Friends, first of all, thanks for bearing with my erratic appearances on the forum in the last three or four days due to my mother's illness. But I'm happy to say I'm now back in form!
So chalo, what did we have on the cards in yesterday's episode? It was a rather simple episode compared to a lot of high-jinks drama we've seen of late.
Some of the tracks we've been through in the more recent past have been so OTT that the Agra Palace and its intrigues are now beginning to look placid in comparison. I couldn't help noticing that a lot of people on the forum were making posts about how boring the episodes on Palace intrigues have become. Hello ... wasn't there a time a time not so long ago when we found the Palace and its "inmates" were keeping us fully on edge?
Anyway, yesterday, in true Agra Palace style, we had a Big Baby Lie by Bakshi Bano (BBLBB, for short), that the child she had given birth to was a boy. In actuality it was a girl, but Bakshi was so terrified of saying that in front of her husband who's on a slapping spree. He is slapping just about everybody who dares to say "It's okay if it's a boy or a girl. Both are God's gifts and no one can do anything to change a child's natural gender!" So far Sharif has slapped a bandhi, a sipahi and his own wife Bakshi hard across the face for even suggesting the baby could be a girl. So obsessed is Sharif about wanting only a boy! (For what? To carry on his nauseating bloodline?)
So anyway, to keep Sharif at bay, poor Bakshi Bano has now bluffed that the girl baby she had just had is a boy, and she has looped the hakima into this subterfuge saying "Please, please, don't let the cat out of the bag till my husband's attitude changes. If Jalal should later be angry with you, I will take the blame for having asked you to lie along with me!"
Accha, then what happens in the episode? Jalal goes ahead in his utter happiness at becoming a Mamujaan by announcing ... you guessed it: a JASHN for the bay's naming! And jashns as we all know and dread are moments when Ekta cannot resist a bhandaphod. So I suspect this Big Baby Lie of Bakshi Bano (BBLBB) is all set for an expose when many heads may roll, after Sharif publicly betrays his disgust with a lot of physical violence against his wife and falls foul of Jalal!
Already in the precap, we have had Hamida in her quavering voice ask tremulously "Tell me all Jodha, and spare none of the details!" Salima, Hamida and Jodha looked earthshaken and I don't know how Jalal may later react if he knows by the day of the jashn that the truth was already known to his mother and two of his wives.
Incidentally, I believe historically the child born to Bakshi was a still-born baby girl, but here in Ekta's naatakiya roopanthar we have a healthy baby, born quite okay. So now I am wondering whether just to cast Sharif in evil light, he may be shown as the murderer of this girl baby? Will Sharif be made to feed the baby some ark or something (usually handy around this Agra joint) just to display his extreme displeasure that he has had a girl? And what will that do to Bakshi's relationship with him ... and will Jalal intervene to split up Sharif and Bakshi and make Sharif have to flee from Agra as a baby-murderer on the run?
In the midst of all this lying and covering up that happened yesterday, there were also some very nice scenes and snatches of very sweet dialogues.
One of them that I liked a lot was when Jalal and Jodha (right at the start of the episode) are talking about girl babies in general and their own babies in particular - and Jalal says he already has names for his girls - one of them will be Razia and the other will be Radha. How awesome was that!
And to add to my happiness, Jalal also told Jodha, "Whatever their gender, our babies will have half-Mughal and half-Rajvanshi blood, won't they?" How cute was that too!
And later when Jalal is pacing up and down in concerned anticipation after the hakima shoos them all out of the delivery room, Jalal tells Jodha "Here I am all het up, and you are looking so calm?" and Jodha replies "I am calm because all women have to go through this in their lives. But I am seriously more worried about you than I am about Bakshi!" That was ultra-cute too!
And finally there's the continuation of that convo between Jalal and Jodha when Jalal says "I know how you women suffer pain in labour. That's why I am going to be present in the room when you deliver." Jodha says "No never, you won't be able to see me in pain, and I won't be able to see you in distress." To which Jalal replies "You can't stop me, I am the Shahenshah". I was giggling when this dialogue happened. The dear boy is going to pull rank on his wife just to be in the delivery room with her?
The part of the episode I didn't like was the scene with Ruq in her room talking to the harem Begum about wives who don't bear kids and how they fall in value.
The harem Begum stresses to Ruq that wives of even ordinary men, let alone badshahs, when they don't bear kids, drop in estimation.
