Posted:
Evolution...
A year and a half ago - we met Mr. ASR. Ruthless business tycoon, whose first encounter with one Khushi Kumari Gupta ended in a scene that was gripping and disturbing. An innocent girl was pulled, pushed, twisted, gazed at lustfully and finally the dori of her choli was torn. Whew! A year and a half later all of us are in love with the same Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada.
And yet during that very first meeting a switch flipped inside his mind. A mind that had been shut off for years. A mind that had decided that feelings were for the weak. Showing feelings was a form of cowardice. The only people who got through that impenetrable wall were his sister and his family. Khushi made the first dent in his brain, her tears stopped him in her tracks.
ASR fought back hard to repair that chink in his armor. He threw everything at it - he physically abused her, mentally put her through pain, emotionally put her through a wringer. And yet.. and yet.. he made sure she never was physically hurt. If she was in harm's way - he leapt in to put himself in front of her. And slowly things began to change in his life.
He was more aware of her. More mystified by this woman who occupied not only his waking hours but his dreams too. Even as he tried to stay away from her, he found excuses to be around her; if she didn't talk to him, it bothered him; the thought of her leaving Delhi for good, killed a little of him inside; when he suddenly found her again, his despair turned into anger.
The thought of losing her to another man brought him to a turning point. He had feelings. Arnav Singh Raizada finally evolved from ASR to a man who had feelings and acknowledged them. Yet still he fought against it, even as he could not stop himself from touching her, listening for her, looking for her smile.
Anger was his defense against her. She was frightened of his anger, and he used it to keep her away from him. Every time he succumbed to his need for her, he lashed out at her, over and over, until he realized that he was the one with the bleeding heart, that his cuts were a raw as hers were.
Once he realized that, he knew he had to back out of his engagement. He knew he had to do the right thing. He broke off his engagement to Lavanya. Free of his ties he could explore these feelings he had for Khushi, finally - as she had also broken off her engagement. He started giving in to them.. feelings.. the need to be with her, touch her, talk to her, dream about her.
For the first time, another person's views about him became important to him. He needed to know how she felt about him. He understood her, accepted her innocence and wanted more. He found himself doing things that he never would have done in a million years, because that Arnav had been chipped away. There were gaping holes in his defense system now. In fact, he was dropping all his defenses. He wanted her and nothing was going to stop him now.
But fate had other plans for him. A cruel misunderstanding brought it all to a screeching halt. He was angry at her and also at himself. He'd weakened to the point when his need of her was dictating his every move. But not anymore. He married her in anger and hate. He told himself it was for his sister that he did it. But it was never the whole truth. Arnav Singh Raizada reverted to ASR. He married her to keep her for himself. He couldn't live with her. But he couldn't live without her either.
And so began a relationship based on hatred once more. It was as if the feelings that ASR had begun to allow himself never existed. Every time they made an appearance, he trampled on them determinedly. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from wanting her. Every single time they came a little close, he lost a little control but then shut himself down again. ASR was back.
But the force exile to Gupta House once more made an impact on Arnav. He began realizing that money is not everything. Money does help, but the love and support he got from his in-laws helped him to start seeing his wife in a different light. He relaxed allowing those feelings in again. Allowing himself to touch her, hold her hand as she slept.
Soon came the realization that whatever had happened in the past, in the present there was nothing he could see to connect her to what he'd been told and what he'd heard. He was just about ready to give himself and her another chance. Because he wanted to. His heart had ached for her - as she told her mother of her dream prince. Arnav started making more of an appearance now.
But one small step was still needed. Unfortunately, before that could happen, Khushi woke up his latent fears of rejection. She threatened to commit suicide. The past rips open in front of his eyes again. He finally told her why he married her. And why she was capable of hurting him. He shut himself down again.
But even then, her nearness was almost always his undoing. Going to London would give him a break. But this time fortune smiled on him. At the airport, he realized that he needed Khushi in his life, no matter what had happened in the past. But before he could tell her all this, he was kidnapped.
It was the best thing to happen to Arnav Singh Raizada. Sitting in the dark, with only his thoughts for company, he realized that he needed nothing more nor less than Khushi. He loved her, and if he had to die, then he'd let her know how he felt. For the first time, Arnav articulated his feelings. For a man who didn't believe in love, it was hard for him to get the words out. But he did. He told her he loved her when he got the chance. And then, a few days later, he found that he wasn't alone. She'd come looking for him. She was in every way the woman he wanted in his life. He hadn't known it, but there she was.
For the first time he allowed himself to hold her in love. Hold her with meaning. All the past doubts and fears, insecurities and uncertainties were washed away with her tears. Just for a while, and then they were parted again. Once more, he put himself in harm's way, before the goons could get to Khushi. If he had to give his life for her, so be it.
