{Episode 217} The Power of Words

I'm still immersed in the beauty of the shayari scene after watching it yet again...But let me turn back the PV-clock to 10 pm...

By now, Yash has been at the Coffee Bean House for hours, ordering no less than four cups of coffee to help him with his poetry memorization. Back at home, Aarti is anxiously awaiting his return; she attempts to stay up and wait for Yash even though sleep tugs at her eyelids and time ticks by...When exhaustion overpowers her, she finally lays down to rest, but even though she is cozy and warm under the covers, the other side of the bed is still empty. Her Yashji is not home yet...She reaches over to his side of the bed, touching his pillow first, then the vacant space beside her. That simple act seems to be comforting enough to allow her eyes to close - it is midnight, but he will be back to claim his side of their bed as always, and she will wake up next to him...as always. [The music in the background is so pretty! I'm so glad we got to hear a longer version of it in this scene.]

Yash returns home, all prepared to convey his feelings for his wife through poetry, as planned. His energetic steps are stilled when he catches sight of Aarti, who is fast asleep. It won't be right to wake her, Yash thinks...and then he decides that it's now or never - he has to tell her tonight. After all, he went to so much trouble to memorize that poem and he had memorized it in the end! All for her sake...and because he might go insane if he kept these feelings to himself much longer.

["It won't be right to wake her..." Yash expressed a similar concern on their wedding night, when Aarti had curled up on his side of the bed and had promptly fallen asleep, much to Yash's dismay. That night, he had reached out to wake his newly-wedded wife, but had decided against it, resulting in a sleepless night and a rather traumatic morning. This night is different. Aartiji is no longer a stranger, and she is in her rightful place on the left side of their bed. I find it quite significant that Yash makes the decision to risk disturbing Aarti's sleep because he wants to tell her something that is very important to him. The comfort that he shares with Aarti now is a marked contrast in comparison to those early days. He has no qualms about raising his voice or reaching out to touch her in order to wake her up...]

A sleepy, groggy-eyed Aarti immediately jolts up in bed, her thoughts flying to Palak's health first and foremost. A tiny but sweet detail that reinforces Aarti's maternal instincts of putting her kids above everything else and the love that she and her daughter share. Yash reassures her that nothing is wrong - he has something to tell her. (Again...) Aarti can barely keep her eyes open, but she forces herself to shake away her drowsiness as Yash prepares to recite his poem. I love Kratika's "drowsy Aarti" avatar and Gurmeet's "nervous but trying to be poetic Yash" avatar! So many funny little nuances on Kratika's part today that make me smile: when Aarti looks utterly confused at what Yash is doing when he closes his eyes and clears his throat; then again when she forces her eyes open and looks at him with more focus than before; yet again when she blinks rapidly, trying to understand why her Yashji is being so poetic all of a sudden...The way her facial muscles relax and her eyes brighten as she realizes that he is reciting a poem she is familiar with is so cute. Her expression gets brighter as Yash continues happily with his recitation, speaking gently, and I love how he looks up to see her fully engrossed in what he is saying to her. So sweet, so peaceful. But not for long. Yash hits a roadblock, and Gurmeet joins Kratika with even more funny nuances and expressions - the two of them are just too much fun to watch with the seamless merging of comedy and romance in these sorts of scenes. In his "humaare/tumhaare" confusion, it is so cute how Yash actually ends up talking to Aarti a little bit, while she waits patiently after realizing that he had forgotten the rest of the stanza.

All Aarti wants to do is go back to sleep, but Yash isn't finished yet.

[Aside: Two things. Kratika's expression as Aarti says, "So jaati hoon..." is great. It always makes me laugh a little. Gurmeet saying "Aarti-" instead of completely saying "Aartiji." Those little moments, intentional or not, make me really happy! Gurmeet is fabulous when Yash is all flustered! Every single expression is adorable! I love his "Damn it, I forgot!" expressions so much!]

"Sab kuch toh yaad tha mujhe. Phir bhool kaise gaya?!"

Oh, so much fun! The music, again, with its perfect timing, and Gurmeet's vocal inflection and frantic page-flipping - Yash being bewildered and completely flustered is seriously the cutest thing ever! Best line from this portion? "Aartiji ke saamne aate hi sab kuch bhool jaata hoon main!" I love how he says that without thinking, because it reminded me of the time Yash found Aarti under the table in the children's room when she was picking up their pencils and she had thought to herself, "Whenever Yashji is in front of me, I don't know why, my breath gets caught in my throat and I just can't say anything!" A more explicit throwback to that earlier line comes at the end of this scene, with Yash's exasperated, "Kya ho jaata hai tujhe? Aartiji ke saamne teri bolti kyun bandh ho jaati hai? Haan?"

