Hey guys, this is my first time writing an episodic review in this forum. I used to do this before for Jhanak because the couple there had so much potential that got wasted. Uss sadme ke baad, I slowly came out and fell in love with Prashiv - mainly Shivansh, as I have a soft spot for flawed, traumatized, humane characters.
Only two episodes ever made me feel like I needed to write something of this sort, and today's episode was one of them. Here are my thoughts on today's episode. Never in my life have I ever thought Ekta Mata would be capable of making me write this way. But here we are, it has happened.....
Ep 3165 - The scoreboard of Manipulations
Emotional manipulation and its consequences were the theme for today's episode.
The episode starts with Prarthana quietly entering her sanctuary, seeing her husband sleeping peacefully after all the things that had happened. Her eyes seek him and only him.... a smile on her face despite the wetness brought on by the tears of pain. The song that plays as she slowly approaches Shivansh is a good summation of all the emotions tangled and pooled in the depths of her heart right now...
Naina.. jo saanjhe khwaab dekhte the
Naina.. bichhar ke aaj ro diye hain yoon
Naina.. jo milke raat jaagte the
Naina.. sehar mein palken meechte hain yoon
Juda huye kadam....jinhone li thi ye kasam
Milke chalenge hardum....ab baant'te hain ye gham
Bheege naina.. jo khidkhiyon se jhankte the
Naina.. ghutan mein band ho gaye hai yun
The relief that Shivansh is safe and sound at home, in their haven... involuntarily threatening to slip out as a smile.... the tears of fear and pain that he had to go through this again in such a short period since the last incident had finally slowed down....the unflinching eyes gazing longingly at her husband...perhaps a distraught wife trying to safeguard her love, a fleeting fancy that capturing him in her visions may keep him faraway from him harm. And her hands that reached out to slowly caress him out of habit, hesitated just a little before retracting them. Realization dawning upon her that maybe a crack has formed, after all that has happened, their thoughts and their paths separated for the foreseeable future. Only the sorrow of the aftermath was left intact.
And as her tears unbound fell into his hand, he flinched just a little as if to wake up. And a worried Prarthana stepped back a little, just as she always had between them, in this relationship, to give him the space and respect he deserved. And Shivansh, too, though asleep, could sense a loved one in distress; alas, his fatigue was still stronger pulling him the other way.
Ehsaas ki jo jubaan ban gaye
Dil mein mere mehmaan ban gaye
Aapki ki tarif mein kya kahe
Aap humari jaan ban gaye
And indeed, he was a permanent resident in her heart, one that consumed all her waking time and thoughts, one worthy of respect for all the things he had done for her. A symbol of emotion that she can encapsulate in one word, but also one that cannot be contained.
And she moves to the sofa, to lie down her tired body and get reprieve like her husband. Her familiar space..... and the night passes into the morning, all the while her eyes never leave him, afraid that if she blinks even once, he may disappear like the beautiful mirage. Nothing else mattered, and it never will.
And what a beautiful scene it was.... no words were spoken between the two, yet all that had and needed to be said was spoken indeed. A language of silence, something that makes Prashiv so unique. Really liked Pranali here, she shone as Prarthana, a wife who only wants her husband safe and sound before her eyes.
And there comes Bua Ma, the villain of our story, shocked to find Prarthana in Shivansh's room. She slowly approaches Prarthana and takes her out of the room to play her game of manipulation once more. And she lays it in thick, choosing the right space and time to breach the topic of divorce and separation again. Here we see shades of her grey nature, adding a bit more black to what was white before. She appeals to things that hold value to Prarthana.... Mandir, Kundali, Mamta, and Zindagi. Where harsh scolding and shouts didn't faze Prarthana, BM's soft spoken plea to leave his son's life, citing Kundali, did the job very well. And on the sly, she also insinuated her characterlessness while remaining a dignified figure befitting her age.
"Tum ek achi patni ho, mujhe tumse problem nahi hai... tumhari kundali se problem hai"
"Main yeh nahi keh rahi hoon ki tumhari Raunak kebeech kuch hai, mein dirf yeh kehrahi hoon ki uski aur tumhari kundli milti hogi.... lenkin Shivnash ke kundali aur tumhari kundali ka mel nahi hai"
"Tum kis ghar mein jaoge vardhan hoke jaoge... par mere shivansh ke liye tum vardhaan nahi ho... shraap ho."
"Tum to ek pandit ki beti ho na? Kundali sab maanti hogi na?Tumhari papa se pooch lo"
"Mein tumhe beekh maang rahi hoon... meri beti ke zindagi de do.... mujhe Shivansh dedo. Aap tho itni swarti nahi ho sakti..."
