Tere bina jeene ki aadat nahin rahi...

Not sure how to begin the post on the last episode.

When you're fortunate to witness this beautifully woven love story, it's always difficult to pick that one favourite moment in the entire journey but I think it's safe to say that I got mine yesterday.

It was a simple scene with simple dialogues uttered with the most genuine emotions yet the depth was typically 'Gulaal-Kesar'

Gulaal getting all hairan, pareshan not seeing Kesar on the bed. What I loved about this was that she previously had a dream of Vasant leaving but the next morning, she was straight away concerned with Kesar's absence. She didn't wake up thinking of that dream...! Beautifully done.

Then comes the man who knows her heart more than she does (as rightly claimed by Gulaal). Her soft yet desperate tone asks 'Kaha chala gaya tha tu?' . Kesar being her Kesar instantly questions her...if she gets so worried being apart from him for a few moments, how will she survive a permanent separation? He knows her TOO well so he takes his chances now and again. Gulaal looks down implying she wouldn't be able to take a desperation now and of course the hand-on-the-mouth ☺️ This physical proximity is another factor which I feel the writer's have built up so fantastically!!! That comfort level and yearning had become so high that Gulaal automatically goes to cup his lips.

Anyway, so Kesar continues that little mind game (though not intentionally but he does this quite often to get a reaction out of her and this time he GOT IT!). Oh oh and Ohhh when Gulaal innocently stutters 'J...jaana jaroori hai kya?', I was re-reminded of how awe-struck MP leaves me. Then she looks at him with those puppy-eyed expressions...awww! Even though Kesar in his hearts of hearts knows what Gulaal feels for him but to actually hear it is just another high altogether. That was the 'first' part of her confession...

You can tell how desperately Kesar's eyes are searching for more words from Gulaal so he tells her 'Main kahan jaana chahta hu, tu mujhe bhej rahi hai'. One could sense his anxiety/excitement/nervousness in awaiting those words which he had long given up on.

Gulaal using the term 'manmaani' was typical of them. She always used to complain of Kesar's stubborn nature but we all know that it was her whom had the upper hand over him.

There is a slight apprehension when Kesar says 'Puchta hu toh seedha jawaab kaha deti hai...Dekh na abhi bhi ghoom phira ke baat kar rahi it'. How true is that? The onion she is, Gulaal never was straight-forward to understand, so Kesar plays on that to push her to confess what she wants to say EXACTLY. His eyes await curiously as if saying 'Is she really in love with ME? She wants to be with ME??' . Kesar knows the answer to these questions but he still fears them.

I swear Gulaal had the most endearing expressions here. It's like she couldn't hold in the love any longer because there was too much she has been keeping inside her. I can't describe how beautifully MP did that little tilt to the right before coming out with 'Mat jaa na Kesar'. If you listen carefully she mumbles the 'M' before she comes out with the full sentence. On the other side, Kesar's shoulders relax slightly (well that's what I thought initially but it was actually his heavy breathing). This was it. The moment he yearned for so much but never expected for it to come...

Then comes the best line...'Tere bina jeene ki aadat nahin rahi Kesar'. It wasn't a conventional 'Main tujhse pyar karti hu' or 'Main tere bina nahin jee sakti', it was much more beautiful and meaningful. This is what it has come down to for Gulaal...! That one dialogue included every emotion in her heart...she loves him a lot, she can't live without him and she feels incomplete without him.

'Chen dil ko aaye na' couldn't have come at a more perfect moment, it made the scene even more overwhelming. What to say about Kesar's expression? It's all that I had imagined and more. Hats off to NB!!👏 Like I said, though Kesar knows Gulaal more than she knows herself but to hear her confess something he had never imagined in his wildest dreams was all spelt out in his face.

Can I give a special mention to the scene where Gulaal enters her old room? It was absolutely BRILLIANT! At first she holds on to that pillar reminiscing her times with Vasant but GOD DAMMIT...Kesar barged in here too. Interestingly, she has her eyes OPEN when thinking about Vasant but as soon as she closes her eyes, she sees Kesar. It was as if she was consciously trying to think of the former when her heart really wanted the latter. Did anyone else draw parallels between Gulaal's reaction and Kesar's restlessness before the wedding day with Talli? The thought of not seeing Gulaal's face again made him almost breathless and today Gulaal was feeling equally uneasy because she couldn't fathom this was happening with her. It was so significant and I just want to thank the creatives for putting this scene in because it totally gave away the extent to which Kesar had come to affect her. She is standing in Vasant's room but thinking about KESAR!!

The scene between MB and Gulaal was much needed because their bond has most probably been second best to GK so to see Gulaal falling at his feet as if she felt ashamed of thinking of Kesar even while standing in Vasant's room was poignant and heartbreaking. More so because MB was the first one to be wary of this relationship which had been formed between a young woman and child...! It wouldn't be wrong to say that MotaBha predicted this before anyone else! He knew of this special bond between Kesar and Gulaal hence seeing it being bound by the deeyarvatu must have set alarm bells ringing from the word GO!

I wanted to write more but I'm being constantly stalked by family members but just want to thank the entire cast and crew for giving such an epic love story!! Just like MP and NB are proud to have been associated with this show, I'm sure we all are just as proud to have watched it!! Thanks to both the actors and Ali of course for making 'Kesar and Gulaal' the most beautiful, purest and unique bond that we have witnessed on Indian Television.

P.S. DB's title song is absolutely gorgeous and it does look like a good show but I am done with desi dramas so it's back to re-runs of FRIENDS for me 😛