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Dwelling on the Details: Do Pal Ruka Khwaabon Ka Kaaravaan...
{Episode 246}
January 30th, 2013: "Do pal ki thi yeh dilon ki daastaan...Aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan...?"
Song: Do Pal
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Sonu Nigam
Film: Veer-Zaara (2004)
Impending separation looms large on the horizon, threatening to tear a family apart...threatening to pull apart the two people who vowed to marry each other only for the happiness of their respective children and families but then ended up creating a beautiful little universe of their own, nourishing their children with positive values and love...Love that is boundless, that flows between the children and their parents in an endless stream.
Heavy Hearts and Reluctant Steps
Yash makes several things very clear to his family after telling them that he and Aarti have signed the divorce papers. One, no one can ever take Aarti's place. Two, if they are separating from each other now, it is only because of the kidnapper's condition regarding Ansh's return.Three, Palak and Payal will never be able to forget their mother...and neither will he.
- Echoing similar statements that he said in relation to Arpita during the early days of his remarriage with Aarti, Yash adds additional weight to the "no one can take my wife's place" statement with resounding clarity, emphatically telling everyone that this is not affecting only him. This is not only about his grief, his loss, his separation from the woman he loves. The two girls, who were initially reluctant to accept a "sauteli mummy" in place of their deceased biological mother who was adored by all, warmed up to "Aarti mummy" and now cannot bear to see their mother in pain, just like she cannot live without any of her children. This void that will potentially be created by the "simple task" of going through with this divorce will not be filled easily - perhaps it will not be filled at all. It doesn't matter if the girl is unmarried and unburdened by any past baggage...Not all women are as loving and as respectful as Aarti is. Not all women are filled to the brim with the love and mamta that Aarti has, as her Dadiya Saas proclaimed many months ago when the marriage took place. Yash knows this. So does Gayatri.
"Agar woh ladki...raazi hai, toh...kal hi shaadi kar loonga."
- Gayatri is baffled by Maya's enthusiasm about this new girl - how inconsiderate can Maya be, saying such things, completely oblivious to Yash's tone of voice and the look on his face?
- Yash cuts off his aunt's babblings. He struggles to speak, words forming haltingly, and he has to all but force them out of his mouth. The idea of a remarriage had been unpalatable to him...but separating from Aarti now...? That too, to marry another woman, when his heart and soul reside with the woman who brought him out of the darkness of despair after Arpita's death...Inconceivable. Impossible. But this is where they stand now. At a juncture that none of them could have ever anticipated.
Yash has said his bit. He has announced that he will marry again, if need be. His body language and subsequent silence speak for him, loud and clear. Expect no emotional attachment from me, because the woman I love is also the one whom my children accept as their mother. He leaves Bua and Gayatri, walking briskly, perhaps to get away from them and return to Aarti and the rest of his family upstairs, but he stops short, in front of the very woman he had just spoken up for.
- Aarti's eyes are downcast when he reaches her; he gazes at her until she raises her head and meets his eyes for a long moment...Their world has stopped again...Maybe if they can stay like this, it won't shatter...But reality is harsh, so harsh.
- A helpless, broken-hearted mother watches as her son reluctantly tears his eyes away from the woman who is his lifeline...Yash's steps grow heavy - it's almost as if he cannot bring himself to walk past Aarti. But he has to do so even though he does not want to, and so he moves on, looking very much like a man whose life is being drained out of him with every passing second.
- Interesting nuance. As Gurmeet walks away slowly, which I thought was a fantastic way to convey just how affected Yash is by all this, Kratika's arm moves back as she turns her head toward him after he leaves. I was quite intrigued by this. I wonder if she was trying to touch his hand or something of the sort...Hmm. We'll never know. [EDIT Jan 31, '13: Aah, they did brush hands and relinquish contact reluctantly! It was shown in the promo about the divorce papers! Thanks for the captures, Jac!] I love how both Gurmeet and Kratika slow down their movements after that, coming out of that moment of temporary immobility.
"Tum The Mile, Ya Mili Thi Manzilein...?"
The Do Pal sequence is another shining example of poetry in motion, with those trademark communicative silences conveying so much heartache...It is bittersweet and devastating, but extremely beautiful and incredibly poignant in its portrayal of the depth of the love that Yash and Aarti feel for each other.
The entire team of Punar Vivaah needs to take a bow for conceptualizing and executing this portion of the episode, because I love it. I love the monologue in little scene before the song, I love the background music, I love the cinematography, I love the direction...And yes, I love the song choice.
