CVs: Track for Manav's new life after incarceration, what is his life like now?
By Vera from USA
One day, Manav is looking through a big envelope full of family photos, because Archana asked him what he looked like as a kid. He's seen her childhood photos when her sister showed them to him, so she wants to see one of him. As he is going through them, he finds one black and white, faded photo of Damodar, himself at about 1 years of age with an unrecognizable woman.
She looks like she is his Dad's age, she is carrying him and they look extremely happy; his Dad's arm around her shoulders suggest some closeness between them, like a husband would put his arm around his wife. He notices a Mangalsutra around the woman's neck.
Intrigued by this discovery, he puts the old black and white photo in the front pocket of his shirt, hoping to ask his Dad about it later. Later, he finds out from his Dad that it was the picture of the woman who gave birth to him, his real mother, a woman named Aradhana, his father's first wife (Zee TV's official character bios on the web show that Savita is his second wife). He feels an urgent need to track her down, and asks his father if she is still alive, and where his real mother lives.
His father gives him the address and says that he and she have been keeping in touch for years, with his Dad writing her letters so that she could find out how her only son is doing. The letters from Aradhana go to a friend of his Damodar's from his theater days, who had agreed to receive them and keep them secret and pass them onto him. The letters are stored at his friend's home, out of the reach of Savita.
All the gifts his Dad gave to Manav, including a red baseball cap, which Manav loved as a child and couldn't be separated from, were from her, but were given to him under the pretext of being bought by his Dad. Aradhana had left him with his father and his family because his father wouldn't stop his alcoholism.
She had developed depression issues because of this and could not raise him due to delicate health, so Manav's maternal grandmother played a role in raising him until she passed away when he was 2. Then he married Savita. Manav doesn't remember anything of his real Ayi.
Aradhana and Manav's Dad met when they were both stage actors, something she later gave up. Aradhana later married a middle class businessman who, before he died, left her modest amount of money, a fully paid up home and some property in the city of Mumbai.
She was growing old like Damodar (with whom she had an amicable relationship due to Damodar's proximity to their only son) and wanted to see Manav but didn't want to interfere with his life, especially due to Savita's famous temper. So, she kept away all these years for Manav's sake and let him think Savita was his real Ayi. Manav was Aradhana's only child with Damodar, and Sachin and Vandita were Savita's children with Damodar. Manav was their step-brother in reality.
Manav never knew about his real Ayi and always thought that Savita was his Mom. This fact was kept hidden from him. Savita in particular, made sure Manav never found out. Had it not been for this little, faded black and white photo, he never would have known this major fact about his past.
Manav is extremely eager to meet his real Ayi and ends up at her home; his Dad gave him the address, but asked him to keep it a secret. Apparently she had been in the city all along and had been quietly following Manav's life's vicissitudes and felt helpless that she couldn't help him in anyway. Manav goes to her home and knocks on the door, his heart is thumping, not knowing what to expect. The door is answered by a tallish, graceful elderly woman in a white saree, with soft brown eyes and a beautiful smile and Manav feels an instant connection to Aradhana, who wears her salt and pepper colored hair in a bun.
He notices facial similarities with her, she is tall like him but not as tall, she talks like him, softly and calmly and has a gentle demeanor about her. He feels extremely drawn to her and feels as though his emotional dam is about to burst; he wants to tell her so much, but must return home soon. They say nothing at the door, but each knows who the other is, tears run down their faces and she invites him inside.
They talk for hours and connect on a deep, emotional level. He promises to come back the next day and when he does, she shows him more black and white photos of him as a child, as well as his little clothes which he wore as a baby, which she has always kept and treasured.
Manav is emotionally shaken by the fact that his real Ayi's identity was kept from him. He begins to question his own identity. He knows he needs some time away from his arguing parents, Shravni's demands, a constantly crying baby and his job woes. He calls Archana, more as a friend, and says that he is going to be out of touch for one whole day and to not tell anyone where he is, but just that if anyone asks, to say that he's alright and no one should worry and that he'll be back home soon.