Just around the time this discussion is happening, Hoshiyaar brings in a cradle to Ruq's room and says "Who is this a gift for - Jodha or Bakshi?" Ruq replies cryptically "It's for the Marium Uz Zamani (i.e. herself!). My worst fears seem to be coming true that this Ruq is going to demand one of the babies ... but which one, the first born or the second born? What if Jodha has one boy and one girl? What if the babies are not healthy and one baby outlives the other by a bit? Which one will Ruq grab for herself? The partial answer to this puzzle are in my comments that follow below in this post!
What all happened in yesterday's episode:
Jodha is sitting in her hojra, when Jalal walks in greeting her. He looks at her face and asks, "What is keeping you looking so low today? Don't you remember the hakima said feeling sad at a time like this is neither good for you nor the babies?" Jodha thinks to herself "Is it the right time for me to tell the Shahenshah what Sharifuddin Ji believes about the gender of his child? No, I'd better not, for this is between Sharif and Bakshi and the issue should not get out!"
Jalal looks at her in disbelief "I am here and you are still worried? Tell me fast what is troubling you?" Jodha replies rather quickly "It's nothing much. I have a question to ask. If we have girl babies, would you get very sad about it?" Jalal gets up from the bed where they've been sitting and has a look of disbeliefin his eyes. "How can you even ask me such a question? You hurt me by asking if I don't want girl children. Daughters are God's gift, Jodha Begum ... and aren't you, Ruqiaya, Salima Begum and Ammijaan also someone's daughters? I'd be so thrilled to have girls and I have even thought of names for them. One of them will be Razia and the other Radha."
Jodha is beyond thrilled to hear this. "How do you like the names?" Jalal asks and then adds sombrely "But seriously tell me, how did you even get such a doubt?" Jodha replies: "Well, I thought you may want boys to carry forward your lineage and become your successors to the throne." Jalal says "Why can't our girls be my successors? And don't you remember my father even named Nigar as his successor for the Delhi takht? It makes no difference if we have boys or girls. After all they will all have both Mughal and Rajvanshi blood, right? Even if we have daughters I will gladly give them the throne and the power to rule. OK now I told you my name preferences for the girls, what names have you chosen for our kids? Maybe you should name one of them and I should name the other?"
Jodha then says with happiness, touching his shoulder "No we'll decide their names together" and Jalal agrees. Just then a bandhi enters to say Bakshi Bano is in deep pain. Jodha says "Don't worry Shahenshah, she seems to be nearing her time. Let's go and see."
In her room Bakshi is indeed in severe labour pain. Sharif comes to her bedside, ordering the bandhis around to bring the hakima. Sharif says" Don't worry, looks like the time has come for our boy to be born in this world, our waaris. " Bakshi asks "What if we have a girl, will you then leave me?" Sharif then gets so angry that he hits Bakshi hard across the face despite her acute pain. "Silence" he screams. Then in a fit of remorse he sits beside her, taking her hand in his, and says "Why are you talking like this? Do you know, talking of girl babies is a bad dua'. And I want a boy at all costs, not a girl." "But this is God's will that I cannot change" says Bakshi in distress.
Before Sharif can reply, Jalal and Jodha are announced into the room. "Don't worry Bakshi, we are all here for you", says Jalal seeing her in pain and tears. Sharif, meanwhile, is thinking to himself "Hope this Bakshi doesn't lose her head and tell Jalal everything." Jodha then explains "She is too close to her time and that's why she is tearful!" Jalal understands.
But then Jalal notices her red cheek where Sharif has hit her and asks "Why is your face so red, Bakshi?" Bakshi covers up for her husband saying "The hakima says such things happen in pregnancy." "But Jodha Begum too is pregnant and she has no such signs. Tell me why are you crying?" Jalal persists. "I am crying sentimentally because my husband looks after me so much" says Bakshi. "I am so happy to hear that" says Jalal, "and if you have a boy he can grow up to be our Sulltanate's warrior like his father, and if it's a girl ..." Sharif cuts in "It will be a boy" he says with conviction and Jodha looks askance at him. Jalal continues "Girl or boy, its God's will."
Bakshi then wails in pain as the hakima runs in and tells all "It's time for the delivery so please Huzoor, all of you wait outside for the good news."
In her hojra, Ruq is talking to another harrem Begum "What is this noise?". The Begum replies "It's Bakshi, she's about to deliver her baby! That's one more Mughal going to be born." Ruq thinks to herself "Today it's Bakshi, tomorrow it will be Jodha, and Salima already has Rahim. Only I will remain childless!"
