Episode 43 : Wounds Reopened..

Hello..

Okay.. I'm supposed to be working, so will TRY TO keep it short! 😛

Tonight's Episode finally gives us a glimpse into the darkness, complexities and the world of Kabir Sharma.. Just a tiny glimpse..

And how! I am in awe of the details that the writers have put into every relationship, and character.. Nothing overtly melodramatic, no one out of character, no unnecessary heavy dialogues.. Crisp, to the point, poignant and hard-hitting.. 👏

Kudos to all the actors in today's Episode..

RK, I am seriously running out of words to describe this man's commitment to Kabir. He's always given his 110% to every character of his..

But portraying a flawed, vulnerable, despaired Kabir Sharma is top class acting, and is going to set new benchmarks in Indian Telly.. I really doubt we have an actor of his caliber at present (No offense to anyone..)

Kritika has stumped us all with her portrayal of Ananya.. Innocent, subtle, with shades of undeterred strength to her, she breathes life into Ananya.. Be it the mad, stupid Ananya that we and Kabir absolutely love, or the mature woman that she is slowly molding into - the execution is flawless..

Puru as Ronnie - Though he's the third vertice of the triangle, even the KaYa shipper, and fangirl in me cannot ignore the warmth his character brings to the show.. He is a true friend, a man who cares for the girl he loves, tries to be her strength through thick n thin, and yet has to settle in for a heartbreak. Coz the girl he loves, might never belong to him..

Please, do not ever turn Ronnie against KaYa, no matter what.. That would be sacrilege!

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I'm not going into the details of the case, coz I need to watch both Episodes again to understand what's going on there.. So, let's jump straight to decoding our Darlings.. ❤️

Today's post is mostly about Kabir, and KaYa.. I'll write one from Ananya's POV by the end of this week once we have more scenes..

Like Ananya said to him, He took away her hope..'

Kabir Sharma may come across as a suave, shrewd, manipulative, strong man, and maybe he is all of that.. But beneath the tough, flirty, handsome exterior lies a man who is just as vulnerable, broken, plagued by self-guilt and abandonment issues..

During his struggling years, he lost his innocence, and grappled with his conscience.. He survived, but he lost the battle..

There was perhaps a phase in his life when he lost everything that was dear to him - his principles, his job, his family, his wife and his peace of mind..

But he rose like a phoenix from the ashes and somehow, he learnt to overcome his disappointment in fate, and in himself. He still hides his weaknesses, but he has learnt how to capitalise his strengths. And that's what keeps him intact, prevents him from falling apart.

Today when he sees history repeating itself, he stands on the brink of his past and present, caught in a conflict yet again.

He is about to lose something very precious to him, the disappointment in himself has started to settle in again, and it's freezing his warmth again, numbing his bones.. Having lived through a desolate life, he knows how it feels like, and he is absolutely terrified.

But this time, it's not about him. He fears another soul will go through a similar metamorphosis, and he is not sure that she will make it to the end.

He fears that she will succumb to the bone-crushing despair that threatens to plague her, and might lose her innocence, her light and her soul, just like he did.

And his fears aren't misguided either.. He can see it happening.. When she clams up, shuts him out, pretends to put up a strong face - he knows they're the signs..

She is breaking from within, and it's the pretense that hurts the most.. Coz one can never run from the truth, it somehow always catches up with you.

And he knows that very soon, Ananya will be forced to face, and accept the bitter truth. Her hopes will be shattered.

Her life's sole goal - Her Manzil will be snatched away from her, and she will find herself in a bottomless pit with no way out.. Just like him..

@ Malika - I wanted to reply on the other thread, but anyway..

At this moment, I'm not sure if Kabir knows the complete truth, himself..

If he does and he's only revealing half of it - God save him from Ananya, coz she's definitely not a weakling. Yes, he may have his reasons , and he does not want Ananya to be caught in the web of deceit, and hence is trying to protect her.. But she might not be too pleased when she learns of it.. Darn! Misunderstandings galore..

