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Dwelling on the Details: Punar Vivaah {Week 1: Episodes 1-5}
Hello everyone!
I've been so impressed by Punar Vivaah's first week of episodes that I couldn't help but watch them multiple times. Many details became clearer upon multiple viewings of the episodes, but there were many I noticed the first time I watched the episodes that stayed with me...Often the beauty of a well-crafted story lies in its details, so this post is dedicated to those details.
A recurring focus of this post (and any others that come after it, if there are any) is going to be the execution of scenes, particularly the expressions of the actors. There's such a fantastic team of actors bringing the story to the screen, so I won't be able to stop myself from examining their mannerisms, but that doesn't mean that I appreciate the writers, directors, and other people who are part of the Punar Vivaah team any less!
*I've written about only a few of the various scenes/moments that stood out to me here; everyone who has engaged in discussing each episode in the respective posts has covered many of the other scenes that I haven't mentioned here. Thanks for such wonderful insight! đ
Episode 1: February 20, 2012
- "Jija Tu Kaala Main Gori Ghani": What a song for Aarti's introduction! I like that they picked a Haryanavi folk song - it's different from the usual types of songs heard in serials, refreshing and quite fun to listen to! Also, it's interesting that such a song was selected, since it speaks about the physical attributes of "the ideal Indian woman" to some extent, at least what seems to be the stereotypical opinion that has been reinforced by various forms of media. I don't know if the intention was to point out Aarti's physical beauty and vitality and show that such a beautiful woman (despite having the "drawbacks" of being a divorcee and a mother of a child) is still appreciated as long as those "ugly truths" are unknown to some (like Vimla) while others genuinely admire her for who she is - like Yash's family later on, who, although they don't know the truth about her husband, still don't judge her negatively for being a mother and possibly a widow as well.
I think Kratika is a very graceful actress and quite a graceful dancer, too. She infuses her dancing with expression and genuinely looks like she's having a great time. I particularly love when Aarti accidentally hits Vimla with her lehenga and stoops down to apologize. Not only did those expressions go with the music, they were absolutely adorable! SO endearing! And such a sweet smile! Who wouldn't love someone as sweet as Aarti?
- Aarti's theme: Bubbly, cheerful, sweet, and light, like a pari! I love this theme because it's extremely light and quite soothing to the ears. It also reflects Aarti's personality - or at least the more happy times in her life. I like the sargams, too. The sad version of her theme is heartbreakingly beautiful, though.
- Aarti, Ansh, and two-two ice creams: The knowing look on Aarti's face (with a hint of a smile and a sigh) is too cute. The interaction between Aarti and this little boy is instantly entertaining; the way Aarti responds to Ansh's desire for "two-two ice creams" by asking him for "two-two kissie" hints at a deep relationship between the two. The detailing in the dialogues here is very nice: Aarti's casual language ("saare daanth gul ho jaayenge!") and childish phrases lend a natural, spontaneous feel to the entire exchange. I personally love the fact that while Ansh says, "two-two kiss!" Aarti responds with "two-two kissie!" That was just incredibly cute to me. We can see the inherent goodness of Aarti's nature here, as well as her childishness that seems to have been buried beneath the pain of her past and only comes out when she's with Ansh and her mother-in-law.
Episode 2: February 21, 2012
- Yash and Aarti's first collision with fate: The Hindi serial convention of multiple shots is there, but Aarti doesn't turn, only Yash does...and his gaze lingers on the figure of the woman who bumped into him...I find it rather amusing that Aarti chose to dress in the traditional red and gold while the bride herself is hatke in every way! No wonder Yash didn't notice the actual dulhan until everyone else came to escort her!