Kratika and Gurmeet's partnership in this show just keeps leaving me in awe of them day after day. They surpassed their own high standards once more, to set an even higher bar for upcoming performances. How they do this together with such consistency is beyond my understanding. "Beautiful" and "brilliant" are words that fall woefully short of their sparkling performances and impressive emotive abilities, but I will continue to use them because there's not much else I can do after having praised them to the skies for always bringing the PV team's story to life from paper.
Aarti runs outside, where Yash is sitting on the wooden bench that had been his and Arpita's bench while she had still been alive. He probably had a feeling that she would follow him...As she stands there, watching him with tears trailing down her cheeks, he looks up at her, and they read each other's eyes for a moment before he extends his hand to her, gazing at her steadily.
She takes his hand, and as his thumb secures itself around her fingers, she can't hold in her emotions any longer. Aarti half-sits, half-collapses onto the bench, nestling as close as she can against Yash. Her head rests on his shoulder and she clings to his arm, unable to keep her hands still for very long, almost as if she is in desperate need of the support, solace, and warmth that his presence provides. Yash's pain manifests itself in his body language - his eyes squeeze shut as he rests his head on Aarti's and cherishes her presence next to him; he swallows painfully as he takes in her words...I never thought that we would be faced with this juncture. I never thought that our lives would take such a turn...
Do pal ruka khwaabon ka kaaravaan...aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan?
Do pal ki thi yeh dilon ki daastaan...aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan?
Aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan...?
The caravan of dreams stopped for only a few moments...and then where did you go, and where did I?
This story of hearts lasted only for a few moments...and then where did you go, and where did I?
And then where did you go, and where did I...?
As Aarti continues to cry onto his shoulder, Yash places his hand over hers, in a gesture of supportive understanding. They pull apart slowly as Yash brings his hands up to both sides of Aarti's face, cupping it lightly...He shakes his head gently...Don't cry, Aartiji...His thumbs brush her tears away and he blinks a genuine message...Please, don't cry...
She brings a hand up, running her fingers along his wrist before wrapping her hand around his. Soon the other one follows - she moves his hand away from her face, and his free hand leaves her cheek to cover their joined hands as she continues looking at him. How can you tell me not to cry, Yashji? How can I not cry...?
Tum the ke thi koi ujali kiran? Tum the ya koi kali muskaayi thi?
Tum the ya sapnon ka tha saawan? Tum the ke khushiyon ki ghataa chhayi thi?
Tum the ke tha koi phool khila?
Tum the ya mila tha mujhe naya jahaan?
Was that you, or was it a ray of bright light? Was that you, or did a flower bud smile?
Was that you, or was it a rain of dreams? Was that you, or did clouds of happiness spread and pass by overhead?
Was that you, or did a flower bloom?
Was that you, or did I find an entirely new world?
Gently, Yash separates her hands from his as she watches, more tears springing to her eyes. He cannot bring himself to look at her then...But he cannot bring himself to look away from her for much longer, and his eyes come to rest on her face again. Her eyes, which were always lit with happiness or determination during difficult times, are now covered with tears that continue to spill. That bright light in her eyes is dimming, the smile that would blossom on her lips because of small pleasures, because of the children, because of him and their family, has already faded from her face...When he had come to love that brightness of hers, he doesn't know. But she has always been that ray of light, that flower bud that slowly opened up again, blooming in the face of adversity, and gradually began to smile at him, with him...for him...
Looking back from this point in their lives, this journey seems like a dream...A beautiful rain of dreams, those moments they shared. Happiness took its time to arrive, like rainclouds after a drought, and it seems to be leaving so quickly now. The sky is cloudless. Only the sun shines down on them, but they are far from happy now.
Yash starts to rise and walk away from the bench. Aarti reaches out and catches hold of his hand, not moving at all from her seated position. She doesn't even have to look at him to know that he is still close enough for her to be able to reach back and grab his hand.
- So beautifully shot! The camera angle catches the sunlight, the figures, and most importantly, their outstretched arms, joined together. Such a smooth motion, too, the way Kratika reaches back and clasps Gurmeet's hand.
- As soon as Aarti's fingers touch Yash's, her face crumples as a new wave of tears threatens to spill from her eyes. I love how Kratika's mouth quivers, as if Aarti is trying so hard not to cry out or start sobbing again...
Yash stops, because Aarti stops him. Her grip on his hand is all that is needed for him to turn towards her again. She is not looking at him, because she knows that she won't be able to hold her tears back, but she doesn't want to let him go. How can she, when he is her entire world now? He is the father of her children, the man who married her, became her husband, and gave her a new life, a new world...
