Rewind and Review - Episode 1 - Page 9

Originally posted by: lavs_157

You are so right Anju.

I am so glad we are doing this rewatch. I don’t think I appreciated the asthetics or the parallels or the meaning behind them first time. I was in a hurry to catch up. But I am so glad we are doing this now. 🤗❤️

My brain wasn't even in the parallel mindset the first time I saw these scenes.

Originally posted by: mallukumari

Its why all their takkars are so awesome. He cannot keep a mask on when dealing with her!

She strips him naked 'figuratively'

Originally posted by: lavs_157

It’s not just lack of education I feel Mona. Look at the Sabarwal’s. Well educated, running a college, but still so backwards in their thinking.

It’s deep rooted misogyny and also the intent to control. Men like this, don’t want women to be educated and independent coz they are scared. Scared of losing their authority over them. N women like Devi are enablers of that Patriarchy!

Exactly. Education can give wings. But the lay of the land still has to be changed. And this is why women can't be the only ones in the fight. Men have to join in and be an ally for a better and equal society.

Originally posted by: kiranpri

the way Shaurya is presented in the first episode, is like he is the prized possession, the prince, the eternal alpha male, whom any girl would feel lucky to marry.

The relationship with the father is shown after he has met DM and Tej sir, showing that he has utter respect for the latter. We know Shaan is the father later, telling us that Shaan has no value in the eyes of his son, because he is a drunkard. At this point we do not know the background story, so our view is Shaurya's father is an irresponsible drunkard.

We also see Devi's pride in Shaurya, Is it love? Or is it a sense of satisfaction? She takes credit for the handsome young man, he is.

Has anyone noticed that there is not a sign of happiness in Shaurys's eyes. There is not the twinkle in the eyes we would expect for someone who is supposed to be marrying the girl he loves. He looks more stern and going about his business.

On the Bhalla side we say a passionate young girl, having dreams and ready to do battle for it. She is ready to oppose her father. Despite living in an environment where her wishes have been squashed from birth, she has the internal strength toget over these and reach for her dreams

On the other side there is Shaurya who is following his elder's route, sticking to the norm of the wife being the house maker and the husband the breadwinner.

Both the leads have been brought up in families having a backward view on the role of women in societty, while one is going with the flow, the other wants to swim against the flow.

Well said

Shaurya is honest and straight forward. Anokhi knows her priorities and doesn’t want to compromise

me in pink

Originally posted by: ss286

Hi everyone

I am Sowmya. Have been a silent reader of this forum for some time now. Jumped pretty late on the SAAKK bandwagon- after the riots promo. Always love the discussions on the forum, all the different perspectives, parallels drawn, but fell short of words to add to most times. The idea of this rewatch brought a renewed interest in watching this beautiful show with a fresh perspective. The growth in these characters, their back stories and past experiences will be interesting to watch.

Thank you for joining in and I can't wait to read you future reviews!

The episode starts with Anokhi's dream of running away from home. The window she sits by reflecting the window to her world, to her dreams.

Rama Bhalla- Her fears and yet her hopes for her daughter. She hopes her Nikki doesn't have to face what she did- Main darti hoon isiliye tum bol paati ho . Yet she fears her husband and what he might do to her daughter. Her confidence in her daughter's capabilities is also why Anokhi gets the courage to expand her wings. Noticed how even her phone is hanging around her neck and she picks up every random call with fear thinking it might be her husband - as if even that was a noose around her neck.

I never thought of that.....a noose around her neck....keeping her choked and scared.

Rammi Bhalla - the first misogynist in Anokhi's life. Anokhi has had to bear so much, that it makes no difference to her what her Papaji thinks. She doesn't expect anything from him. His patriarchal thinking, the entitlement that men have and the whole idea of women being the instigators in every issue, disgusts me to the core. No wonder Anokhi wants to run away having experienced all this first hand!

His whole comment about 'boys will be boys' disgusts me. It's the prevalent thought in our society. So disgusting.

Enter Shaurya Sabherwal! The handsome, cool professor- in Bebo's words. With a smile not reaching his eyes, he takes blessings from the "king and queen" of the family. Almost as an afterthought, he acknowledges his dad and expresses his disappointment with subtlety. Shaan tries hard to be the dad, some sort of guilt here? Sidelined in the family photo, Devi also snubs him by asserting herself as being the one who brought up Shaurya.

