Chaand aur Taaron ka Safar

The term NDE (Near Death Experience) came about during that particular phase in IB when it seemed the writers couldn't think beyond showing a life threatening situation for Shivika in pretty much every epi😆 and like everything connected to IB, it took a life of it's own with people demanding NDEs at the drop of a hat to suit any situation they wanted to see come about in this show😆...but as always, the writers decide to throw in an NDE when they feel like, and on their own terms...lol

Today's plane parachuting related NDE was a throwback to a combination of the Daksh NDE and the Toofani NDE as we call it...lol now they sound like classics...back then I was laughing my head off at those too😆...oh the crazy shit we've seen in this show😆...but I digress...coming back to the scene today...what's striking about the Shivika story, as always is all the throwbacks, the parallels that the writers love to put in...today was a throwback to the MAGICAL TEAR...lol which first debuted during the Daksh NDE last year when Shivaay's one magical tear brought Anika back to life😆...and now after sooo long, we see that tear getting it's moment in the spotlight again.

All the flippancy aside, I think today was supposed to be a a more gut wrenching version of the Daksh NDE for Shivaay...back then we had a Shivaay who was drowning in guilt over MU-ing Anika, drowning in regret for having hurt her, for being responsible for her being in that condition...the love was buried deep inside him, underscoring everything but the primary emotion back then was guilt...today was different...today was about a Shivaay so deeply in love with her that his very existence hinges on her...and he KNOWS it...it's not something he's still trying to come to terms with...it's something he owns fully now...and with it comes the realization that his jaan is inside her...that desperation in him was so palpable today and kudos to NM for giving a different shade to Shivaay's desperation today...there were notable nuances showing a difference from his emotions during the Daksh NDE when it would be so easy to have just copy/pasted that...the raw scream that got wrenched out of him as he shouted out the "I love you, Anika"...calling around for help...you felt for Shivaay there.

What was also interesting was seeing a Shivaay today mirroring Anika's vulnerability and desperation from the toofaani NDE..."Mujhe lagaa maine tumhein kho diya"...back then, Anika was the one dealing with that scare...today it was Shivaay...while Anika was the bemused one, getting to maaro tadi of being SSO ki wife and her jaan not going so easily😆...in dono ki hi jaan ek dusre mein atki hai😆

Also sweet was the Pinky Promise moment...LOL@ Anika smartly turning around his own promise on him and first demanding that he promise he won't hide anything from her...and smart girl, she didn't take him for his word after all his "minute to minute updates dunga" statements😆...asked for a pinky promise instead...aww these two😆

Part 2 with the actual chaand-taare references to be continued in the post below😆

Part 2: The actual chaand aur taaron ka safar😆

The moon has long been referenced in Shivika's story...starting from Anika ka now iconic chaand bracelet...the "mera chaand" references, all those times spent staring at the giant CGI moon😆 and most recently, kholoing the KC vrat by looking at the chaand😆...and ofcourse Anika ki chappal CHANDni😆

Today, they brought in the stars more deliberately😆...yes, Anika already has a star shaped MS now after shaadi#2😆, so everything is part of the larger cosmic relationship these two share😆...but the references today were just adding to the whole picture.

I loved how the night-time scenes began...Shivaay in his typical "I must solve this NOW, we must get home NOW" focus mode, fussing about the dhool mitti, macchars😆 and Anika as usual being the one to anchor him, reminding him to take a moment to breathe, to not try and control everything, to just live in the moment for once...to just relax and watch the stars😆...Shivaay as expected, first scoffs at the notion...calling it filmy, then listening in bemusement to her Ahuja Uncle ke Camping waale kisse😆...all the while just so enchanted by HER even though she's trying to make him watch the stars😆

The way he laughed in b/w and went, "Tum sach mein kitni middle class ho"...LOL I loved that they put that in...highlighting the stark differences that will always remain...their fundamental personalities and backgrounds won't change...but now they can laugh together about them...the way Anika was like, "well ofcourse I'm middle class...aapko aaj pata chalaa?"😆

Phir chance pe dance bhi kar liya Billu ne and when Anika was like taare toh upar hain, he declared ki uske taare toh Anika hi hai😆😆

Then the staple hand kisses and hugs...LOL these two make these work too no matter how often we see the same thing😆...and I love the contentment that radiates from their hugs :)

Shivaay teasing her by pretending some "laakadbagga" did show up behind her...ROFL how adorable was this bit...the way he was like "I got you"...haha and she was like I'm not scared of anything, main usko bhi aisa ek CHAMAAT maarungi ki usko bhi taare dikhenge🤣...Shivaay really can listen to her ramble non-stop about anything😆

And then the little scare with the branch falling and Anika getting actually scared...then trying to brush it off...aww Ani😆

And then what do you know, Shivaay gets to switch it around to the moon again and point that to her...lol the sukoon with which both of them then watched the moon, Anika getting emotional again, and itne pyaar se he kissed her forehead and she kissed his chest

If the question was about whether I can watch a whole epi of these two just holding each other sukoon se, then I think I got my answer today...and the answer is yes...they were the picture of contentment today...finally getting that time away to themselves, and basking in the simple pleasures of life, happy with anything as long as they have each other.

Enjoyed the post!

