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After three episodes of sunshine, today, the CVs gave us a lightning change of mood. In place of the comedy, we found ourselves under the darkening shadow of a thriller as Kakisa took advantage of Bhima's ransom demand to have Paro delivered into the hands of the killers.
The hunt for Mythili took on a serious cast with Kakisa having her hands full with trying to calm a worried Samrat while also trying to find a way out of the stew they were in. So, when the phone rang she managed to persuade Sumer to take the call.
A livid Bhima left Sumer in no doubt that his mistake had been discovered. And wasted no time in letting Sumer know the consequences. He'd better find himself a crematorium, Bhima raged, when the Thakur found out, even Sumer's parents would not remember they'd had a child by that name. He didn't care if it was a mistake, Sumer's sister or sister-in-law, whoever she was, was as good as dead. Just as Sumer would be the moment Bhima spilled the beans to the Thakur.
So, Sumer bargained with the only chip he had. It was equally Bhima's fault. Bhima had made the mistake of not checking the delivery. So Bhima's life was also on the line. If he kept this whole sorry mess from the Thakur then there was a good chance that they could salvage it all before the Thakur found out.
That won him a respite, but only half-an-hour's worth. He would have to deliver Paro to Bhima in that time at a godown halfway between Birpur and Chandangarh. The unspoken threat, tightening like a noose around his neck, Sumer went to enlist Kakisa's help to breathe easy. There was a new deal now, he told her when he could talk. Kakisa couldn't care less. She'd have danced to a bhajan if it meant getting Mythili back. She'd happily sacrifice Paro if it meant Mythili being released and returned to them.
Stumbling in on the end of their conversation, Paro was horrified, her suspicions confirmed. There was something wrong with Jija's disappearance. Paro confronted Kakisa with the results of her eavesdropping.
And Kakisa lunged at the wisp of opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. Under the smokescreen of tears and grief, she cold-bloodedly set her plan into motion. Mythili had been kidnapped. And there had been a demand, perhaps for ransom.
A matter of life and death! Paro could only think of one solution: the Jallad! "Call him...your nephew," she urged Kakisa. "He'll make everything come right." It never occurred to her to question why the man she preferred to think of as the Jallad was the man she would turn to to save a life. The man she would trust to get them out of trouble. That she had no hesitation in thinking that he would agree to save the life. And not just hers. But his sister-in-law's life. No. Paro didn't dwell on her feelings. Her trust in the Jallad went beyond nebulous thought, beyond arguable reason, beyond cold, hard logic to unshakeable faith and a visceral belief.
Realising she couldn't get out of it, Kakisa deployed her cunning. She called Rudra, pulling him out of a crucial meeting. The moment he heard his aunt identify herself, Rudra snapped to attention. His reaction not one of irritation but urgency. "Is Paro okay?" In a house full of relatives and an asthmatic father, it was Paro Rudra first thought of. Her safety his prime concern. Her well-being that surmounted everyone else's. No ill should befall Paro because otherwise...
Rudra could not have for the life of him enumerated what galaxies the 'otherwise' encompassed; how vast the boundaries of the consequences Paro's harm might be; or considered that if anything were to happen to his Paro his own orbit might judder to a halt. No. Rudra could not have articulated beyond his official cover why Paro's well-being was paramount to him. But he said it anyway.
Unfortunately, that one line that hid a wealth of meaning would fall on the wrong ears and remain unheard. Kakisa was too busy slotting in another piece of her plan. With the push of a few buttons she managed to convince Paro that Rudra would not come to Jija's and their rescue. Now Sumer would go with the ransom money and Kakisa would accompany him to see that Mythili had come to no harm, that is, only if Kakisa wasn't more use at home. And so Kakisa drew from Paro the reaction she wanted. Loyal, good-hearted, selfless, brave, foolish Paro agreed to accompany Sumer, in direct contravention of Rudra's Rules.
For a moment, with her foot poised over the threshold, Paro paused to consider Rudra's admonishment to her to never leave the haveli - not under any circumstances. But then she was swept along by a determined Sumer carrying the ransom, she thought, to the SUV. She was not to know that it was she who was the ransom - a ransom heading straight into the jaws of danger.
So tonight came the twist. Tomorrow Paro will come face-to-face with Tejawat's men. Will she be taken? Or will Sumer rescue her right back and bring all three of them back to the haveli? That, of course, is the question on our minds. It's worth considering that after Bhima's open take-no-prisoners approach, Sumer might realise that he wasn't going to get a penny, leave alone six lakhs, out of the Thakur. And that it might be worthwhile hanging on to the golden goose for another deal. On the other hand, if it came to saving his own life or Paro's I think we all know where Sumer's preferences would lie. Plus, he now has a convincing excuse to give Rudra.
As far as Paro is concerned, Mythili's 'kidnapping' will have convinced her that Rudra is right and that her life is in danger. But will she recognise Bhima as Tejawat's man? Or is that something the CVs would like us to conveniently forget, I wonder. If Paro is captured by Bhima, it also serves the purpose of keeping her unaware of Tejawat's and Kakisa's ultimate involvement in this plot. So the faces of the villains remain masked. Sheer curiosity makes me wonder who will bell the cat and break the news to Rudra, and to what extent Rudra will figure out his aunt's/Sumer's involvement in this 'kidnapping'. But all that for tomorrow...
Today, acting was convincing from all cast. Special mention to Sanaya, Ananya and the actor who plays Sumer for making us believe their anxiety, fear, panic and desperation. ๐๐๐ And kudos to the supporting cast for ably essaying their roles. Hats off to the CVs for driving the story forward in this new direction, which has us all intrigued. ๐๐๐
Waiting, bated breath, for tomorrow!!
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