Or, the other possibility and my favourite one - He too is ignorant about the real picture. Coz today he tells Tarini that he has revealed poora sach' to Ananya - jo bhi main jaanta tha..'

And while we've learnt that Kabir is a man with several shades to him, I don't think he would lie to someone like Tarini.. He doesn't have to.. If he trusts her enough to bare his soul to her, he obviously wouldn't lie..

Obviously being a die-hard RN shipper, I couldn't help but compare tonight's scene to Rajveer's solitary confinement.. The scenario might be different, but the crux of the two scenes remains the same - The heroine finds a way into the hero's thoughts and vulnerabilities.. ❤️

And yeah, I really think there is something more - A conspiracy that is yet to come to the fore.. (And Sudhir Kashyap may not be dead after all..)

Then there is the third possibility that Kabir is in touch with Sudhir Kashyap, and is acting on his wishes. But it doesn't seem too convincing to me, coz Kabir will not do that to Ananya.. Even if it was only to protect her, he wouldn't put her through so much grief..

Or will he, who knows! The man is a mystery..

But why does it affect him so much - As Tarini rightfully points out.

Of course, he's been through all of it, experienced what it feels like when all hope is snatched from within your fingers, and knows that rebuilding a life will destroy every bit of innocence of hers.

He had no one to care for him, to hold his hand and comfort him, or to stop him when he tried to destroy himself by resorting to alcohol for solace..

But he wants to be there for his FRIEND..

To be honest, I'm not surprised that Ananya has made her way into Kabir's thoughts..

I have always said that Kabir will be the first to realise the depth of his relationship with Ananya, and to fall in love.. Ananya might brush it off for hero-worship. While they still have a long journey to make, the seeds have been sown tonight.

Kabir feels her pain, and now he wants to be beside her to share it. Not only because he feels responsible, but also because he genuinely wants to do this.

After years of loneliness, he has found a person who trusted him, who saw the goodness that was buried inside him, who did not judge him at face value..

She never treated him like an outcast, unlike the others. She did not question his integrity, but instead always maintained a neutral stance - as if giving him an opportunity to prove himself.

Ananya has her differences with him, and each time she says you cannot be right everytime', she knew he was!

So when in captivity, he asks her to trust him - she does, without any hesitation.. That is her belief in him..

And slowly that belief and his desire to belong to someone (even if it is a friend), forced him to lower his guard, and expose the real Kabir Sharma to Ananya Kashyap.

Post the Kidnapping fiasco, he hasn't tried to hide his Real self even once! This version of him that was hidden deep inside was brought to the fore only by her.

She makes him laugh. She accepts gifts from him. She gets him lunch. She confuses the hell outta him. She makes him feel again. She is his Friend, and she's proud of it..

And suddenly, he is about to lose all of that. Because of one truth that he was forced to convey to her. Perhaps it is also the same one that led to his ruin once.

Like a few of you here, I too believe that Sudhir Kashyap's case is a lot more twisted than what it seems.. Maybe this was the reason Kabir failed as a reporter in the past, Tarini was exposed, his family and wife abandoned him, he turned into an alcoholic, etc..

So, yeah when he sees history repeating itself, he is terrified.. But also dejected that he once again stands at the receiving end.. The truth is not always liberating, and in Kabir's case it has always destroyed a precious part of him..

Yes, Ananya will lose hope, but Kabir will also lose the one ray of hope he had found in her..

Now that she has brought out the real him, he wants to know the real her.. Not the reporter Ananya Kashyap, but the child woman who lives inside her..

He craves to be by her side, he wants her to rely on him for support, not because he thinks she's weak, but by being her support system he will redeem himself, abstain himself of his guilt, and will be able to fulfill his responsibilities as the man who trusted Sudhir Kashyap till the very end.

