Porus 126 : An overdose of Bharatiyata

sashashyam thumbnail
13th Anniversary Thumbnail Sparkler Thumbnail + 3
Posted: 7 years ago
#1
Folks,

You can relax, this is not going to be another Ramayana like my last post. 😆

In fact, I have nothing much to say about the episode, except that Puru's bhashan about the unequalled virtues of the Bharatiyas would have provoked an angel. Even Jodha Begum never spouted so much self praise about the Rajvanshis.

If all the Bharatiyas had been like what Puru makes them out to be, there would have been no Dhananand (of course it is doubtful if Puru knows anything about him or about Magadha either😉), and no reason for Chanakya to struggle for years to cobble together a coalition against him. Raja Purushottam would have had the whole country fight alongside him against Alexander, instead of having to go it all alone, with Ambhiraj of Takshashila ranged on the side of the invader. And of course we would never have been ravaged by the Ghaznis and Ghoris. and ruled over by any number of outsiders from the Slave Dynasty to the Brits. We are a great country and we have a great, millenial civilisation, but there is no point blowing one's trumpet non stop about it, and that is all that Puru does.

Now, after having been treated to Puru's usual hijinks of solo victories against a dozen, which bores one to tears, we are apparently going to have a duel between him and Alexander. This is something that I had anticipated earlier in a different context, and then dismissed, thinking that a king would not fight a commoner. But now here it is!

I don't suppose either of them can be shown defeating the other, not at this stage of the show, so I expect it will be a draw, or it will be somehow cancelled.

Actually, it is strange to see Alexander. the king of Persia, thinking of fighting against some ordinary Bharatiya, and for what? Normally, kings would fight only against their equals in rank. Why does Alexander plan to do this now? To prove that all the stuff Puru was spouting was wrong? A sensible king would just have locked him up, and the public would very soon have forgotten all about him.

Perhaps it is a boyish desire to prove himself top dog, even against a nobody, simply because he has dared to challenge Alexander. This is perhaps Alexander's real weakness (though I doubt if Puru is going to spot this durbalta); he has to win every time, and he has to be seen winning.

But Alaria has a different take on this, so do look at her comment below.

So the whole of Faras has to be there to see him triumph against the Bharatiya. Is he going to build a mammoth stadium to accommodate all these Farsis? Ridiculous.😡 And what of Bactria and, hopefully, Roxanne? Put on hold for these gladiatorial games, one presumes.

I begin to get the impression that something Chetan Hansraj (he was one of the only two TV actors I have ever met, along with Aashka Goradia) told me 10 years ago in Montreal still holds good: that the CVs wake up each morning and write the script for the next day. And they probably write by committee: Kal maine kar liya na, aaj tum kar lo!

Yes, and Alexander has now officially been classified as a rakshasa, courtesy Laachi. I suppose that he will progressively be turned , from what poor Rohit thinks he is, a parallel lead, to a full blown villain. Saare lakshan to aise hi nazar aa rahe hain.😡

The only thing that was worth watching tonight was the way in which Alexander sat there, unmoving, like a graven image, while Hephaestion was being half strangled by Puru. His self control is admirable, and he never flies off the handle.

Then the way in which he quickly looked back at Barsine when Puru said they had come to Faras to fulfil a promise. He can connect the dots faster than a modern PC! 👏

Yes, and the way in which his tawny eyes held Puru's dark eyes in a lockhold, neither of them blinking and neither letting go. And the level voice in which he speaks to Puru, never raising it and never ranting.

Finally, it was clear, from the sudden triumph in Alexander's narrowed eyes when Puru saves the child and clobbers Hephaestion, that he had achieved what he had wanted, ie to smoke out the Bharatiya who was helping Barsine. I was glad to be (occasionally!) proved right!😉

Puru fails to bring any nuance to that confrontation ; he is the same, smug, self-satisfied, over-confident character he ever was, always sure he is 101% right and ready to lecture to all and sundry. He must have been feeling deprived, not having had the chance to deliver a bhashan for quite a while, and now that he got it, he made full use of it, alas for me!😆

Lastly, I think it is high time Alexander changed out of this Persian costume and got back to the Macedonian white in which he looks every inch a warrior. I am sure even Rohit's most ardent admirers must have done with counting and admiring his abs, so there should be no complaints!😆
I have not watched the Paurava Rashtra parts; that can keep.

