Wine Shots - The Naked Face

Red, brilliant post... super duper (is it any surprise?😆)

Your analysis about masks and the naked face is bang on. Can I add more? No... you have said it all. So, the past has evolved into the demoniac form which scared Shrav, threw him into despair and tossed him from a story. A story in which he believed he was the main protagonist. This past was always there, lurking in the darkness, in his smile at the mention of Sumo, in his anger directed towards her as to why she did not understand Chachi fiasco, concern at her crying when she had hurt herself years ago during a cycling race with him...

A past that refuses to die down... it meets him again when she spins an exceptional tale, a past that confronts him in a lift which has stopped... asking him again to help her as he was wont to do. A past whose main players are Shrav and Sumo, they are the metaphor and the metonymy which makes it alive and speak to us. Both are in the past and yet are distanced from it. But, if the past torments Shrav, it brings a smile on the vulnerable face of Sumo, if it angers him and scalds his very being, it is the idiom which allows Sumo to believe he has not "moved on".

Past for this couple reveals different meaning... is there a correct way to read the past? Possibly no... there can never be one single reading even for one person. Sumo failed yesterday to read the dichotomy which was reflected in the deep eyes of Shravan (Namik Paul's eyes have to applauded). Is it any wonder that he wanted her to remove her sunglasses? Eyes the keys to your heart... when Jairaj story's impact was being felt by Shravan, there was the chauffeur who handed over his car keys. Did he unlock it? Yes, he did... the monster which he had kept in tight leash burst forth. Amazingly, this monster attacks the very being which kept it alive. He cannot love her back. Sumo doesn't understand the monster as she has forever been oblivious to it. He has had kept it enchained even those fateful ten years ago.

Sumo doesn't understand why he cant love her back. She is only asking for him to be a friend, a term which he had coined few weeks back as "beautiful ehsaas"... where did she go wrong? Answer to this is the monster which now is rearing its ugly (for us it beautiful) head. What does Sumo know or feel about him? She knows him as her best friend who eons ago had even penned a love letter addressed to her. She did not read it back then. But, after these many years she has read it and her answer to his question is in the affirmative. Her one question yesterday to Shravan was revealing. How could you forget this memory? The memory which she has treasured and kept safe amongst the pile of other memories she collected of him and her. Her mind works in a linear fashion, breaking down the problems into simplest units without being aware that some things cannot be irrevocably broken down. She who has had managed to overcome her parents' loss by putting up the charade of being surrounded by many friends fails to recognize the fact that the death of her parents cannot be revoked. That loss is irreparable. The void shall exist. Her is the child's mind, leaving a trail of glory behind. The glory which made Wordsworth described as CHILD AS THE FATHER OF MAN. She can instinctively see those truths... for which we have to toil hard. Her story's meaning can be understood that the solution to life's problem can be found if and when you find love. Love she found in the presence of Shravan. Sumo's dialogue and her interpretations might seem lame to us as for example, yesterday when she confronted him in the lift and said we had a great dinner there was no problem back then... the problem started from the dinner itself. She can see that she is in love with Shrav, particularly, the young Shrav and that he was already in love with her. So, no problem... only thing that remains get the mom-son on the same page, and viola..the world is green again 😆. Her flashback scenes were a reminder of the fact that she treasures an image of Shrav who will look out for her, who will never leave her side. Because of this, even during those ten years of separation she was so sure that if she says sorry Shrav will forgive because he cannot let go of her. Her Superman was there for her in the Khosla case in spite of him being angry with her. Her superman who was willing to eat the Daal for her sake, her superman whose nature was different from the poetic types and yet had articulated that poetry. He was there beside her and hence has not moved on. And this is how she could relate to the letter. He was her chashmish superman.😳

Shrav's on the hand, is a man torn divided about his fears and desires. He wishes to love her.. but most of the time he sees an image to which he himself has not reconciled with. The image of a child devoted to that happy girl but always as he believes now and then being judged severely by the same lady love. He has not been able to surmount his insecurities, his lack of confidence. Amazingly, yesterday and many times before, the makers have stressed his need to look good. He is always in front of the mirror assessing his looks. He has still not been able to forget that he was rejected by her because he was not a happening guy. In the lift, he just wanted to be with her but again he remembers only that he was for a chashmish superman.. (Superman and chashmish do no go together ) So, his love which hasnt evolved in a day faces roadblock because of the way he has read the story of Shrav-Sumo. His reading stems from a whole lot of problems but I do believe, the main crux is his own persona ten years back.

It is not the mother coming back which will resolve his plight, but, only the fact that Sumo loves him today for what he was yesterday.

Sumo needs to understand that she is the real deal. Will she understand it? i guess no. The mother simply compounded the issue. So, even when the mother turns up, the fury will be unleashed on her. Not on the mother. Sumo, is too naive for a man like Shrav but this is what he is lacking big time. Shravan lacks naivety and innocence. He considers her as a special friend yet cannot think clearly beyond his prejudices. The prejudice which states this special friend will overlook his love when spoken aloud. If she will wait for ever as she told him she would, then he should considering he was always far more mature should have read the signs properly. But, that he cannot do... for that he needs to look into the mirror of the past as to why he had given her the name of Sumo in the first place.

