Hello Maryada Forum,
I finally caught up with all the episodes of last week. While I won't do a detailed day by day analysis, here are some thoughts on some of the sequences that particularly stood out for me. These are listed in the order of their appearance during the week.
Vidya - Gaurav
Tuesday started as expected with Vidya & Gaurav's suhaag raat. If we accept a truism that alcohol removes inhibitions that prevent a sober individual from saying what he or she really thinks, then the purpose of having Vidya drunk in the screenplay was served. A tipsy Vidya is more aggressive and outspoken than her normal outwardly appearance might imply. Clearly, seeing Gaurav shirtless on the train and feeling a strong attraction to him was on top of her mind so it was a nice touch to have her blurt that out to a slightly stunned Gaurav. It was also wonderful character consistency to show Gaurav being very uncomfortable about spending the night with Vidya while her being tipsy did not seem to faze him at all. The script also clearly established the presence of the "other" person in Gaurav's life. The writers have now set up a good base for several potential options to explore with this track as the story progresses.
Devyani - Uttara
Like on the train, Devyani's subconscious reaction to Bramhanand's verbal abuse is to do something as mundane as cleaning crockery in the middle of the night. Victims of abuse have strong needs to block out the incident and deny the experience and the feelings it produces by focusing on routine activity such as cleaning or eating. But Uttara's call reminds her of Bramhanand's taunting words and she feels forced to act immediately to ensure the bubble she has built around her family does not burst. Loved it!
Babuji - Devyani
Wednesday's episode started with Devyani restlessly awake at night and having that very insightful conversation with her father-in-law. I like how this story is showing the loving relationship and trust between the two. When Devyani's turn to fight for her rights comes, the writers have given her character the presence of Babuji as the trusted voice of reason in her inner circle to encourage her to take that step forward.
Uttara - Rishabh
I would not even have mentioned this sequence where Uttara wakes Rishabh had my dear friend Yash not pointed out the picture on the side table that was in the shot when Uttara answers Rishabh's call. Who was the baby in that snap? Where is the baby now...did it pass away in the accident that injured Rishabh? More secrets to uncover!
Gaurav - Bramhanand - Devyani
In sharp contrast to the easy Aditya - Bramhanand relationship dynamic, Thursday's episode clearly showed the simmering tension between Bramhanand and Gaurav. This sequence also clearly showed the abusive side of Bramhanand. As is typical with abusers, especially verbal abusers, all problems are perceived to be the caused by some action of the victim. Bramhanand was no different here with Devyani. He also indicated that Gaurav's marriage to Vidya was Devyani's decision...interesting.
Devyani - Gaurav
The token sighting of a muscled male torso that is the mainstay of many a contemporary Hindi serial made an appearance. This scene also added more mystery to Gaurav's love life. It seemed like Devyani arranged Gaurav's marriage with Vidya all the while knowing that there was somebody else in his life. For now...I am still keeping an open mind on whether the love is female or male...not going to make guesses just as yet.
Bramhanand - Devyani
Who is Sharadha Devi? The very mention of her name by Bramhanand during Friday's episode visibly bothered Devyani. Is she one of Bramhanand's dalliances?
Overall...it was a great week of episodes. Friday felt like a filler episode in comparison to the rest of the week...but still above average.
Loved:
- The acting and screenplays for the week. In a week's worth of episodes, the writers managed to focus on all the characters equally without any unnecessary emphasis on a character or pair.
- This story being such a study in contrasts. For e.g. Aditya chasing love...while Gaurav is running away from it, Rishabh is openly abusive while Bramhanand is more subtly so. This worth an analysis in and of itself.
- The light hints of an indulgent smile that Gaurav sported while watching Vidya interact with her brothers. Is he feeling some initial affection towards Vidya subconsciously?
- Vidya's conversation on not consummating her marriage with her mom & grand mother. What a simple way to show a very normal conversation young girls of today would have with their friends or family. I found the acting a little over the top...but still loved the scene.
- Friday's scenes showing Priya fighting back by using her brains.
Disliked:
- Priya not smelling the leaking gas when her brother could...made no sense.
- Vidya suddenly appearing wide awake and sober in the middle of the night on Tuesday. Also, the transition from the Devyani - Uttara scene to suddenly showing Vidya awake and crying seemed very abrupt from an editing standpoint.
- The sequence where Vidya meets her brothers. It was very over-the-top and exaggerated for me but I wonder if the writers were trying to show the child-like aspect to Vidya's personality.
- The Aditya - Priya dream sequence on Thursday. Somehow I am not feeling like the dream sequences shown so far have fit well with screen play from an episode flow/tempo perspective. I also did not like using the same song for both Aditya and Jaggi's dreams.
- Aditya randomly sensing Priya's presence at the electricity board offices.
- Aditya not opening the wallet to see who it belonged and instead chasing all the women wearing red
Other:
- It probably is just me, but I am not yet feeling an emotional connect to Priya's story track yet. Something about the screenplay or the acting is not engaging me like the other characters are.
- I am also not seeing a palpable chemistry in the Aditya - Priya scenes...like in the dream sequences. I guess this will improve with time as the actors get in tune with each others acting styles and cues.
I would love to hear your views on the week...especially if you disagree with my viewpoint. I think debate is good for this series and the issues it touches on.
Cheers,
Jaya
Hindi TV Shows
Pati Patni Aur Panga