Another form of misogyny- the daughters vs the daughters-in-law. And that too by a woman nonetheless! It is true that patriarchy exists in all echelons of society.

A family photo with some fake smiles. At least, Shaan, Shaurya, Gayatri and Kanchan.

Just like everything Bebo and Kitty capture on their phone.......everything is fake. everything is for show.

The way Rama very innocently says ki uski bachpan wali photo le aaoon? Another contrast between the Sabherwals who are going live on their son's engagement and Anokhi who doesn't even have a proper pic clicked as an adult.

I loved Rama's attitude in the scene. They already think she's stupid, so she played to that and asked about a childhood pic as a rishta pic. She's got some sass.

Her father thinks of her as his 'paapon ki sazha'. How she proves to be his pride one day will be amazing to watch.

Aastha M'am is truly Anokhi's support system. The 'wind beneath her wings'.

Anokhi's points in the debate speech are very hard hitting. Parents take up loans to educate their sons and marry off their daughters. Progress will only happen when the opposite becomes true. Why I say the opposite is because even today in most marriages, the girl's family spends the most in a wedding and they end up in debt. True progress will happen with this mindset that a wedding is a celebration in both families and both are equally responsible for the expenses.

Her point about being "allowed" to do things as a girl. Men feel women have progressed just because they can do things that their grandmothers probably couldn't. They forget that true equality does not mean taking permission from the other gender. It means support to do whatever she chooses to do.

On the other hand, Shaurya does exactly what Anokhi fears and rebukes Shagun for not asking his permission before applying. He believes this will lead to her going on to pursue her career and neglecting his kids. Just like what happened to him. You can glimpse a little bit of his vulnerability when he talks about his absent mother, but he is quick to mask it. He believes that other women might be able to manage both but his past forces him to not take a chance.

It was laughable that he thought being "Mrs Shaurya Sabherwal" was a full time job.

Shagun seems to have accepted her fate as Mrs. Shaurya Sabherwal earlier but maybe now has a change of heart knowing that she can do better than that? In the end she is left with no choice as Shaurya himself brutally breaks the engagement.

A story about two people with contrasting ideologies. At the outset it seems like they belong to two different worlds. They do have some things in common. Both take a stand for what they believe in, both do not mince words when it comes to speaking what they think is right, both disappointed in their fathers, but for different reasons. It will be interesting to see their 'soch ki takraar'.

Thank you for your wonderful views everyone. Seeing things from different perspectives is always a learning experience.

PS: I apologise for this long post. Didn't realise it till later. Will try to keep it short the next time.

PPS: Having watched the later episodes, I was itching to draw parallels. Will refrain from doing that and think of this as a complete new watch.

As someone who writes a lot, I sympathize. But also, write dude! I love reading everyone's thoughts!

I'm with you on holding off on parallels. I'm not going to pretend to have amnesia, maybe just omit.

In this episode Anokhi is brushing her teeth. Recently Shaurya posted his picture of brushing his teeth. May be we can put both pictures together

Originally posted by: smartpt

In this episode Anokhi is brushing her teeth. Recently Shaurya posted his picture of brushing his teeth. May be we can put both pictures together

haha a reel and real!

because this was all shot at a real place in patiala, they had running water too. we didn't get anymore set bathroom scenes(other than hotel rooms of course)

Originally posted by: mallukumari

If you need an not so legal way of watching. You can check out https://apnetv.me/

Thank you ❤️

We are complex creatures defined by our experiences, perceptions /interpretations, role models and hidden desires. It is also interesting how we sometimes draw conclusions or associate two completely different things that might actually have very little to do with each other.

Episode 1 was all about setting the stage and introducing the characters and what makes them tick.

Anokhi is introduced as a young girl with aspirations who is struggling to hold onto her identity and individuality in a household where women are supposed to have no voice and no identity. She wants to fly and explore and dream but she is unable to. She has figured out that her the path to her independence is education and self sufficiency. With her fav teacher as her role model who seems to be doing great despite having no male influence in her life, she too aspires to walk the same path.

