Will add links later ... hectic weekend! π
19th Sept
Dupatta scene β continuation fron Friday β as as the dupatta falls over Khushi, a conch sounds in the background, making it very obvious this is a Devi maiyya sign, like the Teej breaking the fast one was. Leaving Khushi totally stunned for once, remembering her own words to La ... but how can that be?! How can even be possible ... no, it can't ...
And then Arnav strides out, in a temper as usual, and then stops suddenly seeing Khushi in the dupatta ... don't tell me he knows this superstition as well?! Or is he just mesmerised by the sight of her as she slowly takes the dupatta off her head, confusion written on her face ... and as she unveils her face like a new bride does and he stares at her like a groom would, the unspoken tension between them sparks again, the nervousness on her face as she drops her gaze, while he keeps looking intently at her ... the way they played this scene, I could so vividly imagine a wedding night scene with the identical expressions, the shyness and nervousness on her face, while he stares at her mesmerised ... beautifully done by both actors! And she takes it off her head completely, still nervous, confused, both at the sign and at his look, while he looks at her, then seems to shake himself and walk away, leaving her standing there bemused ... what is happening? And the last stolen look again, which is becoming a trademark ... before he walks off, while she tries to get back to reality ...
La comes rushing out all upset because the sign didn't work for her, and she pulls the dupatta out of Khushi's hand, Khushi lets go with some reluctance, as though feeling that the dupatta and the sign were meant for her ... then she comes back to reality, because La, her new friend is upset, and Khushi being Khushi, can't let anyone around her be upset for too long.
Comic moment β Nani claiming Mami will keep 'maun vrat' ... reactions of Arnav and Mama ... and Mami!
20th Sept
Shades of Khushi β from childlike, innocent carefree, enjoying herself with her family, able to forget her worries for the moment, and enjoy just being a child again, and the warmth of her parents' love... to orphan with an unknown past and shadows in her life, her words β 'the world may not recognise me as your daughter' to Shashi showed that she, too, has been through her share of loss and hurt in her life, and always tries to hide it behind a cheerful facade ... to gossiping girlfriend, enjoying herself with a new friend, and finally back to scared, not-quite-as-grown-upβand-fearless-as-she-would-like-to-showcat and mouse game with ASR ... the scenes I liked best were the family dinner scene and the subsequent scene with Khushi and her Bauji, for the shades they portrayed in this young girl. Her scene with bauji in particular moved me β reminded me of the Sholay scene with Payal ... Khushi hides her feelings as much as Arnav does ... the only difference is that she chooses the facade of smiles and laughter. Is this because she knows what it's like to be left alone, and that fear of abandonment is always inside her somewhere? That if she makes a fuss, or is not loveable and happy, she might be left alone again?
21st Sept
Need I say it ... the Arshi confrontation. And this is a little long ... because I can't leave out anything ...
Starting with Arnav realising he's been tricked, losing his temper again, he's really on a short fuse now! So he corners her when she comes back home to an empty house β empty except for the two of them β¦ and finally she is trapped. By his arms as well as by the beating of her own heart, thundering in panic ... She has to listen to him ...
Why oh why, Arnav is it so important to you that she listen?!
It just is.
You've crossed your limits, Khushi Kumari Gupta. How dare you cut my call?
Why is that the first thing on his mind always? That she refused to listen to him?
Then he goes on ... No one is at home, no one to rescue you ... and she's even more terrified.
(Didn't like the shouted 'samjhi tum?!' somehow detracted from the intensity with which he was talking earlier, and made it more crude ... I felt he should have kept his voice low and intense all through.)
But the next line was classic ... again back to his main grouse .. who the hell are you that I have to take all this trouble to talk to you?!
With others, he calls once, and they fall into line. And her ... he had to follow her, trap her physically, browbeat her forcefully to listen to him ... that is not ASR ... not ASR at all. ASR doesn't have to force people to listen to him ... they normally hang onto his every word! But not her ... not Khushi. How dare she!
So he has to show her her 'aukat' again .. I only tolerate you here for Di, otherwise ...
Really, Arnav? Is that why you have been itching to talk to her since she entered the house? Itching for that fight that only she can give you?!
You're here to train Lavanya, not to brainwash her with your middle class mentality. Do your job, take your money and go home. And keep your shaadi ideas to yourself.
And she has had enough.Shaadi is not my 'idea', Mr Arnav Singh Raizada.
And his hands drop in shock ... or is it that he's actually glad, glad that she's finally fighting back ... and he has an outlet for all his pent up frustration? Because she can take it ... he knows he doesn't have to hold her any more ... she's not going to run away now.
Loved the low, fierce tone in which Khushi spoke ... this is the Sanaya I love :)))
And she tells him ... in the same fierce tones ... this is what marriage is all about ... not just the social trappings, but the vow, the promise, the desire to hold and protect, to step into death's way if necessary for your loved one .. it's that promise which fulfils life ... but you don't understand the sanctity of that promise ... for you, marriage is a responsibility, a burden, a tie you don't want ... because you want to be able to walk away any time ...
Maybe you call this your new thinking ... but I call this a lack of character!
