*|| Episode Bits and Lakshman Bytes||* 14/10/2012

Highlights of the Episode

Banasur Vadh scene

What a wonderful continuation to the already charged up scene ,we see the VALIANT PRINCE ,the fearless KNIGHT ,aiming an arrow as he recognises the demon in DISGUISE .Neil at his best ,the wonderful body language and the fuming rage ,projecting him as a perfect shesha avatar .PERFECT!!We see a completely GORGEOUS image of Neil .The alert eyes and the confidence in his skill were done with utmost dexterity. My only complaint is that the arrow shooting was clumsy ,the arrow should have been used with some graphics. Well that's a technical detail altogether, Neil was JUST awesome in the scene .

Moving to the next bits, was the wonderful Urmila and Laxman confrontation where she stands and argues with him. A STRANGE PARALLEL I must say .Both of them standing against each other for their respective siblings.Laxman bound by the duty towards his brother and Urmila with her love for her sister .Both adamant ,both fearless .Just loved the CHARGED up confrontation and the way Laxman shouts Urmila and Urmila says " bas." Questioning him --.Has the typical THRILLING feel to it.Wonderfully done by both Neil and Pallavai .. Kudos.!!

THE MOST OUTSTANDING moment in this scene was when without even speaking any words,Neil and Pallavi wonderfully Depicted the respective perceptions of Laxman and Urmila with this relationship.Lord Rama gives his vachan that the daughters are now the rtesponsibility of the respective grooms.There was a striking contrast between the reaction of the two couples.While Ram and Sita share a beautiful eyelock ,with the realisation THAT they now belong to each other ,basking and blooming in the glory of their LOVE.Urmila just looks curious ,a bit shocked ,a bit tensed and trying to sink in the meaning of this whole new turn in her life'THE FEELING THAT SHE NOW BELONGS TO LAXMAN.Hats off to Pallavi.She was GORGEOUS.

"I came out alone on my way to my tryst.But who is this that follows me in the silent dark?I move aside to avoid the presence but I escape not"

For Laxman ,he just lowered his eyes,still trying to PROCESS ,still trying to UNDERSTAND ,confusion mixed with ANXIETY ,A hint of UNSURITY with AWKWARDNESS.,It was TRUE that she was now HIS RESPONSIBILITY.For me this was the EPIC moment of the episode.I do not have WORDS to describe the scene.It was so POWERFUL.HATS OFF NEIL AND PALLAVI!!

Also ,I loved this image .Two brother diametrically OPPOSITE to each other 'SERVING AS A PERFECT FOIL TO EACH OTHER.FUMING Laxman and PRISTINE AND CALM Ram.Loved both of them in this.

The morning scene-Urmila and Laxman meet again.

Set against the rich backdrop of the morning sky,when the sun brilliantly shines dispelling darkness and displaying it's wonderful hues and tones ,The scene captures a moment beautifully and poignantly. The Fluttering of eyelids of Urmila in fascination as if she had already lost her heart to the valiant prince, The scene evokes some SUBTLE emotions. Blended in admiration mixed with anxiety to apologize, Urmila's face just lights up by the mere sight of the man who already has started ruling her heart.The moment descends where every other apprehension just blurs out for her , a tiny second where she is lost.

"Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again ,and fillest it ever with fresh life. This little flute of REED THOU HAST CARRIED OVER HILLS AND DALES,AND HAST BREATHED THROUGH IT MELODIES ETERNALLY NEW.

The brief bliss comes to an abrupt end when Laxman starts walking away, acknowledging her presence , yet trying to ignore her.

Her intervention and the way he patiently yet with an indifference listens to her so agin so beautifully done. Loved it!!The words of apology do not sink in his heart as he just reprimands her with stoical equanimity.

RUDENESS!! Can we call it?Ever since I saw this scene my mind has been racing.While some were angry at the character assassination ,some empathised. But One should actually not forget the sequence of events which lead to this confrontation and this behaviour .Given to the circumstances ages ago,A woman's heart always instantly warms up , a woman has been genetically programmed to surrender and specially for Urmila who had not only been smitten by his charms since the moment they met but also ,since her alliance with the prince,she saw him as her destiny.So we see at every opportunity she tries and makes up to him. Whether to seek for the answers for his indifference, or whether to apologise for her DISTRUST in him. But for men it's different. There is no doubt about it that Laxman was never disrespectful to woman .If we actually rewind the scene and watch it over again. HE WAS NEVER DISRESPECTFUL .But the sequence of events had left him to behave in this INDIFFERENT manner.