- The phoolon ki barsaat: Being a wedding planner must be stressful! If this sort of phoolon ki barsaat is a part of the job duties, I have to applaud Yash for being so successful with all the other weddings he's decorated and managed before this one! The bride and groom severely complicate the timing of the petal shower since they just don't give the nakhre a rest...Aarti isn't to blame here, the poor girl keeps waiting (with a hint of mild-mannered impatience) as no progress is made in the one-upmanship, and Yash tries his best to press the button at the right time, so he can't be blamed either. The look on his face as he presses the button is a triumphant one - "Yes! I did it!" - that quickly turns into a "What is SHE doing there?" expression as Aarti stands in the center of the stage awkwardly, with a rather pained, helpless expression and posture that seems to say that she wants the earth to swallow her up at that moment. She clearly doesn't want to be the center of attention, especially after the earlier tamasha...Plus, she's not the bride! *sigh*
But this is destiny's way of saying that the thorns in Aarti's life will be extracted, the wounds will eventually heal, and she will once again be able to smell the sweet fragrance and feel the soothing softness of rose petals in her future...
- Aarti and the Deserter: Haha, I love how Aarti decides to punish that "lafanga-awaara" for being late by publicly punishing him! It's hilarious how she bows her head and plays the part of a "shareef ladki" to perfection when the attention is focused on her, but as soon as the focus shifts, she gives Prashant these little looks that say, "Yep, you're gone now..." and looks on in a satisfied manner. This girl was really something back then! Her alternating stern and playful expressions are so fun to watch, and the way Kratika transitions between each is phenomenal. Such rapid transitions! That playful glint in her eyes and the hint of a smile on her lips after she says "Pakdo!" for example, is one that I would love to see more often after she and Yash are comfortable in their relationship.
- The brilliance of the "umar bhar ki qaid"/"zindagi bhar ki qaid" lines I have spoken about before, I think, so I won't rewrite that here. But the transition from Aarti asking, "Hamesha aap aise mere saath rahoge na?" to Prashant saying, "Nahi reh sakta main tumhaare saath!" indicates that ironically, one of the most beautiful moments of Aarti's life (the proposal), is linked to one of her worst memories (the dissolution of her marriage and Prashant's desertion). That seamless connection between the question and answer as well as that repeated line of Prashant's lends such a grave tone to the memory that it broke my heart to watch the scene the first time, and it hurts no less to watch it any number of times after that. The details of Prashant's untied shoelace and Aarti's trailing dupatta intrigued me, and could be open to many interpretations. I found it interesting and very, very sad that Aarti's concern for Prashant's untied shoelace being a cause of him tripping and falling overwhelmed her to such an extent that she didn't even care or realize that her own dupatta trailing behind her could have been a tripping hazard to her, and therefore, possibly a danger to her and her baby.
- "Galti? Tum isse galti keh rahe ho, Prashant?" How many times has this sort of dialogue been uttered in serials and movies? And yet this scene is different from those countless others. Aarti's quiet manner of questioning Prashant and the increasing intensity in the way she tries holding his attention and tries to get him to reconsider his decision stood out for me. Her desperation is heartbreaking, as is his silence. Aarti is such a selfless being: it seems like she found out about her husband's affair earlier and was willing to forget everything for his sake if he stayed with her, but somehow in all of this, she was made to believe that SHE was the one at fault, and it seems that she came to accept that as the reality. That's why Vimla's words stung her so and kept reverberating in her mind.
- "Tumhaare naseeb mein bhi koi hoga...Tumhe bhi mil jaayega." Yes, and thanks to you, Prashant, Aarti will have to face a thousand obstacles before she finds him and is able to heal from those wounds you've given her.
Episode 3: February 22, 2012
- "...kyunki woh ulajh jaate hai..." After Aarti is jerked out of her memory...Some brilliant, brilliant acting by Kratika here! The way Aarti's smile vanishes in an instant and her throat constricts as tears come to her eyes...She brings her hands up to her face, on the verge of letting the tears spill...But at that precise moment, she seems to realize something - the tears in her eyes form a sheen but they don't spill or even trickle down her cheeks as her eyes dart this way and that while she thinks...perhaps about the futility of crying over something that is long gone? The act of wiping the tears that would have been on her cheeks then becomes a gesture of controlling herself and pulling herself back together, and she tugs at her hair with a vengeance. She defiantly gathers her hair and begins to force it into a bun, but confusion clouds her face as she encounters something in her uljhi hui zulfein: a single red rose petal that has stayed with her stubbornly.
- Yash's theme: I love this theme, too! It's so soothing. Unobtrusive, mild, sweet.
