It was such a lovely episode. I like the way Aryan emotes tenderness as he wishes his “partner” happy holi. That “tum wapas to aogi na?” is so reflective of his repressed trauma. I think he is stuck in thinking that if he cannot have complete control over the things and people he values (Imlie being one of them), they will leave him one day……and not just leave him, they will be destroyed the moment he is not there to help……
Imli not respecting herself and her skills is something he cannot digest especially when she is fully his partner in his mind. He is older, and hence he is looking at the choices Imli has made recently as destructive, foolish and pointlessly painful. And it is terrifying for him that again someone he loves may be lost.
Imli, on the other hand, is stuck in her feelings and seems to have forgotten that protecting her so called “apne” does not have to mean throwing herself down the drain. She is too young…..she sees things in either black or white……a trait affirmed by her previous mentor…….so she cannot realise that life and circumstances are mostly shades of grey…..that a man with a personal vendetta may be the villain to one person but can also be a saviour to ten others.
Her insecurities and low self-worth are weighing heavy so she cannot think clearly…..she is still acknowledging that he has done much for her but also his other actions have confused her…..its either hero OR villain for her….no in between….there are no permanent heroes or villains in life….thats a lesson she will learn someday…..she was not forced into this marriage but given a practical offer…..a business deal so to say and she made her choice……the wrong choice but still…..no one put a gun to her head….had she put any value to herself she would have found alternative options to protect her family and let Aru and AKT duke it out separately…. but alas, it all comes back to her self-destructive selflessness.
People who love you truly can never ever want you to self-destruct. People who expect self-destruction in the name of love are not truly your own. Thats a lesson she will learn the hard way.
I like this flow of narrative….the younger immature girl is learning that choices have consequences and one must face up to them or make better choices……the older man is facing an old trauma in a new way and trying his best to contain the damage…..damage that he instigated himself to fulfill his revenge…..and unless he learns the difference between justice and vengeance, the people he loves will also pay the price for his darkness.