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My 200th Post!!😍🤬🤗
Yes it is! I realized that this post was my 200th post/comment! I am totally chuffed about it. But yes, its more like the comments won over the posts. But who cares, and I'm counting, 😃
Denouement
...or the final upshot.
I have been traveling since Monday with little or no chance to catch up on the episdoes, so I decided to watch all of them one after another just to get a feel for the flow of the story at this point as one big piece. There'll be others on this post looking at every dialogue, expression, movement and symbol of the episode, so I wanted to take it up a little, or as they say in my professional world - take a 40,000-ft view of the picture.
What is the 40K-ft view? Its a point where you can look down and see things as they are in relation with each other. It is a view of the whole. Granted, I can't see things from Episode 1 and start connecting the dots. There's been too many side roads that this story has taken - not least being the kidnapping track. So connecting those dots at 40k actually easier.
I chose to go back to Monday. We started a countdown of the 12 days to Contract End. I had also outlined his theme of Mind and Heart and Body and Soul - which he will use as his arsenal to get Khushi to retract from her stand.
D-Day -12
Arnav had fired the last volley from his 'body' arsenal. Half-naked, and bringing Khushi to an awareness as a woman was his aim. He achieved it and how!That episode had it all, sex, romance, comedy, playfulness, nok-jhok, everything! But no drama, thankfully.
This was a comedic episode. Light, frothy and 100% paisa-wasool!
D-Day -11
This time he uses her anger, his coercion, blackmail, confidence in his wife's reactions with the rent and his office scenes. His stepping up and slapping a sexist employee was right on target to remind audiences of his feelings for Khushi. He will not tolerate her being objectified. He loves this woman and no-one, but NO ONE gets to say anything rude about her.
A new thread comes into play - Rakhi. A symbolic bond between a brother and sister, symbolizing the spiritual bond that exists between them. Anjali wants to have her Chotey with her always. (I'll deal with that dialogue in just a bit).
Arnav has dropped body as part of his arsenal today, and is using his Mind now instead. D-day -11 leaves us with a tinge of seriousness, a slow buildup to another drama and leaves us waiting to see what happens on...
D-Day -10
This time, he decides to use power and money as his weapon. He is after all, ASR. And he WILL use the weapons that he has been most successful with. Because along with it comes a mind that knows how to manipulate and use those weapons most effectively.
The water and light are cut off. Khushi's mother tells her to go back home. It doesn't give 'shobha' for a married woman to stay in her mother's house for days on end. Her true place is beside her husband. Bless you, Garima and Buaji. You have now, unknowingly, joined the ranks of ASR's weapons. You have unwittingly empowered ASR's next weapon - her love for her family. Loved the cute tease from Vimla Maasi asking if Damadji was visiting (yet) again, but it gives Khushi a clue as to who is behind this unholy mess.
She calls him and is already firing from all cylinders when a simple 'uh-oh' stops her. He is right there in front of her. This scene is redolent with Khushi's frustration and his sarcasm, always with undertones of playfulness.
ASR once again is on a mission: to point out yet another one of her issues.
- her insistence on sambhal lenge, managing everything by herself. Notice he did not even offer to lift the heavy pots of water from her. Then he rubs it in 'you can't even sleep by yourself without holding my hand!' You are so 'ziddi' - stubborn. Underneath that is the acknowledgement that neither of us are perfect, and I know your faults, just like you know mine. But how does it matter? 'Kya Farq Padta hai?' That famous line is making an appearance more and more these days (and also in my own vocabulary!)
But the body weapon makes a brief appearance here, too. Just a touch, a caress on her neck and she is like putty in his hands. He observes her reaction, and is satisfied.
But now he's losing his patience. His volley after volley is either carefully avoided or just plain out manouvered. He tells her you KNOW why I am doing this. One by one, he has removed all the physical obstacles in her way to returning to RM. So why will you not understand, I am not here to take NO for an answer? WHy are you pushing me to destroy your life - because you know I can do that, Why are you even putting your parents and Buaji's life on the line? for WHAT? Is it worth it?
The new thread comes into play today too, but this time, it tangles a little with the Khushi/Arnav story. Anjali bumps into Buaji at the hospital. Buaji assures Anjali that she is fine, has always been fine and what BP are you talking about. Notice the Buaji/Anjali bonding here. There is no hesitation on Anjali's part. They hug, Anjali touches her shoulder and finally when they walk to the tea stand, they are holding hands as Anjali uses Buaji for support to walk away
Anjali is shocked to learn that Khushi and Arnav had both lied to her about Buaji. I'd like to do a Ruby style Pause and Play here.
Pause: FB to Khushi - blinking rapidly (always a sign of lying or evading the truth) as she tells about how Buaji is sick with high BP and that she must go.