Both are reading each other wrong for issues of their own... and yet they are not moving apart...😉

Yesterday, there two scenes as to how Shrav's mind and heart is working. In the closet scene, when he sees her everywhere, the last hallucinatory image of Sumo tells him to choose black... in spite of him stating that he will avoid her, ignore her... he still chooses black. And secondly, when he erases the letter "S" from his notepad. He instinctively realizes he was thinking of Sumo but, his own name begins with the letter S. Also, I thought it was very good touch on the part of the director to show that if he erases Sumo from his life, his own life shall be devoid of identity. It shall forego its own history... it shall be Obliterated.

Sumo, unfortunately cannot fathom these problems of his. She asks him is something wrong? He answers the problem lies with him and her next query is something wrong with his family. Then also, she was still playing the friendship card because for her it is the beautiful ehsaas, till the time it can be changed to Love. For Shravan, the friendship card has taken him back to the same point where it all began. Where friendship was always love

And love forms the past and informs the present.

And did I hear you say, Love Hurts.

Ouch, it does😆😉

Red, as always thank you for completing the understanding process. Your keywords always help.

I had a recurring thought from the time of the Jairaj incident and the lift scenes. That thought is about the comparison of trigger points of flight of Shravan in the past and the present. I will tie it up with one Word in your post and Voila it makes complete sense.

UNINTERESTED...By that we mean UNINTERESTED IN SHRAVAN EXCEPT AS AS FRIEND

Why is this a special word when we all know that Shravan has an issue with Sumo's rejection of him? It has been more than evident in so many flashbacks and the ten year silent history they share.

This UNINTERESTED is a bit different from the regular other times she behaves kinda rudely or puts him down or tells him that she will not acknowledge him in a crowd in the past. Yes.. some of those memories have undergone changes since the time he has come back and they have restablished their friendship bond. She remains the madcap Sumo in all these cases, be it the past or the present. She is her Sumo self, she expects such behaviour from her, hey, he remains happy that atleast she engages with him, is still a friend, (they have had a lovely friendship despite the grey and hooded memories he has of the period, his own reflection brings him joy (the london trip precursor). So, what I am getting at, is shravan seemed to have obliterated the bad memories for a while when he was friend zoning her. When he talked of the ehsaas and all other things...in all those cases...she was not going from him...he may have been going away from her. However you will notice that Shrav does not react well to situations when he believes she will go away from him or will not choose him. If Shravan can help it he would never like to ask her to choose between him and another competing element for attention. If he has done so...it has been done only on a few occasions and circumstances have been very different in all those occasions. Shrav has always chosen not to be in a situation where he will have to ask Sumo to choose or has avoided being in a situation where she will make a choice.

1)Actually the first time he asked her to choose was the Khosla matter...he asked her what she wanted him to do as opposed to what Nanu wanted. He was miffed that he did not explicitly ask him to stay so he decided to leave until Varma made the entry and our loverboy could not leave her side. This behav is actually important indicator..He was at that time very angry with her and their issues had not been resolved so him taking flight out of the situation needs to be analysed differently (he was angry with her but something made him stay back...Varma Tiwari killa childhood memories etc) so let's keep that aside for a moment

2)Khosla _Varun matter...the time when he is in conflict becos of Chachi...and Sumo came to him telling him that she could not ever repay him if he ended up taking her side...again a very telling turning point in this tale. Remember his curt reply...I have a case to fight tommo in court so can u leave now? In this situation, while he was less angry with her and their barriers had started to break down, but he was hurt that she considered his intervention a favour. However, in this case his choosing to back her side had also much to do with who he is as a person and innate sense of right and wrong

3) His question to Sumo in the conference room must be considered a leap of faith moment, it must have taken him great courage to ask that question of what will she do? why? He must have been emboldened by the display of apologetic behav and he went for the kill. He even stops her from leaving after his display of anger on the question of reserving of the daal. Later the chaon convo, the daal, sev bhaji and priti bhoj ref, were all his displays of courage. Courage given to him by Sumo's display of encouraging behaviour. As if he had an answer to that troubling question KYUN?

Watch after that he takes no chances to let her leave the situation...

The dinner date is the first time he asks her to choose...remember his threat to Sumo, choose between him and his friendship...a very big ploy from loverboy

Since Sumo gave in, he had gained more courage.Then comes the Jairaaj incident. This absolutely shook his new found confidence. This is not some faceless Jeevan that she was talking about; that she will again leave his side became apparent. The seed of rejection had again been sown. That it was a story gave him little respite but he had decided to be guarded again, back to veiled behaviour in the sunglasses scene. Unfortunately for him, Sumo turned on the charm full flow on that day with the gift and he was back to square one, albeit for a short while. However, the damage was done. If one would notice, there were quite a few instances where Sumo threw attitude at him that day (deservedly so ) and he had to put out his hand to "manao" her or stop her...But I guess Shravan had begun to realise that his luck would run out. As she is UNINTERESTED in him, he won't be able to hold her back each time..so the FLIGHT mentality kicked in and has stayed till now.

He is trying to cut his losses by fleeing from the situation..what he did in the past is similar..when there is an outright rejection trigger, he flees...Until there is no conflict he can remain in the friend zone and act as if everything is ok. But any sign that she will choose, he runs scared, either he has to hold her back or he himself has to leave the situation.

It's all about the choice she will make that worries him...he knows he will not be able to accept not being her first choice so he wants to eliminate the situation of choice as best as he can. Tho Destiny and Chance theory will rule otherwise!! and of course the couple's own ability to get on the same frequency😆