Today's thoughts - Substituting for Misti.
I have reservations about today's show despite Dev defending Radhika vigorously. So I will start first with the acting.
It was Avinash and Rubina's show with Avinash getting more scope as he had more dialogues than Rubina. Rubina was great with her expressions of devastation at realizing that Dadaji did not want her to be choti bahu after all and then humiliation when everyone especially Dada accusing her of deception. Then finally her fear that Dada would die because of her. Also I liked her expressions when she heard Dev talking about giving up RP title. She was both overwhelmed with his love for her and also was fearful that this marriage may cost Dev his RP title.
Avinash was good with his anger at Dada and BB and then realization that Dai whom he had counted on is not going to support him. Of course he was best when he was forcefully stating that Radhika was his wife and he wouldn't let anybody abuse her.
I also liked Rakesh Pandey too as Dada who was shocked and in disbelief at Dev's behavior. But it was mainly Avinash and Rubina's episode who are doing fabulous job with the faulty script they are being given. Their characters are being dumbed down to justify Barkha's inclusion in the track and also to show the typical abuse of DIL. But they still maintain the dignity of the characters of Dev and Radhika as best as they can with their expressions.
Yet...the show was bad from my point of view and I will get to that first.
1. Dev was ok with Barkha's lie because that was the only way Radhika would have said agreed to marry him. This adult marriage is important for him and if this is the way he could get Radhika, so be it. I was ok with that statement of his as that goes with his character. If Radhika would sacrifice their relationship for something meaningless (fear of the society for him), then he would choose whatever means are given to him to make Radhika his. In this case, he didn't lie anyway and so his conscience is clear.
But my problem was the incomplete dialogues given to him. The character of Dev would have further said that even if Barkha hadn't made this marriage happen by her lies, he wouldn't have married anybody else including Barkha anyway. For him, his marriage would have only happened with Radhika. The only difference would have been that if Barkha hadn't lied, then the marriage wouldn't have happened on Janamastmi but probably at a later stage. They didn't give those dialogues to him so that they can justify the next track where Radhika is being made a scapegoat.
2. The second problem I had was when Maheswari started accusing Radhika of lying and calling her wolf in sheep's clothing. Dev came back to Maheswari and defended Radhika. Initially he was stopped by Padma for shouting at BB of all people, but he continued nevertheless. But why was he not given dialogues that Maheswari should be the last person to talk about deceit. She is a murderer and yet people are listening to her. The true character of Dev would have pointed it out.
3. Continuing from there, Maheswari dragged Radhika out and accused her of lying and deception all the time. Ok, I can understand Radhika standing silent here as she is the type of character who would fight for Dev, but would keep silent when she is being accused and abused. Here she is already feeling so guilty because of what RP had already said to her and because he got an heart attack.
4. Radhika's confidence and spark is being stripped away by vicious Dai and Dada. So Dai who didn't blame her for Rohan's condition is blaming her for RP's "loss of prestige". Since Dev and hence Radhika respects these two, their words affect Radhika the most. Now this is CVs great game. Radhika did make a mistake coming as a fake wife of Rohan, but her confidence and faith in Kanha remained intact. So she was capable of fighting for right and wrong. Here Dev is fighting for her. But'she is made so weak that she is going to be used to justify the track so that precious Barkha remains unscathed (that is my biggest fear). So she will endorse wrong stuff (being done to her) all in name of duty, dharam, family and society. Will Dev be shown to back down because of Radhika's imploring. So my hunch is that despite Dev's defense today, Radhika would be brought down and by association Dev too to justify the fake wife and this artificial triangle. They want to have a Vishaka type track where Dai can act vicious Amma (their favorite thing) and all sorts of torture can be done to Radhika.
5. Finally, the love fest for Barkha continues. So she is given two conversations with her mother, a scene in the car and then a phone conversation with Mohini. There was at most a need for one small scene where she is being shown happy at the success of her plan and then gets a phone call from Mohini where she realizes that her plan once again backfired. But today should have been just PF and Dev with day belonging to Dev where he would blast all the people who would try to abuse Radhika. Instead, almost equal screen was given to Barkha as she is the lead. How can an episode be complete without her presence?
