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Dwelling on the Details: Ek Dil Ke Do Armaan Hai Hum...
{Episode 226} [Part 2]
December 31st, 2012: "Yeh dharti hai insaanon ki...Kuch aur nahi, insaan hai hum..."
One of the many things I love about Punar Vivaah is the way music and songs are used to enhance the narrative. Whether it is through background music, situational songs, or songs that are meant to be sung by the characters to convey their feelings at various points in time, music is used so beautifully. When Yash and Aarti are the ones around whom the songs revolve, there is a deeper meaning that connects the song lyrics to their situation, and the song sequences take on a special significance because of that connection...
Song: O Mere Sanam
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh
Film: Sangam (1964)
The song that was used in this particular episode was one that I had never heard before, in spite of my love for old Hindi films and their songs...And so, thanks to the creatives who thought of choosing this beautiful, beautiful duet and conceptualizing it in this way, I was left entranced and deeply moved by the way Kratika and Gurmeet enacted Aarti and Yash's rendition of O Mere Sanam...
O mere sanam, o mere sanam,
Do jism magar ek jaan hai hum,
Ek dil ke do armaan hai hum...
Do jism magar ek jaan hai hum,
Ek dil ke do armaan hai hum...
O mere sanam, o mere sanam...
O my darling, o my beloved,
We are but a single life breath within two bodies,
We are two yearning passions of a single heart...
We are but a single life breath within two bodies,
We are two yearning passions of a single heart...
O my darling, o my beloved...
Tan saunp diya, mann saunp diya...Kuch aur toh mere paas nahi...
Jo tumse hai, mere humdum, bhagwaan se bhi woh aas nahi...
Jo tumse hai, mere humdum, bhagwaan se bhi woh aas nahi...
Bhagwaan se bhi woh aas nahi...
Jis din se hue ek duje ke, iss duniya se anjaan hai hum...
Jis din se hue ek duje ke, iss duniya se anjaan hai hum...
Ek dil ke do armaan hai hum...O mere sanam, o mere sanam...
I have offered my body, my mind to you...I possess nothing more...
The hopes that I have from you, my love, even God does not hold such hopes from me...
Since the day we belonged (to each other), we became strangers to this world (unaware of the world around us)
The hopes that I have from you, my love, even God does not hold such hopes from me...
Since the day we belonged (to each other), we became strangers to this world (unaware of the world around us)
Even before Aarti fell in love with Yash and gave him her body, heart, and soul, she respected him. She had revered him, and had thanked him for bringing happiness to her and her son. Even during those days of darkness when he inflicted pain upon himself and left emotional scars on her in the process, Aarti refused to back away from him. When she did, it was for the sake of their children - but inevitably they found their way to each other again...Today, if Aarti is standing in front of Yash, it is because she hopes that he will give her a chance to explain herself. She knows that Yash is a good man, even if he does jump to conclusions and react impulsively at times. After all, it is only human nature to do so...But still, because she knows this, Aarti holds her husband in high regard...She loves him with all her heart and soul, and she will not back away from him until he knows her side of the story.
To Yash, nothing could be more ironic. This woman professes to love him - she says that she has given everything to him...But she did not give him her trust, and that is the most crucial aspect of any relationship. She calls him her beloved, and he turns away and smiles bitterly in response...He trusted her, fell in love with her, and what did she give him in return?
Sunte hai pyaar ki duniya mein do dil mushkil se samaate hai...
Kya gair wahaan, apnon tak ke saaye bhi na aane paate hai...
Kya gair wahaan, apnon tak ke saaye bhi na aane paate hai...
Saaye bhi na aane paate hai...
Humne aakhir kya dekh liya, kya baat hai, kyun hairaan hai hum...?
Humne aakhir kya dekh liya, kya baat hai, kyun hairaan hai hum...?
Ek dil ke do armaan hai hum...O mere sanam, o mere sanam...
We hear that in the realm of true love, it is difficult for two hearts to unite...
What to say of strangers - even the shadows of those beloved to us rarely find a place to be...
What to say of strangers - even the shadows of those beloved to us rarely find a place to be...
Alas, what is it that have I seen, what is it that now distresses our hearts so much...?
