DV's Pursuit of Saachi: Some Thoughts - Page 2

Originally posted by: ...Maham...

Interesting viewpoint. So many things make me uncomfortable.. product of watching similar scenes that were handled really badly. You make sense though.. I wish seeing the romance of it all wasn't such a struggle. Spoils the show for me. I do agree about what you said about Sanchi and how at the core of it all DV is still a gentleman. Need to keep reminding myself of that.. 😆

-Maham.

Originally posted by: AreYaar

Fab points, Bubble👍🏼

I'm one of those ppl who initially had reservations about how DV is approaching this and wondered if he's forcing her in the wrong way...but the past two epis have sort of alleviated my doubts on that front...mainly cuz of the points you mentioned...Saachi's reactions say a lot...he may be teasing and flirting with her in a more obvious way now but Saachi isn't exactly repulsed...it's almost a game in that sense...and Saachi doesn't hesitate in trying some rebound moves of her own...like the way she threw the chai on him yesterday and grabbed him by the shoulders to lead him out of the house...you don't do that with someone you're repulsed by.

Saachi is more IRRITATED than anything else as I've said in my previous two threads as well...she's irritated with DV for messing up the everyday sedate balance of her life...his being so outrageous with her FORCES her to think...otherwise she would very easily box up this incident and throw it in the pile of other neglected things in her life as she runs around keeping herself busy in work and family.

While I did feel that DV's challenge came a bit quickly, in the past two epis the way he's gone about it has made me understand it a bit better...the reason why he feels so confident that Saachi isn't aware of her own feelings...


Frankly the fact that generally such behavior is not handled well in the context of Indian TV given the rampant problems in society regarding this too is the reason why we all get a bit of a pause watching it...but to me at this point, DV has not yet crossed any line into abusive behavior...I can list many other shows on Indian TV where everyday cornering is considered romance but I find it distasteful...so far I feel the makers of this show have handled that nuance well...for there is a reason why DV needs to push Saachi a bit on this front...she is a little too complacent in her life and thought process otherwise and will never come out of her shell or view DV in that light unless constantly reminded of it...

He's so far managed to make his point very charmingly without being vulgar about it...

And he READS Saachi's reactions and moves accordingly...like in yesterday's terrace scene, he blocked her way to tease her, Saachi was at first surprised then increasingly more irritated...he grabbed her hands to stop her from leaving but as she got more agitated and threatened to scream, he responded good naturedly and told her to go ahead, it would be good for her lungs...lol...his sheer confidence in the honesty of his feelings shows in moments like this...to quote Saachi, "Jab dil mein chor nahin hai toh kis baat ka darr"?...and then when he sees her REALLY getting upset, THEN he leaves her hand and tells her to calm down...so he's teasing her in a playful manner...

And as you said Saachi still trusts him enough to let him work the case...she hasn't banished him from her life totally...she again and again comments about how she is angry with him for the BEHUDA baat he's said...but she doesn't dismiss him OVERALL as a person...she's angry about WHAT he said...but she still doesn't hate HIM the person...there's a distinction.

Originally posted by: soapbubble

Exactly! The very fact that she's still permitting him to run tame in her house, make up to her grandmothers, file her legal papers, actually condescend to make halwa with him hovering by, and actually touching him in what seemed like a fond manner to throw him out... she realises he's incorrigible...

That last conversation yesterday, where he kept misunderstanding her question about how long it would take... she rephrased her question till there was no ambiguity and he grinned when he said 'Barah din'. It's like a game they're playing.

She knows he's teasing her, baiting her, grabbing her attention in every silly way possible (the trumpet! haha) ... and also hears the undercurrent of earnestness.

Bingo...I got that same sense yesterday too...it's like a game with back and forth...if he's doing all these silly things to gain her attention, she's no less either with the way she responds by throwing tea on him...she thinks he's being silly...but yes at the same time like you said, from time to time she senses the undercurrents of earnestness too.

She appears more flustered by the EARNESTNESS than she is by his flirting actually...and flustered is a keyword here...flustered, not repulsed...

