DC Finale - Goodbye IPK - Page 2

As I pondered what to write for this very last post on DC, what I realized is that more than our collective love of the show that brought us together, I shall treasure the friendships and the camaraderie and the picking each other up that is so much a part of DC amidst the back story of Arnav and Khushi's story. A huge shout out to all my new friends ' thank you for the very warm welcome and support ' I spent a very short time here but have enough memories to last me a lifetime.

🤗 to all the DC girls!

I wanted to jot down some of the scenes and snippets that call out to me and will continue to do so for a long time from this beautiful love story. I'd characterized the story into four different phases in my last take as part of the Week of Celebrations here on DC. The first two phases of the story that end with the forced marriage between the two is by far my favourite stretch of the story. When I ponder these scenes, I can remember so many snippets and little details - it was hard to pick out my favourite bits. What follows is my attempt at jotting down some jumbled thoughts on a few scenes and themes that rose over so many beautifully crafted episodes and scenes and characters. A warning ' it is long since I just sat and scribbled as the memories came rushing back. I've also mostly concentrated on Arnav and Khushi moments and not the so many other beautifully portrayed relationships and snippets that IPK has given to me.

This post covers the story up to ASR's rejection of Khushi on Diwali night by Buaji's verandah. I will try and jot down some thoughts on the rest of the episodes in separate takes on this last DC thread. Let me know if you'd like me to PM you when I do get around to adding all the other bits.

The memories from the very begining '..

The scene where a trembling, humiliated but determined Khushi walks up the stairs to the conference room at AR Designs, blue paint smattered across her face, undeterred by her public fall from the window engineered by ASR to teach her a little lesson and confronts him in a roomful of ASR employees and clients. She trembles with fear but is able to meet his eyes, stand tall and tell him off in her unique Khushi way. ASR lets her have her say ' almost issues a challenge to her ' goads her on to have her say as he stops Lavanya from interfering and says 'aur kuchh kehna hai'bahut kum logon ko ye mauka deta hoon'. I love the dialogues ' 'hum darte zaroor hai aapke taquat se, aapke ghamand se, ghuroor se lekin darke bhagna hamari aadat nahin hai'. The expression in ASR's eyes as a visibly nervous and frightened Khushi says this ' he had to have been at least a little, albeit unwillingly, impressed by this slip of a girl who had the sheer guts to come back from all the public humiliation he heaped on her and the misfortune he threw her way to stand tall before him and tell him to his face that he has done wrong and that too in a confrontation before his people. I, as the audience unfailing say - You go, Khushi !

The first Rabba Ve when an angry, frustrated and irritated ASR comes back from talking to Anjali and is struck still gazing at the ethereal beauty in the red saree. Those very expressive eyes sear onto her ' he is absolutely mesmerized and ever so gently lets his eyes check her out from head to her dainty feet, his whole attention singularly focused on her, almost as if no one else quite exists in that very crowded room. An upset, seriously out of her comfort zone and intensely vulnerable Khushi already feeling like she has compromised on her principles by agreeing to model for the calendar yet fearful of ASR's reaction to her act of wearing the saree instead of the tiny dress he'd thrown at her looks up to see her nemesis staring back at her. The look in his eyes holds her still for a long instant, everything forgotten, a mutual awareness flaring between them for the first time (I've always felt that ASR felt the attraction at their first meeting when she fell into his arms and reacted badly and very unASR like because of his awareness of the same while Khushi at the first meeting seems unaware of the attraction and seems more freaked out and hence focused on getting away from him). They gaze at each other across the room oblivious to the world until Khushi is brought to her senses and turns away from his gaze to adjust her fallen pallu, so very visibly self conscious at his gaze. This brings ASR back to his senses and the look in his eyes when he realizes who it is that had held him mesmerized is fantastically enacted. This time he stares much more boldly as he deliberately walks towards her and it is Khushi who cannot quite meet his eyes, afraid of his reaction and wary and self conscious at the direct blazing gaze. Through the ebb and flow of conversations around him and directed at him, he is focused on just her ' the beauty in the red saree while she peeps around warily at him. Loved how once he delivers his verdict and walks away, he turns back to gaze at her once more over his shoulder, boldly and a little angrily as if to say that yeah, you might have caught me unawares for just a second but no one brings Arnav Singh Raizada to his knees.

