The episode began with Hanuman Singh expressing to Minnie what she meant to him. I would like to thank the CVs for granting this wish of mine that I had made when writing my post on the previous episode.
HS thanked Minnie for coming into his life and bringing hope into it. He had just been living from one day to another after losing Imarti, but now things looked brighter.
Ib ke main bhi ghana excited rehta hoon ke bhai main jaldi se ghar pohonchoon, jaldi se aayegi chhori bolti Hanuman Uncle, aur phir uske baad ek dum se aake gale lipat jaayegi.
Rather than immersing himself in his work, he looked forward to coming home to hearing her chirp, telling him about her day.
He mentioned something he had never done before, that he looked forward to her greeting him with hugs on his return home. The security of knowing he could come home to his daughter, that he had started to somewhere feel that he had the right to her affection on a daily basis and not just when fortune smiled at him intermittently.
He also added that he wanted to start coming home earlier and not work overtime.
Achha? Mere liye? Aur koi reason nahin hai? teased Minnie.
Aur kya reason hoga? he replied, embarrassed when he realized what she was hinting at. This was new for him, being teased by his daughter about his feelings for her mother.
He then brought her back down to earth.
Zyaada hase mat. Teri saari hansi band hone waali hai. Tere ko na bohot zyaada ab discipline mein rehna padega mhaare ghar mein.
Achha? Kaise?
Bhai ab aisa na chalega, alarm baj raha hai trin trin trin karke phir bhi tum so rahe ho.
Alarm se pehle jaago, roz subah uthke exercise karo, badiya sa santulith ahaar khao, aur woh kya karti hai tu Japani kushti...
Japani kushti nahin, karate.
Haan woh sab karni padegi, regular.
Manzoor hai.
It reminded me of the time had been training her for the karate competition, where he had been strict with her diet and exercise regime. I loved the (hilarious) reference to Japani kushti. I had just been talking about it a few days ago on one of the threads and I really like how the CVs insert these references here and there to show us how far these two have come.
Main roz wahi dekhoonga subah uthke ab.
Then he had kept an eye on her temporarily, he had instilled some discipline in her. Now he was expecting the same for her daily routine because he could. Expect things from her now, that is.
Dekh, thanedaar hoon, sab kuch hoon.
Lekin bohot zyaada disciplined father hoon main. Mujhe sab kuch chahiye bohot zyaada anushasan mein. Aur waise hi rehna chahiye.
The last time he had spoken to her about discipline, she had threatened to leave the house, limiting their relationship to tenant-landlord. Today, it was a different picture altogether.
Thanedaar ki daughter hai na tu?
I must have waited as long to hear it as he had waited to say it. Nothing would stop him now. He could call her his, she was his daughter, and he no longer needed to limit himself to calling her Veer Balika, Queen Victoria, or most gorgeous girl. It was very obvious that while until yesterday, he could not exert any rights over her or do anything to stop her from leaving, today he felt he was able to assert authority and claim in an "official" capacity. Their bond had needed no name or legal stamp of approval, but Babita's acceptance of his proposal gave him the security that had so far eluded him.
Then he proceeded to identify how much she was like him, while Minnie smiled in amusement. She truly was so much like him in spirit and spunk.
To bhai, lagna chahiye. Matlab, teri personality sab kuch waisi hai. Aur mera jache na main to tere ko police mein bharti kara doon.
This was one of the most wonderful messages relayed by the writers.
HS had often talked about continuing the family tradition and following his grandfather's footsteps to join the police force. Now he was considering the option that his daughter too might one day do the same. Imarti would have been mighty pleased by this. We often hear people talk of following their baap-dada ke traditions, and now Minnie was in scope for that. She was a girl but she had just as much right to follow in their footsteps. Awww!
Another positive message to be found, where instead of a father dreaming of the day his daughter gets married he dreams of her success in her career.
Minnie stopped him before he got carried away. She would listen to him but he had to be reasonable too. What police force?
