Posted:
I think pages & pages ve been written bt Nandini already 😆 But still many like me r honestly not able 2 get her character. A person who was initially shown as scared, weepy, traditional & silent is now boldly having sex with a married man. This character mystifies me so I tried to really understand this character. I am not sure if from the beginning the CVs had planned Nandini 2 b a morally ambiguous character but right now that's how she is being perceived.
I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie & ve read all her novels.1 of her story Lord Edgware dies has a seemingly dumb air head actress as the main character. 1 of her friend initially warns Poirot that she hates her husband & she is v manipulative. However every1 including Poirot underestimate her to be dumb bimbo. In the climax its revealed tat actually she was the murderer. Poirot remarks that he has solved many more complex cases where the murderer was ingenious & extremely intelligent. But it was this seemingly dumb murderer who had almost defeated him. He says she is almost child like in her behavior. If She wants something, she just takes it, people can go to hell. And ppl put up with it because of her beauty & charisma. I c a parallel between that character Jane & Nandini here. Both seem childlike & innocent. Supposed 2 b ethereally beautiful & charismatic. Even Kunal's family seem to like her & r quite taken in by her. I think Nandini is not a mature person. She might be in the late 20s but seems child like in her behavior. For eg she dint trust her friend Mauli when she accused Rajdeep of molesting her but in Goa cooks cake in the Hotel's kitchen (CVs were smoking weed, which hotel allows this 🥱) as if a cake will make her friend forgive her & understand her love. She simply shrugs off things which happened in the past. It c'd b something as simple as an insult or as severe as physical abuse by Rajdeep. In the earlier episodes 1 moment Rajdeep will be forcefully raping her & another moment she ll b shown cooking special dishes for Rajdeep. Its like her brain shuts down to stop her frm remembering traumatic events. Its her defense mechanism. To a normal, independent woman like me if my hubby insults me or fights with me I ll literally give him the cold shoulder & wont talk till he takes some re-conciliatory steps. Here Nandini just forgets the events or pretends 2 forget. She is also an emotionally weak person who always needs some1 to support & guide her. She doesnt take decisions of her own. Some ppl make things happen eg Mauli, Rajdeep. Some ppl let things happen eg Nandini. She let Rajdeep abuse her for years. When Mauli convinced her to leave Rajdeep she took her advice. When Kunal proposes 2 her she just follows him like a puppy. For her through out her life some1 has to take the lead, some1 has to take care of her. Ppl were saying how she cooks & takes care of ppl. Actually its not true. Even cooking some1 has 2 push her. Earlier she considered it her wifely duty. Then it was frm a sense of gratitude 2 the family who helped her & gave her a place 2 stay. Even the cookery classes were not her idea. And even aft it was decided it was Kunal & Mauli who did all the arrangements. Its like Nandini is a spectator in her own life.
Some1 pointed out how she always chooses men over Mauli. 1st it was Rajdeep. Now Kunal. Its coz she is the kinda woman who thinks A man is the master of the house. 1 of the reason y she is awed of Mauli coz she cant imagine a woman being so strong, independent & outspoken. May be a spark of jealousy triggered from this sense of inferiority complex. Even during that Bird slaughter kaand Kunal had to take care of her like a baby. Now I am not saying that a woman s'd b like a robot. Any woman w'd b traumatized by a brutal rape attempt followed by this. But even aft she seems passive. That night when she fought Rajdeep finally it was only coz she tried calling Mauli & realized tat she is on her own. Even tat earlier she did not fight Rajdeep when he used to rape her but now she is drawn towards Kunal, understands tat Rajdeep has no right violating her like tat & so she no longer allows Rajdeep to violate her like earlier.
A v young child has no sense of right or wrong. A 4-5 yr child will push another kid & grab her toy. To her all she needs is tat toy. A child doesnt realize the concept of ownership (u cant grab stuff which is not urs) & morality (u cant hurt some1 to get something u want). Slowly as the child grows, parents, teachers & the society teach her the concept of right & wrong, morality & ethics, law & justice. She soon realizes tat in this society u cant just do anything u want & is more careful in her actions. Her Nandini is the child who never grew up. To her Kunal is a toy she needs. Doesnt matter that he is her friend's hubby. Its like my friend has so many toys so what's wrong if i take 1 of her toy to play. Anyway I am returning it. Hence how she behaves coolly with Mauli & rest of the family.
I think deep down she is not a very nice & loving person. She may not be doing it intentionally. For eg she might not ve entered Mauli's house with the intention of grabbing her hubby. But once she liked him she dint think twice before taking him. Caring is not all about just cooking or maintaining a beautiful house. For eg if Kunal is facing a financial or professional crises, I doubt if Nandini will be able to give him the moral & physical support. She is by nature a taker not a giver. She takes help, she takes support, she takes sympathy. But I ve not seen her give help or support or sympathy to any1. Even in the park if she really understood Kunal's conflict she could ve just talked for a few seconds & left giving an excuse. Instead she manipulated him.
She is a survivor unlike Mauli who is a fighter. For eg when Rajdeep tried to sleep with a girl, N's reaction was tears & pleading with Raj. When tat failed she just accepted it & moved on. She never brought tat up again or fought with Raj. She just accepts watever happens to her, adapts to it, adjusts & survives. Now Kunali in the same place would have clobbered both Raj & the girl before storming out not 2 mention serving divorce papers. Coz Mauli is a fighter. That's the key trait which differentiates the 2 woman. Mauli fights for wat is right. Nandini fights for survival. Here Nandini's thinking is that a Man is necessary for a woman's survival. She is not educated or strong or bold like Mauli. To her she needs a man to survive this big bad world. Earlier tat man was Rajdeep. Now its Kunal. In her twisted, child like mind she is not doing anything wrong. She is just trying to survive. Hence her habit of always choosing a man over Mauli. Its not physical want or desire. Its how her mind works. A woman needs a man to take care of her, to provide for her & make her feel wanted & relevant in life.
I am sure when Mauli finds out the truth & confronts her, N will just cry & say she did nothing wrong coz to her wat she is doing is not wrong.
Sorry for such a looong post & for rambling so much. Looking fwd 2 all ur thoughts on this 😳
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Indian Mythology
Chakravarti Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan
