Posted:
Dwelling on the Details: Of Proximity and Discomfort
{Episode 21}
March 19th, 2012: Hum Tum...Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho...
Ahaaa, the scene of the day!
I'm not drooling about Gurmeet...I'm more concerned about how incredibly ADORABLE Gurmeet and Kratika are together! The two of them together are going to kill me.
Oh, that bathroom promo! The promo that's partially responsible for me becoming a GC-KS jodi fanatic in a span of two days! 😆 I absolutely loved Kratika's expressions in that promo - since Gurmeet was too busy being stoic and focused on unlocking the door - the way she tries to get out of the room, can't because the door is locked, and then automatically shrinks back against the door, trying to flatten herself against it...Very, very cute, and very, very Aarti-like!
Naturally the similarities and differences between that promo and today's scene jumped out at me, and I loved noticing the action-reaction and character interaction dynamics in the scene. There are SO many points of comparison, and I, for one, am loving them. [Edit: Just to clarify...The bracketed portions refer to the bathroom promo and my thoughts about it!]
The characters of Yash and Aarti have been established well enough that their interaction in Yash's room today was full of tension, yes, but also quite cute as well. Interesting combination. I don't think the thought of Yash being attractive even crossed her mind for a moment at that point - given what we've seen so far, Aarti must have been surprised and absolutely mortified that she had walked into his room by mistake...to see him come out of the bathroom like that must have given her a rude shock - leading to the "Oh my god, I just had to get LOCKED in here with him, of all people, like this" sort of immobilization.
[Interestingly, in the promo, Aarti walks in, locks the door, expresses surprise at seeing Yash there already, and quickly tries to give him his privacy until she realizes that she can't quite undo the lock...No initial immobility there, due to the fact that this is at a later stage in their relationship - plus the fact that the lock is on the inside of the door instead of the outside!]
Now that I'm watching the scene a few more times, the fact that Aarti doesn't immediately shut her eyes and turn her back to Yash (like almost every single standard seedhi saadhi heroine does in such a stock situation) is one that I like. A lot. Instead, she stands there (and I personally don't think she's affected much by his unclothed state...not like a hormonal teenager, at least) and looks at him for a bit (for the dramatic effect to sink in) but she doesn't move and doesn't really look away, either.
[Perhaps what held my attention the most was the very way Aarti watches Yash's face as he starts easing the lock open: she steadily keeps watching him until he moves his head a bit to glance at her, and that's when she looks away, almost as if she didn't want him to catch her watching him. So incredibly adorable...I think the line "Tere nainon ke bhool bhoolaiyyan mein..." fits with this promo, actually.]
What really prompts a reaction from her - and I found this to be very interesting and appropriate given the sort of fears Aarti has in her mind right now - is when Yash looks at her, turns towards her, and slowly starts walking in her direction. That's when everything snaps back into motion...She tenses up and is unsure what to do, because she can't do anything, really...Her discomfort stems from the notion that he might do something to her. All I can say is "Thank goddd they didn't show the same old 'he moves forward, she backs away until she's against a wall and can't move'! Aarti's increasing tension can be seen in her body language, and it really is refreshing to see how such cliched scenarios are given a unique little twirl to suit the character and the situation instead of being treated like a gimmick just for the heck of it. I'm so impressed with Kratika and Gurmeet for not being over-the-top in these typical situations - thank you, director saab, as well!
Another interesting nuance that is a direct contrast to the bathroom promo is how Aarti spins around to flatten herself against the door, shielding herself from Yash with a kind of intense desperation. Oh, I love the expressions on their faces here! Aarti finally squeezes her eyes shut, most probably thinking, "Oh god!" while Yash is completely like, "What -?" and his eyebrows furrow as he tries to figure out why she's reacting like this. He figures it out in a second and my most favorite parts: he shakes his head at her! 😆 And our favorite motor-mouthed bulbul starts frantically trying to explain why on earth she's in his room (thank you, Aarti, for not being rendered mute and wide-eyed; I love this girl, she has spunk and self-respect) while Yash delivers yet another trademark "reaction to Aarti": the exasperated eye-roll. Ahahaha, I KNEW he'd be doing that a lot around Aarti! It's like he's thinking, "There she goes again..." [Probably the most significant point in relation to the scene in the episode...Whereas Aarti turns away from Yash in this episode, in the promo, she doesn't. She ends up turning around to face him, instead...She even takes her hands away from the lock, allowing him to help her - all indications of a reversal as their relationship deepens and she becomes more accustomed to his presence...She's far more relaxed; relaxed enough to get lost in thought, even - I think by far the most adorable moment for me is when she studies his face, looks away, looks up after fixing her sari to find him studying her, and for a split second there's this confused look she gives him...After which she steals another glance at his face.]
The man is on a mission to get his shirt/sweater, so he steps forward, but is again stopped by Aarti's startled reaction and her jerking away from him...Yet another priceless "What -?" expression and more eye-rolling! It's hilarious how he still can't speak up enough to tell her what he was actually intending to do, but it's very sweet and significant that he doesn't seem to be the kind of man who would grab a woman, pin her against a wall, trap her, and say something to her. At this point, this is what I'm gleaning from Yash/Gurmeet's body language, and I like it. It fits with the way Yash has been characterized.
Aarti literally bolts for the door, as if an angel came to rescue her, but is stopped in her tracks by none other than the lafanga-awaara aka Prateek Scindia! What timing!
So many interesting nuances here, too...After they both see Prateek, Yash and Aarti look at each other, then look away...Aarti averts her eyes, Yash senses her awkwardness thanks to Prateek's half-grin and tries to dispel the tension a bit by crossing his arms; Prateek actually looks around to see if the hallway is empty before starting to sing 😆 and that forces Aarti to steal another glance at Yash, who is solely focused on giving his little brother a death glare that could rival one of Aarti's fiery glares, haha. The little tune in the background is too good! Mirrors their expressions perfectly, down to the last dying strain of the music!
Prateek hurries away, Aarti quickly walks off, and Yash is left standing there: "What do I do about this woman?" Oh, and I like how he started out with his "Aarti ji Aarti ji" and finally ended up saying "Aarti -" and couldn't finish saying the formal "ji" 😊 Hopefully this is what will happen as time goes on. [Oh, what a contrast to the charged silence of the bathroom promo and Aarti's lingering gaze on his face as she turns towards him at the end, perhaps about to say something...]
And I'm finished rambling on and on!
Thanks for reading, whoever's reading! 😆 Would love to hear your thoughts!
Mangal Lakshmi
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