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Dwelling on the Details: A New Dawn
{Episode 81}
June 11th, 2012: "Bhor takat hai raaha tihaari..."
*I'll be adding more to this post about the bhajan and my thoughts about it later!
Starting off with the scene right after the aarti ends...
A Offering Full of Love and Devotion
- When Aarti moves to give Palak the prasad, I love how in response to Palak's pout, Aarti counters with a gentle pout of her own along with a mildly stern look and then proceeds to pry Palak's hands apart without much resistance.
- All Gayatri can think of (instead of berating Aarti for her actions) is that by singing this bhajan, Aarti will anger Yash, and her worry is justified (and mirrored by Vidhi's similar concern) but Aarti softly pulls her out of her thoughts. This is perhaps the first time Gayatri and Aarti have shared this sort of exchange, and it's so sweet to see how Gayatri's face softens and how Aarti's genuine happiness results in a momentary connection between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. I'm hoping for more of these every so often! (Reminder of the Kun Faya Kun sequence...but this, in contrast, is a direct interaction between the two women and therefore holds more significance on a personal level for both of them)
- Yash is confused, it shows in his eyes...Aarti waits for him, serving the prasad only when she sees that he is inclined to take it from her. The spark of happiness in her eyes conveys a few things - she had hoped he would take the prasad from her, and he had not gotten angry about the bhajan. Yash's motion is arrested when he remembers Arpita's perfect prasad (he may say that there's just the right amount of sweetness there, but I personally think that their saccharine moments are going to make me sick soon - why are these memories so consistent in the mood that they evoke?) but he is brought back to the present and rushes off...Back to solitude.
- "Main toh hamesha tumhaare saath hoon. Bas tum Palak aur Payal ka dil jeet lo...aur saath hi...Yash Bhaiyya ka bhi..." - Interesting that Aarti's smile fades when Vidhi mentions the prospect of winning Yash's heart. Aarti knows this to be a fence that she cannot cross because ironically enough, the very woman whose bhajan Aarti sang and consequently made her own is the one woman whose presence cannot be overshadowed in Yash's heart and mind by any other...Or so she thinks.
- Aww, Vidhi! She is such a sweet bhabhi! She seems so happy that there's finally a little bit of sunshine entering the Scindia House's curtained rooms, and I can't blame her for all those smiles!
Laughter and Tears
- Aarti witnesses two extremes in the children's room: Ansh and Payal are happily playing to the point of exhaustion on one bed, while Palak sits isolated from them on the other, silently and tearfully eating Aarti's prasad while remembering Arpita. That one moment was so poignant because of the way Aarti notices Palak's grief and is moved by that sadness but doesn't encroach upon the boundary that surrounds Palak and Arpita, represented by that photograph. Instead, Aarti calls out to all three kids; Palak responds by quickly finishing her prasad and turning to face Aarti, giving her nayi mummy her full attention. More than I had expected, much much more!
- "Aur dekhiye, aapke papa baithke newspaper padh rahe hai!" - The indignation with which Aarti mentions this is SO endearing! Love the look on her face as she says this - and what is it with newspapers being an irritant to wives? 😆
The Terrible Trio Strikes!
- Wasn't expecting this at all, but another indication of significant strides in the children's comfort level increasing throughout this part. Ansh (unexpectedly) takes the lead in the attempt to scare their papa, with Palak and Payal following his instructions instead of rebelling against him...Their attempt falls flat - gotta love their "It didn't work" expressions that they give to each other! - but their papa surprises them by turning the tables on them. Aww at Aarti laughing in the background!
- In this scene and the next, the children constantly serve as catalysts that bring Yash back into action after he remembers Arpita for a fleeting moment and Aarti is the one to bring him back to the present by simply being herself.
- That same garden area that we saw Yash and the kids playing in a few episodes ago is back, and once again, Aarti is standing in isolation from the other three members of her little family, drawing happiness from their smiles and laughter and peaceful coexistence.
"Ansh, badmaashi mat karna!"
- LOVED the background music...until Arpita came up. But anyway, notable points about this scene. While in the past, Yash is the one drenching Arpita with the hose and the moment is one that is just between the two of them; in the present, Aarti is first sprayed with the hose by Ansh and then Palak and Payal support Ansh in his endeavors to soak both mumma and papa to the bone. The playful downpour was initiated by Ansh, Aarti was drawn into the family moment through that, and when Aarti impulsively seeks refuge behind Yash, she unintentionally creates a personal moment between her and her husband that is once again broken and made into a family moment (somewhat, since Aarti goes back to being the "outsider" again towards the end) by the children once more.
