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SP is one smart man! On the one hand, I can sense his pain and his guilt but on the other, I see him taking full advantage of his sons' delicate emotional condition to absolve himself of guilt completely and brush his responsibility for this situation under the carpet. In fact, in some ways I believe that the baby-swap news worked in SP's favour in many ways. Had Akash simply been Radha's son, all eyes and fingers would have been pointed at SP immediately. However, in the current situation, Yash's sudden feeling of disenfranchisement from the family and SP's subsequent assurance that he would always hold his old position made SP out to be the hero, who accepted Yash out of a relationship of love and time. But really, if you look at it, it is a practical move.
For SP what is most important is affect and status. Yash carries the affect of a Scindia while Akash does not. It is the same reason why SP came to accept Ansh as Yash's waaris as he himself grew more fond of the little boy. And given SP's level of respect for women, is it really a surprise that it doesn't make a difference to him which mother the child was born of? After all, Yash is his blood and carries all the right markers of a Scindia son. So SP coolly works the whole situation out to his advantage and his sons fall into line seamlessly because they feel that their god hasn't fallen from his pedestal. After all, the mistake he made is so removed and abstract in relation to their lives. For them SP was a kind, fair, god-like patriarch and continues to be so.
There was only one person in the room who saw through SP completely: Gayatri. It was clear from her cold stance that she was not buying any of this, and there was even a hint of amusement on her face at the drama unfolding before her. This is the same Gayatri who was so touched when SP called out to Yash for help on the presentation. One of her greatest prides was how much her sons respected their father and how much SP in turn loved her sons. The truth about his infidelity has removed the rose-tinted glasses she has worn through out her married life, not seeing anything that would make her feel resentment towards the marriage. After all, that is what young girls are taught when they are married, isn't it, to have faith in their husbands, no matter what? And faith is all about believing, even when things look hopeless. The fact that Gayatri's faith has been taken away is a really big deal for her because that is all she has, and I think this is why she was upset with Aarti. And yet, even when she spoke to Aarti, there was no conviction in her words... it was as though she was saying those things because she felt she had to. Without her faith, everything is just going through the motions for Gayatri, the only exception being her interactions with Yash.
Gayatri was so detached and removed from the whole situation until Yash came and called her, "Ma." The same way Yash needs assurance that he is still part of this family, Gayatri needs assurance that Yash is her son. If you think about it, she is in a much more precarious position than SP, Pankaj or Prateek. They all still have a biological relationship with Yash, given that he is SP's biological son and therefore PP's half-brother. She is the only one in the family who bears no biological connection to Yash and so I feel like she was almost too scared to join their emotional moment, afraid of whether she belonged or not. She and Yash needed more time together, like when he was massaging her head, to grow comfortable and assured, but they were brutally cut short by SP's cold, manipulative maneuvers. Once Gayatri is confident that Yash will always be hers, that the result of the exchange 31 years ago does not have to be another exchange, she will be more open to thinking about and accepting Akash. Right now the fear of losing Yash is blinding her to anything else.
I was so touched by where that hand of belonging extended from, Bua! She does have a heart, and it appears that it only rears its head when her family is truly in trouble. She has been the outlier in the family so far, being the only one not involved in a conjugal relationship. I remember she was much more affectionate towards Yash and the girls before the PV, which makes me think that perhaps Bua connects with fellow, broken sufferers and resents those who are happy and complete. That is why today she had nary a word for SP, but all the genuine affection for Gayatri and Yash. I am so, so interested to see how they take her character forward and how they might draw an alliance between her and Aarti, the two Scindias most used to suffering, who can help the stumbling newbies along.
My sympathy for Radha is nearly gone. She didn't even apologise to Akash, and then goes on to say that she would never do anything to hurt Yash. The sentiment is fine, but that was the absolute worst thing to say at that moment, so insensitive! She expects Akash to somehow feel an unshaken loyalty to her for raising him but forgets that while the baby switch happened 31 years ago for her, and since then she has come to see Akash as her own son, for him it just happened and she has wronged him gravely. I personally thought Ishita's words were a lot more comforting to Akash, assuring him that he would get his rights by hook or by crook. Just like Aarti did for Yash, she gave him an aspirational image that would take him out of his immediate pain. I just really can't believe Radha's attitude though. How is it okay for her, in front of Akash, after he knows the truth, to say I want both my sons to have their rights, but if I had to choose one, it would be Yash? Ergh.
Aarti and Yash's silent interaction really bowled me over! There was just so much tension between them, even though neither said a word and they were standing a good two feet apart. It was really as though Yash was confronting his own conscience in Aarti's eyes, the conscience that is lost because he is trying so hard to maintain the external veneer of a Scindia son. I think tomorrow Akash's speech is really going to turn Yash around, just like Ishita's speech was the one that convinced Aarti. He will realise that not only is he trying to buy a lie from Akash, he, and SP, are putting a one crore price on his entire life, all the privileges he has had as a Scindia son, and all that his family means to him. In the face of all that, one crore sounds pretty lame, I should think!
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