Friends, yesterday's episode seemed to be, on the surface, making the story march in the same place. There was no major or significant change in the storyline, save for the fact that Maham, despite her advanced illness, got to know that Jodha had lied to her about Javeeda's pregnancy. Maham, who hates Jodha, naturally thought it was "that Rajvanshi woman's way of revenge" on herself for giving the "bad duas" to Jalal and his children. Maham was also her adamant self refusing to make the shift to Delhi that Jalal wanted. She wanted desperately to die in Agra.
Overall the story of the episode was that Maham's refusal to go to Delhi was the matter of deep discussion between Salima, Jodha, Hamida and Ruq, and despite Resham begging Jodha to intervene on behalf of Maham with Jalal, Jodha herself didn't think she would make headway with Jalal on this subject and neither did Hamida advise this.
Ruq in fact took the opportunity to become rather vehement and vengeful against Maham and argued a lot with Jodha that Maham should not be given a quarter - for she had cursed not only Jodha's baby but also "Ruq's baby" inside Jodha. Jodha pointed out to everyone that if Maham's bad deeds were put in a tarazu against the good she had done throughout her life for Jalal, the good would outweigh the bad ... and so Maham should be granted compassion as she was barely two days away from death. But who was to talk to Jalal?
Hamida and Gulbadan meanwhile even paid a visit to Maham when she re-iterated to them her desperate plea to be allowed to die in Agra and not Delhi. But the reason for Hamida's visit was not just to placate Maham. She told Maham she had brought all the ceremonial objects meant for the 40th day of Adham's death and for the decoration of his tomb at Delhi. After Maham had blessed these objects as Hamida requested, Maham herself seemed to change her mind and seemed ready to go to Delhi, if only for Adham's sake. That is when Maham asked Hamida to look after the pregnant Javeeda, when it came as a shock not only to Hamida and Gulbadan but to Maham also that there was no pregnancy and Jodha had lied to Maham about Javeeda.
Later an eager Jodha asked Hamida how her jail visit to Maham had gone but Hamida asked Jodha back why she had lied to Maham about Javeeda. Jodha had to explain that she had had no choice - for Maham was starving herself to death and needed to be given a reason to live for. Hamida was again in great uljhan, not knowing how Jalal would receive this news of Jodha's subterfuge.
In all this Jodha made up her mind to go and talk to Jalal. And guess what folks, he surprised her. He used his voice of scorn to say "What do you want to talk to me about? If it's about Maham I don't want to know - because you will do only what you want as you always have the habit of doing!" Jodha, despite this apparent scorn, went ahead and asked him for permission to visit Maham one last time in jail before she departed for Delhi ... to which Jalal agreed with more than anticipated alacrity!
So off Jodha went to see Maham, only to be stopped on the way by Ruq who still didn't know that Jalal had given Jodha permission!
As I saw this episode two things in the story hit me strongly that I wanted to discuss in my analysis.
Jalal's antipathy to Maham is not at all what it seems to be!
Yesterday, Diksha had come out with a simply beautiful post that Jalal's anti-feelings for Maham were not all that deep and strong as we would have expected it to be, and to quote Diksha's words "(Jalal was sending Maham to Delhi) ...coz Jalal is running from himself coz he doesn't trust himself that he will be able to see his Badi Ammi dying in front of his eyes... and this is the true reason behind his decision to send MA away from him..."
What an awesome insight that was.
When I started applying it retrospectively to everything Jalal had said and done over the last few episodes, I realised that Jalal had actually shown so much readiness to let Jodha do her own thing with Maham, despite his overt anger against Maham.
Let's go back to that day when Jodha was praying in front of Kanha for Maham's health and for a way to make Maham eat her food. Jalal came into her hojra and saw her praying and overtly said "If you are worried about Maham's "bad duas" against our children and are praying for deliverance from that, don't be worried. Nothing bad will happen." Jodha then declared back to Jalal that she was not praying against Maham but for Maham's peace and health, at which point Jalal just turned away from her saying "I have nothing to say to your doing as you think fit!" On the outer, this looked like Jalal was against Maham, but his words and actions were not that firm at all in forbidding Jodha from praying for Maham ... he, in fact, seemed to think it fit to leave it to her to do as she thought fit!
Then let's take again the episode where Jodha accepts that it was she who had invited Resham to her room to ask about Maham's health and Resham was not an intruder. Jalal walks out in seeming anger against Jodha for this blurting out of this truth by her. But then he is seen in his hojra not exactly angry but holding his head in his hands.
Jodha goes to him and apologises saying "I am very sorry I hurt your feelings by keeping the connection with Maham and Resham, despite Maham having hurt you very deeply." Jalal says to everyone's surprise "I am not angry, Jodha Begum, I am just very concerned because Maham is very treacherous even now, and your exposure of yourself and the babies to her is dangerous for you. But I know you are large-hearted and it's your heart that takes you out of compassion to Maham's side. I cannot ask you to change, for it never works. I will shift Maham to Delhi instead."