I don't know how many of you will like this crabby post, but if you happen to do so, kindly hit the Like button.

Shyamala Aunty
Edited by sashashyam - 7 years ago

Created

Last reply

Replies

52

Views

5.2k

Users

13

Likes

127

Frequent Posters

486792 thumbnail
Posted: 7 years ago
#2
Hey there Shyamala Aunty!!
Yesterday I went for the movie Raazi by Meghna Gulzar.It had its own share of loopholes but what I loved in that movie was the portrayal of characters on both sides of the border.The Indian characters were patriotic who were ready to give up their lives for their country.
But the Pakistani characters were shown as evil or OTT villains either.They too were normal and decent people who were loyal to their nation like we are to ours.
It was so refreshing to see something which was a breath of fresh air from the typical good vs evil stereotypical movies.

Then coming to our good old Porus which refuses to let go off the ages old stereotypes.
Alexander was not some Rakshas,shaitaan or haivaan 🥱He was a prodigy who set out to expand his kingdom.
The real rakshasas were the Mongols and the Huns.And I cannot understand the big fuss about the Pair Poshi thing.
Didn't the Persians do the same to Darius and the Emperor before him?Then what's the big deal about Alexander?
Also it was stupid for some kid to say anything against it.The condition for a common man in those days was to get used to one ruler after another.
Sad but it's true.

Anyway in the alternate universe of Swastik 's Porus,the series of events happened and Puru gave his bhashan.
And Congratulations Puru has rightfully won the title of the King Of Bhashanbaazi from Jodha Begum👏👏

Coming to Puru's speech about Bharatiyas,I will say that while the speech which he gave during the Farsi wrestling match gave me goosebumps and had me clapping for him,this one had me pulling my hair😆

Totally agree with you about the flaws in his speech.Okay even if we ignore Dhanananda for now what about the moles in Puru's own house?I am referring to none other than Shivdutt and Kanishk.If Alexander is a Rakshas then Shivdutt and Kanishk are definitely not barbie dolls right?

Puru dearie!!! First deal with the traitors and monsters inside your country and strengthen it from within rather than lecturing Alex.

I am an Indian myself and I love my nation and culture.And I also believe that while we possess several positive qualities we have our share of negatives as well.
Infact it's the same case with all the countries.No one is perfect for now.

Actually I would have been happier with Puru had he just sang this song in front of Alex along with his little band rather than giving that long bhashan -

Hum Logo Ko, Samajh Sako To
Hum Logo Ko, Samajh Sako To, Samjho Dilbar Jaani
Jitna Bhi Tum Samjhoge Utni Hogi Hairani
Hum Logo Ko, Samajh Sako To, Samjho Dilbar Jaani
Jitna Bhi Tum Samjhoge Utni Hogi Hairani
Apni Chatri Tum Ko De De Kabhi Jo Barse Paani
Kabhi Naye Packet Mein Beche Tumko Cheez Purani
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

Thode Anadi Hai, Thode Khiladi
Ruk Ruk Ke Chalti Hai Apni Gaadi
Thode Anadi Hai, Thode Khiladi
Ruk Ruk Ke Chalti Hai Apni Gaadi
Hume Pyaar Chaahiye, Aur Kuch Paise Bhi
Hum Aise Bhi Hai, Hum Hai Waise Bhi
Hum Logo Ko, Samajh Sako To, Samjho Dilbar Jaani
Ulti Seedhi Jaisi Bhi Hai Apni Yahi Kahani
Thodi Hum Me Hushiyari Hai Thodi Hai Naadani
Thodi Hum Me Sacchai Hai Thodi Beimaani
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

