Posted:
Romi is such an adorable devar. Even though he's a bit of a lafanga, he's pretty good at heart. In the beginning I just thought he was a playboy who didn't care about other peoples feelings (Mihika/Mihir MMS thing) but there were certain instances that made me think and actually like him:
- When he drops Ruhi off at Ishita's house in the beginning episodes even when the whole Bhalla family did not want Ruhi to meet Ishita; granted, he wanted to flirt with Mihika on her daily walk but still (and I thought it was adorable that he called Ishita 'didi' ;) )
- He followed Ishita on the night she was trying to drive pregnant Pooja to the hospital. And later on, when his beloved Bhabhi is delivering the baby, he's just as tense as everyone else; it showed that he had more depth to his character than just a regular college-going boy. And his excitement at Ishita's job well done was so cute.
- The scene which made me laugh the most because of how adorable it was - when he went to Ishita's house after the Parmeet fiasco to ask her to come home. Romi did not have to do that at all; he was the younger devar, he could have been like "Its not my problem, its my parents and Raman bhai's issue" but he took the initiative. And then, when he pretended he was going to live with Ishita bhabhi at her mayka since she wasn't budging, well that literally melted my heart.
- Of course, the chicken wala scene. I was kind of upset because right after this scene, in an episode or two, the whole Bala/cheating thing came out in the open.
- His sincerity when he went to apologize to Ishita after the MMS thing. You could see the hurt on his face when Ishita was like "I considered you not just a devar but like a little brother and I can't forgive you right now." I think her words seriously prompted him to apologize in person to Mihir and Mihika as well as tell the school board the truth. And even though some may say "well, all he had to do was say 'sorry'" - saying sorry is a huge deal especially after doing stuff like this. Saying sorry with sincerity and on top of that saying "punish me however you want etc etc" and not raising a hand back to hit Mihir back when Mihir was punching him was a huge character development on Romi's part.
- When Param came to meet Romi during his exile at Bunty's house, I was so nervous that Romi would accept because I mean come on, Ekta serial etc etc. But he didn't! And what's more, he defended Ishita even though he knew that at this point in time, Ishita was beyond furious with him because of MMS/Bala/and Amma's accident. That was so incredibly mature of him and I hope that that maturity rubs off on Raman one of these days.
- Any scene with Param, basically - especially during the namkaran. Only days after his Ishita bhabhi yelled at him and said she couldn't forgive him even though he apologized sincerely, he still cared so much about her that he would even touch Param's feet - the slime, who he had threatened to beat up.
- Today/July 1st episode: Oh my gosh. I was in awe of how mature Romi has become. Of course bunking work to hang out with friends - yeah that's pretty immature but at that age, its not such a big deal (I do that sometimes shh!!). But the way he handled that situation was amazing and much much more than I expected of him. At the hotel, he left his money go down the drain as well as his day off because he didn't want to 'expose' his brother to any rumors by his friends. At home, he tactfully kept quiet as to not add mirchi into the situation. He only revealed it when the situation required it. And on top of that, he even went with his Bhabhi just to keep an eye on her, so she wouldn't get hurt physically (Ishita was driving so fast!) nor as much emotionally (as in, at least she's not alone when she sees her pati parmeshwar with his ex).
Though Romi already had a natural respect for Ishita, I think it increased after Ishita (grudgingly) took his side in the Bala debacle. When he saw that his bhabhi would outwardly support him over her beloved jiju/bhaiyya figure, I think thats when maybe something clicked in his mind that he had to support his Bhabhi always.
I'm actually really enjoying Romi's character. I'm pleased that his role hasn't been subjugated to a mere side role just to fill up the Bhalla household and add some mirch here and there (poor Rinki, I wonder where she's been exiled to?). For me, its always lovely to see secondary characters play in positively with the main characters, so that their characters can be more human and have depth, rather than just be there for show.
And personally, I think bhabhi-devar relationships like this where the devar stands up for his bhabhi and vice versa (esp to the husband! :)) are extremely adorable and necessary. I hope Romi (and by extension, Mihir) always stand up for and support Ishita.
Edit/New Note:
I have to add a number 9) to that list up there after reading about today's episode and seeing the screenshots. Romi has definitely taken the initiative - I'm so proud of his character because its come such a long way since the first few times we saw him (when he was just portrayed as a hot-blooded loverboy). I'm guessing Raman's beating and that whole screw up really made a difference and impact on him - which is great b/c we're supposed to learn from our mistakes.
HE DROVE THE CAR BACK HOME (I'm assuming he left his beloved motorcycle there). In terms of Ishita, she never breaks down/cries in front of anyone except the Iyers - save Param fiasco b/c Bhallas obviously were included too. She's such a strong woman that the fact that she cried in front of Romi and allowed him to drive indicated a trust on him from her part. Can I be right to assume that maybe by now she's forgiven him (inwardly or even partially atleast) for Bala/Mihika?
And Romi's concern for Ishita, when he said "Bhabhi please don't cry," and his hurt expressions on watching her cry as well as his inner monologue worrying about her when everyone at home asked Ishita about Raman truly warmed my heart.
I think I hit it - he was worried about her. This is the first time we've seen Romi actually worrying about anyone other than himself. He felt the pain of his Bhabhi - a bhabhi who culturally is so different from him/got so upset with him a few weeks ago she was ready to send him to jail/was merely their annoying neighbor's daughter until just a few months ago.
I think the one of the first few signs of maturity is worrying about someone else other than you for an unselfish reason - which he did - as well as showing empathy. And I don't think I'm stretching it when I say that Romi - and not Raman - is acting more maturely towards Ishita at this point.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
