Originally posted by: Transference
After a series of hilarious conversations, let me try and add some thoughts to this already well articulated post.
I believe that part of his niceness stems from his acceptance of this marriage unlike Raavi who is still battling abandonment, fear and post traumatic issues. When he accepted to marry her, it was not out of force, pressure or emotional turmoil. His sister-in-law was in grief and she asked him to do something for the same. There was no coaxing, cajoling or emotional blackmail in his head.
I really loved the fact that he didn’t even question ‘Aap Kya keh rahe ho? Yeh main nahi kar sakta ? Etc.It was very simple for him: She asked, He complied!
All of this naturally happened to him and he progressed the state of mental block even before he knew it. Even during the pheras, when we do get a slight glimpse of his state of mind, we do see him questioning his action-‘Kya kar raha hun main’ but then, he shuts it down saying that I will do as my Bhabhi says. Such a natural extension of whatever he shares deeply with Dhara-Gaumbi. His blind love for Gaumbi-Dhara.
His acceptance of this new relationship has delicately woven layers, which he is yet to discover, but superficially he ACCEPTED this marriage. Right from supporting her when she fainted during the pheras, to extending his hand first to her and then standing up of her rights during the Grihapravesh scene. He has been there for her.He revolts only when she snubs him openly or shows her blatant disregard or hatred. Even when he goes into their room on their first night together on being coaxed by Gaumbi, there’s no animosity at first from his side. He just wanted to crash on the bed after a long upheaval of a marriage.
In short, he has acceptance of this marriage. His concern for her even before pre-wedding was always there. Whether saving her from ending her life, or protecting her before she gets hurt or even trying to warn Dev about her growing feelings.
Also, we do see a glimpse of his inner conflict when he was packing her bags and the box of her love for Dev falls out. That scene was left to our imagination as viewed but there was a contemplative look on Shiva open to interpretation.
Some questions we could ask here would be?
1. What could be the state of a man who got married to his brother’s almost wife at the wedding altar?
2. What could be the state of mind of a man who can never be the dream man of his wife?3. What could be the state of mind to see his wife wallowing in self-pity after 10 years of being in love with another man: that too his own brother, a man who’d be around them for life.
These are very important questions which creates a layer of caution of how Shiva treads around Raavi. Nothing has really changed in their camaraderie but there has been a monumental shift in their relationship for sure.
She is the same girl whom he had seen pining for another man for 10 years. This same girl is doing wifely rituals with him given the changed circumstances. That’s quite a lot to chew. Despite being younger, Shiva has a tremendous amount of patience and maturity not to break down. He is contemplative but he is there for her. To watch out for her suicidal tendencies, to understand her comfort.
Like you said, he has definitely opened a window for her. Every time, she makes a move like complimenting him, he softens and is at ease. The moment she reprimands him, he becomes agitated and even more angry. He is confident in his own skin but not a fool. It’s difficult for someone to be unwanted by his own wife. Subconsciously, he’d always operate from a space of not being good enough for her.
For Raavi, Shiva is like a blank slate in terms of love that you’d share with a spouse. He has no past baggage as compared to Raavi who not only comes with her Herculean backlog of emotions but also operates from a space of being forced into this marriage.
This is such a great post, maybe you should put it out as a seperate topic to make sure it doesn't get buried in the EDT ❤️
CID
