Namita, Ash, Jai, Jyothi, take a bow!
You were right when you felt that the precap shown yesterday - of the whole Deshmukh clan accepting Archana, with Ovi calling her aai - was merely a fantasy, a day dream of Purvi's. That is exactly what it was, and when realization dawns, Purvi's eyes brim over with sudden tears, as a bewildered Arjun watches with uncomprehending concern.
But I was right too, in what I felt was going to come down the line, dream or no dream. It is almost there now.
The party: Practically the whole of today's episode was taken up by DK's party for his special friends to meet his daughter-in-law to be, and the venue, the ambience, and the guests were all impressive enough to delight Sulochana, and to throw Manjusha into a tizzy.
Purvi, to my considerable relief, was not wearing that pale yellow horror for which Arjun was gypped of Rs.15 grand, but a light green one that looked a lot better. She too looked a lot better than usual, thanks to the fact that the bump atop her head was missing. Really quite lovely, in fact.
Yes, Trish, we can both rejoice, at least for this one evening!
DK is on top of the world, praising Archana to the skies in front of his guests, taking Purvi off for the first dance, and generally enjoying himself thoroughly, as his son remarks appreciatively as he thanks Archana (for the nth time. Can the boy not think of one fresh line?) for having given him "the greatest happiness of his life" when she gave him Purvi's hand.
Little does he know that this precious hand seems to be on the verge of slipping away from his.
Purvi's monologue: What follows, as Dil kyon ye mera shor kare starts up in the background and Arjun claims Purvi's hand for the next dance, is one of the most beautiful and yet the saddest of their scenes so far. Purvi looks distraught, as Ovi's words of the evening before echo in her head Give Ovi's Arjun back to Ovi and leave Arjun's life for good...I want Archana Aunty.. aai.. to get the rights of an aai and all the respect that she deserves.. Arjun does not fail to notice how disturbed she looks, but she fobs him off with a gentle nod.
Then, as the music swirls around them and he holds her close, she looks into his eyes with more longing and love than I have ever seen her display before today. Her eyes are dark with feelings that he cannot understand, and that shows in his puzzled face. Then she begins to talk, in a soft monotone, uninterrupted, the words stumbling one over the other as emotion chokes her, but yet she does not let it overwhelm her, nor does she break down.
How beautiful this moment is, Arjun! .. You know, I never expected much from life, but still, I got a great deal. I got you, Arjun.. Arjun, I want to make this the most beautiful moment of my life, I want to to live it, to enjoy it. So that later, if I am tired, these memories can give me courage.
Arjun, you came into my life, and you were there for me. Always. Your being with me is very important for me. And with your love, and the support it gives me, I can get through the whole of my life.
I love you. Main tumse bahut pyaar karti hoon (I love you very much)..
At this point, Arjun, whose brow is furrowed with mounting doubt and concern, pulls her closer and kisses her forehead, thus ending this passage. He might have had only some inchoate fears, but my heart was sinking fast - down, down, down, right into my sandals.
The whole of the above was so much like a farewell speech that any bridegroom-to-be could have been forgiven for being seriously alarmed. Janhvi, do you remember Heyer'e These Old Shades and Leonie's last, dinner conversation with the Duke of Avon, before she runs away that very night? The words there were of course different, but the tone of finality, and of the foreboding of a parting to come, were the same. It was like an eerie echo. Justin Alastair did not read Leonie right then, and Arjun does not read Purvi right this time, but he is clearly worried, and that surfaces in the precap.
The precap:This was, if anything, worse. It must have been at the end of the party, for Purvi is in the same saree and Arjun in the same outfit. She is looking more like a mourner at a funeral than a young bride -to-be; her face is worn out with strain and her eyes are shining with unshed tears.
Arjun is obviously beset with nameless fears, for his opening sentence is I see a future with you, Purvi. Look at the world thru my eyes and you will feel that you are the luckiest girl in the world! He is pleading now, pleading for he knows not what, and that shows in the tension in his voice and in his body language, as the doubts he has sought to suppress all the evening spill out into words. I will do anything to make you happy! Will you be with me always? And as his face twists in an anguished cri de coeur (cry from the heart), a plea for commitment: Promise?
She does not promise. She says nothing.
As the defence lawyers say when they have finished their final speech to the court, I rest my case. It is now for you to make up your minds as to what Purvi is going to do.
As for me, you know what I think is going to happen, though I still do not know how. My heart goes out to poor, bewildered, trusting Arjun, who is going to get it right between the eyes. And to DK, normally so unemotional, but now so obviously brimming over with joy in anticipation of his son's happiness with a beloved wife. They do not deserve this, and nothing, nothing at all, can excuse such a betrayal, or so many broken promises.
The most dismaying thing in today's episode, and especially in Purvi's monologue, is that nowhere does she say a single word about Arjun, except in the context of his being there for her and loving her. Nowhere does she even think to herself about what he might need from her, from her love. It is as if he did not exist except to be a support for her and to love her. As if he needs nothing for himself, as if she owes him nothing in return for such devotion.
As she contemplates giving up her love and Arjun, for her mother's uncertain happiness, and on the dubious strength of Ovi's word, she seems to have no thought at all for what her decision will do to the man she claims to love so much. She is ready to sacrifice not just her happiness, but his as well, to achieve her goal, and this without even a passing thought for the suffering she will inflict on him. This is classic tunnel vision, and, if one wanted to be blunt, monumental self-centredness, if not selfishness.
As a sidelight, Ovi, having now shed all her carefully applied coat of pathos and emotional appeal, snarls at Punni over the telephone when Punni appears to be throwing in the towel. I will never let this marriage take place ! she says thru gritted teeth.
What neither she nor Punni knows as yet is that they have to do nothing, for Purvi is all set to win Ovi's poker game for her.Their game of bluff and double-bluff seems to be coming off at last.
Unless, of course, there is some miracle that saves Purvi from herself, and saves us as well.
Shyamala B.Cowsik
Hollywood
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Seher Hone Ko Hai