Ruq then turns to the harem Begum and asks "If a woman remains childless, then what happens?" The begum replies "She becomes much inferior. Whether they are badshahs or just ordinary men, all men always value higher their woman who give them children. See how high Jodha Begum now is in the Shahenshah's esteem. And she's to bear two children. If even one of them is a boy, its pucca she will become Marium Uz Zamani!"
Ruq tries to smile through her frustration when Hoshiyaar brings in a cradle into Ruq's room. "Is this a gift for Jodha Begum or Bakshi Bano? " Hoshiyaar asks. Ruq smartly replies "It's for the Marium Uz Zamani!" An evil look enters Ruq's face!
In Bakshi's room, she is wailing with the final pangs of labour pain. Outside Jalal is distraught and cannot even sit still. He paces around and seeing Jodha looking so calm he says "What is this? Here I am so affected by Bakshi's pain, and you are sitting so calmly?" Jodha smiles. "This is normal in every woman's life. Shahenshah. And at the moment I am more worried about you than about Bakshi!" he smiles ruefully. Jodha continues "Shahenshah, isn't is lovely that with the birth of a child, even the mother gets a new life?" Jalal says "I know how much pain you women go through. That's why when you deliver I am going to be there with you." Jodha replies "Never. You won't be able to see me in pain, and I won't be able to bear your sadness. You will not be there with me when I deliver." Jalal replies with a smirk "You can't stop me, I am the Shahenshah!" "Even so I am the mother and my writ will run" says Jodha. "Let's see" Jalal says, "but at the moment all I pray for is that Bakshi has a beautiful baby!"
Sharif meanwhile, pacing up and down in another part of the area around Bakshi's room, hears a greeting from a sipahi. "Huzoor, whether it's a girl or a boy, you are going to be so happy" the sipahi says, but in return the angry Sharif slaps him and reiterates to himself "It will be a boy!"
The cries of a baby then rent the air as the hakima lifts the newborn in her arms, all swaddled with a blanket. "Congrats, Bakshi Begum, you have a girl", the hakima says. Jalal outside, hearing the cries of the baby tells Jodha "Looks like my prayers have been heard. Come let's go and see." They run towards Bakshi's room.
Bakshi is very happy privately. But then suddenly the precariousness of her situation hits her as she revists all her discussions with Sharif who so wanted only a boy. The hakima leaves the baby with Bakshi and exits the room just as a bandhi tells Sharif that he is now a father. Sharif runs in and says "Oh I am so thrilled with my new infant. It is a boy isn't it?" and Bakshi, petrified of the repercussions of telling the truth, glibly lies "Yes it is a boy!". Her eyes are filled with dread, as Sharif starts shouting "Thank God, I have a boy, I have a boy." The hakima in the adjacent room looks at him with dread in her eyes too!
Sharif runs out to tell everybody the good news, when the hakima runs to Bakshi's bedside. "What have you done Bakshi Bano?" she asks, "why have you lied to your husband?" "I was scared," says Bakshi, "if I'd told him it's a girl, I don't know what he would have done in his anger. Please for the sake of this baby, don't let out the truth for some days. I will myself tell all the truth after Sharif's attitude changes." The hakima looks very scared. "If the Shahenshah knows the truth has been hid, he will behead me" she says. "No", says Bakshi "I will myself tell the Shahenshah that I forced you to tell the lie."
Sharif tells everyone waiting just outside the room (including Jalal and Jodha) that he has had a boy, and Jalal hugs him and says "Mubarak ho!" So do all the others. "You're a father now, Sharif" says Jalal, and Sharif replies "And you are a Mamujaan now Shahenshah! You've got a new wafaadaar now. God has answered my prayers for a son." "Let's all go in and greet Bakshi" say the ladies and they all troop in.
Jalal fondly cuddles the baby in wonderment and then hands the child over to Jodha and then Hamida. "He looks like you" says the Begums, and everybody looks delighted, except the guilty Bakshi. Gulbadan applies a tikka on the baby against nazar. Jodha alone notices a slight dismay on Bakshi's face but refrains from saying anything. Outside the maulvis bless the new child.