InsaneDivine thumbnail
8th Anniversary Thumbnail Visit Streak 90 Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 7 years ago
#3
For a normal viewer, Alexander has now definitely turned into a villain unless of course they try to give some justifications for his act, which of course they are not giving... Lol..
Puru ki speech ke toh kya kehna ... I think the only reason they brought this child into picture was so that Puru could enlighten Alexander... ironically Alexander was ready to kill the child who was not ready to bow down but Puru who gave him speeches after speeches lands up safely in jail where Alexander will again go to gossip about Bharat with him...
Alaria thumbnail
14th Anniversary Thumbnail Navigator Thumbnail
Posted: 7 years ago
#4
*sigh* Where do I begin? Oh, first - thank you for writing, aunty ❤️ Yes, Alexander is slowly but steadily being transformed into a villain. Certainly to those who watch mindlessly. Even I found the scene hard to stomach. I wanted to jump into the screen and snatch the boy out of Hepastion's grip. By the way, CV's have successfully managed to portray him as Alexander's cruel minion who does his dirty jobs. I didn't like the episode at all... it has left me feeling disturbed.
Why rush to make Puru and Alexander meet? Sometimes having to wait is a great thing. It builds up anticipation. I think the problem is that the CV's don't know how to write/handle grey characters. I've noticed that about Indian television. It's either black or white, good and evil, no in-between. This is why I prefer Western shows. They do a fantastic job of creating and maintaining grey characters. My favorite is Hannibal which ran for 3 seasons. Hannibal is a cannibal, but I've never met a more mesmerizing character! All because of how well he was written and brought to life. He was pure evil and yet I found myself rooting for him. That's the beauty of having a great team of writers who can remain emotionally detached from their characters, who do not attempt to play the moral compass and simply unfold the story. The moment they start playing favorites is when the story/show suffers. Just tell the story. Let us audience do the rest. Don't focus on swaying and influencing our favorites. Right now, whether they know it or not, but the CV's are literally screaming, "Like Puru! Choose him! He's a superman! Our saint!" Their personal opinion is tainting the script. Keep your emotions in check, CV's. We all have different likes/dislikes.

Forgot to add: If CV's want to undo today's disaster in regards to Alexander, they better show his inner thoughts tomorrow or later. I don't care how, but his 'intention' behind the whole thing needs to be clarified.

Aunty, you're right. A king wouldn't waste his time proving his worth fighting a commoner. My guess is and I could be wrong that Alex suspects Puru is more than a commoner. As you mentioned how Alex looked at Barsine when Puru mentioned fulfilling his promise. Barsine is a princess, she wouldn't associate with commoners, at least not regularly in my opinion. So its easy to conclude that Puru holds a high position for him to be linked to Barsine. Besides his long bhashan alone indicates how proud, protective and even possessive he is about his Bharat. I like to think only a king, prince or high military person would boldly talk about protecting his country from anyone eyeing it badly. His bhasan was very revealing. The boy basically spilled the beans. Ha! This kid😆 Perhaps that's why Alexander is clashing with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already guessed Puru's real identity.


Edited by Alaria - 7 years ago
486792 thumbnail
Posted: 7 years ago
#5
^^ These are the very same thoughts which I possess.One of the biggest flaws of Indian Television is that it chooses the path of glorifying one excessively and villifying the other.The way the CVs wrote this plot it seems as if they do not want the audience to root for anyone except for Puru.In a way they have left no choice for the viewers which is ridiculous tbh.As a result Alexander was turned into a typical textbook villain who is a killing machine.
I just wanna ask the CVS something.Was it worth it?Was it worth twisting,turning and literally mutilating the entire story for absolutely no reason??
Wouldn't it be better if they had just written a proper story with equally well fleshed and nuanced characters? The audience would have totally enjoyed it.

If they feel that by doing all this they are showing Puru in a positive light then I am not sorry to burst their bubbles but they are totally mistaken.Ulta they have turned Puru into a caricature who does nothing except bhashanbaazi,action and uttering the same old dialogues.

Alexander toh hai hi rakshas,haivaan,jallad who can think of nothing except to conquer Bharat and who feels nothing.
Hephastion bhi muft main bali ka bakra ban gaya.I was shocked to see Hephastion like that.He was supposed to be a true friend and a sweet guy.But now he has been reduced to a bhaade ka gunda of Alex

Don't these stupid CVs realise that they gave turned their characters plain stupid and monotonous? Puru is a gone case,Alex has been rakshasified,Barsine is clueless,Laachi has nothing to do now except cheerleading for Puru,Hephastion ko bhi nahi baksha and God knows what purpose Hasti,Ambhikumar and Vishuddhi are serving.

This has been a problem with almost all of the Swastik shows.Even Star Mahabharat which is their best project till date had this flaw as it was biased to Arjun.