When he finally made his escape it was with Khushi's help that he did so. But seeing her falling over the cliff, it was their life he saw flashing before his eyes. Finding her lifeless body was more than he could bear, and when she finally opened her eyes, he knew this was it. No more doubts, no more misunderstandings.
He'd brought her into his life with hate in his heart, but under that cloak of hatred, was a love that was pure and true. And he let it out. For now, he and Khushi could finally start their life together.
At each step, Arnav Singh Raizada back-slipped, and each time he got up stronger in his love than before. This time also, with all his intentions, he back-slipped. He once again held her responsible for his sister's mental condition. His sister who had always held the highest stature in his life. And poor Arnav Singh Raizada, once again his temper got the better of him. He said words that he regretted almost immediately.
From this point on - we see an Arnav who evolves rapidly. He has one purpose in his life - to keep his sister and his wife happy, in that order. With no role models, no predecessors, Arnav has to make those leaps himself. He stumbles and falls, he makes mistakes, he tries to apply his business approaches to affairs of the heart, he even goes to NK for advice.
Through it all, he keeps is focus on getting his wife back. There is never any doubt in his mind about his love for her, and he never doubts her love for him. He had to start understanding what his wife wanted, and how she wanted it, what turned her on, and what didn't. He had to learn the ways of the heart, and if he got in a kiss or two, so much the better.
He understood that she was innocent, but her desire for him was there just waiting to be fanned and he took full advantage of it. Just as he had to learn what being in a relationship meant to him, he had to teach her what he wanted out of it. He wanted her to be his equal partner. Marriage to him was still an institution that people believed in. What mattered was the heart of it.
With Dadi's coming in their lives, he discovered one more thing about himself. For too long, the family had ignored Khushi's place in the house. They had taken her for granted. But now he had to give her that status of the eldest daughter-in-law in the Raizada household with all the due respect and honor that comes with it. His decision to go through the marriage is driven by this. Khushi will get her status in the family and no one will question it. He still does not believe that marriage is a necessary thing - but if that's how society will accept them as husband and wife, then marry her he will.
Arnav evolves once more. This time as a man determined to give his wife her due place in society and in his house. He goes through each of the rituals with her. And through it all he makes time for her, time for them alone. Because he still can't get enough of her in his life. Living apart all of a sudden, he realizes the space she occupies in his life. He finds the loopholes in the traditions and uses them to his advantage.
But the rituals are overshadowed with his sister's health. Her miscarriage now comes to the forefront. His Di has always been the most important person in his life. But on that night, for the second time, he opens up to Khushi. He had already laid his heart and mind and body out for her. But finally he opens up his soul to her. He tells her of the past that has always haunted him, a past that has shaped him as a human being, a past that he had kept locked away and never spoken to anyone about, even though he and his sister shared the same past - they never shared this.
Arnav had changed, the little boy inside him came out. He had become a happier man, a man who slept without nightmares, a man who was ready to welcome life with open arms - a man whose life was Khushi. But his Di's state was something he had to take care of first and against his better judgement, he allowed Shyam to stay in the house. With both Dadi and Shyam plotting against him, he was in for the biggest challenge in his evolution.
His bachelor party was all it was supposed to be. He had the best time of his life. His wife danced for him, and then they spent time under the stars, alone together for the first time, able to give in to their passions and desires. And the Arnav Singh Raizada who would take anything he wanted, did not take the one thing he truly wanted - to make love to his wife. He couldn't - because he respected her principles and values. He would never make her do anything that went against them, and he deferred to them this time, too.
His Dadi's reveal of the past almost derailed him. While he never held Khushi responsible, he forced himself to look at the facts. And the fact was that his father was a cheat, his father was the weak one, not his mother as his Dadi always claimed. He had been right about his father all along. And that finally broke the shackles of his past. He came back in time to marry his love - a woman so trusting that she refused to move from the mandap, because if she did, he would feel his trust in her had been betrayed.
In the final evolution, Arnav steps back from Khushi as she reaches to wipe the blood from his brows. He knows that if he touched her, he wouldn't be able to finish saying what he had to say. He had to let her know - through it all, there was no doubt in his mind, he would be here to marry her. He had to ask her to marry him, but first his Di had to also be happy with his decision - and she was. For the third time he proposes to her, but this time a little differently. He wants to marry her - if and only if she wants to marry him too.
But there was still Shyam, and he had to go before the Singh Raizadas could be at peace. It was not an easy task, but finally with Khushi's plan and NK's help - they do it. He knows that his Di will be hurt, and it will have to be her who makes the final decision. And so Shyam Manohar Jha is finally handed over to the police.
The past is closed. Shyam is out of the house and their lives. They have been finally married with all the rituals. So now what's next for Arnav Singh Raizada? Has he evolved enough?
... and Devolution
But what happened at this point in the story? A very strange thing. Arnav Singh Raizada began devolving - into something that we can barely recognize.
First he wanted to take his wife out to the horse race. She resists, no horse race, no English movie. Finally, he settles for a Hindi movie, with the entire family in tow. In the theatre, he is unable to sit next to her, and when he finally does, he is unable to hold her hand. Now this is the man, who had no problems holding her hand and dragging her away from his entire family openly to spend time with her. And yet, he has problems in a dark theatre.
Then comes the head-scratching dialogue. 'I don't think you understand me.' He once again says he wanted to spend time alone with her. This from a couple who could sense each other's presence, hear each other's heartbeats and talk without speaking! Okay... I thought to myself, maybe they need to be far apart for all that to happen.
His interactions with his wife are almost tepid, if I were to be kind. It's like watching two roommates. Their hugs are platonic, there are no kisses, no intensity. It is as if, now that Arnav has Khushi in his life, he doesn't feel it necessary to steal moments with her, like any other newly-wed. And this is puzzling - for Arnav has always been portrayed as a man with very strong, intense emotions and passions and desires. So what happened to his libido?
And then it was his birthday. The day on which he was born - and while every year he did not want anything done on his birthday - this year was something special. This year Khushi was in his life. For her birthday, he'd tried hard to bring himself to say the words - Happy Birthday Khushi. He'd understood fully and finally what it meant to give a gift from the heart. So its' understandable that when it's his birthday, he'd expected his wife to make the day special for him. Something unique. Something dil se. He'd declared what he wanted - time alone with her. But Khushi had decided that since he didn't want to be made to feel special then she should abide by his wishes. So for breakfast he gets Toast, Karela for lunch and no dinner.
At this point - notice Khushi's dialogue - I change myself so much for you, couldn't you do this much for me? And he feels guilty! Where have I seen this before? Oh yes, with Anjali. This is exactly how Anjali manipulated him! When did Khushi turn manipulative? This is the purview of the Maliks!
The woman who held the highest place in his life was his Di. Today, Khushi is moving up that ladder very quickly. She is the one who holds as high as, if not a higher status in his life as his Di. He cannot say no to her. And so on his birthday, it is HE who has to make amends. HE has to be the one to do the making up - for her not understanding what he wanted for his birthday. The convoluted logic of this scene left me with very mixed feelings. But two good things happened - after a long time, I heard the ASR BG score and boy was I thrilled! And ASR has his SUV back, instead of the wimpy sedan.
And ASR finally got his gift. He got to have his Suhaag Raat. Sabr Ka phal meetha hua akhir. This was the gift that Khushi finally gave him - herself.
And now we have the introduction of the little boy. I don't know who he is - just as you don't. But let me speculate a little here. The little one is around 8-9 years old - let's assume 8 years old. ASR just celebrated his 28th birthday. Which makes him 20 years old when the child was born and 19 when the child was conceived - whether or not the child is his, time will tell.
The main turn-off for me at this point is this:
The love story of Arnav and Khushi was always supposed to be a story where the purity of their emotions was what took it to new heights. A love story that was intense and heart-wrenching. Where we watched a man named Arnav Singh Raizada grow in love - understand the meaning of love, fall in love and keep his vows to his love - no matter what came in the way. While his father was a cheat and had an affair, his jiju lusted after his wife, we understood his disgust and cheered him on... but him... we do not expect a past that brings a child with it. Through it all, Arnav and his purity of emotions is what kept us glued. Silly tracks, good tracks, bad tracks - we bore it all! But this! There is something unpalatable about this ... introduction - both the child and the mother. The BG music was the same romantic one used for Arnav and Khushi.
I'd like to quote my friend Redwine1(Ruby) who has in a few words summed up what I am trying to say here.
"For most of u guys who have interacted with me on this forum .. u will know i am a huge FAN of the "character" called Arnav Singh Raizada ... to me its an iconic character .. which Barun Sobti grew into beautifully .. to me IPK is all about Arnav Singh Raizada .. & his journey from a battered bruised sacrastic person to the REAL man who shed his outer skin .. the day he saw his "life" his wife .. fall from a mountain top .. his heart stopped with her .. & then when she woke up .. their hearts truly beat in tandem .. that was the divine love story ...
Through this all .. the man stood tall .. embraced his love fully .. to me arnav what we see today was always in evidence .. his love for his Di .. from day 1 was completely unconditional .. similarly .. the day .. over a phone call when Arnav said I LOVE YOU to KHUSHI .. he opened his heart to her .. since that day .. his love for her is unconditional .."
Where is that Arnav Singh Raizada today?
[/NOCOPY}
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
851