Originally posted by: EkPahelii
I agree it’s a bit confusing regarding what time period they’re going for here to begin with, because there have been way too many leaps in the original season to make an accurate prediction.
Most of the original kids aka Karan and his siblings are just out of the picture, it’s a surprise in and of itself that Nandini is still hanging around but we hardly see any mention of Gautam, Saahil and all the other cousins that were on the show back then. It’s like all of them have magically disappeared and are not to be spoken of again anymore. So that confusion already doesn’t sit well with the original viewers who are already tuning in for the nostalgia or closure or both.
Then they go ahead and bring old wine in a new bottle all over again with the idea of a single woman being infatuated with Mihir, as if other men don’t exist in the world or at least the Virani family is simply something beyond comprehension. It doesn’t help that the way Gayatri keeps on rage-baiting Tulsi implying that once a cheater always a cheater is such a cheap thing IMO. It’s as if the show has forgotten its own canon and it’s ensuring Mihir also forgets his own traumatic experience and history by being too much of a gentleman to Noyna. I mean it was already established that while Mihir technically does cheat on Tulsi and fathers a son with another woman, he doesn’t do it intentionally nor willingly. Mihir was literally drugged by Mandira who then went ahead and took advantage of the situation, forced herself on him in that state and got pregnant, leading to Karan’s eventual birth and his absolute disdain and disgust for the woman he loved and worshiped once when the truth is finally exposed.
It was Mihir’s good intentions, his nobility and to some extent gratitude towards Mandira that she saved his life that led him into that trap in the first place. Initially he had no idea how to reveal the truth of her being alive to her brother and everyone else and once she had conceived his child it was too late for him to do anything as that would’ve opened a can of worms he wasn’t willing to deal with. And I believe, now in hindsight with a bit more age and experience as well as understanding on my side, that partly that had to do with his own traumatic experience of being assaulted by Mandira. Like what would’ve he done to explain that? Men can be exploited but it’s not easy for them to even admit that such a thing exists much less that they can be victims of it because that’s how it is in society. Since we are not sure of what the timing is here regarding anything, but even if we assume that Mihir was assaulted say in the late 1980s or early 1990s, given that the show began this season by celebrating Mihir Tulsi’s 38th wedding anniversary, Indian society was not having that conversation back then, I doubt any society on the planet was for that matter no matter how liberal and progressive. So Mihir hiding everything related to Mandira was not just about guilt, but shame, confusion and trauma thrown into the mix too, but at this point its ridiculous that he is being too naive and not maintaining a healthy distance with any woman who happens to be single given his multiple experiences with single women who get too close for comfort.
I don’t even understand him fawning over Pari and adoring her the way we never even saw him with Shobha. I would have honestly understood this attitude a lot more if Shobha had been the daughter, given that Gautam had been kidnapped as a child. Shobha was the only child he had until Harsh happened and there were a couple of years between them as it is. Fathers already have a soft spot for their daughters and in the absence of the son who was kidnapped, it would have made sense if Mihir spoiled Shobha silly as he poured all the love meant even for Gautam into his relationship with Shobha but this girl, it baffles me to no end why Mihir seems so much like a pushover when it comes to her. Not so much because she’s an adopted child but because we see no basis for his behaviour for the same, which not only makes it more frustrating but also annoying to endure let alone watch.
Sorry to jump in between, but Mandira hadn’t drugged Mihir, and I don’t sympathize with him. It was more of a one night stand with Mandira, and he was completely in his senses when it happened. Mihir himself admitted that it was one of his weakest moments and that he had committed a sin. He actually wanted to confess everything to Tulsi right after coming back from Australia, but he couldn’t, because Tulsi gave him the news of her second pregnancy at the same time. Meanwhile, Mandira also conceived, and Mihir simply didn’t know what to do, so he chose to hide everything from Tulsi.
I do understand that men can be exploited just as women can. But I don’t sympathize with either Mandira or Mihir. As a woman, I don’t blame Gayatri when she says, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” If Mihir had truly been exploited, maybe her words would have sounded too harsh. But since he was fully aware and cheated willingly, I find no fault in what Gayatri said.
He was very much in love with Tulsi, and Tulsi eventually forgave him. But it is difficult for any woman to forgive a husband who cheated on her and fathered a son with another woman. Still, I agree that he had gratitude towards Mandira for saving his life, and in return, he took care of her when she faked her mental instability. However, Mihir was not a noble person in any way. He loved Tulsi, but he had a one night stand with another woman and fathered a child out of wedlock. And with Mandira , though she was faking her mental instability, Mihir willingly slept with her. Isn’t that more like taking advantage of a woman?
I am not siding with Mandira, she was undeniably evil. But from Mihir’s point of view, since she appeared to be mentally unstable, it seemed as though he had taken advantage of her. Out of his guilty conscience, he took responsibility for Karan, who was the result of that one night stand. When karan entered Mihir was not fond of him but Mihir later grew warm towards karan and loved him/trusted him more than other kids , atleast this was the narrative in S1.
And this is my analysis of Mihir's character from S1
Mihir was deeply in love with Tulsi, and the narrative of S1 often emphasized that bond. But love alone doesn’t erase the harm caused by betrayal. His choice of having an affair, fathering a child outside marriage were not just mistakes, they fundamentally hurt Tulsi’s trust and dignity. So, while he may have felt love, his actions were contradictory to it
Coming to Mandira, Mihir’s gratitude towards Mandira for saving his life is one thing, but gratitude doesn’t justify crossing the boundaries of fidelity. Emotional debt is not equal to romantic or sexual involvement. If Mandira had drugged him or pretended vulnerability and used that to seduce Mihir, one could argue he was manipulated but Mihir wasn’t forced; he could have chosen to keep boundary but he chose to cross that moral boundary willingly. So in many ways it is taking advantage because intimacy with someone who is supposedly unstable or dependent blurs ethical lines.
In my view Mihir wasn’t a noble person. He loved Tulsi but failed her trust. He showed gratitude to Mandira but exploited her (as Mihir has no idea abt Mandira faking mental instability). He was a flawed man who often justified his weaknesses under the garb of emotions.
So, in short I would say Mihir wasn’t a villain in the classic sense, but he was deeply flawed, a selfish man at times, a man who succumbed to the weak moments of temptation. His love for Tulsi coexisted with his betrayal, which is what makes him morally gray rather than admirable.
All said and done, I really liked your original post and I will also try to share my thoughts on your analysis.
Edited by Me_Harini - 8 hours ago
Anupamaa
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