As @Alaria said,it's only when the writers do not get overly attached to one character that they would be able to pay attention to all of them and churn out a proper story.

Hannibal was an amazing series where every character served a purpose and I never lost my interest.
No one expects Swastik to achieve that level of excellence but atleast they can try to do something.

Sandy6018 thumbnail
7th Anniversary Thumbnail Explorer Thumbnail
Posted: 7 years ago
#6
Well I think you are right ,at most parts., PR part same old same old. They should really stop it with shivett and Kentish I mean come on, and kknow. They going crown Kentish really really
siyarati thumbnail
7th Anniversary Thumbnail Navigator Thumbnail
Posted: 7 years ago
#7
Actually I loved yesterday epi... It was mind blowing especially puru Alex aamna saamna.
I hated PR part.
sashashyam thumbnail
13th Anniversary Thumbnail Sparkler Thumbnail + 3
Posted: 7 years ago
#8
Well, my dear Alaria, I am grateful for committed readers like yourself- there are not many of them in this tiny forum - but I am beginning to wonder what I am doing here! Let us see how much longer I last. I have never watched till the end of any historical show till now, but the only saving grace here is that it is a limited one, and with the episodes, for the past several weeks being of 30-31 minutes instead if the standard 21, they must have consumed more of the 260 planned episodes than just 126. Even so, it is fast becoming both boring and intolerable, which is a fatal combo.

I could not have stomached a Hannibal, and so I never watched Silence of the Lambs. Or any of The Game of Thrones either, though so many rave about it. But I can see what you mean. Not that one expectsanything of that kind of dark but intelligent and complex characterisation in a traditional Hindi historical. The makers would be shocked and appalled at the very idea of such subtlety! So I do not even ask for the levels you have mentioned. I would have settled for a grey Alexander. Now they have emptied a bucket of tar over him.😡 And poor Hephaestion has been made the executioner in chief. Unbelievable. 😲

Don't wear your ocular apparatus waiting for any "explanation" of Alexander's actions of last night. I thought, and still believe, that he staged that kiddie execution to smoke out the Bharatiya, as I had written in my marathon post of Sunday. And as I wrote here, I think he has acheived what he set out to achieve. But NO ONE among the viewers is going to understand that, that is a given. The Rakshasa designation is here for keeps.

As for whether Alexander has guessed that Puru is a royal, and even his real identity, that might well be so, and if so, you can pat yourself on the back. 👏But I am not sure that is the real explanation, since the script plays at ducks and drakes with Alexander. Poor Ayesha had even hoped that Alexander had staged the whole drama with the fat kid to smoke the Bharatiya out of cover, but alas, it was no such thing.

You would be better off reading Alexander does a Holmes. At least there, Alexander was not demeaned or degraded like this,

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Alaria

*sigh* Where do I begin? Oh, first - thank you for writing, aunty ❤️ Yes, Alexander is slowly but steadily being transformed into a villain. Certainly to those who watch mindlessly. Even I found the scene hard to stomach. I wanted to jump into the screen and snatch the boy out of Hepastion's grip. By the way, CV's have successfully managed to portray him as Alexander's cruel minion who does his dirty jobs. I didn't like the episode at all... it has left me feeling disturbed.

Why rush to make Puru and Alexander meet? Sometimes having to wait is a great thing. It builds up anticipation. I think the problem is that the CV's don't know how to write/handle grey characters. I've noticed that about Indian television. It's either black or white, good and evil, no in-between. This is why I prefer Western shows. They do a fantastic job of creating and maintaining grey characters. My favorite is Hannibal which ran for 3 seasons. Hannibal is a cannibal, but I've never met a more mesmerizing character! All because of how well he was written and brought to life. He was pure evil and yet I found myself rooting for him. That's the beauty of having a great team of writers who can remain emotionally detached from their characters, who do not attempt to play the moral compass and simply unfold the story. The moment they start playing favorites is when the story/show suffers. Just tell the story. Let us audience do the rest. Don't focus on swaying and influencing our favorites. Right now, whether they know it or not, but the CV's are literally screaming, "Like Puru! Choose him! He's a superman! Our saint!" Their personal opinion is tainting the script. Keep your emotions in check, CV's. We all have different likes/dislikes.