Then there was another throwback to episode 57, where HS and Minnie had imagined Babita joining the police force, an idea which both mother and daughter had laughed off, annoying HS slightly. He picked up on the same today.
Bas yehi problem hai na tum mother-daughter ka. Tum log kya actually na understand nahin karte ho cheezon ko. Police ki naukri ko tum kam samajhte ho? Ek alag respect hoti hai, alag pyar hota hai, aise thodi hai.
I just remembered that in episode 57, where father-daughter had both imagined HS and Babita together as police officers, there was a scene where Minnie had accidentally said "serni" like he did, and had then immediately corrected herself to say "sherni". Fast-forward to the present day and she was deliberately taking on his mannerisms and dialect.
Now HS asked her to imagine, as she had in the past, if the father were thanedaar, her mother the hawaldaar, and daughter ... here he hesitated, not sure what to say - none of those roles sounded good enough for his daughter, until Minnie jumped in to say IPS officer, which perfectly fit what he had been looking for. He saluted her with no hesitation, surprising her, as he had previously been reluctant to salute Babita because of seniority.
Chhori kya lagegi tu IPS ban ke! he remarked, the seed of the idea now planted in his head. He had no problems saluting her, because of the place she held in his heart, because as a father he would always pray for he success. The other day he had told her that she ought to dream big, that he would bring her the stars and the moon if she asked for it. He wanted her to aim that high and succeed.
Dekh chhori kya hota hai, father hamesha aisa chaahta hai ke bhai jo chhori ho na uska qad usse ooncha ho.
She wanted to be like him, and if he wanted her to be taller than him, then she would try but how? This worried Minnie as she stood on her toes next to him, trying to see how many more inches she needed to grow to become taller than him, drawing laughter from HS. This was a really heartwarming scene. I have often seen children, especially boys do with comparing their heights with their fathers, and here it just seemed so perfect!
Chhori. Bawli, yeh wala qad nahin. Audha.
Main to bhai yehi chahunga na ke bhai mhaari chhori jo ho wo mere se bhi zyaada high post pe ho.
Jo bhi kare woh best kare, sab se achha kare life mein. A child could receive no stronger blessings than this.
Bohot khushi hogi manne, he said with a proud smile on his face.
Mhaari chhori, his daughter.
He felt he now had the right to have dreams for her, to share her dreams and to support her as he watched her fulfill them. I have a feeling he will find out that she had decided not to take up the travel photography course and will do whatever he could to help her succeed.
Life mein na chhori, kabhi sapne dekhna na chhodna.
Sapne na, insaan ko zinda rakhte hain.
Just like Minnie, I love hearing such words of wisdom and the amazing advice HS always gives about striving for one's dreams and seeking happiness.
For the first time in her life, Minnie had someone who would understand and dream along with her. He had understood her love for photography a while ago just by the dejected look on her face at being unable to afford an expensive camera, and had gone ahead and bought her one with his modest income, not wanting anything to get in the way. Just as he had stood by her side and coached her during the competition, he would do that in every fight of her life.
What was striking about the conversation today was that while he had told Minnie what he expected from her as a father going forward, and to an extent, a hint of what he saw his role in her life to be, he hadn't had that conversation with Babita yet, as to what his role would be in this erstwhile single-parent family.
As Minnie shooed him off so that she wouldn't be late for college, he reminded her to note down what he had just talked about as he went downstairs. Minnie paused for a second to give him a fond smile before she returned to her studies. It was really wonderful to see her studying and doing what a normal kid does, getting on with her life. HS had always provided her the space to do so, and with the security that now came into both their minds about not having to lose one another, they could finally relax and get back to a semblance of a daily routine.
As HS dusted off his bike, Babita emerged from Naeem Bi's house, giving him pause, his heart indeed somersaulting at the sight of her, the background song (one of my personal favorites) matching the situation to a T. As Babita crossed the street and smiled shyly at this open admiration of his, he forgot himself and tracked her movements with eyes.
Aisi uljhi nazar unse hat ti nahin ...