The end result of this is an even more churned up and hence enraged ASR who punishes Khushi by forcing her to stand out in the rain and direct cars in the parking lot yet still manages to keep an unobtrusive eye on her and comes to her rescue at just the right moment. Loved that rain scene ' the way he clasps her snugly and sweeps her out of harms way and then continues to hold her in the safety of his arms, his entire self rigidly held afraid to even move a muscle as if he is not quite sure how he will react if he changes his stance even a smidgeon as the water drips down his face and hair drenching him. Khushi, terrified and still feeling the after effects of the near brush with danger takes a little while to realize who it is that is holding her so close to his body ' at first it is a horrified suspicion that she slowly raises her head to verify. They stand still in the dark of the night amidst the parked cars as they stare at each other while the rain pelts over and around them. Predictably, Khushi is the first one to come back to the real world and her pointed glance at his hands still clenched around her brings him to the realization that he is still holding onto her. He releases her abruptly, almost pushing her away and wham ' they're back to their old antagonistic relationship like the last few minutes never happened. But it did and they both know that things are fundamentally changing between them. ASR eventually reaches out with an overture disguised as a typical arrogant order (Khushi's reactions to his taking off his coat is like oh my God what is he doing 😊) and Khushi slaps it away and he walks away in anger'the one emotion he feels so very comfortable with.

The resignation scene from the start of the measured walk towards each other after the initial eye contact till the end where ASR impotently watches her walk away, unable to give vent to his feelings at that moment and Khushi's one last wistful glance back ' she is not sure why she glances back at the angry man who has brought nothing but misfortune into her life. Her slow walk back home as snatches of their various interactions play through her memories. Khushi's words and ASR's reactions ' this scene is perfection.

ASR rescuing Khushi from the Guest House. This whole sequence, from his horrified realization as Mami says Khushi's name aloud while he is on the phone with his manager from the Guest House till the end where a remorseful ASR watches Buaji and Payal tending to an unconscious Khushi through the window, is simply fabulous. To me, more than Khushi's words during their confrontation, it's the infinitesimal lowering of ASR's head as he allows Khushi to pummel him back with her puny fists. He knows that he has crossed a line this time, he has endangered her out of sheer carelessness because he took the easier way out in dealing with her by sending her out of his sight and then trying to forget about the problem. The standout line for me is when Khushi tells him ' 'aadat daal dijiye ki ek chhoti aukat ki ladki, chhoti haisiyat ki ladki aaj aapko yeh batane ki jurrat kar rahi hai ki sirf apka gussa hi nahin apki puri zindagi galat buniyaad par bani hai '. His reaction to her words ' it's like in that one instance, this unknown slip of a girl is able to make him, Arnav Singh Raizada, always so sure of who he is and where he is headed, the one who creates his own destiny, question everything that he believes in, everything that has molded him into the man he is - make him question the very essence of ASR for just that one brief instance. It felt absolutely epic.

The teej episodes are just phenomenal ' so many beautifully crafted moments and snippets ' hard to pick out a favourite but a standout one for me is where 'tu hi bata mere maula' plays as he stands a little out of the way, off the crowd as if to symbolize how very different he is from the crowd while Payal, Khushi and his family pray around the tree. When he catches sight of her ' her eyes closed in prayer, the look in his eyes is so vulnerable, a yearning for something ' a feeling beyond his current understanding as he stands alone, aloof and detached from everything, from life ' far from the maddening crowd and watches her, standing still in his suave and well cut three piece suit drenched in the kumkum they've just played a very private holi with.