This is the dialogue which made Diksha wonder if Jalal was himself pushing Maham to Delhi because he was unready to face the truth of her imminent death in front of his own eyes at Agra? When we all saw this episode we wondered if Jalal had changed so much towards Jodha that he now accepted her large-heartedness as a given and he therefore took the "teda stance" of shifting Maham to Delhi rather than forcing Jodha to change her ways! But if you look at this scene between Jodha and Jalal carefully, his eyes are weak and he never really looks up at Jodha as he speaks. He is for sure hiding some feelings of his own!
Yesterday in the episode again, just when we all thought he would bark at Jodha when she asked permission to meet Maham one last time before she goes to Delhi, he said "You have permission" with such speed that it caught me by surprise for sure and must have also surprised Jodha. He also told Jodha "Don't talk to me about it - for you always do what you want anyway!" ... but there was no rancour in that sentence. It was almost like he wanted Jodha to do what she thought was right, although he was keeping his feelings for Maham covered with a thin and fast-crumbling veneer of anger and antipathy!
The beauty of this whole hide-and-seek Jalal was playing with his own inner self over Maham was that Jodha was also so very sensitive to what was going on inside him. Let's see now how Jodha played her role with Jalal!
The reverse psychology tactics of Jodha are bound to pay off!
Despite everyone - Hamida, Salima, Ruq, Gulbadan - warning Jodha away from talking to Jalal about Maham (about her rapidly deteriorating health, her proximity to death and her desire to die in Agra and not Delhi), Jodha was continuously giving us cues of feeling very bad to lie to Jalal on the whole issue of Maham. She was seen in her hojra a few episodes ago, telling Zakira she was very uncomfortable hiding things from Jalal - and Zakira tried to tell her not to go to Jalal at an inopportune time to discuss the matter as it was all still raw with him that Maham had cursed his unborn children.
Then again yesterday, there were two instances when Hamida showed trepidation that Jodha shouldn't talk to Jalal precipitately for he was very deeply hurt and angry. Hamida first said this in relation to Maham not wanting to go to Delhi and Jodha being requested by Resham to intervene with Jalal. Hamida also expressed fear that Jodha's lie about Javeeda's pregnancy would anger Jalal and no one knew how he would react if he heard about it.
Despite all these warnings from others, and her own fear of Jalal's anger, something in Jodha made her feel okay to go and talk things over with Jalal, and so she went to him. As we saw (in the section above on Jalal) twice or thrice he surprised by by expressing outward hurt but he was not half as forceful as he usually was in trying to prevent Jodha from having any contact with Maham.
I am quite sure that Jodha, with her antennae being so sensitive to him, must have figured out that he was in conflict. There was a part of him ostensibly angry with Maham, but another part of him that almost encouraged Jodha to do what she thought best that he didn't want to correct! If she wanted to meet Maham nothing could stop her, was Jalal's self-bolstering talk (that I suspect he himself didn't believe fully)! He was giving Jodha the freedom to reach out to Maham again and again repeatedly - and Jodha, I am sure must have read all the signals he was giving with some accuracy. His body language, his teary eyes, his refusal to look up and directly at Jodha when he answered about Maham ... all these must have added up in Jodha's mind.
In the precap of yesterday's episode we therefore saw the smart culmination of Jodha having correctly sized up Jalal's feelings despite his outward demeanour. Jodha tells Jalal in the precap "So what if this black lady who cursed our children is now begging to meet you - her son - for the last time before she dies. Why should you acquiesce? She is after all that treacherous lady isn't she? Let her die - for she is to die in barely two days and then you can be rid of her forever!" Behind this apparent nonchalance of Jodha, she is acutely watching Jalal's eyes, and he is looking downcast and teary-eyed, and I suspect Jodha knows she has hit bulls-eye.
The loving son of this "BadiAmmi" is actually feelings the pangs of pain that his mother-figure is to die in front of him, and all his shored up anger against her is not able to resist the pull of his deepest core towards his mother!
I would say here that it is wonderful to see that Jodha knows Jalal as well as he knows her. If he says "Nothing I can say will stop you, so there's no point in my saying NO to you!" he demonstrates how well he has learnt what Jodha and her large heart are all about. And if Jodha says "Let Maham die, what is it to you if she does, for she is that black lady, isn't it?" how well Jodha has learnt what Jalal and his hurting heart are all about!
I find this whole saga of Maham's death marvellous simply because Jodha and Jalal are apparently outwardly at odds - but inwardly at one - with each other! What a lovely angle from which to view their growing love and understanding of each other!
I am not sorry that the Creatives are dragging out Maham's death. First of all the actress Ashwini needs to have these few last days of focus on herself as a grand send-off for doing a great job. And secondly, the longer it takes for Maham to actually die, the more we are able to see the real inner-outer contrasted dynamics of the Jodha-Jalal relationship.
