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On Friday night, the CVs used the haldi ceremony to turn the spotlight on Rudra's transforming relationships - an eight-year-old relationship of convenience with Laila and a very inconvenient new relationship with Paro that was barely eight-weeks-old.
It was a brisk and business-like Rudra, who strode into the courtyard for his haldi ceremony, rolling up the sleeves of his white kurta. His feet stilling at the sight of Paro, a beam of sunshine that not even the flimsy screen put there, Sunehri giggled, for the express purpose of preventing the bride and groom from seeing one another, could dull. So he kept his eyes resolutely averted from the screen and from all the brightness beyond while he waited for Sunehri to finish her tasks. And found his sleeve snagged on an exposed nail protruding from the partition.
He was trying to work the cloth loose, when help arrived from unexpected quarters. "Careful," Paro cautioned, "the screen will tear." He was still staring at her when she reached out a hand from the other side of that frail divide to join his fingers on the stubborn cuff. Perhaps it was the surprise of her offering to help at all, or her refusal to be denied, or something that he saw in her eyes - but after a moment, he let his fingers fall away; allowed Paro to help him.
But conversely, freedom receded further. Because now they were tangled up in invisible ties, bonds strong enough to bridge all divides, to cross the border. Connections clear enough for a heart-to-heart exchange; for an honest conversation of truthful answers and unguarded questions. One so compelling that it took the raucous rat-a-tat of the drums to break them free of the spell. It took Paro a fraction of a second to unsnarl Rudra, and herself, so the haldi ceremony could start.
The ravelling would come just a little later at the hands of Laila. There was no way that Rudra's companion, or so she thought herself, was going let her lover of eight years ditch her for some spring chicken he'd barely known for eight weeks. And in her hands Laila held the solution to the thorn in her flesh - a bowl of haldi sprinkled with chemicals that would leach the colour and beauty off Rudra's fiancee.
It was ridiculously easy to get past the defence. She just had to wave her special powers in bidding good or bad fortune for the marriage in their faces, and they were more than happy to let her apply haldi on Parvati. So, she took a generous glob of the poison-paste and slathered it on the girl. On just about every exposed bit of skin she could see - her cheeks, neck, chest and arms.
"I think I know you," the girl's puzzled tones drew a venomous response. "Isn't that brilliant! Along with looks, the bride also has a great memory!" And if she had such a great memory, Laila breathed, as she leaned over Paro's shoulder to paint her back yellow, how had she forgotten Laila's advice? How had she chosen that animal?
Laila had barely made it to the verandah, when she found her arm grasped by Rudra, who wouldn't buy her explanation that she'd come to wish him well - he didn't trust her. That was rich! He was the one getting married without a word to her, and he doubted her loyalty! She didn't give a hang for his loyalty! But Rudra's eyes were already narrowing on the bowl in her hands and before she could prevent it, he reached out to touch it. "Rudra, don't touch the turmeric! Have you got it on your hand?" In her alarm, Laila dropped the bowl and the turmeric on the floor. Then snatched his hand to examine it.
And Rudra, looking from the yellow mess on the floor to Paro extravagantly painted with the same hue, felt fear burgeon. A fear that made him fly to Paro, grab her by the hand and drag her out to the courtyard. And which, still deaf to her protests, made him throw a bucket of water over her head.
And when that wasn't enough, he grabbed the hose and disregarding her gasps and struggles, held it over her head. "Hold still!" he yelled, exasperated, when she renewed her struggles, shoving against him so that he was soaked too. But Paro was nothing if not feisty. Alternatively trying to push him and hold him away by the collar.
So he lifted her bodily to the wall, wedged the hose overhead like a shower, and tried to grab her hands. But she broke free. "Let go! Don't touch me. I'll give my life if you do!" She was drenched, but her eyes shot sparks at him. "In any case you are not going to survive. The haldi was poisoned," he threw at her. Then pinned her wrists on either side of her head to the wall. But she didn't trust him. And calling on unknown reserves of strength flung him away from her. And Rudra stayed put, helpless, unable to disregard her, unable to help her. But then in the space of a few harsh breaths, her expression changed. Her eyes veered sharply to her shoulder and her hand followed. She was in discomfort. Rudra drew near but would not touch. "What happened?" His voice was anxious. Her eyes swung to him. "Is it burning?" Her head bobbed frantically and Rudra had all the permission he needed.
Together they washed the haldi off one arm. And then she let Rudra take over. Let him scrub it off her other arm. And then start on her face as though she were a child or his charge. Rudra cupped her cheek in one palm while he stroked the paste off. His head canted at an angle as he pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear and wiped the haldi off the lower half of her face with the base of his thumb. Then worked it out of the corners of her mouth. His thumb stroking the haldi off her lower lip brought her eyes up to his. But he was intent on his work. So she looked away although her breath speeded up. at the next scrape of his thumb on her lower lip, Paro's eyes rose to his face, and she swallowed. And then his thumb licked to a stand-still against the line of her lip. His big body stilled. After a moment his head came up. But the thumb stayed in place by her mouth. His eyes held hers for a moment. His breath keeping pace with hers. Then Paro dropped her eyes.
