This was one of the most spectacular episodes I've watched, not just on this show but on ITV in general. There was so much packed into the 30 odd minutes that it took me a few viewings to wrap my head around it. We saw all shades of Hanuman Singh today: son, father, life partner, policeman, mentor - each as awe-inspiring as the other.
Salute to the CVs - the writing has been spectacular - everything so well-balanced and measured, every line fitting in perfectly with the story.
Also a shout out for the background music - they've change it recently with all the piano and string pieces. It has an operatic effect that is perfect for the situations the characters currently finds themselves in.
I will split this up into segments to make it easier to discuss.
Consent form and Kinship
In the previous episode, we saw that amidst all the chaos, HS had the quick thinking to send Lala off to withdraw money. 50k. I think that was his entire savings and probably a large chunk, if not all, of Naeembi's - this is what a real family is about. He then sent Lala off to get more money as what he had withdrawn would cover only the surgery. He had previously told Babita that his savings were only around 20-25k, out of which he had spent a good amount on the camera for Minnie. One can only guess how much he had left after that. At this point Babita is far better off than him financially, yet he did not stop for a second to think before bankrupting himself.
The look on his face when the reception asked him if he was Minnie's father! It triggered something in him and you could see it in his changed expression. It dawned on him that for all he might feel like her father, he wasn't officially. It bothered him. A whole lot.
Then his no-nonsense policeman/impatient father side took over as he became annoyed with time wasted in formalities instead of starting the treatment.
How dare she suggest something could happen to his Veer Balika? He would burn the hospital down!
He was not going to let anything happen to his Veer Balika. A rational person like him was losing his cool and he apologized right away for overreacting and acknowledged that he was getting emotional. As the receptionist kept asking about Minnie's biological father his frustration knew no bounds.
Kya father father laga rakha hai madam apne? Kya khoon ke rishtey hotey hain sab? Aur koi rishta na hota?
Is it only about blood ties? Her biological father is not even bothered about whether she needs treatment or not.
And then came the biggest turning point:
Main hoon uska father!
he said, with conviction and anger, not even blinking while voicing what had already been in his heart. Then he softened, with tears in his eyes:
Mhare se zyaade koi chinta kar sakta hai kya uski?
For once in his life he felt completely helpless that rules and discipline made him unable to play the role of a father fully, that the barricade of kinship and its overrated significance belittled his rightful claim as his daughter's father, and prevented him from expediting her treatment. Babita stepped in before things got out of hand, but it didn't make him feel any better.
When the nurse explained what the consent form was for, HS looked into Babita's eyes and saw in them the same gut-wrenching worry for Minnie that he felt as well. In that instant he knew that something had changed. He was no longer looking at the woman he loved. He was looking at the mother of his child.
When he noticed her hands shaking as she questioned him with her eyes he knew that he had to step up, put aside his worries, be strong for her, and guide her to doing what was needed. All this happened under Naeembi's watchful eyes.
As I watched that scene, I wondered if he would hold her hand to steady it, and when he did it felt just right. There was that reassuring nod and determination in his eyes that restored her confidence and gave her the strength to sign. They were in it together now, for their daughter. Babita may not realize it now, but HS has walked far down that path already.
If this is not true love, I don't know what is.
There was so much more in those eyes that I feel under-qualified to express in words. I need to give it some time because such emotions are hard to articulate.
Minnie's Operation: Pre, During and Post
As he saw Minnie fidgeting before the operation, he was restless himself, unable to do anything for her where previously he would have rushed to her side, held her hand and asked her to be brave: Himmat rakh, mhaari veer balika.
He then reassured Dadi and Beeji not to worry and diverted their attention by making them feel useful, sending clothes for mother-daughter. Amidst all the stress he still has the sensitivity to think about everyone, and used a gentle tone so as not to worry them further.
Coffee and Biskut
They have always bonded over tea, but Hanita both needed something stronger during this period, so coffee it was. Where once he had hesitated to look at her directly in the eye, he held her by the shoulders earlier to comfort her, steadied her shaking hand so she could sign, and now put the coffee cup in her hand so that her energy could be restored. He knew that she was incapable of looking after herself at that moment.
