Pavitra Rishta (13th April 2012) - something 2 say

Awww...poor Arjun. The poor guy's been going through a lot. First, this sudden self-transformation that snuck up on him and caught him unawares. The arrogant, irritable, business-like Arjun...how could this sweet little lass be responsible for the new guy that looks at him into the mirror everytime he tries to see his own face? Her simplicity and audaciousness was such a weird combination to begin with, something completely at odds with his fire-brand persona. She irritated him like anything.

And now, she is special to him; he likes being around her and her being around him. He likes relishing her simplicity; he goes crazy when he's close to her. I simply loooved their elevator scene. Ritwik's expressions – priceless! As though he just didn't know what to do and his hand moved out of its own wish and wiped that unbearable tear off Poorvi's face. The naturalness with which they express their awkwardness is simply delectable. (although I admit the entire Poorvi in tribal costume dancing to folk songs was a bit too clichd).

Poorvi – a humble girl who's bound to get conscious in a place full of so many people, showering her with compliments. What's Arjun's solution? Don't let the compliments slip over you and drench you with that consciousness. Treat it like an add-on for your confidence. The step-by-step conversion of their embarrassing small talk to cover their unease with each other's proximity to the cheerful, silly banter about movies was plain lovely. How deftly films can be a reason for most of us Indians to make our day. We make jokes about silly or funny dialogues, we dance to their tunes in pubs, discotheques and weddings, we treat them as a means to break ice and what not. Why? Because they're one of the very few things that most of us share in common. We can surely discuss about movies if not anything else. So what if Mr. Awesomely Awkward had seen 3-4 films in his entire life, one of which he erroneously remembers as "Mera Desh Meri Dharti" instead of "Mera Gaon Mera Desh"? He has seen each of them at least 4 times and saying this silly thing while twirling his movie-buff girl seems like a pretty big achievement. :D

And then the mischievous CVs kicked in and threw the love-story in the dangerous zone. So so ekta kapoorish (although I doubt whether or not it was her idea at all). MMS? No other way of transporting the work-in-process love story in the now-that's-hopeless ditch? No comments about Ms. Diabolical Punni and her extra-curricular activities. When s**ttiness didn't work, she resorted to bitchiness. Great.

The only positive I see out of all this mess is the solid trust of parents in their children. How beautifully Archana sums up what a kid wants from his/her parents? Trust. In the values they inculcated in them, in the culture they grew up in and the role models that they've seen around them since the time they learnt to see – their own parents. Yes, kids do get carried away at this age. But we should never hold them responsible without listening to them. If you don't trust your child, why would he expect anything from an outsider? Archana trusts herself more than her daughter. Again her gentleness acted like a medicine to her hurting daughter. The hug was so needed that of course it was bound to bring tears in the poor girl's eyes.

Now, the interesting part. Arjun – who's been experiencing the twangs of inexplicable attraction for long, for those dreamy looks, the stolen stares and the genuine desire for everything to be better for her, he finally got carried away. Already he was frustrated and upset at the disgusting incident, the ex-fiance added fuel to fire. What better way to get even with his ex then this? Probably now Vinay's mother would actually need a working daughter-in-law. Her son finally pissed his boss's already messed up brain just enough to chuck him out of the office (and hopefully the show) permanently. Poorvi doesn't forget Arjun's pain despite the distress. That's what she's all about. Care and concern for others, just like her mother. Arjun, who was touched by her gesture and pained by her tears couldn't help being carried away. The first hug that was supposed to be comforting for both of them turned into something they both wouldn't have imagined. Poorvi was shocked – what the hell was he doing? He's proving the very thing he's just denied in front of everybody! Arjun was shocked – what the hell just happened?

And there went poor Arjun's heart flying into pieces. He didn't want to do it. He just wanted to be in any way helpful in driving her pain away. His feelings overpowered his consciousness. Instead of making things better, they just got worse for both of them.

It's very frustrating to like someone and not knowing what to do with your feelings. You can't share with anyone, because you're yourself not sure. You don't want to think about it and yet there's nothing that your brain or heart is ready to accommodate along with it. You're not sure what to do next.

Arjun had been deprived of softness in his life. That's why he was emotionless and uncaring. Poorvi's presence was like that soft touch, which he had lost. That's what made him miss his mother, who through her (super)natural love, finally made her son realize what's bugging him. He's lovesick.

That's actually bad for their love-story. Poorvi's the victim. She's suffering the consequences of being a girl belonging to a middle-class family. She's vulnerable and hurt due to the circumstances. She doesn't want to think what she feels about Arjun because that would be like betraying her mother who has already sworn her rock-solid support daughter. She's not in a state of realization.

Arjun is alone. He's got no one but Poorvi to think about. His realization wouldn't make a difference because Poorvi's already pushed him away. Right now, his love has become a liability for Poorvi. Poor troubled soul. I hope they don't drive the pain into overdrive mode in the next episode (although Precap's giving all the wrong signals). It's already frustrating to see Manav and Archana acting on their silly misgivings. Arjun and Poorvi were like a breath of fresh air. No use expecting anything anyway. Let's see what happens.