Last night ,there had been a confrontation, Laxman was performing his DUTY 'his AIM in life to PROTECT his BROTHER AND SISTER 'IN 'LAW. Already confused about this marriage being a DISTRACTION and a DEVIATION ,Laxman saw Urmila as a BARRIER right in FRONT of him between him and his DUTY towards his BROTHER. Not only this ,she argued with him. For a person ,whose service to his brother is his priority ,it is very likely that he might have seen her NOT only as a literal BARRIER but a SYMBOLIC one too ,a person who DARED to challenge him while performing his SERVICE .So the INDIFFERENCE and a BIT ANNOYANCE can be justified. For Laxman his BROTHER is the centre of his WORLD. Someone is DARING to ENCROACH that space. Threatening to DEVIATE him from the UTMOST PURPOSE of his life. So there is DEFIANCE,THERE IS DENIAL,THERE IS CONFUSION ,which could have made him react this way. The way he says and makes it CLEAR that she has nothing to do with HIS DUTY. He just ALIENATED her from the space ,she had been TRYING to ENCROACH. For him THEY ARE STRANGERS .Though Urmila has already GIVEN her heart to him ,LAXMAN has yet to come to terms with this relationship. HE IS YET TO OPEN UP HIS HEART AND WITNESS HOW SHE IS NOT TRYING TO ENCROACH THAT SPACE BUT HOW SHE IS JUST TRYING TO WALK WITH HIM ,BECOMING HIS ARDHANGINI IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD'To UNDERSTAND HIM'to listen to his heart and SERVE him with her WHOLE HEART. ---Not trying to deviate him but to RIP his soul inside out to make him see another beautiful ASPECT of life which is MERELY another PREOJECTION of LOVE'Like his service to his brother 'which is a form of LOVE'That's what makes the whole JOURNEY of Laxman and Urmila INTERESTING .Where two SOULS with DIFFERENT DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS in life will STAND together and UNDERSTAND each other and their PRIORITIES.

The Family reunion.

Another wonderful moment.The overwhelming emotions in the eyes of Laxman when he meets his brothers and father is so heart wrenching and heratwarming at the same time.Needless to say Neil actually speaks with his eyes.BEAUTIFUL!!

The brothers tease each other

Like a breather ,the light moment got me grinning ,with a HUGE smile plastered on my face.The smirk on Laxman's face while teasing and giving the status of his brother's heart to Bharat and Shatrughan was very pleasing .And wow!! What a beautiful description of LOVE from Ram'A WONDERFUL SCENE !!

The dressing up scene-Decking up for the BLIND LEAP OF FAITH.

"The child who is decked with prince's robes and who has jewelled chains around his neck loses all pleasure in his play: his dress hampers him at every step. In fear it may be frayed ,or stained with dust he keeps himself from the world ,and is afraid even to move."

Some- how the intermittent scene which had glimpses of Laxman getting ready for the wedding induced a TUG in my heart. Needless to say,Neil ,whose eyes speaks volumes STOLE the moment without even uttering a word. Taking a plunge into an UNKNOWN UNWANTED relationship with someone whom you never considered a part of your life..A LIFE WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEVOTED TO THE SERVICE of your brother ..The eyes say it all. The confusion of incorporating a NEW LIFE , shouldering a NEW RESPONSIBILTY above all the dilemma of marrying someone whom he considers as a DISTRACTION in his UTMOST PURPOSE of his life i.e to SERVE HIS BROTHER,is so beautifully depicted through the eyes that I cannot help but applaud for the sheer brilliance of the glimpses. The nervousness ,the dilemma ,the confusion .It was all there in the eyes.KUDOS!!

SO THAT'S ALL FROM ME CHIP IN GUYS🤗

Well to start off ,I must say the episode has some wonderful moments and some really interesting developments apart from the Lakshaman bytes .

For me there was much of a mixed response on this episode .While there were some very beautiful moment ,then there were some OOPS!! Moments too.

The highlights of the episodes or bits which I liked were.

1. Ram Sita scene

Pragmatic and poignant with the wonderful SOUL connection which Ram and Sita shared,the scene where Rama asks about the cause of her anxiety, though UNSPOKEN by words,the beautiful eyes convey everything to her LORD who understands the dilemma of her heart,the lovely unshed tears and her unwavering faith of Sita in her Ram is so gorgeously portrayed by Neha.The perfect pristine look on the face of Lord Ram and the SOUL connection of SITA IS SO WONDERFULLY DONE!! BEAUTIFUL.

2. Urmila Sita scene

A wonderful parallel to the earlier sibling bonding ,where Sita consoles and re-establishes Urmila's faith in Gauri ma,Similarly a complete role reversal occurs and now it's Urmila's turn to be there for her re-strengthening her faith is done with such subtle grace that ,it instantly induces a TUG in your heart.Such a wonderful panorama of emotions.

Now coming the OOPS bits.

1.The MIL cry

The cry of Sita's mother and the whole aspect of her threatening to commit suicide was a bit OVERDONE IMO.I have very little knowledge of mythology ,but as a show I found it OTT .Not IMPRESSED .It could have been definitely cut short.

2.Raja Janak looking for nartaki

It was hilarious.I mean the last thing on earth a KING or the father of a bride would have worried would be to inquire about a dancer.SERIOUSLY!! LOL.I am clueless about the source of such a scene but making a mockery with a KING searching for dancer was UNACCEPTABLE.