We all now wait to see exactly how Jodha will bring around the already crumbling heart of Jalal to break all the barriers of anger and run to Maham as she draws her last breath. More interestingly, we now wait to see what brings Maham around to acknowledging Jodha's role in helping her spend her last moments with her most precious son.
We know from the SBS segment that not only does Maham drop her animosity towards Jodha but she actually begs forgiveness from Jodha and retracts her "bad duas" and in their place she wishes Jalal and his young family well. Already there is a lump in my throat to just think that Jalal is on the way to throwing his anger aside and running to his foster-mother who so gave her life to care for him. I think I may cry over the next two episodes as I watch Jalal and Maham together, and as Maham graciously includes Jodha as the welcome third in her close relationship with her son. I think Maham may tell Jalal "I always resented Jodha for eking me out of your close circle and taking my place near you. But now I cede my place in your heart to Jodha. I hope she will be to you everything I was and even more, but never give you the pain I gave you!"
Accha, let's put that pathos aside for a while. Here's what all happened in yesterday's episode, for those who want to know:
Maham in jail gets to know how Ruq beat up Resham for her wafaadaari to Maham and suspected intention to harm Jodha and the babies. Maham thinks it's all because of that "Rajvanshi Jodha" telling people lies about Resham's intentions. The hakima meanwhile tells Maham that Jalal is planning to send her off to Delhi. Maham says categorically "I won't go to Delhi, I want to die in Agra."
Jalal meanwhile tells Todarmal to prepare for Maham's Delhi trip - but in jail Maham is repeatedly refusing to go to Delhi. Jodha and Salima discuss the situation with great concern, when Resham runs in and begs Jodha to tell Jalal not to send Maham against her wishes and at this late stage of her illness to Delhi. Jodha says unfortunately she can't tell Jalal anything on this as his mind made up. Resham accuses Jodha of not helping Maham while she has helped so many others by intervening on their behalf with Jalal. But Jodha steadfastly refuses to discuss the matter with Jalal, whom she knows to be recalcitrant on the issue of Maham. Resham goes away sadly.
Salima then gives Jodha the idea to talk to Hamida. But Hamida too tells Jodha that Jalal is not going to listen as Maham has hurt him badly with her "bad duas". Ruq also argues with Jodha vehemently against helping Maham - and says one baby is mine and Maham cursed my baby also, so she deserves no assistance. Jodha says she has belief in prayer not bad duas. Jodha argues "Why can't Maham's small wish to die in Agra be granted as she has done so much for Jalal in childhood. Her good outweighs her bad if put in a tarazu." But Hamida says Jalal doesn't want Maham's shadow even on Jodha and her babies. Jodha feels conflicted and leaves the room.
But later Hamida and Gulbadan themselves go to visit Maham in jail. Hamida says Jodha reminded her of Maham's goodness to Jalal. Maham still says she won't go to Delhi. Hamida says "Let that be but I came with things for Adham's 40th day ceremony for you to bless." Tearfully Maham blesses these objects.
Hamida says these ceremonial things are going to Delhi for the tomb of Adham. Maham then agrees to go Delhi herself. She tells Hamida "Please look after Javeeda as she is expecting Adham's child." But when Hamida and all are shocked by this news, Maham finds out Jodha has lied about this. She thinks its Jodha's revenge for her "bad duas" to give a dying lady some lies about her own non-existent grandchild!
Jodha meets Hamida returning from jail and asks how Maham is. Hamida in turn asks her why she lied to Maham about Javeeda's pregnancy. Jodha says it was to save Maham from starvation. Hamida, however, is worried how Jalal will react if he hears this even though Jodha did it with good intention. Jodha thinks she should meet Jalal and talk to him.
Jalal is playing with Bakshi's baby in his hojra when Jodha goes there and asks to talk to him. Bakshi leaves and Jalal says "If it's about Maham don't tell me ... just do what you want as you have habit of doing anyway." Jodha asks permission to meet Maham one last time. Jalal agrees much to Jodha's surprise!
Jodha is going to meet Maham when Ruq hears her plan and tries to stop her. Ruq is not aware Jalal has given permission. The episode ends there.
In the precap, Jodha smartly uses reverse psychology to tell Jalal "Why should that bad lady Maham insist on seeing you (her son) now when she will die in just two days - and you will be rid of her forever." Jalal is seen fighting back his tears to hear that.
I wanted to say a few words in this post about Ruq but then I decided not to mess up my own post on Jodha and Jalal by bringing Ruq into it!
After the Maham track ends we have plenty of time to analyse the disgusting character of Ruq who already seems to think that Jodha is carrying a baby for her as a surrogate and that she has hired Jodha's womb!
The authority with which she is at every turn saying "my baby in your tummy" is getting my goat!
Let me gather all the nastiest words I am capable of saying on an open post and wait for the right time to air my views on Ruq. She is getting on my nerves and I fear she is getting on everyone else's nerves in the story also - except that they are all preoccupied right now with the Maham issue.
When the Maham track's over, I expect a lot of flare up of anti-Ruq feelings in many of the characters, including Jalal!
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