Yash's damage control attempt is disrupted by a voice heavy with sleep, her voice, completing the words that had slipped from his mind. He impulsively stills, listening to Aarti, not even daring to turn around until she pauses at length, inserting a cadence in the soothing melody of her heart's song. He turns, all traces of confusion gone from his face. She, too, knows the poem that he had picked...And she had been waiting for him to respond. She smiles up at him, slowly, softly, before breaking a moment's eye contact to continue with the questions that he had planned to convey his feelings with...

"Kya...yehi pyaar hai? Ya...Ab bhi kisi paribhasha ki avashakta hai...?"

What is the definition of love? How does one define love through everyday moments and gestures and words? Every small gesture of care towards Aarti conveys Yash's love for her. He hasn't realized it yet, perhaps because he is so concerned about showing Aarti his love through larger, sweeping gestures rather than through the tiny moments that Aarti values just as much, if not more. I can't help but wonder if Yash's initial meeting with Arpita and their conversation about poetry (new poetry, not old!) shaped Yash's perceptions regarding ways to express one's love...Yash's attempt to compose poetry for Arpita was an act intended to impress her...his attempt to recite this poem for Aarti, while unsuccessful in his eyes, is actually significant because it is something they end up doing together...Wherever Yash hesitates and falters, Aarti steps forward to guide and complete what he intends naturally.

Reluctantly the silence breaks. How does she know this poem? Aarti answers his question poetically and then pulls the rug out under his feet by directing a pointed barb at him, both with her eyes and with her words. If he'd been expecting a compliment from his beloved Aartiji, he lost his chance - a sheepish expression in response, avoiding the look in her eyes as he waits for the moment to pass...And true to fashion, Aarti is quick to move on, riding on the waves of lyrical words and memories of other poems.

"Yeh waala suna hai aapne?"

Yash looks up curiously, waiting to see what other words she will surprise him with. As Aarti begins to speak, he drinks in the sound of her voice, immerses himself in the words washing over him, soothing and soft...She is speaking to him, expressing her feelings, and he responds in kind, not through words, but through the smallest of movements. So entranced is he that he doesn't realize when he steps closer to her, stopping to stand in front of her. Aarti herself is letting the words of the poem and the emotions they evoke envelop her, almost as if she is drowning in the beauty of it all, content, peaceful...

I love how the camerawork reflects Yash's perspective during this portion when Yash is watching Aarti as she speaks. His feet seem to propel him to a place where he can see her without disturbing her, and he simply finds happiness in taking in every detail of the image suspended in time in front of him: Aartiji, his Aartiji, seated and swaying slightly, with her chin on her hand, like a sleepy child lost in beautiful dreams...This innocent angel of a girl who was hidden from the world, who loves poetry and art and so many other things that he is not aware of yet...How he loves her so...

One last aside: The music! I loved the music during the entire shayari scene, but there are two more parts I didn't mention above. Both are melodies that will definitely linger in my mind for a very long time since they are so lovely.

- The piece that I have come to call "Yash's Theme" in my mind (unless I find another name for it): As Aarti completes Yash's rendition, the music in the background is so soothing and it sounds so lovely with Kratika saying the poem with so much feeling while still keeping Aarti's drowsiness intact. The instrumental during Yash's part of the poem is also an old favorite of mine, and I really like that we can hear a longer version of it without the background vocals. This particular version goes very well with the words that conjure up images of flowing wind and waves and dewdrops...

- The music during Aarti's poem is extremely beautiful! I love the way the singer's vocals lend a dreamlike lightness to the scene, while Kratika's voice texture adds a calmness to the heartfelt rendition. Such a beautiful piece!

Wow. That's the only word that came out of my mouth after I was done reading your commentary.The episode itself was flawless, in my opinion. Gurmeet as the cute fumbling Yash and Aarti as the beautiful sleeping beauty was a treat to watch! And I absolutely loved the background score as well! It's amazing how you always take notice of the music they use. Honestly, PV's background music is beautiful. <3 I loved the 2 shayaris, they were so apt! And like you mentioned, Kratika's voice modulation just added the PURFECT touch to the already beautiful shayari, Oh and I loved the bit where Kratika/Aarti tells Yash that he totally ruined the beautiful poetry! 😆