Shaurya is introduced as the ice prince with a very odd aura about him. He seems to be smart, sauve, rich and handsome but there is a bitterness in his tone, an emptiness in his eye and his smile seems almost fake. His attitude comes across even more surprising when we find out he is getting engaged to his love/girlfriend. He seems to adore his uncle and aunt and disappointed in his father. He seems to have very deep wounds related to his mother's abandonment. Saberwals have multiple undercurrents running amongst them. There is a very obvious hierarchy in the family that is quickly established with DILs of the house being at the lowest rung. Shaan is humiliated by all and sundry at every possible moment. I wonder if part of Shaurya's disappointment in father lies in the way his father accepts all the humiliation piled on him without any retaliation.

It was an interesting episode to me in many aspects -

1)Anokhi is fearless but she does not seem to realize how much her mother protects her. With a very conservative mindset at home, Astha's life and independence seems very attractive to her.

2)Mr Bhalla has typical Indian mindset where he expects women to be responsible of upholding the moral fabric of the society while the males have no accountability as he shames the girl trying to elope with her boyfriend. I often wonder what such attitude says about genders that women are more intelligent and sane while males are just wild beasts under the civilized veneers with no sense?

3)Both the leads seem to be disappointed in their parents and idolize their role models /proxy parents.

4)While both the families hold disparaging attitude towards women despite coming from completely different classes of society, the underlying intent is seems to be same - to control. It is more obvious in case Saberwals where the hypocrisy is blatant. Daughters get the independence while DIL's are expected to be doormats. It is not soch at this point because soch does not differentiate between people. It is a way to control the household.

4) When Shaurya compliments Shagun, it is so cheesy and words seem so parroted and cold that you wonder about their relationship. I also found it funny that he started the conversation with "are you going to break the engagement?" almost as if that is what he wanted. It is obvious his heart is not in the relationship and as the conversation proceeds , it seems more and more like settling on both end. Shagun decided to marry because she thought she would not get admission in Cambridge while Shaurya was okay with it because she fit the profile and agreed to his condition of being a homemaker. Shagun wants Shaurya to wait for him and Shaurya is not agreeable. For some odd reason, I felt no sympathy for Shagun in this rewatch. Her timing of breaking the news was bad, Shaurya seemed to have no inkling that she wanted to be more than Saberwal bahu and his wife. She also seemed to justify not giving Shaurya, her lover any hint of her aspiration since she did not expect it to come true and now that she had got the admission, she wanted to Shaurya to fall in line with her despite knowing Shaurya was very touchy and sensitive about it.

I have no problem with men wanting a homemaker as wife and do not equate it as misogyny. I have friends that are in sales and consulting jobs which keeps them on road for better part of year. They are extremely well paid and they often want strong educated women as spouses who are willing to be homemakers. It is not because they have anything against working women but because from a logistics perspective, they want someone who can actively dedicate themselves to managing the household, parents and kids. The spouse has the play the role of not only mother but at times father too. These woman drive, party, invest, take important household decisions, essentially do a lot more than cooking.

Originally posted by: pj10

We are complex creatures defined by our experiences, perceptions /interpretations, role models and hidden desires. It is also interesting how we sometimes draw conclusions or associate two completely different things that might actually have very little to do with each other.

Episode 1 was all about setting the stage and introducing the characters and what makes them tick.

Anokhi is introduced as a young girl with aspirations who is struggling to hold onto her identity and individuality in a household where women are supposed to have no voice and no identity. She wants to fly and explore and dream but she is unable to. She has figured out that her the path to her independence is education and self sufficiency. With her fav teacher as her role model who seems to be doing great despite having no male influence in her life, she too aspires to walk the same path.

Shaurya is introduced as the ice prince with a very odd aura about him. He seems to be smart, sauve, rich and handsome but there is a bitterness in his tone, an emptiness in his eye and his smile seems almost fake. His attitude comes across even more surprising when we find out he is getting engaged to his love/girlfriend. He seems to adore his uncle and aunt and disappointed in his father. He seems to have very deep wounds related to his mother's abandonment. Saberwals have multiple undercurrents running amongst them. There is a very obvious hierarchy in the family that is quickly established with DILs of the house being at the lowest rung. Shaan is humiliated by all and sundry at every possible moment. I wonder if part of Shaurya's disappointment in father lies in the way his father accepts all the humiliation piled on him without any retaliation.

