth treasuring. He never loved her. He doesn't even consider her as a living being. He is so unreasonably cruel that, in spite of her being a means to make money for him, he tortured her so much not caring if she lived or died.

Aastha decided to hold on to Shlok because she knows that he loves her and cares for her though he professes otherwise. He has showed her many times that her life is more precious to him than his own. Shouldn't she treasure such a man?! She doesn't understand why he broke her dreams exactly. She doesn't understand why he doesn't accept his feelings for her. But she knows that she cannot abandon him when his life is in danger and he is refusing to see that truth because she loves him too much

Niranjan overhears Vinayak and Varad saying that Aastha is the only hope to keep Shlok in check. He appeared to be thinking about what they said. There was an air of resignation about him to the facts that are staring in his face. I felt that through Vinayak-Varad (both names of Bappa), Bappa himself is driving some sense into Niranjan's thick, bald skull. The previous day, he was trying to play Aditi against Aastha, as if telling her that there are other options for Shlok if she chooses divorce. But after overhearing the Vinayak-Varad conversation, he understood that Shlok would withdraw from them again if Aastha leaves him. That is why in his conversation with Aastha later, he was trying to appeal to her rather than push her buttons, though she threw it in his face that she was right and he was wrong in Aditi's case.

Shlok was going back into a dark place again, indicated by his black shirt, because he was sure that Aastha will leave him. When he found that Aastha was looking at some picture and hid it at seeing him, he was angry that she was missing her family and is looking at their picture. He arrogantly shrugged off her hand when she tried to stop him from looking at the picture but when he actually saw the picture, he was humbled by her love. Now that he cannot hide his pain of separation behind arrogance, it showed in his face. Avinash was absolutely brilliant in this scene. The picture was from their wedding when he was putting on an act of a perfect lover. He gave that part of him back to her. So we can expect him to be a perfect lover to her in future.

Before they leave for the court, Aastha calls up Kalindi and asks for her support. She is still in two minds as to what decision she should take regarding the divorce. When Shlok came into the room, she bid him good bye by apologizing for every hurt she unknowingly caused him. But finally when it was time to make that decision, she listened to her heart and chose Shlok, because love was there and trust can be developed. It doesn't work the other way around.

Aastha assures Kalindi that she took the decision to stay with Shlok by herself without any pressure from anyone, she means Shlok here. When she filed for divorce before, Shlok resorted to bullying to keep her in the marriage. But this time he was busy saving himself from Aastha's love assault that he wanted her to go away so that he can wallow in his dark past peacefully and never face the fact that he loves her. Both Shlok and Kalindi pulled her in opposite directions before. Now both Shlok and Kalindi are actually driving her in one direction but she chose to do the opposite.

Aastha tells Kalindi that she decided to stay with Shlok because she loves him and she has also seen love for her in Shlok's eyes. Also she knows that Shlok needs her at this time and she cannot abandon him now. She doesn't tell Kalindi but she knows that Aditi is trying to harm Shlok as she has heard her speak to someone on the phone about that before going to court. The truly grown up Aastha tells Kalindi that people realize the value of relationships only in testing times. She brushes off her mother's fears and tears and reassures her that she will be happy with Shlok and asks for her support.

Niranjan is worried seeing Kalindi talk to Aastha. He summons Anjali for the task of separating the mother from daughter. She did not seem happy doing this but she does it anyway like she has always been doing all the dirty jobs for Niranjan. Shlok was also worried when he saw Aastha go to Kalindi but he doesn't react like before this time. He just looks on longingly and was relieved when she came back along with Anjali. While going back to their house, in the car, he doesn't say anything but just steals glances at her from time to time while his song was playing in the background. He wants her to go away because he doesn't have to come out of his shell then. But his heart wants her to stay because he loves her.