He put his fears aside and encouraged Babita to remain strong, his optimism soothing her like a warm breeze. He asked Babita gently to eat something, as though she were a 5 year old. How will I look after both of you if you fall ill too? The "biskut" touch was interesting because it reminded us of his humble background yet at the same time it highlighted how one does not need to be highly educated or rich in order to be a great man and a perfect companion.
Shawl laaon?
This reminded me of the previous shawl scene - symbolic of how he would always make sure they were comfortable, the shawl a protective covering. I don't think Babita would need a shawl with him around! She said she should have offered to hold his cup to keep it warm. The coffee was cold but her saying this innocently made him feel all warm inside.
Babita noticed that he had not eaten or drunk anything while looking after everyone, and was content with gulping down the cold coffee because none of this mattered. She didn't get very far with thanking him, and she was right that thank you would never cover everything he was doing for them. Any other time he would have cherished sitting by her side, but he was unable to concentrate on Babita, eyes anxiously waiting for Minnie. He didn't want to spend a moment away from the door in case he was needed when Minnie was brought out.
It was no wonder then, that he was the first to jump up when more medication was required. There was a little smile on his face, a spring is his step when the nurse told him everything was ok.
He was the first to run to Minnie first after she came out of the theater, eager to see how she was doing. I must say the scene when he was stroking her head took my breath away. For someone who isn't a father himself, Aniruddh had the perfect expression on his face, full of affection for his veer balika, gentle, love pouring from his eyes.
The Big Reveal: Imarti's Death
So we finally found out about Imarti's death - it's a wonder he is so resilient after everything he went through. Yes, he started drinking but he never became bitter or mean. Her tragic death made him even more aware of and sensitive towards the plight of women, because of what she had always stood for. I remember the episode where he first told Minnie about Imarti, and when you think about it, everything makes sense now. After his great love for Imarti, who he always believed was his first and only love, Babita is lucky that he fell for her and chose to honor her.
No parent can bear the pain of losing a child. We often talk about a mother's loss but we rarely talk about the trauma that a father goes through. He has to remain strong and look after the mother, so he cannot always express his emotions, but all his dreams for his child are washed away in the flood of the mother's tears and his silent ones. In Hanuman's case he lost the one he would have shared the grief with too. I understand that he suppressed his pain all these years and when it became unbearable he turned to drinking.
The revelation of Imarti's death was a masterstroke by the CVs. We've always wondered how she died, but in the current situation it had a brilliant impact. Suddenly every action of his from the moment he met Minnie made sense and took on a much deeper meaning than any of us could have imagined. It was in the most unexpected of circumstances, a seemingly innocent question by a curious Beeji, but the answer had us all floored.
My respect and admiration for HS skyrocketed at that point. He is far from ready to expose that side of his but I hope he talks to Minnie and Babita about this one day.
The arrival of the mother and daughter had a healing effect. In them he saw the family he would have had, had Imarti lived and given birth to their child. That child, being the manifestation of his and Imarti's great love, must have been even more precious to him because of this. He had been ready to be a father, standing by with all the love he would have showered on his baby when it came into the world, but fate deprived him of the opportunity to envelop his baby in it and watch it grow, secured in the arms of its valiant and kind father. With Minnie he saw a lovely child deprived of a father's love and attention, a child who was as valiant as brave as he himself was, a child who had seen a near-fatherless childhood as he had. All the emotions and affection he had locked up inside him after losing his own baby found an outlet and a deserving destination: his Veer Balika.
Now it makes complete sense why he told Lala that if Ashok had taken Babita away, he would have felt that someone was taking Imarti away from him. Because it also meant Minnie leaving - even though HS didn't say it at the time it was all there.
Itna to koi apna saga baap bhi nahi kar sakta - this is what most shows would have had, but in ours it was:
Itna to koi apna saga baap hi kar sakta hai,
because HS doesn't need to be compared to a "saga" baap - he is one. He is the benchmark, the standard, the default expectation of what a father should be. No wonder everyone in the hospital assumed he was Minnie's father.
Post Op and Care from a Distance
HS rushed to Minnie when she was wheeled out, so relieved and happy to see her, stroking her head with so much love, as if his Veer Balika had been his child all her life. She was a child born from his heart after all. But his face fell Minnie when called for her Babes. All the awkwardness came back and he stepped aside, but rather than focusing on feeling hurt he was looking at Minnie.