It was an interesting episode to me in many aspects -

1)Anokhi is fearless but she does not seem to realize how much her mother protects her. With a very conservative mindset at home, Astha's life and independence seems very attractive to her.

2)Mr Bhalla has typical Indian mindset where he expects women to be responsible of upholding the moral fabric of the society while the males have no accountability as he shames the girl trying to elope with her boyfriend. I often wonder what such attitude says about genders that women are more intelligent and sane while males are just wild beasts under the civilized veneers with no sense?

3)Both the leads seem to be disappointed in their parents and idolize their role models /proxy parents.

4)While both the families hold disparaging attitude towards women despite coming from completely different classes of society, the underlying intent is seems to be same - to control. It is more obvious in case Saberwals where the hypocrisy is blatant. Daughters get the independence while DIL's are expected to be doormats. It is not soch at this point because soch does not differentiate between people. It is a way to control the household.

5) When Shaurya compliments Shagun, it is so cheesy and words seem so parroted and cold that you wonder about their relationship. I also found it funny that he started the conversation with "are you going to break the engagement?" almost as if that is what he wanted. It is obvious his heart is not in the relationship and as the conversation proceeds , it seems more and more like settling on both end. Shagun decided to marry because she thought she would not get admission in Cambridge while Shaurya was okay with it because she fit the profile and agreed to his condition of being a homemaker. Shagun wants Shaurya to wait for him and Shaurya is not agreeable. For some odd reason, I felt no sympathy for Shagun in this rewatch. Her timing of breaking the news was bad, Shaurya seemed to have no inkling that she wanted to be more than Saberwal bahu and his wife. She also seemed to justify not giving Shaurya, her lover any hint of her aspiration since she did not expect it to come true and now that she had got the admission, she wanted to Shaurya to fall in line with her despite knowing Shaurya was very touchy and sensitive about it.

I have no problem with men wanting a homemaker as wife and do not equate it as misogyny. I have friends that are in sales and consulting jobs which keeps them on road for better part of year. They are extremely well paid and they often want strong educated women as spouses who are willing to be homemakers. It is not because they have anything against working women but because from a logistics perspective, they want someone who can actively dedicate themselves to managing the household, parents and kids. The spouse has the play the role of not only mother but at times father too. These woman drive, party, invest, take important household decisions, essentially do a lot more than cooking.

1. Aastha seems like a unicorn to Anokhi. I imagine being surrounded by such passive women reliant on men, seeing an independent and assertive woman gives her something to aspire to. You know how they say representation matters because "if she can see it, she can be it". That's what Aastha represent to Anokhi and what Anokhi will represent to other women.

2. I don't know if Mr Bhalla thinks women are intelligent or just good at manipulating men. His beliefs don't sound complimentary to men either since he thinks men are easily manipulated and weak. This is the issue I have with redeeming him.

3. Isn't it funny that the proxy parent Anokhi admires is the real parent Shaurya is disappointed in?

4. In the end, isn't the rules of patriarchy really about control?

5. So I still feel sympathy for Shagun because to me it's not that Shaurya doesn't know about Shagun, it seems like he just doesn't care. He seems to only care about his requirement for a spouse, not Shagun's needs. Again, we can argue that he was this emotionless when he put across his wants and choosing to accept it is Shagun's fault. At this point it's a chicken or egg situation.

I don't disagree with you that wanting a homemaker isn't wrong and its not innately misogynistic. I just think that the prevalence of men wanting women to be housewives is greater than women wanting men to be house husbands. And many aren't looking for women that are too educated because they think that those women won't "settle". I think someone who chooses to stay at home and take on one set of responsibilities isn't in any way greater or lesser than another. But it's about choice. And women in the "marriage market" have less choice. I can only speak from mine and my family/friends experiences, but about 50% of the women I know in my generation are all working and along with their spouses take care of their children and families, both financially and emotionally. And this is all due to having supportive spouses and families. But the other 50% live in that unequal lifestyle where the women work and do primarily all the other household responsibilities and the men work. I know we can't have a perfect system, but we do need to dismantle the system we have now that only requires men to be breadwinners and stop perpetuation this toxic masculine standards. I guess when men with busy jobs want a housewife, why can't a woman with a busy job want a house husband? Why does that hurt a man's ego?

Can't wait to read your Episode 2 review!!