Gaaah! What a high voltage drama was in store for us! Contrary to my hopeless wish, Dhruv actually did beat up Manik for Nandini's sake. But what was more surprising was that Manik didn't hold back. Yeah, he was more restrained than Dhruv but those leashes could've snapped any second had not Alya and Nandini stepped in.
Dhruv's emotions for Nandini are getting stronger by the moment while Manik is in the constant state of frustration. His logic tells him that his anger flared up because Nandini was the reason Dhruv raised his fist to Manik and even hit him. Manik's disbelief at being hit actually numbed me. Not even in his wildest thoughts would he have imagined that to happen. Specially when it came on the heel of the massive hurt that Nandini's words caused him. God! His outburst gave me chills.
(PARTH SAMTHAAN! 👏 And I love Niti's acting in scenes where she has to cry. Her face his so innocent and when those doe eyes are filled with water, she does it so well. She needs some work emoting surprise but when it comes to crying scenes, which are usually toughest of the lot, she nails it all. The critic in me was purring in pleasure at the outburst scene ☺️)
I am making an official statement here - I am a Manik bias. When he said, "Main ek Monster hoon aur hamesha rahoonga!" my heart leaped out to him. Those were big words to say. I don't his reaction was to the accusation in particular but the ones who was making the accusations. I don't blame Nandini for jumping right to the conclusion that it was all Manik's doing. Seeing his past track, it's not a surprise for her. It's a surprise for him that he would be blamed for something like that. The guy seriously needs to see his past deeds with her to realize that she isn't the one who's wrong here but since he has serious issues when it comes to Nandini, Imma let it pass.
Anyway, the post-fight scene made it EVIDENT (yes, in capital) that his rage wasn't targeted at being hit by Dhruv but rather, Dhruv defending NANDINI (again in capital). Nandini is the key word here. Not some girl who came in between the two Buddies, but Nandini as an individual. His ex-spot Nandini. The one who kept him baffled the entire time she was in his vicinity but he didn't have control on her. The girl who outright refused to doing anything with him. The girl whose house he visited to take out all his frustrations because she didn't smile for him but with someone else. That girl.
And who defended him? Dhruv.
The guitar breaking was so symbolic. This guitar is more than just a music making instrument for Manik, it's the thing which calms Dhruv down during his rage episodes. And Manik broke that guitar. He smashed it to the ground after thinking about the times Dhruv was there for Nandini while Manik only watched from the sidelines. Oh no, his anger is so not because Nandini was the reason Dhruv hit him. His anger was because Nandini just was. The girl exists and affects him and leaves him so baffled and confused and so out of control. The Manik who used to face things with a calm demeanor, with ice in eyes and no feelings in words, she has reduced Manik to a becoming a hot mess with rage and emotions all over his face. The Manik who hardly lost his cool is being controlled by the first thing he feels.
Jealousy. Rage. Longing. Helplessness.
Nandini is the reason for it.
And then there's Dhruv.
*excited arm flailing*
Can you see this whole situation?! Do you realize the position Manik is in?! God, love triangles are usually so boring because the conflict there is just so meh but here! There's this whole history between the guys on one side, this whole connection between Manik-Nandini, and then there's obvious feelings between Dhruv-Nandini. I am so utterly glad that MaNan as end game has been hinted in the show because it makes it all the more interesting! When we thought that there might be self-sacrificing game going on between the guys once feelings start to surface, we got this scene of Dhruv not hesitating to punch his best buddy for the sake of Nandini. Now we have Manik getting rid of the root of the problem aka Nandini supposedly for the sake of his friendship with Dhruv but you can't deny that there's some massive jealousy at play here. If there'd be no Nandini around, there'd be no one to rattle his emotions and cause a ripple. And then Nandini decided to go all out against Fab5 and shit! I am so bloody scared about the show's inevitable screw up cuz everything right now is so purrfeecctt!!