(since this is from Yash's perspective, I took this to be "my heart," although both interpretations are reasonable)
Yash takes another sip of his drink as Aarti's eyes remain fixed on him. He begins the next stanza, which is full of cruel irony for him. He had never dreamed that he could ever love another as much as he had loved Arpita, but it happened, sneaking up on him ever so slowly. Just when he was beginning to revel in the feelings of love that his Aartiji had awoken within him, her hidden truths left him shattered. He thought they were at a stage where they could confide in each other without any hesitation after all they had been through, but he was wrong. He thought nobody could come between them, but a twist of fate had revealed that Prashant, whom Yash had regarded as a friend, was in fact Aarti's first husband...Prashant was supposed to be the outsider, the stranger in Yash and Aarti's world - but is he, really? How did this happen, Aartji? Who is Prashant? What does he mean to you? Yash looks back at Aarti, and he notes that she is struggling to keep from losing her composure. He stands and moves toward her again, singing to her, questioning her, using his eyes to point out the irony of the situation they are now in...
I love the way Aarti's discomfort is visible in the way Kratika stands rooted to the spot, taking shallow breaths at times - her expressions can be seen to change slightly even when the camera is focused on Gurmeet, with Kratika visible behind him in the background.
"Humne aakhir kya dekh liya, kya baat hai, kyun hairaan hai hum...? Ek dil ke do armaan hai hum..."
Gurmeet's expressions and Kratika's reaction at the end of this stanza are so wonderful! They still make my breath catch in my throat during this part. Yash advances toward Aarti, his eyes on her (the intensity in his eyes reminded me of a predator approaching his prey...) as she stands there, waiting. As Yash echoes Aarti's words, "Ek dil ke do armaan hai hum...O mere sanam, o mere sanam..." there is a sarcastic tilt to his smile and a hard glint in his eyes. He is mocking her, and she knows it. She can't bring herself to meet his eyes immediately even though she is aware of his gaze burning her until he finally turns away.
Mere apne, apna yeh milan sangam hai yeh Ganga Jamuna ka...
Jo sach hai saamne aaya hai, jo beet gaya ek sapna tha...
Jo sach hai saamne aaya hai, jo beet gaya ek sapna tha...
Jo beet gaya ek sapna tha...
Yeh dharti hai insaanon ki, kuch aur nahi insaan hai hum...
Yeh dharti hai insaanon ki, kuch aur nahi insaan hai hum...
Ek dil ke do armaan hai hum...O mere sanam, o mere sanam...
This union of ours is like the confluence of the sacred Ganga and Yamuna...
The truth of the present has come before us...What has passed was just a dream...
This earth is inhabited by humans, and we are nothing more than humans...
The truth of the present has come before us...What has passed was just a dream...
This earth is inhabited by humans, and we are nothing more than humans...
(similarly, I interpreted "insaan hai hum" here to be "I am nothing more than a human")
Like two rivers that were meant to converge...this bond of theirs is as sacred and as pure. But Yash is in no mood to hear such things when the foundation of their relationship was swept away in one instant - or so he thinks. My favorite part of this stanza, which still takes my breath away because is it so heartbreakingly touching, is the way Kratika's expressions portray Aarti's plea for Yash to listen to her. Prashant was a part of my past, but that seems like a dream now, those feelings are hazy and quickly fading from my heart...Nothing is stronger or more intense than the love I have for you, Yashji.
As they look at each other, Aarti's eyes communicate a plea first, then her face hardens slightly as she tries to convince him that nothing matters more to her than her present, him...And then, finally, she seems to be asking him with her eyes, "Won't you believe me, Yashji...?"
Then...realization, once more, of the reason why Yash is behaving the way he is: her deception, her error of hiding the truth from him, her error of not trusting him. They say that to err is human...and that is what she is. A mere human, who lives and breathes for the happiness of others, who fell into a complicated web of circumstances that forced her to keep silent about the many truths she had to withhold from her husband...And that is what he is, too. A man who lived by principles, in a world defined by perfection until tragedy struck once, then twice, and distanced him from the woman he had put on a pedestal in his mind, in spite of her imperfections...His pain, his anguish, his impulses to hurt the woman he loves so much because she wounded him deeply and he wants her to know that..."Kuch aur nahi, insaan hai hum..."
A single tear escapes from Aarti's eye as she brings the song to its end; she wipes it away, masking the action smoothly and averting her eyes until she is compelled to look up at Yash when they are proclaimed to be a couple that was "made for each other." Hesitantly, she looks at him - that stoic mask is back again, but he is still unhappy. Aarti watches her husband's figure as he walks off once more. "Yashji..." she says, stepping forward out of instinct, wanting to go to him. Should she follow him? He is angry...Her expression hardens, that resilient gleam returns. She should, and she will. She will tell him everything that she should have told him before.
"Yashji! Please, Yashji..."