- More than the 'Yeh Dil Hai' moment that followed, I loved the way Aarti, in her desperation to escape the cold water being mercilessly flung at her by her badmaash beta, runs to Yash and instinctively clutches his arm, swinging herself behind him and using him as a shield. She just keeps maneuvering behind him - and is probably taking pleasure in the fact that he is now also just as soaked as she is - until a sudden slip sends her into a most awkward position that neither she nor Yash can get out of for a moment.
- "Har uljhan ko suljhaayein..." - The smooth, connected shot that shows how Yash and Aarti are in contact with each other (it moves in a sort of circle around them, from Kratika's face to Gurmeet's face, to her hand on his shoulder, to his hand on her shoulder and then back to her face again) is really, really nice! Wow. The other shots emphasizing their physical contact and their reactions to that "frozen in time" moment were lovely, too.
- Absolutely adore how Yash envelops all three of his kids in a hug while Aarti, in the background, slightly distanced, laughs and watches them happily. This is probably the first time that both Yash and Aarti are laughing and smiling so freely. The fact that their children are with them in this moment makes it all the more heartwarming.
All for a Towel...
- I think it's very, very sweet that Aarti is shown to be speaking with Arpita's photograph. At least this time around, and who knows if my opinion will change, Aarti's earnest manner of speaking to the presence of Arpita's spirit that the Scindias have preserved year after year touched a chord within me. Aarti asking for Arpita's support and her reiteration of how she doesn't want to take Arpita's place but instead give Palak and Payal all the love in the world as their mother are the two most notable instances of how sensitive Aarti is to the feelings of the two little girls (and their father).
- Yash's sneeze is all it takes for Aarti's bright smile to disappear and for a worried look to replace it. Silently, Aarti wonders if Yash has heard any of what she has just said...Yash's steady gaze doesn't give anything away but his light smile is reflected by her conscious rearrangement of facial features into a smile.
- "Iski zaroorat...aap hi ko zyaada hai." - Gah, Aarti's initial smile fades and her eyes glint with a pointed, "See, I told you. You should have trusted me when I said that" look...
This is all the more adorable because both Yash and Aarti end up sneezing together just after that, and while Yash responds with an amused smile that Aarti reflects with her own smile, Aarti's additional "I spoke too soon...Once again...I made myself look like an idiot in front of Yashji!" expression crowned that interaction for me! OH! And of course, the fact that Yash is the first one to immediately be drawn to Aarti again after their hands touch - his eyes automatically snap up to her face, like always!
- "Jhijhak si hai koi halki..." - Trying so hard not to launch into a line-by-line commentary! I have no idea how the PV team weaves together scenes/sequences like this, where Gurmeet's and Kratika's expressions and movements compliment the music perfectly, but I LOVE how this always, always happens! Every time Aarti looks up at Yash during this part is so beautifully emphasized! Other bits I love: Yash is the first one to actually notice that Aarti's hand is resting on top of his, but he doesn't do anything about it at all except for continuing to gaze at their hands joined over the towel and smiling a little before looking elsewhere, eyes averted. Aarti notices that their hands are still touching and her immediate response is a slow, measured glance at Yash to gauge his reaction to this...When something starts to shift in his eyes, she removes her hand...And that propels him to look at her.
- Vidhi, Vidhi, Vidhi...Aarti's little "Hmm?" expression in response to Vidhi addressing her is too cute, as is the way she opens her mouth to explain the situation but then thinks better of it and bows her head instead. Vidhi's way of saying "I am sorry..." is equally cute! Man, I love the way the Vidhi/Aarti relationship is progressing!
- With a flourish of the towel, Yash launches into a narration of past events, but catches himself and freezes; Aarti seems to have a slight smile on her face that transitions into a look of seriousness when Yash stops talking abruptly and she realizes why.
Another day, gone! 😊 Thanks for reading!
Edit: Not too terribly happy about the way this turned out because I've compromised on quite a lot of detail, but I hope to compensate when I revisit this episode later for the 'Nainan Ko Nahi Chain' bhajan!
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