Scene 1:
I remember Reemz once saying how Gulaal is like the season of this show - with her moods, changes the mood of the scenes, and the audience. I'm going to append and say, Kesar in turn, is like Gulaal's personal season - as and when and how he wills, he manages to manipulate her moods!
This opening bit is classic Gulaal and classic Kesar scene in that sense. Between GV, Gulaal was always this spouse who always had Vasant's back. He could find his eternal revival and replenishment of resolve and mood in her. Between GK, Kesar becomes that backing buffer. While Gulaal attends to her mass welfare duties which is to cheer up everyone however low her own mood here, Kesar is her wall - making sure he attends to her, cheers her up, because she needs it no less! You know how that cliche goes - behind every successful man, is a woman... and even if it sound oh-so-wrong to compare Kesar's role in Gulaal's life with a 'woman's role in man's life', 😆 (don't roll eyes at me, come on!) in a solemn observation, that is the unique attribute of this one of a kind male protagonist Kesar's character is! In his very unique, and I shall add indisputably 'male' manner, he manages to serve that behind the scenes role in Gulaal's life - while still having his fair share of limelight in all the moments he steps forth to take over the reigns - the perfect partner in that sense, with this unbelievable balance between his sensitivity and control. He slips in and out of his in the lead and in the background presence in Gulaal's life so easily, which is what really makes them equals in all sense, as we've time and again said.
The opening scene, to me, is just an instance of that equality. The special stand out has to be Kesar's compliment to Gulaal - the giving and receiving comes so naturally, it makes me wonder for a moment if I couldn't have missed flickering reactions - but nope! Its just that. Given in the earnest and with such lack of hesitance. Received in kind. Blunt as Kesar is, one expects him to make such remarks in the passing - and yet he could have ended it at jaisi hai, vaisi thik hai... but he goes on to add, sach keh ra hu, bohot achi lagri hai - and you just have to shake your head in amazement at how easily within the flow of their dialog it slips in - as if Kesar is absolutely unaware of how this categorically classifies as a compliment 😆 koi puche inn janab ko, aise effortlessly bolte hain apni biwi ko that she looks achi?! 😆 Yet, when he says it like that, with that smile and softer note taking over the previous cajoling tone, it just has to warm your heart! ☺️
And then you turn to Gulaal - her easy acceptance even harder to miss than his easy complimenting! I find myself thinking how Gulaal never really realized that she did love him back all along too - how her love subconsciously without her consent or knowledge actually did undergo its process of evolution in time. Remaining unaware of which, when she consciously did realize - it had mounted in proportion, not to mention all the miscellaneous mess that accompanied the confession and revelations subsequently - and she had to go her long hard way before coming around. But just here, in this scene - even if Kesar and Gulaal are not explicitly treating this exchange of compliment as that between husband and wife - it cannot be dismissed as anything less than an exchange between two adults who should and are technically conversant with the formal idea of 'compliments' ... and yet, for this one to pass between them with a simplicity which is almost undermining of its importance yet implicitly indicative of how natural and in routine it is for them to be this way. Sans and beyond the need for justifications and second thoughts and regrets, as far as spontaneity of expression goes! Interestingly, despite their respective misjudging phases, GK are throughout the kind of characters to speak out their mind to each other - more often than not in such impressive undaunted ways!
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Scene 2:
This is Kesuda's attaboy scene 😎 😆 Like look at him scoring home runs on every front - ek teer se multiple nishane - biwi khush, biwi ke gharwale khush, khud ki sister khush, khud ke gharwale khush = 10/10 to Kesar's idea sirji plan 🤣 as Nur called it in the last thread!
Okay I want to know from everyone who watched this episode live when the show was on, if they had any inkling Kesar was going to take Gulaal to her parents' place? Just curious, because I never had my chance to guess and speculate!
I love the GK smiles when they first stand at the door - its such a heartwarming shot of those two - and such a rare one at that time... actually, a rare shot through the show, because they had but count few occasions when both were so genuinely happy and showing it as a couple. Sigh - a shot for keeps!
And if you haven't already, watch out for this next bit - when Rewa brings water, Revji extends his hand to take a glass but PooBaa overrules him for her dulaara damaad - and brat ko dekh lo, confidently drinks Revji's share of paani, without once attempting the courtesy of "you first" 😆 Naa ji, pehle khud ki khatir, fir baaki sab lesser mortals 😆
Rewa has her moment of glory, as in the absence of her eternal 'lowe' Talli, Gullu showers all her girlie love and hugs on Rewa 😆 Kesar's expression - typical reaction, to a typical Gulaal gesture just like the time he watched her mollycoddle Talli in the last thread scene when she was consoling her? Kesar as an onlooker of Gulaal's show of endearment is this endearing picture in his hint of amusement in the otherwise calm satisfaction his Gulaal in her element!