- Yash's soliloquy: Emotional in every respect, and I really sympathize with Yash because he clearly loves Arpita very much. But like Gayatri said, life doesn't stop when someone passes away, and Yash is clinging to Arpita's memories so tightly that he sometimes isn't willing to see his well-wishers' intentions. It's very sweet to see how this tenderness spreads across Yash's face whenever he looks at Payal and Palak, in addition to the slightest hint of sadness when he gazes at Arpita's pictures and talks to them. Beautifully subtle expressions by Gurmeet - and they put me in a dilemma regarding whether or not I like the idea of Yash being "faithful" to his late wife or the idea of Aarti and Yash being soulmates. Ultimately after a few seconds of confusion, the soulmate relationship triumphs (and not just because I'm incredibly fond of Gurmeet-Kratika as a pair) because after this first week of episodes, everything indicates that Yash and Aarti are soulmates that were destined to find each other; their relationship transcends a single lifetime.
- Something I noticed that I will keep an eye on in future episodes was that while Aarti seems to force herself to hold back her tears, like in the scene I mentioned above, Yash just lets his tears flow during his conversation with Arpita. I want to see if that's part of their characterization...If Aarti forces herself to hide her pain beneath a smile and Yash lets his feelings out in private, but remains stoic in front of everyone else.
Episode 4: February 23, 2012
- The Saga of Prateek and the Lady Gundi - Part 1: Both Prateek and Aarti are outspoken people, but Aarti outruns Prateek by a mile when it comes to holding her ground in a verbal argument! No wonder the guy is so impressed and remembers her afterwards! Prateek is so chilled out, and it's rather funnily ironic that he makes himself completely at home in her front yard, situating himself for his Gandhigiri. Of course this is misunderstood by the ever-volatile Aarti aka Lady Gundi, and she gets her weapon (I wonder if Kratika laughed at the prospect of being able to wield a hockey stick as a weapon in Aarti's Jhansi Ki Rani avatar; seriously though, I love that Aarti is so fiery!).
- Of misunderstandings and justice: I think I'll find it forever entertaining that Yash is barely able to get a line of conversation in before Aarti takes off like a bullet, launching into a logical defense...while Yash is left looking at the phone and raising his eyes skyward (time number 1!) before putting the phone to his ear again. Little details I liked: the realization that spreads across Yash's face as Aarti's words sink in; Aarti's acknowledgement of class status as well as her confidence and sense of righteousness; Yash's understanding and sense of justice (and his inaudible sigh as Aarti continues talking and talking - I envision a lot of these expressions becoming regular appearances later on, haha) and Prateek's "Man, that's all he could say?!" expression after the only thing Yash says after Aarti gives him time to speak is, "Aapko kisi ne bataaya nahi...ki aap...kuch zyaada hi bolti hai?" And here begins Prateek's escalating impression of the Lady Gundi...
- I never thought that Shobha and Ansh would team up against Aarti to persuade her to change her outfit, but how cute was that! Aarti's confused expression when Ansh gives his "Badi Mummy" a high-five is priceless.
Episode 5: February 24, 2012
- "I'm sorry!" Aww. I don't know which is more adorable: Aarti's scrunched up, "Oops!" face, or Yash's exasperated eye-rolling face. Both are equally cute and equally awkward. They don't even see each other, but like many have mentioned, that connection is THERE. Yash senses something - he pauses by the door, almost looking in her direction, but he continues on his way.
- The Saga of Prateek and the Lady Gundi - Part 2: Prateek comes to Aarti's rescue, claiming that she's his bhabhi, eliciting an indignant look from the Lady Gundi that thankfully only lasts for two seconds or so since Aarti has the good sense to keep quiet and play along with the lafanga who has come to save her from the ticket collector. Prateek's expression when Aarti curtly interrupts him and thanks him is great, as is the look on his face when he watches Aarti interacting with Ansh. We can see his impression of Aarti rising with every passing second. The guy seems so energetic and carefree, the way he bounds off down the aisle happily!
*I'll finish this up later... 'Kun Faya Kun' is yet to come! I can't possibly neglect it, so...For now, thanks for reading!*
~ Borna
PS - Forgive any punctuation errors...The woes of formatting issues!
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
