Last night Kyunki went for its much buzzed about leap. The first one this season and god knows which one overall if we consider the overall show in terms of both the seasons.
IMO, in the previous season while the first leap provided a fresh lease of life for the show, as it introduced grown up versions of Gautam, Shobha and eventually Karan and everyone else that followed on the show. Regardless of what kind of characters these actors played, they all added to the charm of the show. The tapestry became richer and the experience enjoyable more so because we saw Tulsi at a different stage of her life - we saw her journey from the bahu to the saas and in doing so, understanding Baa and Savita even more, admiring them even more as she could appreciate their wisdom and challenges as she understood them better all the while she continued being a bahu herself.
Tulsi got to experience both the worlds as a bahu and a saas simultaneously and she learned how to balance the two and in the process she became a daughter of her Baa and Saas, a mother to her various bahus.
But the leaps post that one were all… lacking. The quality of the show went more downhill with each one and hence; when news of this season already going for a leap in less than 6 months of it going on air came out I was skeptical and bracing for a disappointment and disaster rolled into one.
I know it’s too early to comment on this leap yet, we really don’t know what is in-stored for us as viewers and it may be more headaches and eye-rolls going forward but I had to make this post nonetheless once I had this thought as the connection struck.
Early today in the morning as I was sipping my tea, I dunno why but I recalled one of the leaps that Kyunki took in the previous season where Tulsi left SN and we saw her in Varanasi where she met Krishna Tulsi, adopted and raised her. For me that leap never worked but that’s not the point of this topic. I didn’t understand the point of showing Tulsi at Varanasi when she was bound to be back at SN in Mumbai, they could have simply never revealed her new location and it would have made no difference at all. I don’t say this because I have any issues with Varanasi but because they never quite used the location in any manner meaningfully.
IMO, stories that make sure their protagonist shifts to a new location should not pick random places, and they should make the new place vital to the story and the growth of that character.
So last night when Kutch was shown I noticed it as the new location but then didn’t think much about it until today.
Somehow as the thought struck I wondered if the writers were going with this intentionally and knowing Indian TV wrestled with the idea of overthinking this but the thought wouldn’t leave my head and so I decided to just post my views and share them here.
If, and take this with a mountain of salt and not just a pinch or a mouthful because we are dealing with Indian TV storytelling here, IF the decision to make Tulsi move to Kutch is a well thought out one then this could truly be only the second leap in this show’s history that will make an impact and perhaps be worth watching it after all.
Why do I say this? Because of histories - both of Kutch and Tulsi’s.
For those unawares or those who have forgotten about it, Kutch was the victim of one of the deadliest, most brutal and devastating earthquakes in the history of Indian subcontinent. It is to date, considered as independent India’s worst earthquake that led to the deaths of over 20,000 people and destroyed thousands of properties. It led to the formation of National Disaster Management, making it a watershed moment. It is also worth noting that it is the deadliest earthquake in a century.
Horrifyingly, this isn’t even the worst earthquake Kutch has ever experienced in its recorded history. That one, happened to have occurred in 1819; over 200 years ago.
No clue how Kutch recovered itself back then but the one that has happened in our lifetimes is a testament to strength and resilience, to human strength and endurance.
Though considered barren, now it’s thriving as the largest date producer in the country, though ravaged by that earthquake it has rebuilt itself and is now home to the largest port in the country, the largest solar farm in the country and is a thriving industrial complex that has not let its history hold it back or keep its potential down.
Kutch has moved on with the heartbreaking history that it still treasures and preserves in the form of Smritivan - a museum dedicated to the victims and survivors of the tragedy alike which takes a colossal 6 hours to tour.
Tulsi’s journey in a strange way can be considered similar. A woman who has been hit with the worst possible thing she couldn’t even imagine in her life. Her husband cheated on her, for the second time in her life. His betrayal comes at a time when they’re not just parents but grandparents, where Mihir has effectively donned the cap of the patriarch of the family.
Tulsi was shaken and rightfully traumatised by the whole incident. She even felt, like the land of Kutch once considered barren, she’s been subjected to this cruel fate again owing to perhaps her appearance that has changed overtime. Age has added wrinkles to her face, childbirths have contributed to her gaining weight that she’s been unable to get rid off. Taunts by strangers and an adopted daughter alike have wrecked her confidence.
Yet today she stands with her head held high, with her scars that still remain, the pain which still lingers but with a spirit that refuses to be broken and courage that inspires in the land of Kutch, in the town of Anjar, one of the worst affected areas of that tragedy; holding onto their culture, their heritage and legacies - be it in the bandhani sarees or the pictures of Baa and Savita on that mantle.
Both of them proving, that we can rebuild ourselves even after devastation; if only we allow ourselves to believe, hold onto our courage and never give up.
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