Forgot to add: If CV's want to undo today's disaster in regards to Alexander, they better show his inner thoughts tomorrow or later. I don't care how, but his 'intention' behind the whole thing needs to be clarified.

Aunty, you're right. A king wouldn't waste his time proving his worth fighting a commoner. My guess is and I could be wrong that Alex suspects Puru is more than a commoner. As you mentioned how Alex looked at Barsine when Puru mentioned fulfilling his promise. Barsine is a princess, she wouldn't associate with commoners, at least not regularly in my opinion. So its easy to conclude that Puru holds a high position for him to be linked to Barsine. Besides his long bhashan alone indicates how proud, protective and even possessive he is about his Bharat. I like to think only a king, prince or high military person would boldly talk about protecting his country from anyone eyeing it badly. His bhasan was very revealing. The boy basically spilled the beans. Ha! This kid😆 Perhaps that's why Alexander is clashing with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already guessed Puru's real identity.


sashashyam thumbnail
13th Anniversary Thumbnail Sparkler Thumbnail + 3
Posted: 7 years ago
#9
Dear Siyanu,

I am glad at least someone was happy with the maha bhashan of Puru's! Come to think of it, a large part of the TV audience would have been delighted as well. It was tailormade for them. De taali!

I can now see why you have either not read my post, or if you have read it, you did not like it. Fair enough, but I am afraid, the way the script is going, most of my future posts are likely to be on the same lines, and maybe you would be better off giving them a miss. Of course you are always welcome on my threads, but I don't want to put you off!😉

No, I am not being as crabby as this post.😉 And of course you have every right to your opinion. But the thing is that I see more and more of such posts as I shall be writing here being more and more gloomy. You are not going to like them, I am afraid. I cannot stand this mahaanatam ( that is the Sanskrit superlative) Purushottam, and I see that we are going to be drowned in his mahaanta as we go along.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: siyanu

Actually I loved yesterday epi... It was mind blowing especially puru Alex aamna saamna.I hated PR part.

Edited by sashashyam - 7 years ago
Fruitcustard_9 thumbnail
10th Anniversary Thumbnail Stunner Thumbnail + 3
Posted: 7 years ago
#10
I agree frictional things r needed 2 run a historical serial but if u in Jodha Akbar , Akbar was unpredictable character how many times he fooled his enemy , he disclosed maha Anga conspiracy, Akbar had layers in his character, Prithviraj was also had a frictional story but makers kept his image in mind , he always did what was necessary he never unnecessary challenged chori , mostly his action speakers more than bhasanbaji, he was mostly busy in his missions, Shivaji 2 was mostly busy in his missions , his action also speak more than bhasanbaji, fans use 2 demand scenes of young Shivaji & saibai which use 2 come occasionally , jhansi ki rani also action speaked more than bhasanbaji but in poras bhasanbaji speak more than action. Makers r portraying puru as an samaj sudharak.
What wrong did alexander did by capturing faras , he won faras by fair mean , if Darius ran away its not alexander's fault.

Puru also speech proves his lack of knowledge, in india kings uses 2 do ashwamedh yagya 2 expand their territories , those kings were doing some kind of charity.

In process of glorifying puru makers r making him look fool. A person is giving bhasan 2 alexander but hardly he knows what going at his back in his kingdom unlike alexander who first eliminated his internal enemies then proceeded 2 eliminated external.

I m seriously hoping 4 puru's failure , no something major has 2 happen 2 bring puru back 2 bharat varna he will not stop bothering & following alexander.

If this match is going 2 happen b/w alex & puru then i won't mind alex beating hell out of puru & breaking up his over confidence, coz in precap also puru was over confident that alexander will regret, underestimating alex's power

Alexander fail every plan of cheerleader gang & barsine 2 rescue puru.

Coz puru has 2 realise alexander is definately not an easy enemy

Final war will be won by alex only coz it was hinted by oracle that he will not loose in war field , even alex is having d armour

There is saying when we raise finger on someone we forget our own 3 finger point 2wards us, .

Puru needs 2 return 2 bharat asap, see what bhartiyas r doing at his back

Related Topics

Top

Stay Connected with IndiaForums!

Be the first to know about the latest news, updates, and exclusive content.

Add to Home Screen!

Install this web app on your iPhone for the best experience. It's easy, just tap and then "Add to Home Screen".