The scene where a tentative but determined Khushi silently walks into the empty office where so much has happened to her to collect her Devi Maiya while a silent ASR, unable to concentrate as she pervades his thoughts, feels her presence and then from high up on his perch watches her walk slowly towards her desk and sit down lost in her thoughts. He orders her up to his cabin and then follows her in a blind rage into the store room when she refuses to acknowledge his presence. The whole store room scene is fantastic ' ASR determined to give his side of the Guest Room incident ' determined to make her acknowledge his words, his presence ' by making small and tentative overtures and trying to engage her but making matters worse by behaving like a bull in a china shop. The two stand-out snippets are when he throws away her cell in a rage breaking it because 'he is not finished' and then reels back shocked in mid sentence as he realizes that he has made her cry. Khushi has had enough and finally succumbs to tears and ASR, for the very first time is visibly stung by them ' by the fact that he's terrified her and brought her to tears. The second snippet is when he breaks the door down, again in an absolute rage, and then turns around and asks her in a perfectly reasonable tone if she is now ready to listen to him. It is ASR engaging with Khushi for the first time on her terms ' then his expression ' angry but with a tinge of panic, of desperation ' and his words as he realizes that she is going away to Lucknow forever ' 'Tum aisa nahin 'Khushi'Khushi '

The scene that first attracted me to IPK ' the one where Khushi hides in the cupboard when she comes back into ASR's life to serve sweets at Di and Shyam's anniversary party. When I first watched this scene, I had no context to the story or even the characters but still loved it enough to try and watch more scenes and eventually get drawn in to the show. ASR, plagued by thoughts of Khushi night and day, willing himself to move on, telling himself that he can do it and forget her ' he has Lavanya in his life, in his house, knows Khushi has left for Lucknow after he sees the lock on the door of Buaji's house but all he can think of is Khushi in the privacy and darkness and loneliness of his room and his pool. So, when he feels her presence in Raizada Mansion, he tells himself that it is just his imagination and tries to move on but fate (the one he doesn't believe in) has other surprises in store for him. His expression, when he finally opens the door of his closet and his suspicions are verified is priceless. To him, it feels like a dream ' one he can barely even acknowledge to himself, coming true .. and the way he tries to grasp her dupatta and hold her still for just a moment in time as if to verify that she is really there and not a figment of his imagination as she attempts to run away from him feels like him attempting to hold on desperately to something that keeps slipping away from his grasp and he is left standing in the midst of his vast yet lonely room gasping out her name as the bright and colourful sunshine girl runs from him like all the demons are at her heels.

The gradual and beautifully depicted friendship between Lavanya and Khushi. There are so many beautiful moments between them ' when Lavanya discovers Khushi after the incident where ASR manhandles her and ignoring everything else asks her if she is fine ' the little tapori dance that Khushi and Lavanya do with ASR's picture while he stands there sternly, unable to quite comprehend what is going on before him while Khushi who is too terrified of him is unable to decide whether to stand still before him or stay safely on the bed while Lavanya dances on unawares ' the 'what nahi pot' episode where ASR is left no choice but to dance to Khushi's tunes in order to save Lavanya from Nani's wrath while his Di smiles on at the unfolding events ' Khushi writing the words for Lavanya to propose to ASR in front of his family ' Lavanya warning Khushi to keep away from an enraged ASR who is angry at Khushi for putting middle class marriage thoughts into his very progressive girlfriend ' the fun they have with Nani, Di, Mami '.so many beautiful moments frozen in time.

ASR and Di's many beautiful moments ' too many to recount here but the one I absolute love is where he sits before her on the temple floor and like a little boy says simply 'galti ho gayi Di, maaf kar dijiye'. No pretenses, no ASR faade ' just a little boy asking his Di who is the only remnant left behind of the mother he loved so much to forgive his mistake. Beautiful scene and Khushi finally starts to slowly see the man behind the mask ' the man behind her Rakshas.

The fairy light scene which I still find unparalleled as the most sensuous scene on Telly anywhere ' there is no dialogue except the one spoken by their gazes ' there is barely the hint of a touch ' yet Khushi is lost, pulled into the haze of an inexplicable physical attraction that she cannot comprehend while a more experienced ASR who has created the sensual haze, silently watches the effect he has on her. The screen goes up in flames and the audience gasps at the sheer mastery and sensuality of such a simple scene.