Kalindi is not happy with Aastha's decision to stay with Shlok. There is no doubt that Kalindi loves her daughter but she, in a way, wants to control Aastha's life, so that Aastha's life will be better than hers. She is sad at losing control over Aastha and is worried that her daughter will never be happy as she didn't heed her advise. Ajju rightly points out the flaw in her thinking that just because Aastha chose to go against her advise, they don't have to stop supporting her. She reminds Kalindi that Aastha always sought her mother's support first and foremost whenever she felt lost and broken, which means that she cares for her mother's advise. She tells her that Aastha has bravely chosen to give her marriage another chance only because she knows that her family will always be there for her. Kalindi realizes her mistake and decides to become Aastha's strength rather than weakness.

When Agnihotris return home, everyone gives Aastha a cold shoulder. Now that the divorce is not hanging on their head Aastha will get to see the real faces of the Agnihotris. She will probably be treated the same way as they treat Sojal. No more special allowances. Aditi mocks her that she is hanging on to them though they don't care for her. Aastha tells her that she decided to stay with Shlok because she loves him more than she loves herself and she knows that Aditi is here to harm Shlok. She will not leave him when he really needs her. Aditi helped her clear her confusion regarding divorce before leaving for court as she overheard her conversation with someone on phone that she will torture Shlok. Enjoyed the cat fight.

Jaya made a reappearance, not really, but Sojal talks to her on phone and complains to her about Aastha. Varad disconnects the call and tells Sojal that Aastha did the right thing by choosing not to divorce because that saved his family honor. Varad also cares about his family honor more than individual happiness.

Niranjan is happy about Aastha's decision because Agnihotri tradition is intact. He tells Anjali to forgive her mistakes. But Anjali is worried about Aastha disturbing the peace in her house again after the way she tackled the Aditi case, so she tries to point out to him that her mistakes may prove too costly for them to ignore. Niranjan gives his gyan that every mistake can be dealt with in various ways. He points out that Anjali also makes mistakes and depending on the gravity of her mistake, she is either forgiven, punished or she does penance. So now that Aastha is secured, he is going back to his original mission of turning Aastha into mini Anjali. Anjali sets out to do her penance by standing outside their bedroom when Aastha sees her. Aastha asks her why she is standing outside this late at night. Anjali shoos her away for now but I think Aastha will definitely probe the matter further.

Aastha goes back to her room and tells herself that she will stay with Shlok come what may and will win his love one day. She feels happy after saying that to herself and with a spring in her step walks towards her part of the room. She trips and tries not to fall by holding onto the curtains she nailed in sometime back and ends up bringing them down. She herself falls in Shlok's lap, right where she wanted to, and she breaks into a laughing fit. Shlok thinks she has gone mad and a tiny smile peaks through his lips. Aastha is happy that the barriers between them are slowly falling apart.

Next morning, Aastha comes back from the temple and boasts to Aditi that she had officially started her married life this time with Shlok, she meant consummation. In their room, Shlok is busy putting up the curtains again as he was feeling too bare and vulnerable right now after his feelings came to the fore too many times in the last few days. Aastha comes back to their room and stuffs a laddoo in his mouth and she shoves the curtains away. She sees Aditi from the corner of her eye and throws her arms around Shlok's neck and tells him that she wants to remove all the barriers between them and be his wife in the true sense. Ahem. Shlok understood what she was trying to tell him and he runs for cover. His favorite cover is baba. He tells her that she never tried to understand his baba's point of view and he will never understand her childishness regarding issues. She tells him that she understands one thing that she wants to stay with him. she goes on to tell him too many truths about him that she knows that she has made a place for herself in his heart and she will make him realize this. He again hides behind baba and says that nobody can make him do what he doesn't want to do and if she ever hurts his baba again, she will distance herself further from him. He goes on to say that though they both share the same room they are like two shores of a river that are always together but never meet. Aastha negates him saying that the two shores of a river meet at the point of confluence and she vows that she will make them meet. Ahem. Power to Aastha!