- I really, really love the way Gurmeet turns to look back at Kratika here. His gaze drifts downward, then moves to their hands very quickly, and then goes directly to her face, where it lingers, because Yash is unable to see Aarti affected like this. He just can't walk away from her, no matter how hard he tries...especially when her heart is crying out to him.
- And it is so fascinating watching how Kratika's responsive gaze contrasts with Gurmeet's here. Aarti cannot hold back her pain, so she struggles to breathe in between the sobs, taking in air that almost looks like it burns her throat, in a way...Her eyes travel along her outstretched arm to their hands, and then up his arm...when her eyes finally come to rest properly on his face, it looks like it is even harder for her to breathe, so overwhelming are the emotions.
Do pal ruka khwaabon ka kaaravaan...aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan?
Do pal ki thi yeh dilon ki daastaan...aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan?
Aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan...?
Except for the slight turn of his feet, Yash makes no further move to rejoin Aarti, so she rises and moves over to him, not breaking the physical contact of their hands as she does so. In their familiar, trademark stance, with Yash's hands on Aarti's shoulders, they look into each other's eyes before he wraps his arms around her, enclosing her in a protective hug.
- The cinematography here is interesting. Another shot from below, showing how Yash-Aarti's bodies come together, merging into a single figure that blocks out the sunlight that had been shining between them...I immediately thought of "eclipsed happiness" and of how Aarti repeatedly made references to how Prashant's presence in her life was like an eclipse...Her family's happiness has been eclipsed by these terrible events...and it appears that her relationships are being affected still...
Tum the ya khushboo hawaaon mein thi? Tum the ya rang saari dishaaon mein the?
Tum the ya roshni raahon mein thi? Tum the ya geet goonje fizaaon mein the?
Tum the mile ya mili thi manzilein?
Tum the ke tha jaadoo bhara koi samaa?
Was that you, or was there a fragrance on the breeze? Was that you, or was there a burst of colors in all directions?
Was that you, or was there light along the road? Was that you, or was there a song resounding through the atmosphere?
Did I find you, or did I find my destination?
Was that you, or was that a time filled with magic?
He takes in her fragrance, feels the softness of her hair...The colors that she had brought with her into the bleak and colorless life he had been leading before their punar vivaah...the winds that had caused her orange dupatta to accidentally cover his car windshield with a burst of color so many months ago now have come back again; whenever they do, they carry her sweet fragrance, the one he always inhales whenever he is close enough to feel her hair...
With her head resting beneath Yash's cheek, Aarti's sobs subside gradually as she takes in the sound of his heartbeats, a steady beat that is the foundation of her own life's song - and their love song, as well. She calms slowly, in the soothing security of his embrace. After all, Yashji is her guiding light, the same way she is for him. His presence makes her feel safe as well as loved. He holds her until he senses her breathing even out, and then he begins distancing himself from her, pulling back just enough to look at her for a while...
It is so natural for them to stand like this - his hands around her shoulders, her hands on his chest - together, complete, at their destination: in each other's arms. He had always been destined to find her...and he won't leave her...not if he can help it. He will do everything in his power to keep their family united, even if that means taking a few steps away from his beloved Aartiji so that their world can be truly complete again soon.
Aarti regards Yash with an expression of mild curiosity when he begins to increase the distance between them. Reality sets back in slowly. Those days of happiness, when magic was around them, are all but gone, aren't they? Now that this is happening...? He is pulling away, he is no longer hers...and her world is crumbling into dust now that her children and husband are no longer her own. She watches as her Yashji reluctantly turns away from her and begins to walk back to the house. She is cold, now that his arms are not around her; tears begin to force their way out again, now that he is not reassuring her with his eyes that they will be all right...
Yash wipes tears from his eyes as he takes determined strides away from his beloved Aartiji. He knows how much this is hurting her - and how much her misery is hurting him - but for their son's sake, he must take these steps. Every step he takes affects her - it is suddenly so hard to breathe, so hard to breathe without him...Bereft of all support and warmth, Aarti collapses to the ground, her legs folding beneath her as she holds onto the wooden bench where they had sat only minutes before. Her hand instinctively shifts to her stomach, protecting her little one, Yash's fourth child, as she weeps uncontrollably now...Why, God, did you bring us together, only to wrench us apart like this? This can't be how it ends...? And it is not...They took a mutual decision to separate voluntarily, for a reason...But the pain still stings...
Do pal ruka khwaabon ka kaaravaan...aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan?
Do pal ki thi yeh dilon ki daastaan...aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan?
Aur phir chal diye tum kahan, hum kahan...?
Cricket
Kundali Bhagya
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Anupamaa