And Prarthana falls victim to her ploys like clockwork.... with labored breath, she signs the divorce papers, as if her world was being torn asunder. All memories of her marriage flood her mind, words Shivansh had spoken out of duty, out of carelessness, and revenge. But ones that were true for her nevertheless.... The feeling of her maan being filled with his vermilion, his assertion that she is his wife for the seven lives and his world.
"Yeh meri patni hai... aur yeh meri ghar jaayegi mere saath."
"Kehte hain shaadi saath janmon ka baandan hota hai.... meri aur Prarthana ka rishta ek janam ke nahi... saath janmon ka banda hai...."
"Ab aap dono ka kismet ek saath jud gaaya hai.... kabhi saath mat chodna. Jaaye andi aaye ya toofan...."
And it is that kismet in works.... as the pen itself stops working. Prarthana is unaware, but an oblivious BM searches around the house to get a new pen. Giddy with pleasure that finally the girl will be no more part of their lives.
This scene shows the consequences of manipulations triumphing... and insinuates that what BM touts to be the past may indeed not be the whole truth.... and Smitha might also have been a victim of her games, like Prarthana is right now. Jaya ji is so good in this scene.... I always loved her acting and she proves why she is a veteran in the field with effortless ease.
While Prarthana fell victim, Shivansh didn't get trapped in the web of deceitful care and friendship that Sona disguised for her obsession. And he called her out on it, too. Leaving her fuming and fueling her obsession.
"Tum kuch ajeeb behave kar rahi ho.... yeh medication ki side effect nahi hai"
And he once again proves that though he is traumatized, he is no fool. And a revelation that he is now at a stage of love for his wife.... he is willing to tune out and cut short the words of someone he considers his mother, despite not birthing him. All he wanted to know was where his wife was at the moment.
"Mujhe Prarthana achi ladki hai ya buri nahi hai, kuuch nahi sunn na....bas ye batadijiye ki wo kahan hai?"
"Mujhe patha hai Prarthana kaisi hai... aap ye sab baath mat kijiye, mujhe nahi sunn na..."
The only answer he gets in return is the half-signed divorce papers.... shaking the ground beneath him. Despite feeling the same magnitude of emotions, Shivansh, being the man he is.... walks forward to the one he deems responsible for this mess, indifferent to the calls of BM behind him.
He bellows with a roar to Sona, who he knows was partly responsible for the current dilemma. Sure about his wife, and unsure about the one who claims to love him.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???!!! Ye tumne kya kiya?"
"Tum nahi jaanti tumne kya kiya.... "
"Tumne ye sab situation create kiya ki PRarthana ne aake ye sab kiya.... in short TUMNE YE SITUATION CREATE KARVAYA KI PRARTHANA DIVORCE PAPER SIGN KARE..."
"Bua ma... isine kuch kiya hai..."
Distractions from BM make no difference....his hunch only solidified into the truth, spilled out from his very own mouth. And the hidden truth revealed to the world... that he undeniable trusts and loves his wife, unwilling to even take her name with another man- history or no history. His disgust is evident in having someone else's name uttered alongside his wife, wrenching his hands down to show how much of a low-level person Raunak is.
"YEH TUMNE KARVAYA HAI!"
"JUST SHUT UP... RAUNAK PRARTHANA RAUNAK PRATHANA.... mujhe un dono ke naam ek saath nahi sunn na... Prarthana Kahan hai... aur Raunak kahan hai.. KUCH NAHI HAI UNKE BEECH. KOI RISHTA NAHI HAI UNKE BEECH."
A deafening roar.... silencing those around him. All that we see is man fraught with worry... an overload of undesirable information incoming, but still standing tall upon the truth he believes in. He loves Prarthana and Prarthana loves him.... There is no space for a third in between. Neither Sona nor Raunak. His actions and demeanor prove that time and time again.....true to all the vows he made to his wife during their marriage. And a message, Prarthana is and will be above all. At this point, even his BM.
Aap humari jaan bangaye.....
And she is indeed. One that risked her life again and again, gave everything but asked nothing in return. It was inevitable that she became his world.
If anything, Shivansh rose through the veneers of duplicity masked as sincerity and escaped the manipulation that he had been a victim of for so long. A peek into what triumphing over manipulation looks like.
Wow, did Namik redeem Shivansh... I have no words to say about him. Asmita showers praise on his acting all the time... but I will say one thing. He is the only redeeming factor about this show... and proves one more time why that is so. Hats off, Boss! This scene was a trailer to what will now be a game-changer.
And here we go.... the scoreboard for keeping tabs on the aftermath of manipulative games has started. We shall see how they fare in the future.
Edited by Anusha16 - 8 days ago
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