So, I’ve been ruminating about the episode aired yesterday and the scene that was my focus was definitely the one with the 3 Virani brothers. At surface level it was Kiran giving some unsolicited and in his opinion, some well meant advice, a few words of wisdom to his older brother after observing him and his bhabhi since his arrival.
Hemant’s eventual arrival at the scene obviously changes its tone and it goes from a one on one conversation to an argument pretty quickly.
Mihir is caught in the middle of the two brothers, both of whom are advising him to not pay heed to the words of the other. The scene ends with Mihir eventually left alone with a lot of feelings, frustration & confusion.
The scene was brilliant IMO and I am actually surprised that the writers were able to make some kind of allegory about the state of things with Mihir caught in the middle of the discussion, as the SUBJECT of discussion himself while his two brothers were giving their opinions to him and arguing over what his fate and future should be.
Mihir here was a representation of India as we see today - caught in the middle of a discussion, a dispute, a debate - as the SUBJECT himself.
Kiran, the brother who once grew up with Mihir, who betrayed Mihir by kidnapping his son Gautam and fleeing their home, the brother who was pardoned and who yet again stays away from home is back and based on his observations of the events in the family and particularly the way Mihir is behaving towards Tulsi nowadays, thinks he knows the best course of action to go ahead for his brother - divorce.
Hemant may not necessarily stay at the Virani house all the time as well but he’s more aware of the situation than Kiran is, who knows there are problems between his bhai and bhabhi but is unsure how to solve them - partially because his own brother is being daft about reality staring him in the face despite being clearly warned in as many words as possible but with no concrete evidence to expose Noyna at hand and partially because he’s trying to protect the woman he dearly loves and respects from yet another heartbreak - his bhabhi Tulsi.
Kiran tells Mihir his children are grown up and married or about to be married; so he doesn’t have to suffer unnecessarily even for their sake in a marriage that makes him unhappy. Kiran has some thoughts regarding Mihir and Noyna, though we aren’t sure what they are and probably neither is he. All he has are a few observations based on interactions between 3 people over the past few days and his immediate plan is to end the relationship. No discussion, no understanding of the situation and thinking that children once grown up are no longer gonna have any kind of reaction or at least suffer from the announcement of a divorce between their parents.
Hemant on the other hand talks about Kiran’s advice being wrong completely because A) Kiran has not had a successful marriage himself and B) his decision is quick and involves no chance of mending ties, of understanding what went wrong and trying to fix it by hearing out the grievances of both the people involved in the marriage.
Kiran here essentially plays the role of the OUTSIDER, and I don’t mean it in a negative or a derogatory way but just as a label.
Yes, he may look like one of us, but he’s that distant cousin or uncle or acquaintance or just some NRI or someone whose ancestors may once have been from this land but who himself is as foreign as he can be - in thought, in action - where it matters probably the most.
It takes no time for Kiran to advise Mihir, as Hemant even taunts him, you’re yet to recover from your jetlag but already think that you are best suited for the role of an advisor and think you know what’s best for our brother already. Obviously displeased at being called out, Kiran wastes no time in reminding Hemant about the distinction between them - that he, Kiran, is Mihir’s biological brother (whom he addresses as Mihir BTW there not as Bhai or Bhaiyya) while Hemant, who has grown up with them in the same house, who is ACTUALLY living in the same house as Mihir even now and has been for longer than Kiran certainly, must not forget that he’s a cousin.
Doesn’t this sorta remind you of the supremacist attitude of those who leave this land and think because they are now living abroad, in what they and Kiran himself yesterday, call countries that are a 100 years ahead of our country, and therefore they must know better because duh… they probably earn more, live in bigger houses than the average Indian and are fluent in English or some other foreign language.
The likes of Kiran will essentially consider themselves as qualified and appropriate for the job of advisors based merely on where they happen to live, perhaps be born.. and since it’s NOT India or the Indian Subcontinent, they obviously are better. They will think it’s better to end relationships, pay alimony and think children can handle themselves once they’re old enough; based on the western culture they become a part of but will never consider the ramifications of the very actions that they advocate to India and Indians, based upon the consequences and state of things in Western societies.
For instance, the rampant gun violence in the US, the rise of drug culture amongst the western youth, the growing mental health crisis, the lack of family support for the elderly, the rising crime rates and the growing horror of the grooming gangs that are no longer a secret of the once powerful British society, the interracial tensions and the sheer explosion of racism aimed at Indians in particular off late.
Hardly will you ever hear someone who falls into the same category as Kiran, ruminate over the failings of the western collective as a society because they are so fascinated by the scale and opulence of the lifestyle.
I don’t know how the team of the show intends to take this forward but I commend them for the effort and attempt at nuance and commentary on the societal dynamics between the two opposing sides.
I will give them this - in the whole scene, Kiran made one good point - of not equating mere mortals (particularly poorly written fictional characters) with the likes of Prabhu Ram & Maa Sita or Mahadev and Maa Parvati, two different kinds of manifestations of the divine that teach about what a relationship should be like and what it is to be so in love with each other.
The idea is never to consider ourselves as being like them but learning from them and hopefully being blessed by them.
Fan Fictions