They were lost in each other, until Babita collided into Minnie, who was amused seeing her parents behave like teenagers for a moment. I felt really happy that Babita could experience the headiness of love, and now that she could officially look at him and accept his admiring glances, she would bask in all of it.
Minnie saw that HS' bike refused to start.
Kya baat hai thanedaar saab. Aaj aap ki dhanno chal hi nahin rahi hai.
Nahin chhori, mhaare dhanno ke bhi bohot zyaada nakhre hain. Maan ke hi na deti, teri mummy ki tarah. Don't we all know?
Koi nahin, lage raho, keep trying, Minnie responded, referring to both the bike and her mother.
It was a beautiful mirror scene, father and daughter leaving for their respective daily routine. Today she would give him a ride to his workplace.
This was a new experience for him, to sit behind, that too on her scooter, but he had no qualms about it.
Pata hai, mujhe kya lagta hai Hanuman Uncle?
Chaahe aap ki dhanno ho ya phir meri Babes, meri guidance ke bina na, tsk, aap ki gaadi agey nahin bade gi.
This statement annoyed me to no end because I want her to stop being so involved in her parents' love story.
Main tere saath baith ke jaonga to bhai mohalle waale ke bolenge?
Ke woh dekho, ke thaanedaar jo hai ye chhori ki chhoti si scooty pe baith ke jaa rea hai, he said, good-humoredly. He was the last person in the world who cared about what people said.
Abhi to mohalle waalon ne bohooot kuch bolna hai Hanuman Uncle.
Jaise?
Jaise, jab unhein pata chale ga ye sab ke baare mein to bolenge, haye haye dekho kiraayedaarni ne to makaan pe qabza hi kar liyed.
Oh they had no idea! Obviously, this hinted at the whole log kya kahenge issues they would have to deal with at some point. HS had never cared but what about Babita?
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Khatri the Wedding Planner
Khatri was shocked that Babita had become rich so fast that she had bought her own place, until Kammo explained that Babita was getting married. It was great to see Kammo being so positive and supportive of their alliance. Who would have thought? She has really shown a lot of growth. Khatri, not one to miss an opportunity to make money , decided to take charge of the wedding arrangements.
I will always thank this sleazejob for being the reason mother-daughter ended up meeting HS and becoming a family.
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Gifts for Babita
I absolutely loved the way HS and Lala hugged each other as they rejoiced over the good news. He had previously smiled and been happy about the proposal and its acceptance but it was only with Lala that he could fully express his elation. Lala knew what it meant to him, having been his constant companion through this journey. His friend, his brother had indeed scored a sixer by directly proposing to Babita.
HS was concerned that he had not had a chance to speak to Babita since she had accepted his proposal, but chalked it up to her shyness.
Lala inquired if in all the rush, he had gotten a ring for Babita, which HS replied with some hilarious dialogues, unable to understand what the big deal was and why needed to do anything further after handing over his entire inheritance to her.
Arey, dhat teri ki Laaley, tu ring wing ke chakkar mein pada hai bhai.
Main ne le ja ke poori haveli ki chaabi yun karke thama di.
Main ne kaha lo ji ye aap ki. Ab aap makaan maalkin.
Ab batao. Bhai pushtaini haveli hai.
HS was a simple man. He had wanted to propose, he did, she accepted, and that was that. Lala, based on his experience with the lovely Geeta Kumari (who was yet to make an appearance), pointed out that HS had missed something.
Yeh kaam bhi na aap ne tang se nahin kiya
Tang se nahin kiya? (I love it when he imitates Lala). Kya na kiya bhai? Haan bharwali bawley, isse zyaada aur ke karwaaon?
Getting her acceptance was fine, but he still had to win her over. What?
Bhai aur kaise dil jeetunga yeh bata tu mere ko, hein?
Laal Qilla ukhaad ke le aaon ya phir bhai Taj Mahal jo yahan pe laake banwa doon, lake uske saamne dhar doon. Bata kya karoon?
Lala pointed out that he need not go to the extreme. Women liked gifts and HS would need to by something for Babita. They both remembered her suggestions when Lala had been looking for a gift for his Geeta Kumari.