Originally posted by: soapbubble

We've all seen the first phase of DV's Mission Saachi Patao - and while most of us have laughed and delighted in his audacity, there has also been a sense of underlying unease in all our minds. Has he crossed the line there? Oh, Saachi is going to be so mad now. Damn, he's assuming she loves him but he can't force her like this. Shite, he's holding her arm! this is borderline harassment, that too in her own home...

Like many of you, I've thought these things too.

I realised that in these days of rampant rape, stories of ugly harassment and victimisation, I was letting the gender politics of it all affect my mindset, contaminate the romance of it. Instead of seeing THIS individual story, with ITS characters, I was generalising them, commodifying them.

So, I'm going to look at these characters within their particulars. And also look at the story and narration within its own storytelling context. This is a Noona Romance - a love story between an older woman and a younger man. The word noona' is Korean and they seem to have a sub-genre like this. There is an excellent definition up here: https://www.dramabeans.com/2010/06/glossary-noona/

Does DV need to be so aggressive? He does. Because he has many more challenges to face than the average admirer. I said on Ronshaan's thread (https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/kehta-hai-dil-jee-le-zara/3782540/dv-to-force-himself-on-saachi-sorry-its-wrong):

If DV had given Saachi time to think about it, she would have shut him out completely.

If he had been soft and given her her space - she would have gone about thinking that she was right - that DV's feelings were some shameful secret, something that should not be spoken about and kept properly hidden. That he was some adolescent with a crush who had contaminated her pure affection.

The thing is the minute DV realised that she ran from him, he realised that she feels something too. If she had laughed or looked at him with pity, it would have been different but she got so scared! That gave him hope.

And he's now grabbing the tiger by the tail. Telling her yes, this is how it is - deal with it. Plus, he's going one step further and saying you love me too, but you don't know it.

Giving Saachi time and space is totally the wrong thing to to, strategy wise. She would just firm up her position and defences. Taking her by surprise is the better move. AND more fun.

By being so forward DV (and the creative team) is levelling the ground. The very first time they met, DV had laughed at Saachi. His whole attitude to her was teasing: oh, so serious!'

He is still doing that, albeit in a sexual way. The problem is that with all that she has had to do, Saachi has grown a little fuddy-duddy. She mothers everyone, pushes back their hair, caresses their faces... and she EVEN tucked him into bed, for gosh's sake!! She doesn't think of herself as a sexual person. And till DV forced her to look at another viewpoint, she didn't actively consider him as a man either. DV needs to break this pattern - at least in interactions with himself.

DV doesn't want a respectful, milk-and-water relationship with Saachi. He wants a full blooded, passionate, intimate affair and marriage. He senses the passion in her, he knows her for an equal, loving partner - but it's also his job to dig her out. His aggressive pursuit of her achieves many things:

1) Saachi sees him as an equal

2) Saachi sees him as a man who loves, wants her and starts to question herself about her feelings

3) She lightens up! Instead of seeing his feelings for her as a sin, she has already begun to see him as a persistent aashiq and a mere nuisance.

4) She's feeling good about herself, flattered in spite of herself.

5) He's ruffling her feathers, making her unsure every moment he's around. He's backfooting her... for the first time, Saachi is no longer sure or in command of the situation between them.

However, there is a backdrop to all this. Saachi knows that DV has enormous respect for her in every sphere of her life. He is helping her keep her farm, battling on her side. He respects her feelings, her family, her every endeavour. Saachi KNOWS 100% that, at the core, DV is a gentleman and a thoroughly decent guy. She trusts him completely, even now.

Let's take our cue from Saachi. Is she reacting to him as if he's a cheap, advantage-taker? Is she shrinking from him? Has she even hinted that he's not her lawyer anymore? No. She's rolling her eyes, glaring at him with her arms akimbo, and even pushing him out BY THE SHOULDERS. Had she really been scared or distressed, she wouldn't have cared about letting everyone else know - she would have brought the roof down.

He's behaving a little predatory around her and yes, she's wary - but she's not behaving like she feels seriously harassed or victimised. One big scold and she knows he'll back off. She knows very well that he's only teasing.

Societal rules are ok, but frankly, they change with times. Man-woman relationships are more eternal. Personally, I'd like to feel safe with a man I like, but safe FROM him? Nah.

Please post your views!

Bubble