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Today we met all of Rudra's relatives, who turned out to be a mixed bunch tending heavily towards the rotten.
First, we met the most rotten apple in the barrel, Rudra's father. A father who couldn't stop telling Rudra to be grateful for his upbringing; for his diet of burnt potatoes and bread washed down with poison!! With a father as toxic as that it's a wonder that every scrap of goodness hasn't been scorched out of Rudra. The barbs the man shot at Rudra would have felled a rhino: "Rudra dev has deigned to return and remember his old, disabled father."
That was positively benign compared to what followed: "Tell me did you find your mother? Was she sitting there waiting for you? Did she welcome you with an aarti? You were so sure weren't you that she'd be there!" Breathtakingly cruel and malicious. It beggars belief that Rudra has been brought up with taunts as corrosive as these for 15-odd years!
Yet no reaction from Rudra for the most part - just resignation. Until the final taunt, and then Rudra clenched his jaw, hauled his father up and broke the bad news: he was taking him 'home'. 'Ranawat' dug his heels in, absolutely refusing to comply. But Rudra gave him no choice: "Neither am I as bad as you think, nor you so good that I request you to come along. You've accompanied me in every posting and you'll accompany me home." And so saying, he carted his father off to the haveli.
There, we met Sumer, relatively less eaten by rot, but emanating a sickly-sweet smell that was as unmistakeable as it was potent. Fists-for-brain Sumer stormed in all set to pulverise Rudra. In the Major's absence, he started pounding the lock and had his face (almost) pulped by an enraged Rudra, head cracked against the fountain, and was soundly slapped by Kaka for his efforts. And to add insult to injury, the lock was replaced faster than it took to break.
Then came the relatively normal apple, Samrat, the son more inclined to flex his mental muscles. Interested in business, profits and property and not brawling, and paired with a good apple, he seemed above reproach. Yet, an apple cannot fall far from the tree can it? Especially with an apple tree like Kakisa.
After having her pride and joy (literally) throttled, this worm-ridden apple-tree called for strategic retreat, abandoning direct warfare for her speciality - guerrilla warfare. Kakisa struck both men with one stone - the runaway spouse/mother boulder.
Re-acquaintance accomplished, Rudra escorted his father in to their new quarters and there received a shock to the system: Apple blossom (to be) was nowhere in sight. Surely, Paro hadn't escaped! Rudra's eyes free-wheeled in panic across the room, but he couldn't find her.
It was his father who pointed her out to him. And Rudra, anxious eyes following the line of furniture piled precariously one on top of the other, saw her perched atop a cupboard tucked away in the corner of the room. Relief giving way to anger, he strode up to her and asked her why she was sitting there.
"M..Mouse!" Paro invented. There was no way she could tell him that she'd been frightened there by the sounds of forced entry. Frightened just as she'd been smiling (after a lifetime it seemed) at the trick mirror, which reflected so many images of herself. So pretty that she had to smile...until she realised that it was Paro-the-bride reflected there...no, no,...Paro the widow...And with that realisation had come the loud thuds on the door.
"Come down!" Rudra ordered. And tentatively, Paro started her descent holding on to furniture so insecure that even Rudra's father was moved to put out a hand. Rudra could do better. So he jumped onto a chair and reached for her. But Paro declined his offer of help. She would manage. At that, he grabbed her elbow and pulled her down. She clutched his shoulders to steady herself as he stepped down from the chair. And just when they'd reached the safety of the floor, they staggered. In reflex, he drew her in tight to him. That's when the ground moved beneath their feet.
That's why her eyes opened wide to his, and her lips parted on a breath. That's why his eyes narrowed down at her, fierce, unblinking.
Lots of fireworks in today's episode, as confrontation followed confrontation. So we saw physical rough-and-tumble between Rudra and Sumer, emotional fireworks between Rudra and his father, more emotion between Rudra's father and Kaka, snide taunts from Kaki, and finally altogether different fireworks between PaRud.
👏👏👏 to the CVs for some memorable lines throughout. They were having some fun too. 😃 I can't decide which is my favourite between Rudra's dad's: "You never invited me to your wedding!" and Paro's "mouse" (for Sumer). And thank you CVs and crew for the sweet moment at the end.
Acting remained strong throughout. Ashish was perfection again and we saw a series of definable and undefinable emotions flitting through his very expressive eyes. 👏👏👏 Biig thanks to the director for zooming in on his molten eyes in the moment before he decks Sumer, and the heated gaze in the last scene.
The actor who played Rudra's father was convincing as the nasty drunk, worth no pity whatsoever. Yet the scene where he scolds his brother and when he sees Paro were heart-warming, and added layers to the character.
Of the rest of the new family, Sumer was played a little OTT nasty and dumb, where Samrat is nice and colourless for the moment. Kaka was overly sweet too, but I suppose it helps balance the overall bitterness, to which the actress playing Kaki competently adds shovelsful.
Sanaya in her brief appearances today was amazing, lifting the entire mood of the episode. Which leaves me rewinding to the one PaRud scene today while I wait for tomorrow's feeding session.😆
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