Face taut, he turned her away to wash the poison paste off her back. It was the sight of her lover inscribing wet circles on another woman's bare back that sent Laila over the edge. She opened up her dagger, shoved the unwary Rudra out of the way and raised her arm to bring the blade down in a savage arc over Paro. "Rudra!" Paro's cry was unnecessary. Rudra had stepped in between her and Laila, his hand catching Laila's knife-wielding arm in an iron grip, and using it to fling her away from Paro.
Laila fell against a bucket and cut her forehead. But the blood on Laila's forehead did not move Rudra into staunching it, as he had for Paro. Laila's shocked observation that he had shoved her for Paro; spilled her blood even, drew no sympathy. Just a fierce admonishment: "How many times have I told you to stay away from her? ...Go from here!" There was more than fury in Laila's voice as she asked to be introduced properly to his wife, and not just by name. "Tell her that she may be going to be your other half but I am the one with whom you..."
"Enough!" Rudra slapped her down. She would mind her manners and decorum before Paro. It took Laila a moment to register the blow. Then, eyes flashing fire, she went on the warpath. "No! Today there will be neither veil nor decorum. Before you forge new bonds, you should reveal the secrets of your old relationships, Rudra." And deaf to his warning she asked of him, "First tell me why you asked me to behave decorously before her. Tell me! You were an animal. How did you suddenly become human today? And you," she advanced on Paro. But Rudra had stepped before her.
There was bitterness in the twist of her lips as she fought this Rudra. "What is this? Now you won't let me meet her eyes? What did you think? That I will cast the evil eye on your wife? No, no. Today, even you are not meeting my eyes." And how had he forgotten the eight years in which he had given only her the permission to look into his eyes and laid bare his wounds to her gaze. Voice rising with fury she repeated her request. Rudra must tell Paro, that if Paro was his wife to be, then she, Laila, was the one with whom..."
"Enough!" Rudra cut her short, eyes fierce under lowered brows. Then whipped down a length of green cloth from where it fluttered beside him and draped it gently around Paro's shoulders. And making sure she was respectable, he grabbed her hand and led her to the door with the admonishment to go to Sunehri's room and stay there.
Then he returned to deal with Laila. A Laila who's cup of loss had run over. Her eyes seething with emotion she spat at him: "Here the eight-year one and there the eight-week one. And you saved the eight-week one from the eight-year one!" She grabbed his collar. "Why?"
Rudra was beyond fed up. "How many times have I told you..."
But Laila's anguish was edged with desperation. "It makes no difference to me. No difference. The only truth is what is before me. And I can't bear this. Won't take this." In a last-ditch effort she launched herself at him holding him still by his collars to plead: "Tell me - I'm beautiful, smart, I can keep you happy. Then why have you left me for her." And now there was heart-break in her words. "Look don't reject my love like this. Not like this."
It took Rudra a moment. But he finally heard her. She had fallen in love with him. Was she mad? How had love cropped up between them suddenly? She knew he didn't believe in love. He'd never told her he loved her.
"Do you ask the sun to rise?" Laila's eyes might have been moist, but the fire hadn't dampened for all that. "No it rises on its own. The same way love for you has grown in my heart. Now I have no control over it."
At that, Rudra lost his temper. "What's happened to you? Have you gone crazy?" He caught her shoulder the better to shake some sense into her. He'd never given her any hope of togetherness with him. He'd left her in Jaipur. She'd followed him to Chandangarh. Made this her base. She knew he didn't believe in love. Hated love.
And Laila, who had died a little with each word he'd fired at her, snapped. Her eyes blazing with the death of her dreams she shot back at him. "Lie! Don't believe in love? You hate love, don't you? Then what is there between both of you?
The CVs gave us some very interesting moments in Friday's episode (apart from the haldi wash-off scene 😆) that highlighted the changing dynamics between PaRud and Rudra-Laila. One that caught my eye was Paro going to help Rudra free himself from the nail. That was a huge step from her side. So Rudra applying balm on Paro's hands after Mehendi and his gentler approach seems to have reduced the hostilities between them to some extent. Enough at least to make Paro want to help him, even if she won't sign the papers. Maybe it was guilt, or the need to return his favour because she's never wanted to be indebted to him. If Paro helping Rudra was remarkable, so was Rudra accepting help from Paro. Considering that he doesn't allow even Laila to help him (the only other woman in his life), this was a significant step for Rudra.
Of the many pointers to the sun setting on Rudra and Laila's relationship, the most glaring was the untended cut on her forehead, which was in stark contrast to Rudra's reaction to blood on Paro's forehead. His covering Paro with a cloth and leading her back into the house. Rejecting Laila's love out of hand, and telling her quite flatly that he'd left her behind in Jaipur, much to Laila's devastation, shouted out loud how little the relationship means to him. And of course, Laila's final question to him should, at the very least, put some interesting thoughts into his head. 😃
There were also some sweet touches like Sumer's haldi application on Rudra - loved how Rudra twirled his moustache in defence. And the father-son repartee as well as Paro's sweet smile to Sunehri.
Friday's was a lovely and a fast-moving episode, with some very memorable scenes brought to life by the cast and crew. Acting honours go to Ankita, Ashish and Sanaya for their very convincing performances. 👏👏👏 The CVs were brilliant, even though the result has deprived me of many hours of sleep! 😆
Waiting for tonight!
Note: Sorry for this delayed take, but this was a huge episode, crammed with info and required many hours of work to write up.
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