A fair warning to all of you, this is going to be LONG đ
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"Actions Speak Louder Than Words But Not Nearly As Often" ~ Mark Twain
This saying came to life tonight, when Arnav Singh Raizada, a man of few words and actions, conveyed through his dance and gestures what he could never have said through words. Here is what he had to say.
First my observations of the key points of the Teri Meri sequence...
The holding her hand at the start, as if asking her to join him, to make her believe she can trust him completely, thus pulling her on to him and bearing her whole weight, symbolizing that he wanted to tell her she can count on him.
Then, the Sara Din Beet Jaaye line... he grasps her by her waist and feels her skin, giving her the message that she belongs to him and that only he has this right on her... then taking her arm and making her feel his face, symbolizing that he feels she has the same right on him... that he has given her this right and that he belongs to her...
Then the lift on his arms, while the lyrics depict his state of mind, "Yeh tadap keh rahi hai mit jaaye faasle yeh tere mere darmiyan mein jo hai saare..." His gestures telling her he can bear any physical pain as long as she is in his arms, and that he will never let her down, no matter what it takes.
Then, when she walks away, his curling his fingers as if he can't bear her walking away... Symbolizing his inner agony at the thought of loosing her.
Her walking back to him, and when he looks deep into her eyes, she is looking for answers asking him if this all is for real, whether he really means what he is saying and his eyes conveying to her that he does mean it from his heart.
Then, she tells him her feelings in the next lines, "Har ehsaas mein tu hai har ek yaad mein tera afsana...", and when she raises her hand, he grasps it firmly as if telling her he will be there to hold her hand when she will need him, holding her hand as strong as ever.
And then he holds her by her neck and she lets go of all her fears, mistrust and hesitation by looking into his eyes and dropping in his arms, trusting that he will not let go. Symbolizes her state of mind of submission after the initial hesitance.
Again, when she walks away at the end and he touches her neck and her hair while she steps away, it symbolizes that he doesn't want her to go away, but he wants to hold on to her in whatever way he can.
At first, she walks away, as if she feels she will be safer away from him than if he would hurt her again, but something in her heart pulls her back and she turns to look at him. And their eyes meet when he remembers the first time their eyes had met, the fateful night of the fashion show in Lucknow, when she first fell into his arms.
Till now, the world was watching and was able to interprete whatever was happening, but what came next was what no one else but these two could comprehend. It was the crucial Rabba Ve part...
Even though they were in front of the whole world, the steps that he did, the symbolism behind it was like a whole different conversation all together! It was a private conversation between them, as if Arnav was telling her through each move which memory he was referring to...And making her remember it with him.
First the walking towards each other... Symbolically undoing the memory when they had walked away from each other after the Mandir-bandage encounter, to never turn back again!
Then, holding her hand and pulling her to him, symbolically undoing her extending her hand with the keys at the Dargah, which he had turned down back then.
The twirl, symbolic of him saving her life in the parking lot on that rainy night, telling her he will always save her like he did that night.
Then, the memory of him leaving her hand to let her fall, undone by raising her from the dip, telling her he will never let go of her to let her fall again, but will hold her tight and help her back up.
Then, the multiple twirls symbolizing all those instances where he had left her confused, all those memories which had left a mark in both her and his heart. All the memories where his heart had assured her of his feelings, yet his words had left her hurt and confused.
Then, moist eyed, holding her hand in both his hands, symbolizing the apology and comfort he could not offer her in the hospital when she needed it. Telling her he will be there no matter what, and that he was sorry he dint hug her back.
Then the dip, once again symbolizing how by the work of fate he was there even then, on the day of Teej, to catch her from falling, just as today, he is once again here, albeit this time, by choice and not by fate.
Then, turning her around to rest her on his chest, holding her in his embrace, telling her to forget everything, to forget all those painful times and just remember what is there right in this moment, to feel his presence, to let go of her inhibitions and to feel safe in his arms. He looks at her closing her eyes doing just that, as if to make sure she is feeling what he is trying to tell her.
Then, the Diwali moments revisited, by gripping her hand tight and then moving apart, symbolizing the acknowledgment that even though the last time they had come this close during Diwali, they had grown apart again, coz he was not ready for her, and thus had pushed her away. But the trust in his eyes as he pulls her back, and then putting her arm around him, he is symbolizing that he wont push her away this time, but in turn will embrace her and hold on to her as if they had never grown apart.
Ofcourse, last but not the least, the most prominent memory in both of their minds, which comes right after the Diwali scene they had just recalled, the almost kiss. They don't need a reason or a gesture to be reminded of this one. It is the last memory they both have of being so close to each other, which they shall never forget.
And then, when she pulls back and walks away from him realizing they were on stage, he watches her go but doesn't even move a muscle, showing her that he doesn't regret any of what happened there between them, and he is ready to own up to his actions. Seeing her nervousness, he too turns to face the world, and looks as if he is fully aware of what the world would think about his action, but he is somehow ready for it today.
And when the entire audience cheers for her, he smiles, not only by seeing her happy, saved from the embarrassment of being stood up and loosing, but also out of the joy that he finally said it all to her tonight.
Later, when she walks amongst the crowd with everyone's eyes on both of them, he walks behind her with only one focus in his eyes, the woman in front of him. As if he is trying to read her eyes, see what her reaction is after his silent confession. And then, when their eyes meet, he smiles a very warm smile at her, his eyes telling her that, "I hope you understood what I have just now said to you, of how I feel for you Khushi. I said all that I wanted to say to you, and made you feel whatever I wanted you to feel. I hope you realize that this time, its for real. You hold a special place in my heart, and noone can ever change that now."
And so, tonight was the night... When time stood still, taking them back down memory lane, to relive every moment spent together, to undo all the wrongs and make them right, to say what words could never say. Tonight was the night, when ASR accepted Arnav, and more importantly, together, both Arnav and ASR acknowledged the place they both had for Khushi in their heart.
Tonight, he said it all!
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Special thanks to all of you who read through the entire piece! đ¤
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