Arjun/Diya: Of dreams, respect & reverence

I must admit that this show didn’t have the strongest start & it has a lot of flaws which irk me big time but this week’s episodes were HANDS DOWN the strongest episodes of this show. And I can say that I am now invested in this pair. Some of the best & my favourite moments from this week & the show so far -

1. The marriage. I tuned in with low expectations, expecting it to be like pretty much every forced wedding on ITV. ML fills FL’s maang on a whim, followed by long dialogues from FL & family on how he could do this blah blah blah but boy was I not only pleasantly surprised but impressed even by the entire sequence. Arjun / Diya are rare leads who’ve been depicted with almost no romantic interest in each other. Their relationship has been so platonic with little acknowledgment from either end of their sex like we’re used to seeing with eyelocks, catch / fall etc so the fact that Arjun thought through very carefully before “insisting” (in Arjun’s words) for the marriage were very well written. Unlike what Arjun expressed, it wasn’t merely about badminton & their shared love for it, he made a conscious choice of choosing Diya over Tina because he saw a possibility of something with her. Unlike Tina where it would be a compromise, marriage with Diya (while not out of love) wasn’t a compromise for Arjun. And the moment he realised that, I loved how he asked for Diya’s consent. He made no promises of love, understanding etc, rather the simplest yet most beautiful thing that Diya has always yearned for - an open sky, where she can fly limitlessly, & Arjun promised to be that sky. Interestingly, Arjun has always yearned for a certain freedom as well & he saw that possibility with Diya. It isn’t just about badminton as they both say, rather about the lack of bondage that they’ve shared. Whenever they met each other, they met without any obligations & responsibilities, out of pure will, for their love for badminton which slowly bloomed into a bond of respect & reverence for each other.

2. Their interactions at the badminton court. Oh my heart, these were my absolute favourite. I’m not too fond of feet touching but when Diya touched Arjun’s feet, that was reverence. She wasn’t just touching her mentor or her husband’s feet as a custom or for blessings, it was reverence for the man who fought the entire world for THEM. I loved the tiny frame where Arjun’s feet stepped back before she touched them. He was hesitant, but something shifted inside him that moment. That’s probably the most peaceful Arjun’s ever looked. He was proud of her & dare I say, he might have fallen in love with her that very moment. It was the first time ever he noticed her, not what she was or what her dreams were or her love for badminton, but her as a woman. I was wondering how the show would transition from them as a platonic pair to a couple, but this moment was so so well done.

3. Arjun adjusting Diya’s sari, assisting her with taking off her jewellery, having her shoes, clothes & everything prepared. Oh boy, that was moving & you could see how something shifted inside Diya as well especially the discomfort yet flutters she felt as he touched her. Was this the first time he touched her? No. He did before too, when teaching her the footwork, but this time there was an awareness (just like for Arjun when Diya touched his feet) of him, the man. She watched him like a woman who was touched by a man she liked for the first time. Another moment that was so well done.

Sorry for the long post. I just rambled on & I don’t think I even wrote everything I wanted to say so yeah.. 😆

I hope that our newly weds get to play badminton in the backyard under an open sky one day. CVs you better give us that!

Also hope there will be some replies, this forum looks so dead.

I’m bored so thought of just penning down the things that irk me about the show so far -

I don’t mean to complain (I am thankful they are even showing us the FL play badminton) but can they please get a coach for the FL.- even I play badminton better than her. Her posture, the way she hits, it’s atrocious. I wish she will brush up her badminton skills. 😆

The leads’ love for badminton has literally had no build up / back story whatsoever. Why do they love badminton so much? When they did start playing? How? Why does Diya’s family have a problem with her playing badminton? Hope they’ll start shedding some light on Arjun/Karan’s relationship & Arjun’s past life when he was a badminton player.

Diya’s father. He’s legit the most irritating & disgusting character on this show. Who mixes poison in the dinner for the family? Forget emotional blackmail, any of them could have died had they accidentally consumed the food. Also why burn her badminton racket just because she was late for the meeting in the initial episodes? Is there a need for him to go to such extremes to express his displeasure?

Arjun’s mother. I liked her initially, but she’s beginning to irritate me. She can’t be serious when she said she prefers her son being drunk all day over him waking up on time, not drinking & chasing his dreams. She should be happy that he’s up on his feet again. Doesn’t help that the actress playing her doesn’t have the most pleasant disposition.

Tina & the curly haired Bhabhi. Need I say more?

Praying that the family drama doesn’t stretch into episodes after Arjun & Diya return from the match.

Hope they’ll give the ML some rest. He looks so tired the past few episodes. His red eye ruined part of the beauty of the marriage sequence. Hope he gets well soon!

The execution of the shaadi fiasco (barring Diya's nagging aunt and family) was not that bad in terms of execution. Arjun is taking full accountability of his actions and he even clarified.

Though I would like to see how Diya's passion developed or was it something from her childhood that she's done but because of financial reasons, she discontinued it?

Regarding Arjun/Karan's point, at least that has some base that he's badminton player with a tainted career. But would like to see a further backdrop as to how he got framed in the controversy.

Hello, I was looking for other's opinion on the show as I have been watching it. I usually come on India forums and leave, but after reading your comment and analysis on today's episode, I made an account to join India Forums even though I wasn't interested in making one. You are probably the 2nd person who saw this wedding track the same way I did. I really like how you broke everything down especially with the significance of Diya touching Arjun's feet and with Arjun fixing her saree and how she reacted. I couldn't properly put this into words myself and you did it perfectly(I'm not familiar with India's culture, so I'm learning as I go along) I'm busy with my work, but I will try to come online and add my comments here as well.

I admit the wedding track was dragged a bit, but in the end it was worth it to me. I enjoyed watching the rituals leading up to the wedding and technically Diya was Arjun's bride all along: she had Arjun's haldi placed on her and when Arjun stopped her wedding with Arjit, Diya removed the leaves and opened her eyes to look directly at Arjun, not Arjit first.

I liked how they didn't just get married. Arjun weighed all of his options, thought about everything, which itself took an entire episode. But we got to understand that he took this decision seriously. Then when he made up his mind I knew he was going to get what he wanted.

What made me respect Arjun was that he presented his case to marry Diya to her entire family, not just her, but he ultimately left the decision up to her, while keeping his eyes on her most of the time, trying to convince her.

To me, this made their marriage more meaningful.

So pleased to meet you again in yet another forum after Everest, Bin Kuch Kahe.. and now Rishton Ka Manjha. 🤗

You've explained Arjun/Diya's relationship so well. ❤️