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Jalal-Ruqaiyya
For a moment, I was admiring a pleasant Ruqaiyya enjoying the music and her hukkah...the Ruqlal music in the background and a moderately pleasant Jalal walking in. But it was for only a moment - Because Ruqaiyya is back to her old self and the couple are back to plotting against Jodha...grrr
When discussing about the war, he says 'I do not even plan to raise my sword in the war'
Ruqaiyya asks Jalal if it was because he felt pity for the Ameris.
Jalal elaborates 'Pity...I don't even know what the meaning of that word is!'
He claims that he plans not to lift his own sword, but to USE the Ameris to defeat the Sujanpuris...What could be more suffocating and painful for them? Painful for Jodha?
'If you hate her so much, then why did you wed her in the first place?' Ruqaiyya questions
'It was because I wanted to obtain her...and I did...she is just the token of my pride's victory!' his expression turns sour 'How was I to know that she planned to avenge me by murdering my child...I'll kill her slowly everyday...moment by moment'
He smiles
She smiles
And we Slap our foreheads!
Jalal-Jodha
Jalal was busy discussing his plan of attack on various areas of Sujanpur when Jodha arrives. She looked positively pale - either Paridhi is not well or she is a very good actress!
Anyway, he'd apparently called for her
'Do you know why I called for you?If I was the one who came to meet you every time, you'd think I was under your orders' he informs her
'I have nothing to argue with you...' the lifeless queen states with no expression on her face 'You are playing with my sister's life'
He replies 'I want to give you a good news'
'You? And give me good news? Impossible!' she turns away in agony
'You're shrewd Jodha Begum!' he grins 'My news might sound bitter but its the truth...for some days I plan to release your brothers from house-arrest!'
She looks up at him 'I know that you are doing this only because it serves your purpose'
He is impressed 'Khan Baba always used to remind me that it was better to be surrounded by wise enemies than foolish friends'
'Neither am I your friend...nor am I your enemy...' she declares resolutely
He doesn't bother 'I am sending your brothers to the battlefield to fight the Sujanpuris... Mughals have shed a lot of Hindu blood..now standing back and watching the Hindus slay each other would be entertaining (WOW the CVs are still using such dialogues despite the protests...😲)
She is positively anguished now 'You want to avenge me? Then kill me..burn me...but, why are you compelling my brothers to commit this crime?'
He mocks her 'Don't get so angry Jodha...after all, you haven't heard the entire news...my plan is to have Bhagwant Das murder the very prince your sister was going to wed' he pauses 'I am positive that they must have heard of all this by now and broken off relationships...so your brother should not find this job very difficult' he goes on cruelly 'Now, I'll celebrate my victory and you can mourn the loss of your sister's fiance all alone'
She corrects him 'I am alone since the very day you separated me from Amer...and as for mourning I will have to do so anyway...'
'I love watching you break down like this...so now, do you hate me? Despise me?'
'Hate? I hate myself for having been wedded to you - a man who can celebrate another's sorrow!'
Saying so, she starts walking away
'I didn't order you to leave yet'
'I'll leave anyway, because I don't think we have anything to talk about any more.'
On the other hand, Poor Bharmal is having to advise his sons to protect Jalal...The Ameris are too good and Jalal is currently too evil for his own good!
O-LA-LA-JALAL
Finally one good came of all this - watching Jalal in his silver armour with the breeze ruffling his brown hair😳
Jalal-HB-MA
Jalal comes to say 'Bye bye mommy!' to his mothers...after all, he was setting out to battle Don't know what he plans to do there sab saj-dhajke...seeing how he's said he's not going to even raise his sword!
And sillier Hameeda...she knew what the current crisis between Jalal and Jodha was...yet, she asks Jalal to have his tilak-ceremony done with Jodha...this just turned out to be yet another chance for Jalal to grate on Jodha's nerves!
Anyway, thanks to HB's 'Tathaasthu' we get to see AKDHA scenes - Hate waala scenes hi sahi!
Jodha-Jalal-Ameris
'No one knows what goes on in his mind' Resham reminds a curious MA 'Not even God!' Makes sense...😆 she should have said 'Not even Jalal himself!'
Jalal overhears Jodha-Bharmal's troubled conversation and derives callous pleasure out of it.
He then goes up to Jodha - his intentions quite clear 'I've heard that in your culture, before a war, women pray for their husbands' good-luck by doing the tilak ceremony...now, I'd listened to you when you'd said that you wanted to follow your own traditions...so follow them for my sake...I want you to offer your prayers for my victory!' (he had a point there!)
Jodha didn't seem too shocked - almost like she expected this sort of humiliation from him. With no other go, she follows the Reeti-Rivaases.
She offers him the sword.
She Does the Tilak - Jalal removes his helmet for her - he knew the routine this time😆
Takes his Arthi.
What a contrast this whole scene was in comparison to their previous aarthi.😭
Needless to say, Jalal enjoys the entire spectacle since Jodha's face looked positively 'dead' as she did the entire ritual. One must note - Jalal made no attempt to 'TOUCH' Jodha's hand at any instance here!
(Both actors have executed this scene brilliantly - be it RT's sly grins all through or Jodha's deadpan expressions!)
From her tell-tale balcony, Ruqaiyya can't help but admire how cunning her husband was - after all, Jalal was forcing the Hindu Jodha to venerate a Mughal sword that was going to execute other Hindus! (again CVs...though I totally understand why you've shown this...hopefully it doesn't lead to another set of protests though!)
At the end of it all, he asks her to wish him well and she has no other go but to oblige 'I wish you success in the war' she mutters - not even looking at him
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