Later in the DEK, Jalal says to all of the family gathered there "I have called all of you to give the baby a name. Todarmal Ji, let's leave it to the maulvis to suggest an auspicious name." But Sharif pipes up "I want to name my baby myself, Shahenshah" he says. Jalal is very happy to hear this. "I too have thought of names for my babies already" Jalal says. "What name have you chosen?" he asks Sharif, and Sharif replies "I will call him Sarfaraz!" "Wonderful" says Jalal, "if his name is already so valorous, he will no doubt become one of our greatest sipahis. In honour of this naming of the child, there will be a big jashn. After all I too have become a Mamujaan."
Moti hearing this says to Jodha to Ruq's hearing "If the Shahenshah is so happy for that baby, think how thrilled he will be with his own!" Ruq replies "For sure Moti Bai, for Jodha is to give him twice the happiness, right?" Jodha is seen blushing away in happiness.
A little later, Bakshi is asleep when Sharif gathers to swaddled child to himself and talks of his son becoming his pride. Bakshi wakes in a hurry out of fear at his handling the child. "Why fear my carrying him? " Sharif asks. "He needs rest" says Bakshi and Sharif gives the baby back to her and goes out.
Jodha just then walks in with sweets and laddoos for Bakshi. She gives the baby a fond pat saying "And how is the baby doing?" But she then sees Bakshi's crestfallen face as Bakshi says peevishly "I told you not to come in here". Jodha apologises saying she only came to give the laddoos and got entranced in seeing the child. Bakshi then realises her rudeness and changes tack "I meant, you too are pregnant and will get stressed making all these trips here." "Oh don't worry about me, says a relieved Jodha and gets up to leave.
But then her eyes fall on the child's wet blanket and she says "Oops the child seems to have wet its bed. Let me help change his clothes." Bakshi tries to demur, but Jodha carries on blithely, unwrapping the baby ... and suddenly she sees that it's a girl and not a boy! Both Jodha and Bakshi stare at each other in dismay. The episode ends there.
In the precap, a very stern Hamida asks Salima "What is this I am hearing?" She is full of consternation. Salima says "Yes Ammijaan, Jodha Begum herself saw the child is a girl and not a boy!" Hamida shouts "Jodha, tell me everything in detail!" as Jodha also looks very worried.
My comments on the episode:
I have three issues to write about here ...
The Jodha-Jalal conversation about girl babies vs. boy babies was so endearing!
I thought that first scene of the episode was lovely. As soon as Jalal enters the room he realises Jodha is not quite her cheerful self and says "Now that I am here, why do you need to keep it all to yourself. Come and tell me everything!" Of course, she is hesistant to talk about Sharif and Bakshi in particular but she asks him in general if he would feel upset if they had girl babies. I quite liked the way Jalal then stood up, walked ahead a couple of paces and turned his hand up in bewilderment. He then said after a pause "I can't believe you are asking me this question!" Jodha says "I thought it would make a difference to you as you may want boys as your successors to the throne". This is where Ekta decided to put into Jalal's mouth her arguments in favour of the girl child!
To prove that he did not see any differences between boys and girls Jalal brought up several really valid arguments.. He first said "Daughters are God's gift". He then said "You, Ruqaiaya, Salima and even Ammijaan are all daughters of someone, aren't you?". Then he brought up the Humayun-Nigar story and said "See how my father even left his Delhi takht to Nigar!" Then he said "What does it matter if they are boys or girls, they are sure to have half-Mughal and half-Rajvanshi blood!" And finally he summed up his own intention to hand the throne to his girls if he had daughters.
Leaving alone the seriousness of the topic under discussion, this kind of homely banter about daughters' names, and thrones for the daughters, and all that was so husband-wifely and sweet that though the scene was not "romantic", I didn't mind. There is now an easy informality and bonding between Jodha and Jalal that is pleasing to watch - and the bits of humour and teasing of each other is also very special. As I said earlier I Ioved the way he had already decided girl names like Razia and Radha for his daughters ... like a typical doting father he had names ready for the girls, but he not yet planned anything if they were boys. It then occurred to him that Jodha too may have preferences!
I liked the way he then said "Maybe you think of one and I'll think of the other". And then she said "We'll decide later together" to which he agreed as if it was a brilliant idea he'd never thought of! The pair of them seemed like children themselves!
My only worry is that if they decide to name the babies later, this Ruq may stake claim to one of the babies and decide on a name herself for "her child", which I would hate ... because I don't want her to have a part in the babies of "my Jodha and Jalal" at all, and I certainly don't want her naming one of them after separating the poor baby from its real mother!
Which baby will Ruq choose and why - it's worth pondering about!