When he goes missing for a whole day, his family is worried. They call everyone and no one knows where he is. Then Damodar says they should call Archana, as she is so close to him even now. Shravni bristles at this suggestion. Everyone says no and they all get mad at him for even suggesting her name, which is banned from the home. Damodar quietly goes to the call box and calls her and finds out the truth.
Manav is back home the next night, tired and emotionally worn out. He had been walking the streets, trying to make sense of his life as well as the sudden appearance of his birth Mom.
Aradhana divorced Damodar because he chose alcohol over her, but they were the perfect pair. But she had to leave as his drinking made her depressed, but instead of shouting like Savita, she withdrew every time he drank, until the depression became too much and she had to seek medical help and was unable to care for her child. Over the years, after her divorce, she got better and her depression left her for good, as her new husband did not have a drinking problem.
Aradhana and Damodar kept in touch platonically over the years, with the full agreement of her new husband, so that she could know what was happening in the life of her only son whom she loved dearly. Damodar would call or write and tell her all the news, the good and the bad. She made no attempt to contact Manav, his peace of mind was everything to her.
After going missing for a day, Manav's return home meant a lot of questions were tossed at him. Shravni asked him why he told Archana where he was but not her, as she overheard Damodar talking to her on the phone. He doesn't answer her. Savita asks him where he was and why he made them worry. He walks past her, irritated. Damodar is quiet and doesn't say a word. Savita starts off and grabs him by the arm and that he has to answer their question; he can't just walk away.
Manav yells back:
"Kyun? Kyun itni badi baat chupayi mujse?" Savita is dumbfounded. "Janna chahteho tum log ke mein kahan tha? Tou suno. Mujhe meri asli Ayi milgayi." Savita's jaw drops. "Ab sab kuch jan chukka hu mein. Choti umar mein, meri alsi Ayi mujhse bicchar gayi. Baba ne doosri shaadi ki. Meri asli Ayi ka naam hai Aradhana. Woh zinda hai. Mein unka ek lauta beta hu. Sachin aur Vandita, jinse mein jaan sey bhi zyaada pyar karta hu, aap ke bacche hein, Ayi."
Savita shouts at Damodar:
"Tou yeh aap ka kiya karaya hai, mein janti thi." Manav looks at her and says "Janti thi? Kya? Kya janti thi aap, Ayi? Itne saal, itne saal beet gaye aur kissine yeh nahi socha, ki mujhko itni ahem baat bataye? Yeh meri zindagi hissa hai, Aradhana Ayi meri asli Ayi hai, aur yeh jante hue bhi, Ayi, aap itne saal chup rahi?"
Savita says:
"Mujhe yeh baat tumko batana zaroori nahi laga. Jo beet gayi, so beet gayi. Tujhe paal pos ke bada tou meine hi kiya, tou u mera beta hua. Bas. Aur mein kuch soonney ke liye taiyaar nahi hu. Who dou takke ki pagal aurat jou apne bacche ko nahi sambhal sakki'"
Manav stops her abruptly and says:
"Ayi! Apne unke barey mein ek aur boora shabd bhi kaha, tou mein aap ko kabhi maaf nahin karoonga. Is ghar mein meri asli Ayi ke barey mein koi bakwas nahin karega! Samjhe aap log? Hadh ho gayi."
Savita stops him.
"Ab mera bheja mat chaat tu, bahut sun liye tujhse aaj." Manav tells her: "Mein apne ateet ke baarey mein baat karaha hu, aur aap ho ke moo mod ke chali jaa rahi ho? Mere sawaalo ka jawaab kaun dega?"
Savita says:
"Manav, ab bahut ho chukka, tu jaa, jakar sou jaa, shayad savere uthke tera dimag thora thanda hoga aur tu is bakwas ko bhool jaega."