Baki toh you have covered everything AY...👍🏼

EDIT; what a beautiful episode we got today & this post is like cherry on top

i am still reeling under the effect of it 😃 and trying to find words about how it felt mushkil kaam hai thoda doosra you;ve said it so beautifully na ke it's even more difficult

the plane drama was LuLzy aaj but i liked what they were trying to go for it people saying their last goodbyes and being afraid even though trying to be positive ke safe landing hoga and anika ka chilled out you don't worry we will be fine saath main jiyenge saath main marenge wala and the best part about it was the calm the sukoon in her tone , the confidence the surety so yeah the technical issues & bloopers aside i can see what they were going for

but the real episode started only after he held her and his fear came through .. i got reminded of the toofani NDE and daksh Nde so much but as you said this time the emotion was different the fear of not being able to live without her was beautifully beautifully shown by NM .. maybe thoda OTT reaction hai mera but got goosebumps . the tadap to wake her up to call for help the closeup of those red kanji eyes all just worked so well . him first thinking she is joking to that soft soft chot lagi hai hai tumhein to a behosh anika to his screams , to him trying to remain calm and be like ok you are testing me na am ok am calm now wake up AHHH 👏 it all conveyed his pain & desperation so beautifully.Brilliant job NM

what i found even more endearing was sso ki tadi in his vulnerability too 😆his Khol na yaar manmani kyon karti rehti ho apni kya kar rahi ho🤗 & then complaining like the bacha the next moment anika aankhein nahi khol rahi hai . these are the moments that really make you fall for him more certified pyara sa namoona hai yeh

then the magical tears came in effect and how much i've missed them ek time tha we used to laugh so much at them but aaj toh serious nostalgia hua and i smiled so hard at it . SC was equally good in it too after waking up not fully getting why is he holding her so tight her cute sa chodiye na and itna chila kyon rahe thay hahah but i liked that hug where he refuses to chodo her and kept holding her tight and then went into his regular fussing over her chots and saying it her face ke uski jaan hi chali gayi thi and how many times he died in the last few mins aww and anika maze se marooed his line to him i really really enjoyed this parallel to toofani NDE and then chantomayi anika ne pinky promise le liye ROFL dekhte hain mr Oberoi kitna time promise rakhte hain yet it was so cute ke he was like in by min update to back to entering their usual tease zone even in this serious situation bhi with his tumhare ghutne theek hain tum chal paaogi 😆 & her being like chalongi kya daudngi and asking him what he was saying and mr ne phir se memory loss ka dirama kar dia so adorable was his yaad nahi kaunsi baat kab? kuch hua hi nahi & dantooing her for doing gande mazaak too & pretending ke mujhe bhi chot lagu yaad nahi awww

the night scene they checked off another scene off my wishlist kabse maang rahi thi them enjoying the night sky and aaj de dia yes so much word to the sukoon in this scene ... inko itna sukoon main dekh ke itna sukoon and khushi mili na . loved anika telling him to enjoy the moment the togetherness reminded him of 2 ft rule and his kud kud about it ke hate that rule rofl to the train ki patri explanation and the hugs and the fake scares and he was so so so cute about haan toh kya pyar nahi kar sakte in jungle and anika ke cute si taaron ke neeche sona wish and him bringing the practicality ke macchar, garmi, makhi ke saath sona is not cool but anika bhi anika hai convince kar hi leti hai ahuja uncle ki kahani suna ke mana liya . i loved his laugh tooo about her being middle class .. their laggar baggad ko thappad was super super adorable too.. what i was also thinking was ladki tu toh burkhe main kaafi covered hai macchar toh saare bechare ko kaatein ge

awww at him looking at his taare honestly they make such stuff work like nobody else and the hugs & kisses toh killed me Mere liye yeh bohat zyada feelzie hote hain bohat gush worthy ratherthan the typical stuff people ask for and get feels outta yeh moments are magical and just precious way too precious man

and yes i can look at at them like this for the rest of the duration of the show if i have too *pure Bliss*

special mention of the glowing tear in her eye in this part it just adds such a beautiful heartfelt touch and i loved how she just fell asleep in his arms now iska continuity dedo ya phir i will take this 1 sec as moons ke peeche wali night ka reboot

Just look at them *sigh*

also damn it no gifing till really really late night and i just hate my life but i have too have to do that no matter how late it gets caz this special episode and special moments deserve more love and mujhe abhi bhi lag raha hai am not being loyal to my babies as i can;t fangirl as much as i want too aaj but lookign forward to your gifs until then to keep me going and get through this long long day

Shivika were love. . All the little things that make them

AY. ...loved how you have described them today.

And read the post after watching so sobe pe suhaga.

They balance each other so well...when one panics the other calms down. Pehle shivay ki bari..Phir anika ki.

The night scene and the suukoon they find in each others arms.

@bold: Word...he did all of the expression switches really well today...I was especially impressed by the fact that he managed to change it up from the earlier NDEs despite the obvious resemblances to the Daksh NDE...but he did it all differently today...the desperation was ramped up many notches from that time...him trying to calm himself down in b/w almost as if Anika was mentally scolding him to and he was trying to listen to her but then he'd lose it again when she wouldn't wake up.

That ILU was sort of shouted out into the heavens like the final/ultimate truth of his life.

I also loved the way he was mumbling "Ek second mujhe pakadne do" after she woke up and he couldn't stop hugging her close😆

Anika has gotten smarter...dono ek dusre se promise maangte rehte hain par do second mein promise phurr if they think the other is in danger...LOL so she asked for a DIFFERENT promise...ki don't hide anything from me...lol let's see if he can keep this promise aage.