When Ruq was having that conversation with the harem Begum about wives who have no children falling in their husband's esteem, one very important sentence was spoken by that harem Begum. She said "See how Jodha's estimation has gone up in Jalal's eyes as she's now carrying the waarises. IF ONE OF THEM IS A BOY, JODHA WILL BECOME THE MARIUM UZ ZAMANI!"
Aha, so there's a catch here. It appears as if there is conditionality attached to becoming the Marium Uz Zamani. The mother gets that title only if she produces the "male heir" to the throne. This sentence of the harem Begum slightly reduces the value of what Jalal told Jodha that even if his daughters were girls he would give them the throne. It seems to me now that the daughters themselves will have as much entitlement to the throne as their brothers may have. But the mother's MUZ audha is a different story entirely. The mother can become Marium Uz Zamani only if a male heir to the throne is produced.
So now we have an interesting conundrum here! What if both babies are girls. Will neither Jodha nor Ruq get the MUZ title even if Ruq takes one daughter as hers. And if there is no title to be got will Ruq not want one baby at all if both are girls?
If the twins are born as one boy and one girl, will Ruq grab the boy baby for the sake of the title, even if the girl baby is older to the boy by a few minutes?
If both the twins are boys, will Ruq take the first born boy who inherits the throne for the sake of the audha?
And what will happen if the first born boy is taken by Ruq for the claim to the audha of MUZ but that first born baby dies making the second born twin boy the next in line to the throne. Will Ruq then lose the MUZ position to Jodha?
The whole question hinges on whether both babies will be deemed as joint heirs to the throne or the slightly elder twin will be the chosen one and the other will only be his/her deputy. After what I heard the harem Begum telling Ruq, it does not seem as simple as each wife taking one child and both being called Marium Uz Zamani. There seems to be a lot of probabilities here to factor in!
Now this question becomes even more interesting if, as per the spoiler that came yesterday on facebook, Maham is somehow shown as the murderer of these twin boys that Jodha gives birth to. We know that in history one twin dies a bit before the other. But whose baby will be that first dead twin and what will the repercussions on the mother of that first dead twin audhawise? Will the wily Maham be impartial as to which wife gets audha or not and thus determine which baby to kill, or will Maham think "I hate Jodha more than I hate Ruq so I have to see that Jodha loses the title and the baby" and plan accordingly?
Maybe many of you feel that this MUZ title and baby adoption by Ruq is not going to be so complicated after all ... but I do know that in royal families everywhere, this "line of succession" is all important and here in Agra it seems to decide the fate of the heir and its mother. Jalal may act impartial to daughters versus sons, and Jodha may also willingly do a tyaag of one child to Ruq if Ruq uses her "two wishes". But what will be the fallout of the exact choices Ruq makes will be interesting to watch!
Bakshi's hiding of Sharif's ill-treatment of herself is terrible to watch!
Although Bakshi has always never exposed her husband and his ill-treatment of her in front of her own family, when she did it again in yesterday's episode it was exceptionally difficult for me to swallow. That lech-lothario Sharif needs to be mercilessly exposed. I hope that will happen finally in this jashn bhandaphod!
Okay so Bakshi hid her red cheek and said it was a normal symptom in pregnant women. That was bad enough as lies go, but she didn't need to add that Sharif cared for her a lot as a doting husband. That was more than the scoundrel-husband of hers deserved.
Accha, drop Bakshi for a while ... but this Sharif is himself a riddle to me at this stage. Why is he so very obsessed with a male heir, as if he were already the King on the takht? Does he wants a male heir just as old-fashioned thinker ... or does he want a male heir because he already sees himself on the Agra takht and is now thinking a generation ahead about his successor to the throne?
And there is one more issue attached to Bakshi's child with or without the ambitions of the child's father. Both Bakshi and her child are in the succession queue after Jalal (which Sharif is not). Bakshi is Humayun's daughter and this baby of hers - girl or boy - is also in line to the throne if Jalal should die without waarises. How high or low down the succession queue Bakshi and her baby are has to be yet calculated but they are there in the line. Could that be why Sharif wants a boy because he thinks a boy for Bakshi will be slightly higher in the "post-Jalal queue" than a girl?
Here's a tangential thought from Diksha worth pondering about ... she has sent me an SMS saying "Will BB change her daughter with a boy of some other woman and thus again try to prove that Jodha is lying? Will this create a rift between Jalal and Jodha?"
Hmmm ...😲😲😲😲😲😲😲
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