Loved all the scenes between Khushi and ASR as Khushi tries to persuade ASR to get back together with Lavanya after Lavanya walks away from Raizada Mansion post the scene where a Lavanya in bridal getup has it out with ASR ' a fantastically mature way of portraying the points of view of two people who want different things in a relationship. ASR's reaction to catching sight of Khushi in the bathroom, Khushi and Lavanya's uneasy and guilty glance at each other when they realize that they've massively miscalculated and that ASR is about to blow his top, Lavanya trying to step in and protect Khushi from his wrath but silenced by one searing glance from him'. and ASR's confrontation with Khushi and finally Lavanya. The scene where an absolutely enraged ASR stalks down the stairs and walks purposefully towards Khushi who stumbles back in sheer fright and is propped up by Di always brings tingles to my spine. A special mention to the fantastically enacted scene where an ASR finally comes and almost painstakingly puts his arms around an ecstatic Lavanya while Khushi initially euphoric suddenly finds tears coursing down her cheeks and is puzzled and walks away to hide them while an utterly bewildered ASR looks on, Lavanya held in his arms.

My favourite by far in this set of Khushi's various persuasive tactics is the one in ASR's office where Khushi confronts him and asks him to bring Lavanya back. 'maaf ki jiye..hum aapko galat batane ki jurrat kar rahe hai' and ASR promptly grabs her hand to drag her to the dubious privacy of his glass office to have it out with her where he refuses to let go off her while he coldly blasts her until Khushi retrieves her hand after a brief struggle. A clash of wills ' of ideas ' of beliefs'follows. 'Ab hamare beech kuchh nahin hai and you ..can 'get 'out' ' 'Jis tarah se sorry bolne se sachai nahin badalti usi tarah se it's over bolne se rishte khatam nahin ho jaate'. ASR talks about how the breakup just reinforces his belief that relationships never last ' people grow apart and move on. Khushi innocently asks him if he ever really loved Lavanya ' 'ye sacha pyaar to ho hi nahan sakta'' his response, an enraged 'ab tum mujhe sikhaogii ki pyaar kya hota hai. It's over, dammit. It's over. Out!' ASR counter punches with 'nahin hai dil ASR ke sine mein..aur achchha hi hai ki nahin hai' and 'jaisa bhi insaan hoon tumse to behtar hoon'kam se kam apne aap se to jhoot nahin bolta' ' one of my absolute favourite scenes in a show and phase of the story chock full of such beautiful scenes.