Play and Pause: Chotey's voice ringing in her ears. I'd like to stay back at Buaji's house tonight, if its okay with you.
Play: Anjali crying and saying, why did you lie to me Chotey? And you too, Khushiji? Why are you both doing this to me? My Chotey is no longer my Chotey.
Hold that thought - we'll be right back with more on this particular scene.
Back at GH:
Khushi stands in front of Arnav's car as he is about to drive away. He is shaken to find her so close to his car. The husband comes out for a second. And then she tells him she is ready to move back to RM. She loves her family too much to hurt them. He can pick her up in two hours. And he says 'Say that again?'
I saw some posts that said - he gloats about it, wanting to make her say it again. I didn't quite hear it that way. I heard disbelief - Say that again? Did I hear you right? Are we finally done with this whole game? Are you ready for US now? All of those questions are in those three words.
Not until he says, 'I am Arnav Singh Raizada, and I am always right', does he sound gloating. But then, I thought - ASR is on a mission, and he will move heaven and earth to have his woman next to him.
Two hours later he is back, impatient to take her home. Once again, he gets the run-around. This time a faked fractured foot. He is immediately all concern. But only for a bit. It doesnt take him long to realize that she has once more played games with him.
And there he stops.
No more. I'm done! Let's just have the truth. Look into my eyes and tell me the truth. He assumes its the contract because she harps on the time frame. But Khushi corrects him - the marriage wasn't a marriage - it was a deal, one that finishes in 10 days.
You see the despair in ASR's face.
The resolution is slowly eroding away. He has used every arsenal at his disposal to help her see that she and he are meant to be. it is no longer about the marriage. It is about the love, the soul searing love that they have for each other - that is what he wants to save at this point! The marriage is just a vehicle for that love.He doesnt care about what happens in the next 10 days, for now, he needs to know what happened to their love?
In an ironic twist he asks her 'iska koi matlab nahin?' much like Diwali night when she had asked him the same question. Khushi never gives a direct response to his questions. He reminds her he can physically carry her, drag her or whatever to get her to RM. He has done it before, he has no qualms in doing it again.
Finally, he brings it down to one point. Let's just stop playing games with everybody, and lets just tell everybody the truth. And your parents can be witnesses for the divorce as well. He is out of arsenal, and uses the last one in his head - her family. Much as he anticipates, she caves in finally.
The final upshot is ... that now he has got what he wanted. Her back in RM - on his ground. What is the price he will have to pay for this? The next ten days will tell. Will he discover Khushi's real reason for pushing him away? Wait and see.
Meantime, its
D-day -9 - Raksha Bandhan day.
The drama quotient here had reached a climactic point the previous day. This is the high for those that wanted drama. Emotions have run high. Intensity of passion has been flaring. The viewers nerves have been stretched to the limits. Time to cool it down and bring it down a few notches. Time to take a breath of air.
Akash is back from Bombay. Mamiji is greeting him like a long lost son while Payal stands in the background. He is still aloof with Payal. NK comes in, he is the joker, the one that ties all the threads together, a Greek Chorus of One, if you will. The whole family except Anjali, Chotey and Khushi are gathered around, drinking tea.
(Okay - its the Akash thread - it HAS to be in PINK, no?)
In walks Chotey and Khushi. All are surprised to see them. Payal is ever happy to see her sister back. She has been Khushi's anchor for a while now and she doesn't disappoint today. The tension between Khushi and Chotey is evident. He has got her back, but to him its like a Pyrrhic victory - no one won! They both lost.
Mamiji makes another snide remark about how Payal can go spend time in her maternal home if Buaji needs looking after. Khushi calmly disarms this volley by saying Buaji is much better. (hold that thought again!)
Khushi goes looking for Anjali and dutifully KNOCKS on the door and asking permission to enter. Anjali regally grants her that permission. She holds out a Raksha Dhaga for Anjali sent by Buaji (why do I feel that Buaji will ultimately step in as the mother figure for Anjali?) - as protection for her and the soon-to-be-born-but-we-still-don't-know-why-there's-no-baby-bump baby.
Anjali accepts the thread but refuses to let Khushi tie it on her. Khushi is obviously hurt about this, but she is determined to not let it bother her. She prattles on about the rakhis and how she wished she had a brother whom she could tie a rakhi to.
Let's go back to the first highlight in blue - I want Chotey to be with me always. Always? There is something sad and pathetic about this sentence. But read between the lines or the words. She doesn't say, I want Chotey's happiness, no matter what. She says I want Chotey to be with me always - THEN I will be happy always. Go back and read my posts on Anjali - and you will find that I have touched on this much before. Her happiness depends on Chotey being with her, not his happiness no matter where he is.