The OK bits

The Kundli and muhurat scenes and the devtas conspiring to send Chandra dev as apsara

Honestly,I found these bits quite fast paced and very nicely placed.It was quick sequenced well and with lots of information about some unknown facts for ignorant ones like me,.

The EPIC FACEPALM bits-

I was expecting so much from the PROMISED apsara dance where the dazzling Chandra dev descending as an apsara to ENTHRALL everyone.NOT IMPRESSED at all.Divyanka is such a beautiful actress and her charms were very beautiful but DANCE THUMBS DOWN.As a trained Classical dancer ,I was happy with the choreography but it's execution was more than CLUMSY till the point that I actually felt repulsed. The song was beautiful,so were the camera angles .BEAUTIFUL OTHERWISE But I so wished they could have used some DANCER instead of Divyanka.

THE BG SCORES

It is getting beautiful day by day.Some brilliant use of Sitar and I am totally in love with Jai ram BG score.It is SOULFUL ,MUSICAL AND ENCHANTING!! HATS OFF!!

THE CINEMATOGRAPHY

Kudos to the DOP for some very interesting camera angles.Specially the one that zoomed from above in the scene where the sages contemplate and analyse the KUndlis.Also the GORGEOUS night opening scene in the garden,The place was sop beautifully lit with diyas.It was a treat to watch.The morning scene with Laxman offering the prayers was another MESMERISINGLY captured moment. With the brilliant hues and tones of the rising sun,adding a tinge of orange in the distant horizon ,took my breath away.SUPERB!!

So to Summarize ,The episode wasn't great but WASN'T BAD EITHER. It had some beautiful moments too which made up for the otherwise patchy moments.

I just totally lubb both of them😳

well put piu! I had a hard time gathering my thoughts about this week epi''.i was confused shocked elated in short mixed emotions'..

I think my lakhman urmila moment of the day was when she stopped him 'wen he was about to shot an arrow''.. this urmila as u say is genetically programmed to sacrifice to love to marry but she wasn't the docile and helpless woman as she had courage to face lakshman in this term she was parallel to lakshman given the oppurtunity she could be equal valiant undanted and fearless'''..she saw him aiming at sita and she immediately stopped him...she wasnt requesting actually she was a mithila princess commanding her guest...we got the glimpse of her unique trait of not succumbing to injustice or even being a silent spectator to unjust activity somewhat like lakshmana they were equal sides of the same coin i m was actually pissed off to see urmila exceedingly drooling on him but this urmila was a suprise and treat to watch

and then the reliazation and repentance failing to understand lakshmana' deed 'the guilt that made her mind restless and she dare to walk to him and interrupted with her signature "SUNIYE". And the earnest aplogy'. It was so gentle - and concerned '.lakshmana. had a moment of hesitance - which probably translated hence inside his mind am I actually ready for it????? Am I moving in the right direction????? Is that wht is want of destiny??? the confusion restlessness continued wen he was dressing up like a groom'.it was like walking the tightrope between his treasured beliefs devotion. love for his brother and surprising newfound bond with her, and understanding the emotions which that conflict brings.

wht a unique relation of a normal human being and a semigod...😳

Basically, I loved that scene 'the sunrise there could be symbolic presentation of their new beginning the scene was great ...what a amazing cinematography it was !

In short I totally loved laskhman and urmila scene and it was brillianctly done by two great actors'''..neil and pallavi did a great job

The cons have already discussed on the thread there is nothing to add and yes I loved lord rama definition of love it was pure and divine...

I dont know what to say piu..u r really a gifted writer...

u actually made all those reactions of lakshman and urmila crystal clear to us.
Now when I think of Lakshman's rudeness and indifference it does make sense.

I really like how they are trying to show what could have been the mental state of lakshman and urmila. See we have no reference point. Valmiki ramayan and ramcharitmanas...none of the scriptures explore their relationship and we cannot even say for sure what exactly had happened in those times...no one can say that...


when i had watched the scene, my first reaction was like oh how can laskhman be so rude..and how can urmila be like that..but then is there anything which says they cannot behave like that.??? the problem is that none of the mythology goes beyond what has been already shown..i like how nikhil sinha said..if God did something ..there must be a reason...to explore all those aspects is actually applaudable
i actually loved the comparison which u wrote about RAM-Sita 's eyelock and LU's eyelock...both the couple with totally difffernt emotions..one couple in love and other couple still trying to come in terms with sudden developments..especially for Lakshman.as u explained...he has been to put a path which he never thought he will travel..so all those confusion.brilliantly done by neil..for him RAM's words are ultimate...

also i believe when God takes avtaar in human form ..it is because God wants to undergo all the pain and emotions of a human too ...

wow piu..again a brilliant capture showing the different characteristic trait of Ram and Lakshman