Aarti rushes out of the party room, calling Yash's name, and reaches out to steady him when he stumbles. And what follows is one of the best moments of this episode for me. Gurmeet and Kratika were spectacular in this final scene, which ended up being a wonderful prologue for the next episode...The reasons why I love this part so much? The same reasons as always when it comes to Gurmeet-Kratika: their expressions, voice modulation, and the ease with which they react to each other. And of course, fabulous direction, too!
Aarti is tired of this...She is thoroughly exhausted, but she is not going to give up yet. When Yash stumbles, she unfailingly supports him, just like she did many times before. Something inside Yash finally snaps, now that they are out of the public eye. Gurmeet's voice modulation is excellent.
"Kamaal karti hai aap, Aartiji..." he begins slowly and softly, with a trace of sarcasm and suppressed frustration. His voice rises and becomes more and more intense with every new phrase..."Na toh aap mujhe girne deti hai, aur na hi sambhalne deti hai...Na hasne deti hai, na muskuraane deti hai, na rone deti hai mujhe! Na jeene deti hai, na marne deti hai - kyun, Aartiji?!"
So much pent-up hurt, frustration, and helplessness, all articulated in a matter of seconds. Beautifully done, Gurmeet! Something that adds to the beauty of this moment is how Kratika's reaction is captured while Gurmeet is delivering his dialogues. Her eyes don't leave his face, she doesn't relinquish her hold on his arm, and every word affects her. By the end of this monologue, Aarti seems visibly shaken, but she is not deterred by Yash's words. If Yash's outburst is intense, it is countered by Aarti's steady voice and soothing words, which hold a quiet intensity of their own. If Yash is hurting inside, so is she...Because she is the cause of this, and seeing him in pain does hurt her. Immensely.
Yash listens to his wife ask for a chance to present her side of the story to him, and he pauses for a brief moment, perhaps fighting the desire to let her speak and put his doubts to rest...He steels himself and refuses her. She didn't want to confide in him before, and now it's too late. Not even a desperate plea with hands folded will make him go back on that decision...
Continuous refusal. Motivated by a rush of frustration and anger, Aarti grabs Yash's arm and addresses him again with more strength in her voice. Everyone who makes a mistake gets a chance to explain why they did so...To explain the circumstances of the situation...
"Please, Yashji. Sunna padega aapko. Nahi toh...nahi toh main jee nahi paaoongi...Mera dum ghootega andar!" Incredible vocal inflection from Kratika! Desperation and strength in Aarti's frantic appeal to reason and fairness, followed by a moment in which it seems like Aarti is truly being suffocated by the burden on her soul, due to Kratika's strangled voice as she says that line. I always love seeing her eyes flash during moments when Aarti (or any of her previous characters, for that matter) is angry or gathers her strength to become resilient again. There are many, many moments like that in this episode, and every one of them is wonderfully executed!
Just when it appears that Yash will give Aarti a chance to speak, he moves forward, rebuffing her yet one more time. "Yashji, please!" Stretching out her hand, willing him to stop, she cries out, more exhausted than ever. Squeezing her eyes shut, as if in pain, she is able to manage a broken, "Please ruk jaiyye...Please meri baat sunn lijiye, Yashji. Please." Yash stops, unable to move at the sound of Aarti's strained voice reaching his ears. With her eyes brimming with tears, Aarti starts to speak...It is difficult for her to tell him, and it is equally difficult for him to listen to her. But he does listen. And even though they both know certain things about these truths that Aarti is revealing now, that doesn't lessen the pain...
One last comment about Gurmeet and Kratika in this final part. No matter how many times I watch this part of the episode, I always end up marveling at how Gurmeet is able to portray an impassive expression with the subtlest hints of sarcasm, exasperation, or torment in his eyes. Every bit of the episode was intense because of the bitterness beneath the calm, pleasant veneer. And I also really like the serious, intent expression he has when Yash is absorbing information and trying to comprehend what Aarti is saying...Then there is Kratika's sniffle (love that moment towards the end) and her tear-brimmed eyes, the manner in which her face contorts as Aarti tries to force herself to say Prashant's name aloud, the way she moves her head ever-so-slightly to the side as if Aarti is silently apologizing for Yash having to find out about things in the way that he did...
And this is only the beginning! I haven't even made it into the New Year yet!
A/N: The first part of the episode can be found here...
{Episode 226} [Part 1] O Mere Sanam, O Mere Sanam...: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/punar-vivah/3370746/episode-226-1-o-mere-sanam-o-mere-sanam
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