Next moment, even his unwavering Gulaal focus shifts, because PooBaa takes center stage, refusing to be ignored, as she launches a rant about how she never got a heads up to make prep - and aah!!! Kesar's ab inse mike kaun waapas lega look in return is 🤣 Gulaal only needs to lead an intervention, and Kesar takes up from there - yes Gullu, let him do the talking he does it much better with the womenfolk 😆 and true to his rep, PooBaa is won over! If MB and Gulaal have their share of moving profound scenes, PooBaa and Kesar have their share of cute and endearing scenes - just like here, PooBaa's momentary surprise in melting at Kesar's hum bahar wale thode hain - is so aww! The undertones of their dialog, where PooBaa is outward concern is not serving them adequately, and Kesar's outward assurance is to the same - while figuratively, it translates PooBaa's concern about GK's current status, and Kesar's assurance to her, that things are now well. It is interesting how in one moment, he declares himself, in essence, a son of the house, and in the very next upholds the dignity of his role as the brother of their daughter in law! Scoring thereby on all ends, and putting to rest whatever qualms Revji's family has had about the future of their daughter. Somewhere, I think, this is the foundation moment to the kind of unwavering allegiance, at least PooBaa, exclusively harbors for Kesar, for all times to come after. In a way, to me, she gives Kesar Vasant's spot wholeheartedly, easiest of all!
I'm going to skip Yogesh - because he's just a pesty intrusion to this happy family scene. Might as well have kept his not at all flattering face out of sight. Good for him, he's never really been in the firing line of Kesar's sarcasm - because technically I think Kesar inherits that gene of perfection from his dear Jamuna Kaki 😆
PooBaa's hasty but very genuine making up, Kesar's equally genuine dismissing of the awkwardness - all well done. But what seals the moment perfectly, is the final look between Gulaal and Kesar. The friends, the couple - the team! Reminds me of the kind of smile they exchange in a later time, when the whole Laalji Bha event at their haveli manages to soften MB and change the mood of the house!
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Scene 3:
So the highlight of this bit is obviously Kesar's "aur tu" - which not surprisingly is (as always is the case with him) marked with more than a singular emotion and tone. To me, this "aur tu" is a variant parallel of the one from his day of return, when she's going on about everyone missing him, and he rounds her up by asking about her. The sarcasm from then to now transcends and transforms to a cordial version of a tease like bait in his "aur tu" now. Only a harmless tease and nothing confronting at all - but unlike the "aur tu" which will follow next, in the scene which is also the next coin toss - Kesar here is still... I suppose a close description is somewhat guarded. While the sarcastic bait on the day of return was all out gauging and a tinge anticipatory not of what she responds it, but just to hear her say; the teasing bait here is more like caution at some level, like it's Kesar's means of deflecting the chance of betraying his sheer unadulterated pleasure in having done this for her, and been as happy doing it, as she was in consequence. And so conveniently he shifts focus to her - like he's still somehow, perhaps more from habit than anything else just this moment, holding back on showing vulnerability in how much it meant for him to cheer her up like this and also remedy his other day's mistake! It is - as MB describes in a scene to come up soon, a great escalation in his behavior and attitude towards Gulaal, yet something holding him back from utter abandon!
The other emotion in the "aur tu" is of course, his own satisfaction in pulling off this entire 'date' - as Maz called it 😆 He knows her answer, but its like a little nudge he's tempted to give her, to remind her that at the end of the day, he has done it for her - and no one else! Like he reminds her mildly - that he knows she gets happy in making others happy, so really, his making anybody else involved here happy, has really been about cheering her up - if this has to be the means, then be so!
Of course, Gulaal has to pull off Galool classic and bring in who else, but Talli *head desk* really this woman! Kesar was utmost gentlemanly in his exasperated reaction - in his place, mine would have been more... *cough* dramatic *cough* 😆 But that said, I just want to get right into the screen and give him a hug of empathy 😆 when he says matlab tum log samjh ke kya rakha hai muje, kya chahte kya ho mujhse 🤣 I'm like aww Kesar - I know what you're saying. Galool is one buttheaded woman - why again did you fall for her?!
But the next second, Gulaal laughs at his faces - 😆 - making him quit sulking and smile despite himself, and its like evidence of why he loves her.
Of course, the happily dismissed potential argument is cut short, because Kesar's eagle eye catches sight of that *looks to heaven for mercy* wretched driver again, as if its not enough that he haunts every FB this guy ever has... grrr! Result - Kesar's instant reverting to "the reality", Gulaal's sheer bafflement at this unbelievable 180 in his mood and behavior - lost tracks of the "witness" and of course, Kesar's frustrated glare at Gulaal - who can't for the life of her understand who owns the controls for this whacko lord of mood swings! 😆
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And phew - I'm done. I think the episode this was from ended at this point, and I can only dare imagine the kind of cliff hanger that must have been, wondering if Kesar was going to be the Ice Prince again, next day 😳 We happen to know what's coming up - how it's going to more fire, and less ice with all the boom bam bam action sequence coming up! 😆
Edited by JZephyr - 13 years ago
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