Manav says:
"Mein kahin nahin jaoonga. Ek baat batao Ayi. Bachpan mey, mujhe school mein se nikal ke kaam pe chada diya, lekin Sachin ko padaya, likhaya, college bheja, Vandita ke liye bhi college ke paise meine diye, tou phir mujhe kyun nahin padne diya? Kyun? Aaj mein chhote motey garage mein dhakke kha raha hu aur itne paise bhi nahin aatey ghar mein. Mein bhi padna chhata tha, kuch bannke dikhana chhata tha, mere sapne kyun adhure reh gae, Ayi?"
Savita says:
"Kyun? Kyun ka kya jawwab hai? Tere bevde baap sey pooch. Ja, tu ja ke soja. Thak gayi hu mein."
Manav says:
"Jawwab hai. Mujhe nahin padaya, aur mujhpar chhoti umar mein itni saari zimmedaari daaldi kyun ke mein aapka apna beta nahin tha, kissi aur ka tha." (This last sentence comes with an echo for emphasis.) Savita has an extremely guilty expression but walks away to her room angrily.
Manav decides to bring his real Ayi home, so that she doesn't have to live alone in her old age. Damodar also told him privately, that Savita made a will some years ago but never updated it. Damodar had a copy of it, and when Manav read it, he was shocked to see that she had left everything to Sachin and Vandita, but nothing to him.
Now, Manav knew why; because he wasn't her real son. Damodar tells Manav, that he also had a will and that in that will he had already put the house in Manav's name, so Manav was the owner of the house. This was his gift to him. Manav was touched and started weeping while thanking his father, who apologized for not being a good enough father to him.
Aradhana was a sick woman, so Manav thought that her last days should be spent with him; they had lost so much time and mother-son togetherness already. He brings her home one day to the complete shock of everyone. He announces who she is, and that from now on, she will stay with him.
Savita goes into her wild and crazy mode and stops them at the door and tells Aradhana.
Savita:
"Ruk ja idharij. Kaun bola tujhko ke tu idhar aa? Mere bete ko phoosla ke ab mere ghar mein dera jamaegi tu? Nikal bahar. Nikal!"
Manav stops her and says:
"Ayi, ek baat dhyan se sunlo. Yeh ghar tera nahin, mera hai. Baba ne yeh ghar mere naam kar diya hai. Aaj se meri Ayi mere kamre mey soegi, aur mein yahan bahar soounga. Yaad rakho, yeh meri Ayi hai, meri asli Ayi, aur inke khilaf koi badtameezi mein bardasht nahin karooga. Ao Ayi. Andar chalo."
After Aradhana moves in, there is a dramatic change in the dynamics of the house. Manav has taken his engagement ring off. He is a single man now, but Shravni still thinks he will change. Her temper tantrums bother him, as does her obsessive, suspicious nature regarding him and Archana. She keeps her ring on, but knows there is no paperwork verifying her engagement with Manav.
Then one day, Manav takes his real Ayi to meet Archana. Archana is honored and happy for Manav. Aradhana feels an instant connection to Archana and Archana feels like Aradhana is truly Manav's Ayi because she is as soft-spoken and kind as him; she lacks Savita's frenetic personality and abrupt nature.
At home, Shravni and Savita band together to hatch a plan to throw Aradhana out of the house. This is a polarization which is crucial to keep the viewers riveted. We have Savita and Shravni in one corner and Manav and Aradhana on the other. Throw Archana in the mix and the pot will boil with fury, keeping people glued to their sets.
Meanwhile Shravni's child falls sick with a complication to his head after a fall while playing. Manav cannot afford the treatment and talks to Archana about it. She suggests the names of some specialists (after talking to her own family doctor) and Shravni refuses to go to them because Archana suggested their names. Manav makes an appointment, and then Shravni reluctantly goes with him.
They find out that little Sachin has a fatal disease, a brain hemorrhage and an operation was needed. Shravni is devastated as is Savita and Girishji. Girishji takes the child to his own specialist who says the same thing. Two months later, after an intense 4 hour operation, the child dies on the operating table. Shravni is inconsolable, as her connection to the house has now dissolved.