'Because if I am not happy, he will not be happy. And the only way I will be happy is if I have the full devotion of my worker bee, with no time to spare for the newbie'. This is the ultimate selfish woman.
Going back to the FB sequence at the hospital: Anjali never mentions Khushi's name prior to this. She avoids the name, the memory, the very existence of Khushi. Yet here, the FIRST thing she remembers is Khushi's lie. This is another of Anjali's selective deafness, blindness, amnesiac moments. She remembers Khushi only when it impacts her, and her time with Chotey. The basic selfishness of her thought process is clearly visible. She is only willing to think about Khushi only if it is in a negative sense and in relation to Chotey.
Then, she remembers Chotey's words. So she equates Khushi's lie to Chotey making a decision to lie about wanting to stay at Buaji's. But notice this, Chotey NEVER said anything about Buaji being ill. All he said was 'Can I stay at Buaji's?' So Anjali will stretch the facts to cover the fiction in her head. She will find ways to equate Khushi as the reason for Chotey's defection to his wife, until she breaks the bond between Chotey and Khushi. This can only play out a more in the DKS track!
Finally, Anjali asks her the loaded question. I want to spend some time with my brother. Is that too much to ask (of you, Khushi? Do you have to use up all his time?) The two threads come here together.
Let's check some parameters, shall we?
1. Is ASR an adult? YES
2. Is ASR capable of making up his mind about how he wants to spend his time? YES
3. Is ASR the type that will listen to wifey all the time and be tied to her pallu? NO
4. Does Khushi have upbringing to be sensitive about family ties? YES
5. Would Khushi keep ASR from meeting his sister? NO
6. Does Anjali know the answer to question 6? YES
7. Has Khushi - to Anjali's knowledge - ever kept ASR from meeting her? From the viewer's POV - NO. From Anjali's POV - YES.
8. Does Anjali actually have experience of the above instance? NO
9. Does Anjali's POV concur with the answers to Qs 1, 2, 3, 4 - YES, YES and YES!!
So where does she get off being this insulting and disrespectful to her sister-in-law? Again, the regal Queen Bee is marking her territory. She is not asking for it, she is demanding it, in the form of a question.
Finally, the Rakhi Bandhan ritual. This is the true anti-climax. All the build up of the past few days, is now lulled into a sense of normalcy with the rituals and traditions of this wonderful festival.
The brothers come down dressed for the occasion. The real special blockbuster is ASR in a white Kurta. He looks uncomfortable but has decided to don this outfit just to keep Di happy. It doesn't take him much time to figure out who is behind the kurta idea, but he is happy she did so. The sister gets all the time she wants with the three adoring brothers around her. She laughs and giggles like old times, and it is good to see her do so. Except - I cant forget..sorry.. I don't suffer from short term amnesia!
Rituals serve just that purpose in real life. They bring focus and normalcy through the repetition of acts. We can do rituals with our eyes closed, but the familiarity of the acts brings calmness to the mind and soul. This is what this episode does for us. The denouement has been served.
All is normal in the RM mansion. Or is it?
Khushi is searching for a missing Di.. where could she be? And she doesn't have a phone... ulp! will ASR think she ran away again?
My final thoughts on the PINKY thread.
In most Greek plays and in Shakespearean plays you will find a parallel story taking place with lesser characters. This thread echoes the story of the main characters often traveling with the same patterns, but usually with a humorous twist. Sometimes this thread will be a catalytic in bringing about the resolution of the main thread.
In IPKKND - we have Akash and Payal, also a couple in love and married to each other. They also have a small MU. But this MU is getting over (see Akash's relieved expression when Payal doesn't have to go to GH!). There is also another woman in Akash's life - his mother! She is no Queen Bee - although she does like to think she is. Her possessiveness about her son is more obvious, more exaggerated and therefore more cartoonish than Anjali's possessiveness about her brother.
She often berates Payal for no good reason. She doesn't need a reason to do so. Unlike Anjali she does it in a very loud and funny manner.
She is also selectively blind to her son's love for his wife. She influences him - directly. There is no subtlety about Mami's dislike for her son and his wife need to be together and spend some time as husband and wife. Compare that to Anjali's more subtle, more insidious remarks on the exact same situation!
No after thoughts today.
Wardrobe: Stand up and take a bow.
Arnav and Khushi side by side looked indeed like a royal couple, a power couple. Their wardrobe complemented each other beautifully.
Both Khushi's entry outfit and her saree were finally gorgeous, befitting the wife of Arnav Singh Raizada.
The other boys looked incredibly good in their outfits.
Edited by GirlOfFire - 13 years ago
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