My Fair (Un)Gentleman

The Scindhia parivar is getting a big time make-over. Unlike malls and shops that undergo demolition and remodeling under the kind wrap of a blue tarp, so that no one is subjected to the flying shards of wood and glass, the Scindhias do not have the privilege of being closed for business during renovations. Their very expose is the grist for the viewer mill, their entrails, our entertainment.

When the truth of SP's liai-'son' created an unprecedented implosion in the Scindhia household, self-appointed Detectives-Turned-Damage-Control-Patrol (DCP) in the form of Arya took over the difficult task of repatriating the rights of the disowned and the dispossessed. The job is not easy, as the DCP is discovering. It is not just the matter of bringing everyone under the roof of the Scindhia Mansion, a roof that has weathered many a storm from without and within, a roof that has sheltered the changing faces of the characters, including, rather literally, Ramdulare.

Now, with the introduction of the new characters, the Scindhia household is having an autoimmune reaction. It appears to be allergic to itself, and this series of inflammatory reactions of hurt feelings, flying tempers, hurled abuses, and lingering suspicion and resentment is threatening to cause a systemic shutdown. How this auto-immune situation affects some of characters is explored in this essay with the help of symbolism and irony in the last few episodes.

SP: SP's karma appears to have taken a Uturn, and has boomeranged back on him. As Akash said today, SP was the vidhata, the one who wrote his (Akash's) destiny. Ironically, we see the writer of the destiny is having his own creation check-mate him in a Frankenstein-like fashion. The artifact is consuming the architect, making it a perfect loop closure of poetic justice. SP retaliates in the only way that he can --through an attempt to reestablish his authority by imposing deadlines, even while being aware of his authority being held in the hands of others, and feeling defeated by circumstances.

Akash: Seething with rage, resentment, and sarcasm, he seeks to take his place in a family that scorns the likes of his upbringing. Inviting him to a drinking party, the so-called brothers forgot to set out a glass for him, a slight that he did not fail to notice. Wising up from that experiences, he takes a seat at the dinner table on his own terms. His cloak of entitlement compensates for the deep scars of neglect and abandonment, the salient strokes of his autobiographical landscape. The "rustic behavior" he adopts at the dinner table is deliberate --it is an act of calculated and purposeful profanity, designed to defile the values of a family that sanctifies external etiquette over internal worth. For Akash, the battle-ground is clear. It is a class war in which the idealized characters in his view behave in black and white ways. In his mind, the culture of the rich is a veneer that coats their hypocrisy, intolerance, and lack of compassion. The poor, by contrast, may be uncouth in their ways, but are rich at heart, having, literally, nothing to hide. In this sense, Akash deserves to be Yash's brother, because as we have all observed, this black-and-white thinking has been Yash's domain in the past. As Samanalyse said in her take yesterday, the world of the rich simulatenously beckons and disgusts Akash. That is partly the reason for his cultivated "rustic" persona. He is educated; this is clear from the certificates that Arati discovered. Another giveaway is Radha's horror at his behavior, and her frequent, if exasperated, interjections of "Kya mein ne tumhe yahi sikhaya hai?" This clearly shows that Akash does not lack culture or upbringing.

Akash has not yet begun to see the marked contradiction in reviling and rebelling against the very culture to which he yearns to belong. In other words, he is ultimately at war with himself, another manifestation of the auto-immune reaction.

A side note: As viewers, we have to get past our own stereotypes of "chawl culture", or people growing up in poverty. We know that there is enough evidence to the contrary. The same is also true of children of single mothers. True enough, they have a tough lot in life, and miss having a father, but they do not all grow up to have rowdy behavior and anger management issues. Many offspring raised by single parents grow up to be well adjusted people and contributing citizens.

Ishita: Kudos to Anonee for diagnosing Ishita's mental condition as suffering from borderline personality disorder. Indeed all the traits are right there: the altering between idealization and devaluation of people, the total externalizing of all problems on to circumstances other than herself, frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, and extreme lack of self-worth. Ishita has built a shell comprising various coping and defense mechanisms, all of which are designed to seek approval and come out looking "good" under any circumstances. The only exception to this is Akash, from whom she has at least outwardly given up hope of gaining approval. Ironically, because of this, in her own warped way, she is able to be herself with him, without needing to be pretentious or play the victim. The entire seduction scene of her husband was well executed, contrasted by the dressing table mirror, symbolizing that Ishita and Akash mirror each others insecurities, and bring out the worst in each other. Does this portend that they will also mirror each others' strength one day? Perhaps. Meanwhile, however, Ishita is caught in an acceptance war(p) --as long as she is unable to accept herself, her circumstances at least to a degree, she will never get the acceptance she seeks; and as long as she does not get the approval she seeks, she is unable to tap into her own sense of self-contentment.

Arati and Yash: I find it impossible to discuss them separately, which really is a testament to how close they have grown, having successfully faced many challenges together along the way. Still, does this portend a codependent bonding, where the ability for each of them to be a reality check for each other is getting slowly compromised? I hope that is not the case. Both Yash and Arati have adopted Arati's "never say die" and "all will be well" mottos. This itself is not a bad thing, but in their mad rush to band-aid the deluge of emotions threatening to submerge the Scindhia family bonds, are Arya deluding themselves? They need to come to terms with the gravity of the situation, gather allies, set in place a well thought out plan of easing tensions, and an understanding how people are going to react to various contingencies of their plans.

The precap is promising in this sense because the deadline is the very impetus Arya need for planning and executing the upcoming My Fair Lady like track, which will show Yash, and by extension Arati trying to tame Akash and make him Scindhia-scion worthy. As mentioned earlier Akash may well be putting on a big act of not having etiquette. The question is what is it that will tip him to admit this and to change his ways? What reward will Yash promise him for this, and how will this affect Arya? Will Akash change his ways, or will he change the people at SM in the process? There are many things to wait for.
Thank you for reading this post.

AIMF:

Ametz Shobha thank you. Shobha I read your post and enjoyed it very much in DC. Today all the posts are like that. There is synergy, with many people

Meera thanks for your comments in detail. Sp with HIV! You know, you can be quite naughty

Lovevishalini and lian thank you for appreciating the post

Very nice post indeed. By the way whats DC. I too wanted to read it. I am new to the forum so...can anyone explain this?

Usha, Welcome to PV forum. DC is short for Dragon Club where people analyse the episode each day in depth. You can definitely participate.

wow!! you write so well!! enjoyed reading your thoughts!!