It was to give the child a name that she was brought into the Deshmukh household. Now, that the child had passed away, Damodar wondered if Shravni should even stay in the house. She could live in her father's house as she was no longer engaged to Manav and her father could find someone for her to marry and settle down with. He wondered about the chances Archana had of becoming his 'bahu' again.
Manav requests Archana if she could come in a few hours a day after work to look in on everyone, including Shravni and Savita who are grieving. Both Aradhana and Archana agree to do their best. Then at night, Archana returns home and goes to work in the morning. Sulochana Tai objects to this, but lets Archana go and look after the Deshmukh household for a few hours each day.
Girishji comes over a few days later and still asks Manav to marry Shravni. But this time, Manav says that he agreed to marry Shravni for the sake of the child. Now that the child had passed away, for whom he also grieved as he was his nephew, he didn't think a marriage was the proper thing to do at this point. The situation had changed. Girishji asks Shravni to go home with him and she flatly refuses, especially after seeing Archana and Aradhana each day. She insists on living in their home, and Manav very reluctantly agrees.
Savita asks Manav to give her another grandchild as soon as possible as that is the only way to take her pain away, but by marrying Shravni. Manav says that this was not possible because the 'zimedaari' situation had drastically changed.
In his heart, he thought to himself that if he ever married, it would be for love and this time, he would not sacrifice his real feelings about whom he loved; he was not going to live half a life and a life filled with other people's dreams while his own got trampled on each day.
Savita says she will not allow anyone else to give her a grandchild, effectively rejecting Archana and asks Aradhana to stop influencing Manav. Aradhana says that her son had given up enough, and that he should marry out of love and not fear or be under anyone's pressure. She also wanted a grandchild from Manav, but she would not pressure him like Savita. Savita starts another argument with Aradhana which Manav breaks up.
Shravni tells Manav that just because he took the ring off, it doesn't mean she is not his fiance. He tells her that she can stay in the house, but he would never marry her. If she was alright with that idea, she could stay.
He reminded her that she was Sachin's first love, not his and that his first love was someone else, who had sacrificed more than Shravni ever could or would. Shravni leaves the room, seething.
After some time had passed, Aradhana explains to Manav that the chance to rectify past mistakes comes only once in a life time, and that he may have inadvertently made Archana suffer greatly and taken away her adhikar due to outside influences. Now was the time to change that. She told him to give her an honest answer.
Did he still love Archana? Does he see himself spending his life and growing old with anyone else? How would he feel if he lost Archana forever? Manav gets emotional and says that if Archana will forgive him and agree, he will marry again.
But that he is ready for any rejection also. Aradhana asks him to bring Archana to her to her house so they can talk in private. Archana arrives and she and Manav sit there listening to the quiet wisdom of Aradhana. She asks Archana if she still wanted to get married someday, Archana answers yes.
She asks if she wants children of her own. Archana answers yes. She asks her if she will accept Manav, as his engagement was broken of his own volition. Archana hesitates and says that she will marry Manav again only if Bapa blesses the union; she is afraid of what happened the last time.
Manav agrees, and says that both he and Archana have put their faith in Bapa, who will decide their fate. A sign from Bapa will convince them to marry, otherwise they are both used to giving up what they love. Aradhana says that she will pray to Bapa that he will give them a sign and then they can proceed with their lives, one way or another.
A few days later, both Archana and Manav end up in the train and both seem to be heading to the Mandir. In the train, two small children come by asking for money. No one gives them anything, but a couple of people taunt them. Archana instantly takes 10 rupees out of her purse and gives it to them. Many others follow. Soon all the people gave the children money.
This was one of the qualities Manav always loved in her. When they reach Bapa's Mandir, a newly wedded couple and their family are there. As they made their way up the steps, they spot the wedding party and look at each other, trying to mentally convince each other that it means nothing and is not a sign.