Kudos to the dialogue writer for these words ... the words 'liberal thinking' and 'modern views' suddenly seem so hollow ... a euphemism for the fear of commitment and a lack of strength of mind to uphold those vows ... why is it that our sense of morals has become so blunted that we shout in outrage to defend Arnav's right to have a live-in relationship, because that is 'modern thinking' ... and don't defend the age-old institution of marriage from which we all come?
Back to the show ;-)
And he's mad ... hopping mad ... has she hit too close to home? She stares at him defiantly ... no, she's not going to apologise about convincing La about marriage, and he really has no answer, except for that red haze of rage creeping through him ... so he reacts the only way he knows how ... brute force ... or the threat of it ...
"I'll show you what character dheela really is ..."
And she is scared again ... they are alone in the house ... and he's hurting her ... besides, she didn't mean it that way, her unruly tongue ran away with her again ... he's holding her so close ...
And he pulls her closer still ...
Then what did you mean?
Eyes meeting eyes, tears of pain, ice replacing anger ... her fear ebbs somehow as his rage dissipates, but they still can't look away ... still so close ... till he realises her pain ... the physical pain he's giving her ... and releases her ... and still she doesn't run ... they stand locked within their bubble ...
Till La bursts in ... she has really turned 180 degrees! She knows of course, that ASR was mad at Khushi, sees her wipe her tears, and it's Khushi she rushes to, to ask, what happened?
And he leaves without a word.
La upset for Khushi - it's my fault he got angry with you ...
But Khushi can't talk, can't bring that usual false smile back yet ... she needs to compose herself, recover from the pain, the hurt ... yet again ... hurt given and received ... she touches her bruised wrist and sees the marks on it, touches them gently ... his marks ... on her skin β¦ on her soul β¦
And he stands behind the shut door, he needs recovery time too, why does he always lose his cool with her? Why does he always end up hurting her? And why does her hurt feel like it's piercing through his heart?
Actually, the whole episode was good - every scene showed progress - the candle scene showed how important Khushi has really become to Arnav, that he could let La fall from a stool, but couldn't let two drops of hot wax fall on Khushi ... Shashi Gupta nowhere near as gullible as Buaji about Shyam, and the last Anjali-Arnav scene was touching as always, though nothing new.
22nd Sept -
Shades of Arnav. The temple scene is my favourite - it started off a cute scene, child crying for her father, Arnav stops and tries very awkwardly to comfort her ... she says she has no money to buy a pigeon ...
Khushi rushing impetuously as usual to buy a pigeon ... denounces the selfishness of the rich man who bought them all ... unconsciously, her view of Arnav has colored her view of all rich men π ... and then she sees the child and the man ...
And the scene moves from cute to beautiful and touching ... Barun was completely and beautifully in character as the restrained awkward Arnav emerging from within the khadoos ASR, the Arnav who has forgotten how to reach out to others, locked as he has been in his own prison, his few awkward words, his empathy for the child and his deep pain when she mentions his parents all showing so clearly .. and the last gruff words ... go home and don't come out alone again ... showing a man who cares, cares deeply, yet doesn't want to show it ... Barun was fabulius in this scene. And Khushi sees it all ... a new, different side of her Rakshas, and wonders for the first time - has she been mistaken in reading him?
And maybe that feeling staed with her later in the RM, and allowed her to see for the first time the pain behind his words when he lashed out at her later ...a shared pain, if only he knew. But he doesn't know ... he lashes out at her as usual, as has become a habit ... because she is somehow making and finding the cracks in that iron facade, and he doesn't want that, even as he seems completely unable to stop it.
23rd Sept
Scene of the day - and of the week - Khushi-Anjali. The scene stayed with me long after the episode ended, it tugged at my heart and it brings me to tears every time I watch it.
Khushi has never had the freedom to express her grief over her parents ... Being in such a loving foster family, expressing grief must seem to her to be the height of ingratitude, that even surrounded by so much love as she is, she can still miss her own parents. And Anjali could see her grief (though I'm not sure how Anjali knows she is an orphan) and relate to it, so Khushi finally had the freedom to say yes, she misses her parents too ... had the freedom to cry for them ... every time I watch the scene, it makes me cry. Both Daljit and Sanaya were brilliant ... Anjali was the older motherly figure, she could comfort Khushi because of their shared pain, and Khushi looked like the little lost girl that she must have been when her parents died.
And I was glad Arnav overheard ... fiercely glad. I didn't feel sorry for his remorse, I felt it was long overdue ... he has to feel remorse for his words, for he was thoughtlessly and needlessly cruel earlier. The loss that has shaped his life and his current persona ... he has to see that the same loss has shaped another person so differently. And that his way of controlling his grief, which hurts everyone around him, and even innocent bystanders like Khushi, is not the only way ... he has justified his behaviour because of his loss, but now how to justify that behaviour, when the same loss has been handled so differently by the girl he pretends to hate?! The girl he tries so hard to hate ...
And the last scene between Khushi and her babuji again made me tear up β Khushi returns home after reliving her decade old loss, only to find herself faced with the possibility of another loss, of the second anchor in her life ... no wonder she clutches on to her babuji so fiercely.
I had to call my parents after watching this episode!