Oh Borna, you've crafted another keeper with this one. The episode as a whole was iffy for me in terms of fluidity, but I do understand why. Nevertheless, I adored the Yash-Aarti moments, and those are the scenes that are replaying in my head at the moment, so I'll focus on the first extended sequence they had. Just picking out a couple of the things you wrote that resonated for me. What I continue to love about this original PV cast is how present they allow you to feel because they've had a year to hone their chemistry.
- So amusing how Yash keeps glancing over at Aarti to see if she is listening to him! All the while, Prateek is just like, "What's the need for me to be here? Just tell her! You're looking at her more than you're looking at me, anyway." LOL at Dishank's expressions here, and the way Gurmeet does Yash's characteristic "fallen-face" expression!
The fraternity between Gurmeet and Dishank is always fun to watch and Dishank has been so spot-on with his facial expressions in recent episodes, so I loved his "Why are you telling me this?" face. 😆 For me, it was a little bit of a comical throwback to Yash-Aarti's SR when Prateek and Yash had their talk about the meaning of marriage with Aarti as witness. That conversation between the brothers calmed Aarti and gave a better understanding of the man she married. At that time, Prateek was sort of playing "games", trying to push them together sexually/romantically and he needed a little bit more perspective on Yash's point of view. Oh how times have changed for all three characters, especially Yash and Aarti! This time, both Prateek and Aarti know Yash's intents so well that Prateek is able to stop Yash's "game" in its tracks while Aarti is amused by the whole thing. 😆
- "Bana ke dikhaiyye!" He issues a challenge, she doesn't respond, shifting her attention to the baby again. Irritation. "Aartiji? Aartiji...!" She looks up with an uninterested "What?" expression, ready to give him the cold shoulder and dismiss him for the night due to his comments about those girls (ironically, we know one of them is actually in their house, ugh). But as soon as she bids him a curt "Good night" Yash quickly turns the tables on Aarti and settles his head on her lap. No way he's leaving her after they found their way back to each other after so long. The baby can stay with Aartiji...and so can Aartiji's Yashji. Because they both need her. And she loves them both.
Their banter is such a signature for them now. To anyone who doesn't know Yash and Aarti, they could appear as if they're actually fighting, but just the glint in their eyes gives away the playful undercurrent. For me, it's interesting too how the dialogue can be both rapid-fire and slower within the same conversation. I love the fluidity of this part of the scene when Yash moves as if to leave, but then promptly plants his head in her lap. Nicely played after the fun "don't disturb the baby"-"other girls"-"I'll beat you up" banter. 😆
- Yash's eyes close as he feels Aarti's hand stroking his forehead, like those times many, many months ago...He is at peace now, with her supporting him. That gentle smile of Gurmeet's, which I will forever associate with "Yash" is a nuance of his that I have come to adore so, so much over the past 15 months. It expresses so much of what Yash feels for his Aartiji - that sukoon that he finds in her arms is unlike any other, because she was the one who pulled him out of the darkness many, many times when he couldn't bring himself to move toward the light.
That right there in bold! ❤️ Like you said, it's such a great recall of that night when they were still in angst over Radha and she made him fall asleep with his head in her lap. It's one of the many ways in which we've seen them absorb each other's pain, sadness, happiness. They find peace with each other. This peace is what they were missing over the last month and needed as they grieved over Aayu being stolen from them. They obviously miss their baby and feel the void (not knowing he is right there with them), but being in each other's arms again, after reconnecting in the previous episode, helps to soften the blow just a little. They're able share and absorb each other's sadness. And isn't that how it should be when two people love each other? Such a consistent part of Yash-Aarti's interplay.
- Tickle fight and hair-pulling! Who would have imagined? But then again, this is the PV-style romance, Yash-Aarti's romance, that I have come to love so much because of how unexpected and how ordinary it is. A little moment of lightness has so much sweetness attached to it because of that realistic, spontaneous quality to it.
Fantastically said, Borna. I remember how deliberate the writers have been in showing how Aarti's and Yash's individual "big plans" for each other ended in disaster, with one of them upset or unnerved. They've always been able to connect best when they don't have a plan, running on their mutual cocktail of mischief, flirtation, and intensity. The inherent naturalness of these spontaneous moments is what makes Yash and Aarti who they are. I really liked how he tries to reach back to get her, and how their words overlap each other (really love the overlap). Then, she ends the struggle by pulling his hair, and, after yelping in agony, he sits up slightly, "Why are you pulling my hair?" 🤣 Then the follow-on where he tackles her. I think we've all seen real life couples act similarly at some point or another. The scene is scripted, but it's played as if it's ad-libbed, and that's the beauty of the scene for me -- we get a glimpse of Yash and Aarti being who they are in their own space. Major props to the writers, Director Amit (as I like to call him), Gurmeet and Kratika for making Yash and Aarti seem so relatable and real in moments like these.
- I really love how Gurmeet/Yash and Kratika/Aarti have merged so much by now that it is hard for me to tell whether certain mannerisms are "the actor" or "the character." These two actors have brought so much life to the characters. If the writer is the one who crafts the body and mind, so to speak; if the director is the one who "puts the soul into the character" (as Kratika said), then it is the nuanced actor who brings those aspects together and becomes the heart of the character...
- Yash rests his head on the pillow for a second, shifts position, then grins before getting up to close in on her...And Aarti instinctively knows what Yash is going to do. There are two shots here - and for once, I'm glad that they kept both - the first, which has more of Kratika-Gurmeet's uncontrollable masti than Yash-Aarti (Kratika's smile and "Not my hair! I'm sorry!"); the second, which has more of Yash-Aarti, the "proper take." The final closeup shot of the two of them on the bed merges the two, in a way, and we know that the laughter and vocal responses are definitely "Yash and Aarti," because we have seen them reach this stage in their relationship where they their banter can actually lead to unplanned things like this. (I love the last shot that fades to black, because it reminded me of Yash-Aarti's previous pillow fight in the children's room...full circle, for me, at least.)
So very true on everything you said on that bolded paragraph. I like that you mentioned the "two shots" because Gurmeet and Kratika really seemed to infuse a little bit of their natural masti to the characters here. I'm clueless about acting, but I'd like to think that this blurring/fusion and freedom to play around with the characters comes because both actors understand their characters and they trust each other in a scene, so they can easily draw on their usual masti when the scene requires. It just helps authenticate and ground Aarti and Yash's exchange here. Interestingly, I think I enjoyed this scene much more than the pillow fight. Such a quintessential Yash-Aarti moment. Good stuff.
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