As for his jealousy regarding Ronnie - He obviously knows now that Ronnie has romantic feelings for Ananya.. But that's not what bothers him, is what I feel..

It's not so much the Lover' bit that has him perturbed.. He knows he carries the baggage of his past on his conscience, and he will do everything in his capacity to shield himself from further damage, even if it means shutting out his mann ki awaaz'..

He sees Ronnie and Ananya sharing a friendship that is so casual, real and normal, unlike the one he has with her.. There is a sense of respect, trust and affection in their friendship but there are boundaries that none will cross willingly.

And let's face it - we all have kameene friends, we'd kill for, and die for.. And they're more similar to the Ronnie-Ananya kinds..

Kabir wants that space in her life.. He wants her to shed all her inhibitions and treat him like she treats Ronnie..

Even if it means knowing her likes and dislikes, her dramebaazi, being able to gauge her reactions to a particular incident, her allowing him to comfort her, he wants to be able to do all of that!

He wants to hold her when she cries, he wants to be able to soothe away her fears, he simply wants to be with her!

Darn.. This broken man is going to fall in love. Hard..

Of course, it ain't gonna be that simple.. Especially now that both Kabir, and Ananya believe that he is the one responsible for the mess of emotions around them.

So when she shuts him out, and he sees Ronnie stepping in to do damage control, and everything that he wants to, his guilt crushes him, his incapability to be with her hurts him, and all of that together forces him to retreat..

We've all wondered what would trigger him to resort to his bottle again? The answer is clear..

Ananya.. (And nope, we're not talking Ishqwala louuve yet!)

That flashback of moments spent with her was shown for a reason..

Withdrawal is easier. It's life, and disappointment that hurts. He'd rather withdraw and seek solace in something that is in his hands, rather than craving for something that he has no control over. Maybe it'll hurt less..

And the precap - Holy Mother of Christ!!

The accident..

It's his penance.. A temporary end to his turmoil.. Atleast now he will only have a body to heal, the heart can take a short break..

"Once a old wound is reopened, it is tempting to think nothing has changed. But the way you deal with it, gives you an opportunity to appreciate how much you have grown.." ❤️

As per the spoilers, Malvika - Ananya's friends will try and create issues for KaYa, some knowingly, some out of genuine concern for her well-being.

Ronnie will always be there by her side, like a shadow offering her a shoulder to cry upon, and as we saw in the precap, he might even try to soothe her hurt.

That is what Ananya needs. But it's only temporary..

What she really needs is strength. And courage, to rebuild herself..

Malvika's unfair strategies will make her pull up her socks, to prove her mettle. Whether she succeeds or not remains to be seen..

But there's only one man who can give her everything she desires - Strength, courage, unflinching trust, the truth, and reignite the spark in her..

Just like Kabir, the friend and the man is incomplete without her, she will soon realise that she too relies on him a lot more than she is ready to accept.

The fact that it was Kabir who broke the news to her has forced her to withdraw into a shell. I really hope she realises soon that he too is equally damaged.. The guilt, fear of failure and loneliness is ripping him apart too..

And once she does, these two will be back together as KaYa, with a bond that is not hastily made.

Once Kabir learns that she needs him, and he ought to be back on his feet fighting for what is his - his friend, and her trust, he will be back to his usual self, roaring to life..

Yes, they will have to face a lot of hurdles, in the form of the truth behind her father's death, Malvika's growing insanity and possessiveness, Manav's schemings, office politics, her mother's stance on her relationship with Kabir, and Kabir's past..

But once forged, the connection between them will never be severed. They will be bound together in a dard ka rishta' that is above all..

They might cause each other the greatest of griefs, but it's their togetherness that will make it bearable for us fans and fangirls..

They will bring out the best and the worst in each other, and yet they will make it to the very end.. Together!

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Feel free to post your views, peeps.. I'll get back with replies, as and when I can..

Love,

Avantika..