Hello Everybody
I have been a regular visitor to this forum ever since KAA started but never posted before….
After reading the various articles and the members posts, here is my speculation about the story.
Shiv and Ipshita are either in love or Nikhila wants Ipshita to get married to Shiv. But when they match the kundalis it comes to light that Shiv's has a major dosh and his first wife will have an untimely death. So Shiv and Ipshita's wedding is on hold.
The beginning of the story, in my opinion, is actually what it seems. When Mahen picked Shashank as a groom for Gauri, there was no ulterior motive. Shashank was an eligible bachelor and Gauri was his old friend's daughter. Then during the engagement of Shashank and Gauri, Guruji comes across Gauri. He looks at her hand and basically tells her that initially her married life will not be a happy one (mehndi rang chadne mein waqt lagega) and says that he can give more details if he looks at her kundali. He must have subsequently looked at her kundali and she being shown as goddess Durga and all, must have a very strong kundali, a perfect match for Shiv's weak one.
Mahen and Nikhila decide to risk Gauri's life to try and save Shiv's. And from here the manipulation starts. They manipulate Shashank into leaving Gauri at the alter and manipulate Shiv into marrying her. Everybody thinks they are so generous that they got a poor girl married to their son. Shiv does not want to go along with the plan but is dragged into it against his will ( They threaten to disown Palak from the property) and this would explain his behavior towards Gauri initially.
Why do I think Shiv and Ipshita are an item ? Well for one, why would she be living with the Kapoors if she was not a very important person to the family ? She knows Shiv from childhood, so she could be the girl in the picture. Right from the beginning, she is always in the vicinity of Shiv and Gauri, like she was keeping an eye on them. She helped Gauri dress well for Daksh/Shyla's anniversary and also taught her ballroom dancing so Shiv is not embarrassed in front of everybody. She tags along to the honeymoon and is scared to death when Shiv is kidnapped by the dacoits. During the powercut scene, she heard Gauri's feelings for Shiv and the blood drained from her face.
There are a lot of loops to the theory but it is possible, isn't it ?