The shot of him standing back all alone in the corridor as they took her away again felt like a lance in my heart. The flood of overwhelming pain was evident in his eyes - it was as if he was finally experiencing fatherhood and newly absorbing all its bittersweet emotions. He had subconsciously known that Minnie wasn't like his daughter, she was his daughter, and all that came out today. There was no denying it and he embraced this shift open heartedly.
He was so in tune with everyone's emotions, observing every small thing. Minnie's hand was falling off the side of the bed as he returned Babita's purse, and he was about to go and fix it but remembered what had happened and stepped back. Babita noticed, asked him to come in but saw that he went back to the doorstep - the boundary that he would not cross - and remained watchful throughout, even sleeping on the uncomfortable chairs outside.
I loved the look on Naeem bi's face as she touched his forehead to wake him, knowing how wonderful her son was and that he was doing exactly as she had expected he would, and the smile on Beeji's face - that's when she fell in love with HS finally. Here she had passed him in the screening for Minnie's father and Babita's future husband, while he was slowly distancing himself and planning to go in the other direction.
I'm glad that Dadu and Beeji finally decided to provide the guidance of the elderly and be parents to Hanita. They too finally shed their apna khoon nonsense and went with dil ka rishta instead.
Inner Circle
Minnie was happy to be around her family, and her laughter brought the smile back on his face, only to be removed when he saw the drip was running out. Her eyes searched for him, her contentment was incomplete without her Hanuman Uncle. I think on some level she wanted him to come in and be next to her as he has always been, but realized that she herself had driven him away. The way he walked away from the door frame just made my heart ache for him.
Even during the UNO game, he was playing from her side, on her team, father-daughter with the same mischievous smile before throwing down the winning card - and then instinctively high-fiving each other. Minnie would have continued, she still had a smile on her face but HS looked away. She was starting to feel the void already.
Most of the scenes in the hospital with Minnie had the Saathi re song playing in the background. It was apt for the situation - wait a little, we still have some distance to travel.
Babita's Observations
Babita was registering every action and gesture of his and will reflect upon it later. How he was running around, how he kept everyone calm, how he had the presence of mind to send Lala and Naeem bi home to get some clothes or to get money for the treatment. I am curious to see if she will offer to pay him back for the hospital expenses once they return home. He is probably going to explode. Then again, he might do what Babita did previously: accept the money because he was "just their landlord" after all.
Babita was openly acknowledging that without the support of HS she would not have been able to manage, then quickly added everyone else. it shows that he has climbed the ranks in her books already. Now if only she could listen to her heart clearly.
Hanuman Singh the Father - 360 Degrees
In this one episode HS showed all the facets of a father - sleeping on the couch, restless while waiting for her and watching Babita break down, fury at his helplessness for not being Minnie's biological father, draining all his life's saving for her, filling out the consent form - none seemed contrived because it had always been there, under the surface.
Ab bhi baaqi hai ek daastan. Let's see what happens next. I cant wait for tomorrow!
Pre-cap: I don't know what the conversation between HS and Minnie will be in the hospital. I might be wrong, but it's possible that before he makes any promises about staying away from them, Babita comes in to take Minnie home. When he puts her down on the bed back at home, tucks her in and is about to leave without saying anything to her, he hears her calling him from behind and assumes she will bring up the same topic. He doesn't want to discuss it again and right away says without turning back to her that he will ask Lala to find a place. He will not be able to do it himself. The look on his face as he said it....aww. He is sending his veer balika away for her own happiness, no matter how it destroys him. đ
Babita will probably be the one to veto them moving out and Minnie will not object this time, if nothing else then due to gratitude for his help when she was ill. Everyone must have told her by now what he did for her (despite how she had behaved with him). He hadn't abandoned her or her mother when they had needed him the most.
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Phew! This was very hard for me to write. There was too much going on in the episode that I can't even begin to put into words. My heart ached 100 times more for HS, especially now that he thinks he's going to lose Minnie. We've seen the on location videos (now I wish I hadn't) but as far as HS is concerned, he is going to nurse his daughter back to health and then send her away from him forever. He is going to lose his child a second time.
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