A rose, jhumka, chunni. HS remembered everything she had spoken of. Babita had paused when she had mentioned the jhumka because of her memories of Ashok, but neither men were aware of that obviously. It did not bode well. They did not know which she would like, so Lala decided the would hedge their bets and buy all three.
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The Sound of Silence
Beeji and Dadu had gone to the bank to take out some light gold jewelry to gift Babita on this occasion. I know they meant well, but I just remembered all that had happened regarding Babita's stree dhan during the divorce, and I still found I could not forgive Beeji.
HS was on the phone with Babita, expressing that he had wished to speak to her since the morning, but had not been able to find her earlier.
I found this very strange indeed that she had not waited to have a word with him or had gone to NB's alone.
Did she really have nothing to say to him? No, she replied.
Dekho, aap kuch kehna nahin chaahte lekin phir bhi manne bohot kuch sunayi de raha hai, he said gently.
Kya? Kya sunayi de raha hai aap ko?
Aap ki payal, uski chan chan, aur choodiyon ki khan khan (though she wasn't wearing enough for such a sound)
Sab to aapas mein baatein kar rahe hein.
His heart filled with warmth as he heard Babita laugh shyly at this. I really enjoyed watching HS in lover mode, and could only imagine how intense it was going to be as he became more comfortable with her. The phone call also highlighted that these two hadn't really had a proper conversation for days. It was well overdue.
He had sent a gift for her, a surprise, but he was still a little unsure whether she would like it. She ran to open the door, disappointed to see Minnie standing there instead.
It would be there any moment, he assured her.
Bhai main thehra ganwaar admi, aise manne koi knowledge nahin hai bhai gift wift ki,
Manne kya pata bhai, ke aap ka like hai dislike hai. Main bhejoon ke aap ko achha lage ga ke achha na lage ga.
It was interesting to see him refer to himself as a ganwaar - there had always been a subtle difference in "class" between that had never been directly addressed, except when Minnie has made fun of his English or his "simple thoughts", but at moments like this HS acknowledged his lack of sophistication. I am quite sure this will come up.
He needn't worry, she would like anything he sent. It was really lovely to see her enjoying this attention from her husband-to-be as she was the center of his attention. She was oblivious to what Minnie was saying and ran to the door to get her gift. Overjoyed, she ran up the stairs, keen to open up the surprise. As she picked up the lovely earrings, that he had chosen just for her, she could not contain her excitement. It was so unusual to see her so ecstatic that I felt it would not last long.
As Minnie walked in, Babita hid them from her, wanting to keep the secret to herself for a little bit longer. She continued to remember his words as he had proposed to her, reliving those emotions, tuning out everything else, even Minnie's words and her attempts to put those earrings on her. His voice echoed in her mind, the voice of her man, the one who loved her and only her. Her eyes softened as she let the memories of his voice blow over her like a gentle breeze,
There was something wonderful about the way the voice-over of HS was used here, as though her thoughts were completely taken over by his words. On receiving his message that he was at the door, she could no longer contain her excitement as she went to put the jhumkas on, removing the earrings that Beeji had sent, unaware of when Minnie had put them on or where they had come from. It really was fantastic to see Babita so in love, her feet barely resting on the ground as she briefly looked at her reflection, taking in this new Babita who was adorned with the jewels of HS' love. I absolutely loved the background music they played here as she flew to greet HS.
Minnie picked up the earrings from where they had fallen on the ground, unable to understand what was going on. She knew the effort her grandparents had put in to get them from the bank, but it was obvious to her now that her mother was in a world of her own, oblivious to her surroundings.
Pre-cap
Babita tells HS that she was reminded of his harsh words regarding her maryada. HS apologizes with his hands folded, to which Babita smiles in relief. Not a nice sight but details will surely be in the next episode.
PS I have written this post based on what I had known the day the episode aired, discounting upcoming scenes. I have refrained from posting this earlier due to the upheaval I felt inside but finally decided to go ahead and do it now.
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