The episode yesterday reminded me of a classic movie by Raj Kapoor called Kal, Aaj aur Kal. It’s not as well renowned as a lot of his movies unfortunately but I believe it’s his finest and personally my favourite Raj Kapoor movie.
For those who haven’t seen it, in a nutshell the movie is about 3 generations of men played by the Kapoors - Prithviraj, Raj and Randhir - real life 3 generations of the famous family. Raj lives in a city in India, his dad lives in their ancestral village and his son has been abroad to complete his studies. One of his friends suggests Raj should get his father and son to live with him so that the family can now enjoy their time together and he isn’t as lonely. He thinks it’s a brilliant idea, requests his dad and then his son returns once he’s graduated and the fireworks begin with the grandfather and the grandson clashing as Raj is caught up in the middle; accused by his son of being afraid of his dad even at this age while taunted by his dad of being too afraid to discipline his son. Ironically, their real life dynamics played out onscreen.
The reason why I was reminded of the movie is because the same friend is then approached by Raj when he flees his house to escape the everyday conflicts between the two most important people in his life, neither of whom seems to understand his predicament. The conversation with the friend gives Raj an idea to bring his dad and son together by giving them a mutual ground - something that will give both of them a pause and a cause of concern - namely him.
Tulsi came back to SN but not as a woman who was weeping over the fate of her family in her absence but as a woman on a mission. She sets out to do what she wants by giving both her sons something of a shock simultaneously showing that she doesn’t differentiate between the two. Gautam got a slap because he deserved that for tainting Baa and Bapuji’s legacy while Karan got an unapologetic iron-willed response to his threats by reminding him and Gautam of the reality that neither of them can call the shots in her home.
But my favourite part of the episode is that she basically asked Karan to hit her when he was angry at her and got him to admit that he can’t bring himself to do what she wants and in the process admit that beneath all that anger and pain, her son still exists - the son who loves her - but right now he’s buried beneath all that anger and hatred because he has been hurt, he’s in a lot of pain and is suffering. He’s a father who has lost his sons and a son who had neither his mother nor his father’s lap to weep his heart out and find some semblance of peace, comfort and relief. He’s a man who lacks closure, burdened by the grief that he can’t shake off, can’t get rid off as he lacks answers to questions that plague him with the weight of a loss that has suffocated his soul and overwhelmed his every waking moment.
He’s a father without his sons and a son without his parents trying his best to keep himself together for the sake of the rest of his family and about to get heartbroken when he finds out his wife has been the cause of so much of his grief and heartache, his daughter and niece have been lying him, fooling him but most importantly the reality of all his sons. The two that are dead and the one who has not yet done something wrong but will inevitably do something wrong and perhaps evil.
Ironically it will be amidst this all that he will find his way back to Tulsi as their relationship finally gets to go through the wringer that all parents and children go through. Tulsi had once done this when she believed Ansh over Karan but Karan never had a grudge against Tulsi. His sheer gratitude for her acceptance wouldn’t have let him voice his anger or frustrations ever with her either but the loss of his sons did it. What a son couldn’t do, a father didn’t hold back from.
Ironically enough, the truth will make Karan realise the depth of Tulsi’s love for him but will make Gautam resent his mother and call her out for Karan being her favourite all over again. The son she never bore, the one who hated her and called her awful things this past decade was the one for whom she would endure jail gladly but she couldn’t think of her other kids once before she decided to do what she did.
As Karan finds the love he has for his mother all over again, Gautam will find the resentment all over again at being second to Karan though he’s Tulsi’s first born.
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