As they wait in line, someone from the groom's side trips and his thali containing sindoor slips and some of the red sindoor falls on Archana's face and head, like it did in her first wedding. She looks at Manav and he looks at her. They finally make their way up and Manav's heart is beating fast. The Panditji looks at Archana and says "Sada Saubhagyawati Raho beti, Bapa tumhari vivahik zindagi khushiyon se bharde."
She starts to explain but he continues, that a suhagan should not leave the house without her Mangal Sutra, so he gives an extra one to Manav to tie around her neck (That day some lady had dropped hers on the mandir floor and the poojari picked it up and kept it near Bapa saying whoever it belongs to, will show up for it.)
They both try to explain to the Panditji, but he keeps talking and says "Dekh kya reheho beta, pehnado apni patni ko." Manav interrupts him but the throng of people behind them push them aside and try to take darshan as these two were holding up the line and the Mandir was packed.
Manav takes the Mangal Sutra and looks at Archana's face and forehead, red with sindoor. This was the only sign he needed. She begins to walk away, a little sad that he didn't put the Mangalsutra on her, and he grabs her wrist from behind and draws her toward him, away from the crowd. Bapa's music begins to play, the 'shunk' plays and he ties the Mangal Sutra around her neck. They walk to Aradhana's house and stand at her door. She invites them in and smiles. "Lagta hai ke Bapa ne faisla suna diya. Mubarak ho, mere baccho." Manav begins to weep, Archana has tears in her eyes.
Later, a day or two after this incident, they are married in a very simple ceremony in Aradhana's house. Manav and Archana escape, and head for Mahabaleshwar. They finally consummate their marriage; the audience has waited a long time for this and its time they got their ROI. Meaning that they get a return on their investment, having waited for so many episodes to see them unite.
The true action begins, when he comes home with her and everyone sees the sindoor in Archana's mang and the Mangal Sutra on her neck. The polarization of two groups: Manav, Archana and Aradhana on one side, and Savita, Shravni on one side, with Damodar caught in the middle.
Archana's life is made a living hell, but this time, she has her husband's full support. She is there and there to stay. She conceives and is soon pregnant. She stops going to work at the garage she and Manav built. The garage is doing well. A large portrait of Bapa is hung on the wall for luck and protection.
After hearing about Archana's pregnancy, Savita refuses to take care of her.
Shravni vows to make Archana miscarry the baby and goes to many lengths to do so. One day she spills hot tea on Archu's sari, on another day she purposely adds too much chili in her food, later she accuses Archu of stealing her jewelry and gold by placing it in her room, the worst thing she tries is that she tries set Archu sari on fire, but Manav puts it out on time. Another time she switches Archu's prenatal pills with something dangerous, but Archu smells them and suspects something fishy and walks up to Sharvni and throws out all the pills in front of her...making Shravni fume and seethe with anger.
Till one day she is caught by Savita. She tells her to stop and that if the child is borne by Archana, it will still be her grandchild. Shravni is suffering from PTSD due to her child's death, which brings up memories of Sachin's death. Archana is her only scapegoat, but Shravni will never hurt Manav who she thinks loves her. Shravni's PTSD, combined with her previous hatred of Archana, causes her to become unable to stop herself from sabotaging Archana's pregnancy.
PS: Most people would think that if Manav and Archana were to marry again the story would lose its original edge, but by using reverse psychology we would let people see that it's not all roses for them after their 2nd marriage. In fact, this is where the conflict increases and instead of outside forces wanting to split them up, there would be internal forces they would encounter at every turn trying to split them up. This would be a true test of their Pavitra Rishta. Can they stay together with their growing family with increasing tension in the house not to mention physical danger to Archana and her 2 future children which will be a boy and a girl who are twins, a gift to her from Bapa. The audience will get to see Archana and Manav as parents for the first time. Can they thwart the threats that are swirling all around them?
How many of you think this would be gripping to watch on TV? Write out your opinions below. Thanks.
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