The different facets and glimpses of ASR on his slow journey towards being drawn to Khushi as she gradually becomes aware of ASR as not just Laad Governer and Rakshas but a man ' flawed, with a mask for the world but one with hidden qualities and above all, a man she is inexplicably drawn towards. The angry man of the world who comes to Khushi's door and unapologetically and so very in-your-face plops down packets of money to bribe her back to Raizada Mansion to make his Di happy (I loved this scene ' the reactions of everyone, the little glances between Khushi and ASR ' all just fantastic). The enraged man who dumps Khushi in the middle of the road twice in one night when she dares to answer him back as he questions her right to interfere in his life and her beliefs ' he is actually silenced by her words and listens to her until she brings up marriage and his parents in one sentence when he snaps, his unspoken overture to her as she sits in the mud and he offers her his hand to help her up and his reaction when she refuses to accept any help from him and then finally abandons her to come right back searching for her all the way to her house where he watches her put up the Sholay enactment. The unexpectedly tender ASR under his gruff manner as he tries to get the mud out of Khushi's eyes and can barely keep himself from caressing her soft skin as she sits there in thrall to him. The whimsical ASR who tries to please her by putting the chandi ka sikka in the Miss Chamki powder packet and watches her childlike pleasure from the sidelines as she is excited at her good luck (Mami, Lavanya and Di are fantastic in this scene). The 'hamari batti nahi jal rahi hai' and his coming down at Khushi's say so to help with the Diwali prep leading to the rangoli conversation where he overhears Khushi ask Di about marriage and his expression when Khushi inadvertently lets out that her family is talking about her marriage ' ASR is so busy fighting his own feelings for her that it doesn't even occur to him until that moment that she could become someone else's ' he's always felt that she belonged to him. The first smile at the apology Khushi attempts to make after the hot tea incident ' 'mango juice ' woh santre ka nahin mila na'. The first time he attempts to say sorry from practicing in front of the mirror, to attempting to make the hilarious phone call where she mistakes him for an eve teasing lothario and then the many attempts that only make matters worse until the final gazebo scene where he apologizes in his unique way by almost angrily letting her know that he would never have said what he did if he'd known about her parents. Khushi's words in response bring tears to his eyes and he finally apologizes so simply and so beautifully. I found the apology next morning for the bruises he inadvertently put on her even more compelling ' her trying to hide it from everyone, him noticing it when her dupatta peels away and she is so uncomfortable in his presence without it, his reaching forward to hold it out to her almost as an offering and then the final horrified gaze and realization and the sorry spoken while turned away from her but unable to resist a final backward glance to make sure she heard it. The indulgent ASR of Nainital ' in fact post bringing Lavanya back after Khushi's pleas to that respect ' he puts up with a lot of the innocent craziness that always seems to follow Khushi around. It's as if he has convinced himself that she is silly and naive (pagal hai par cute hai much later under the influence of Bhaang) and that he has a soft corner for her but it is all under control. ASR is known for his legendary control and detachment and no slip of a naive girl with bright clothes and loud manners who chatters all the time and is a general klutz is cause for any serious concern to his invulnerable heart ' is what he tells himself. He progressively succumbs as the Diwali preparations go on culminating in the jaadu hai nasha hai episode where they both walk the room so completely in thrall to each other and so unaware of anyone but each other in a room crowded with guests. The beautiful diya walk after he sees her for the first time in the red saree Di gifted her, his realization that the payal he's guarded for so long is her amma's and hence priceless to her, the scene by the pool where he sits at her feet ' massages her foot and puts the payal on her delicate ankle (Madhu put it beautifully when she said of ASR's attitude - I'm at your feet but am not quite ready yet to give you by heart) ' then walks away from a Khushi who's struggling to comprehend the meaning of his actions and the implications of his holding onto her payal ' and turns back at the unspoken queries in her eyes for one last look and is irresistibly drawn to her. He gives in to one moment of pure passion (all heart and no mind ' a huge no-no for ASR) and Khushi is ready to give in to him, drawn towards him by his passion and their mutual attraction that has slowly been building up to this final culmination when the inconvenient and insistent ring of his cell stops them from what they both consider a moment of madness ' a moment stolen from time itself. His horrified realization and comprehension at what he almost allowed to happen, her brave attempts at trying to get some answers to what almost happened, his terrified and impulsive reaction to primarily convince himself that she is a weakness he can still control by announcing amidst all the guests that he wants to marry Lavanya ' so beautifully expressed. The whole time his ecstatic family rejoices at his announcement and Khushi's heart silently breaks by the pool (it is doubly hard to watch because she is quite unable to comprehend why her heart is breaking), he is solely focused on trying to convey to her that she misunderstood his reaction to her ' that he is still in control and that she means nothing to him. He reinforces this in devastating fashion when he runs after her and orders her to get into his car, tries to engage her about their conversation by the pool - something that she feels is now pointless to talk about because he is now an engaged man, leaves her by her house in obvious tears and then comes back to give her back her purse and rejects her when she runs after him at her amma's instigation to thank him. My heart broke for Khushi even more during this rejection than the forced marriage as she sits by the stairs and cries silent tears while a stony faced ASR drives back home and stops the car suddenly as the implications of his actions on this night start slowly dawning on him. He closes his eyes and leans back as if to ask himself 'What the eff am I doing?'

To be continued...hopefully 😊