{Episode 67} Restless Days, Sleepless Nights

Since I feel like I can't look beyond the first 10-15 minutes of the episode, I'm going to spill out my thoughts here. Bullets are much easier on the eyes in terms of tracking observations, so that's how this post is going to be!

- Ansh is SO sweet! The poor kid went through so much suffering just a while back, so I'm genuinely happy that he gets to spend some time with his Mumma and Badi Mummy in a nurturing environment - so sad that he loves his Papa to this extent already but has to stay away from him.

- Aarti's "Idea!" face when she realizes how she can "call up Yash ji" and get Ansh to eat as well was a nice little nuance; I am looking forward to the time when Aarti will speak in that animated tone of hers to the rest of the Scindias or at least within her little family of five. It's so sweet how relaxed she is when she has space to breathe and smile freely.

- Dubey ji's concern for the ordeal that Aarti had to go through at the Scindias' is written clearly on his face. He doesn't look happy at the fact that Ansh is so attached to Yash (he didn't seem happy with Aarti's faith in Yash, either) but I can't really blame him. After what Aarti went through, which father would want his daughter to go back to a place like that again?

(Aside: Yash was sitting on Aarti's side of the bed when Prateek came in to take him to the garden! 😃 Awww!)

- Prateek tells a white lie - that his bhabhi and Ansh "went out" - but with Aarti's request (which made sense to me even though I did want them to talk) and the threat of SP Scindia's anger hanging over his head, the chances of him speaking up completely were nipped in the bud again. Dang it.

- That smile that graces Aarti's face for a moment when she hears that her Yash ji is out and about and doing better than before...Aah, that smile was so lovely! And the tears...Khushi ke aansoon? 😊

- The peaceful smile on Aarti's face when Shobha comes to give her a cup of coffee made me smile happily. Aarti's monologue was beautiful, too, and the strains of Yeh Dil Hai along with the flute in the background are ones that I want to hear again later in the show, so I hope someone out there has that planned!

- "Jo rishta ek bhakt ka hota hai bhagwaan se...Zindagi ko saanson ke saath hota hai..." - Kratika delivered these lines so beautifully! 👏

- When the flute music starts up again, Shobha is raising her eyes skyward, as if thanking God for giving Aarti a second chance to live, as if thanking God that Aarti has begun to move on slowly. Now that I think of it, the last scene between Shobha/Aarti in this location (I think) was probably around the time of the engagement...Leaving the details aside for the moment because I don't have time to check them now, it's wonderful to see that while Aarti had been unwilling to go through with this remarriage at that time, today she respects her husband and genuinely wants to fulfill her duties as a partner of the very relationship she was hesitant about initiating. Full-circle again! 😃

- "Aur uske baad hota hai pyaar..." - I love so many things about these words of wisdom from Shobha: 1) That Shobha places a supportive hand on her daughter's shoulder and gives her the sort of look that indicated Shobha's understanding of Aarti's feelings about Prashant but also her understanding of how true, deep love is based on more than just attraction and verbal promises to stay together until the end of time. 2) The way Aarti raises her eyes, taking in her mother's words (and the timing of that music was superb, my God! I love that tune!), and then turns toward her ever so slightly. Aarti's reaction isn't like Yash's reaction back when Arpita's mother told him that moving on in life was inevitable...We know that Aarti was devoted to Prashant before; that's why Aarti's calm, thoughtful expression, restless eyes, and furrowed brow made me wonder even more what she was thinking at that moment.

- Just a thought: So many fantastic expressions throughout this sequence! So many!

- If Gurmeet made Yash look genuinely restless and troubled at the fact that Aarti's absence could have this sort of an effect on him in spite of having Arpita's presence surrounding him like before, Kratika made Aarti look so desolate, vulnerable, and lonely in spite of having Ansh (her zindagi and lifeline) with her. They just continue to prove to me exactly why I made a good decision to watch this show! ❤️

- "Bataaoon kya andheron mein yoon kat rahi thi zindagi kaisi..." - I just cannot stand that look on Aarti's face! She looked like she was about to cry right before (and after) she kissed Ansh earlier, but this unfocused gaze of hers makes her look so, so desolate! I love the way this starts out focusing on Aarti's wrist with Arpita's kangan adorning it and then pans to show Aarti's face...

- "Magar ab hai zindagi mein meri roshni ek zindagi jaisi..." - A complete contrast to Aarti's unmoving posture, Yash is bustling about, getting ready for bed as usual, when he glances at himself in the mirror, sees Aarti's bindi, and freezes...Gurmeet's little blink at that point makes me wonder...Did Yash think he was hallucinating or something? That sort of groggy look on his face when he blinked slowly gave me that impression the first time I watched that part.

- "Unn raahon par chal denge hum..." - Kratika looks like an ANGEL. From this point until the end, Aarti looks so incredibly sweet and vulnerable and lost in thought...

- "Aap raahein..." - In the DC, Samana already described Gurmeet's expressions during the bindi scene to perfection...I'm still going to write anyway because I loved this, too! The way Yash's eyes are focused on the bindi...last time we saw him in the bathroom, he was annoyed with yet another one of Aarti's possessions being "out-of-place", and he took no hesitation in removing every last trace of it from HIS mirror. Now, only a few days later, he is confused about why that same offending object that is supposed to annoy him simply doesn't...The bindi isn't simply an object anymore...It is a symbol of the one who placed it there - who is no longer there, but who should be there, perhaps? Yash leaves the bindi on the mirror exactly where Aarti left it...BRILLIANT.

- "Unn raahon par chal denge hum, aap raahein dikhlaaye humein..." - I was amazed at the coincidence that I had quoted this in the DC earlier...And here it is! LOVE the way the duet version of this stanza and this line in particular alternated between Aarti and Yash. I was curious ever since the full version of the song came out to know who these lines would be picturized on. That both Yash and Aarti are shown, completing that last phrase together, completing each other, completing that last part of their journey together, surpassed whatever I had expected for the picturization.

- The split-screen: Possible Punar Vivaah Yellow Sari Montage parallel! Aarti is looking away from the camera, with that unfocused, lost expression...Yash is completely focused on the bindi and faces it - and since the bindi is a symbol of Aarti...

- The kangan getting stuck on the sari pallu is an obvious throwback to the moment at the resort before the wedding when the kangan got stuck to Aarti's dupatta. I remember how irritated and impatient Aarti was when she was trying to desperately detach that kangan from her dupatta and ended up nearly ripping the dupatta to get it off. That's why this scene was a surprise and left a smile on my face (for a little while, anyway) because this time around, Aarti gets the kangan to separate from her sari but she pauses for a moment and smiles a bit as she looks at it. Aww.

- Interesting thought that popped into my mind (credit to InduG64 for jogging my memory): We've seen how the "punar vivaah as a prison" theme has been played upon at various points, the most notable moments being the time when Yash and Aarti (aka the Kabootar and his Bulbul) were handcuffed together and the analogy of Arpita's kangans being like handcuffs for Aarti with respect to her loss of identity and her views on this marriage at the time the kangans were given to her. Isn't it ironic that Bua comes to get the kangans from Aarti at a time when Aarti herself isn't bothered by them anymore? I hope we find out just what happened when Bua showed up to "free" Aarti from those handcuffs...

As always, thanks for reading! 😳