Ok, I will now go to the good parts.
1. Liked Dev's vigorous defense of Radhika especially when he told Dada that he would do what his dharam and faith tells him to do. So since he married Radhika doing all rituals, she is his wife and he would choose her over society and every other relation. He was willing to give up society and RP title for Radhika. Now RP started getting sick when Dev was saying that but his heart attack came when Dev told him that his relationship with Radhika is above any other relationship for him. So Dada really cannot tolerate that Radhika has become Dev's top priority. No wonder Dada is so against Radhika. Otherwise what dharam he is talking about that asks him to make somebody give up their wife. So he is going to make Radhika's life miserable in order to pay her back for becoming so important to Dev where his favorite is now willing to break up all his ties with Dada.
Here I liked both Avinash and Rakesh Pandey. Avinash was being forceful and his every assertion (giving up society, RP title) - the ones that are so important to old man was followed by a gaping and disbelieving reaction from RP. Then when Dev talked about his dharam (of not breaking vows given to Radhika in front of holy fire) and that Radhika was his wife and CB regardless of Barkha's lies, the old man couldn't take it. Finally, Dev's final assertion where he turned towards RP and told him basically that he is of less importance to Dev than Radhika was the pivotal point in the heart attack. Talk about being possessive about his favorites. But liked Rakesh Pandey's expressions here. He is doing a great job as a hypocrite and tyrant Dada. With Dada like this, Dev doesn't need any enemies. Rohan and Virat are small potatoes for Dev compared to Dada as Dada still has a hold over him.
2. Liked Dev's change from pleading with Dada and making him understand that Radhika didn't lie to him to anger when he saw BB abusing Radhika. And his confronting the entire family about that and stating that he wouldn't listen anything against Radhika ' his wife. Now Dev's repeated calling Radhika his wife was done interestingly with camera shifting to RP's face where he would just shake with shock that Dev is doing that.
3. Liked Radhika's breakdown in front of Kanha as she has taken Padma's and Dada's words to heart and is blaming herself. Liked how she hugged Dev to get comfort from him because he is the only one who can provide that. So she prays to Kanha but it is Dev who is assuring her and reminding her of her special relationship with Kanha. So in coming days she would be turning to Dev more and more as the rest of the family has turned against her. So I liked the temple scene between Dev and Radhika the best where Radhika turns to him for comfort and Dev provides that until the stupid Dai comes and ruins it.
4. The hypocrisy of Dada, RP and even Padma today. BB is the one who would have damaged this family yet they are listening to her nonsense and believing her. It is because Dada himself wants to believe it and he has to blame Radhika because otherwise he himself falls in his eyes as Barkha was his selection. So his selection Barkha did all this nonsense and played with the reputation of the family while Radhika was the one who didn't agree to marry Dev until she got RP's blessing. So what kind of dharam would a girl like Barkha follow who would lie to suit her purpose. But just as he is ignoring the fact that his chosen DILs were so bad in front of Hari's chosen wife Chaya, so he doesn't want to accept that his selected grand daughter in law is bad while Dev's choice is the best. So all the prophecy, Radhika's actions that cured him and rescued his family are conveniently forgotten.
5. Mohini was always jealous of Radhika and she doesn't have competition with Barkha. So it suits her to blame Radhika and instigate others. She used to do that to Padma.
6. Dai was consistent today. She finally admitted that her loyality was to RP and she uses Dev by emotionally manipulating him to fulfill her mission. So now she has turned against both Dev and Radhika as they have supposedly thwarted her mission. I liked Dev's shock at Dai's behavior.
Will this open Dev's eyes towards the two people whom he still respects - Dada and Dai? Would he realize how many atrocities they commit in name of maintaining their reputation? Or would this realization never be shown as this shows Dev's evolution and creatives are not interested in that.
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