Misti, these days I am able to watch the show quite late and not able to post them too early. So once again writing in response to your comments as you have as usual written most of my thoughts about the episode.
I have to say this..take a bow Geetanjali.👏 Today's episode completely belonged to her and Anjali. First Anjali dismissed Astha and her excuses in the car as if she is not at all interested in her and just went for the jugular vein...I mean insulting Kalindi. Why waste time and energy on talking to Astha when it is much better to conserve it all for Kalindi. Anjali's entire discourse regarding how to bring up an ideal daughter was aimed at Kalindi and she made very good use of sarcasm while conveying her thoughts to Kalindi. Actually Anjali's antics had me giggling today. One of my favorite dialogues of this show will definitely be Anjali asking Kalindi whether this is her family's tradition. 😆 She brought gifts for them and also gifted them with the knowledge that their daughter is hell bent on destroying the family's name and that she is forced to accept her as DIL because Shloke likes her. There was an indirect barb thrown at Kalindi that Anjali would not have allowed that to happen if this had been her daughter. Looks like something is burning here...I mean other than Kalindi's ego😉. Then she invited them for the lakshmi puja and also warned them that they have to come because they are now relatives. I especially liked her hug to Kalindi who was standing like a statue and for a fraction of a second I thought that Anjali was actually gnashing her teeth. Among other things Shloke has also inherited her sarcasm and the ability to keep a smiling face while mocking others. Kirloskars did not know what had hit them and they should thank their darling daughter for all the insults that were heaped on them.
Misti, Geetanjali was the star today. She is such a great actress. Like Avinash, she also uses her eyes to express her feelings as she too is given limited lines because the character is portrayed that way. I loved the whole scene between her and Kalindi. Astha is not her target, but Kalindi is as she has become her rival in the whole value system fight. Anjali has no control in her life - neither on her sons nor on her husband. She also knows deep down that whatever Niranjan has done or made her is wrong. Yet that is her existence and she is now defensive about it. Astha with her entry is challenging the mode of living - the existence with which Anjali had convinced herself that she has made peace. Since Kalindi is the reason for Astha's fighting nature, Kalindi is the rival whom she must subdue.
So she seized the chance as soon as she saw Astha in Shlok's room. It seems that her resentment of Astha is for two reasons. One is that she fears resistance from Astha that would bring a change in her household for which Niranjan would hold her (Anjali) responsible. Other is that she is envious of Astha's hold on Shlok. Shlok and Niranjan are two people around whom her life revolves. When Shlok rejects her or picks up Astha over her, it hurts her that results in lashing at Astha and Sojal - the ones on whom she has power. She has power over Sojal because Sojal has no support system either in her parents house or with Varad. Astha herself has given Anjali the power when she keeps silent at her parents humiliation or put herself in a position where her parents are questioned again and again.
I too noticed how similar Shlok is to her both in vindictiveness and sarcasm. Both Shlok and Anjali likes to settle scores quite openly and viciously. Niranjan is also vicious, but he is hidden and his style is very subtle. Anjali and Shlok go with gusto after the people who hurt their egos. So it is Astha for Shlok and Kalindi for Anjali. Also Anjali too has figured out Kalindi quite well. Kalindi is an extremely proud person with an ego that gets hurt when her value system is questioned. So today Anjali took great pleasure in hitting Kalindi below the belt and then giving her gifts and hugging her in that sarcastic manner was a cherry on the cake for her. Then as if that was not enough, she invited Avdhoot and Kalindi for the festival celebration at their home knowing very well how much they wanted to refuse her. If Astha had not married Shlok in the temple, Kalindi would have blasted Anjali. But now Astha's actions have tied her hands where she is forced to listen to Anjali's taunts.
As a result of Anjali winding up Kalindi, Astha was reminded by her mother that she has to keep Anjali happy. Why I am not surprised? All the indications were there during the aftermath of the horoscope pooja when Anjali was deliberately winding up Kalindi regarding Astha's unsuitability as a DIL. Anjali painted herself as a good person by saying that she tried a lot to make Astha understand but Astha does not have the qualities nor the inclination to learn which indirectly meant that Kalindi has not given her a good upbringing. As usual Astha again told her parents that she will not do anything anymore that will further result in their insult. Wonder how long will this last? 🤔 Astha is expecting Shloke to protect her parents. Shloke might since he has to prove a point to his mother but that is separate from her doing things that result in all these insults. If they had not shown Shloke hating his mother then based on what has been shown, I would have thought that mother and son are together on this...one insults and the other rushes to protect and in this way Shloke become great and Astha gets isolated from the family. But since they have shown that it is not the case, whoever is the master mind of this game that is being played with the Kirloskars is a very sharp judge of character. That person knows all the players quite well and is using them to get the job done.
Astha needs someone to knock some sense in her head. Since Ajji and Avdhoot just make excuses for her mistakes and Kalindi these days is being judgmental, there is no body to give her any sense. She needs a person like Vinayak to tell her some home truths. She was standing silently while Anjali was humiliating her mother and hinting that Astha stayed all night in Shlok's room. On one hand, she is telling Shlok that she does not want her parents to be humiliated. But then does not do anything herself. What is she expecting that Shlok would do if he is not even aware of any incident. She told Kalindi afterwards that she went to Shlok's place in the morning. But why couldn't she open her mouth in front of Anjali. Astha has clearly chosen Shlok (and hence Anjali) over her parents. She did not want to contradict Anjali in front of Kalindi in order to keep Anjali happy. What is the difference between Sojal and Astha at this moment? Sojal tries to keep Anjali to survive in Agnihotri household, whereas Astha now seems to be doing the same as she wants desperately to be with Shlok. So all that talk about not wanting her parents to be humiliated are just empty words from her. Any daughter who respects her daughter would have stood up to Anjali at this point and also broken up with Shlok. She couldn't even retort to Anjali that why should she be questioned only and not Shlok who was equally involved in the whole scene. In fact, even Kalindi who usually is good in pointing out hypocrisy of Anjali was silenced because she felt too let down by Astha.
In some sense, I feel sorry for Astha too as she has become an extension of dreams of her mother. She probably got that business management degree because of her parents wishes and Kalindi trying to live her dreams through Astha. Since Astha is their only child, they have put this burden on her where she has to be this perfect daughter who would represent their value system. Then on the other hand, they have brought up in this protected environment where she has not been any reality checks. So it is quite a burden for a child to hold. Not that it is unusual for middle class parents to do that. But still it is not fair to a child.
Misti, you are so right about the master manipulator who is using everyone's nature to control them where Shlok and Anjali are unwittingly working as a team or Astha and her parents are reacting this way. Astha herself is getting increasingly distant from her mother despite Kalindi's best intentions to protect her.
Originally posted by: Myra.nelly
"...this rascal is up to no good" 😆yeh he is. Most probably he realised that Astha might be having thoughts regarding everything so he might increase the proportion of romance to again put her brain to sleep.
Misti, loved it 🤗 Thanks Myra...
Infact i loved your entire introspection on Anjali!
Indeed she was the star today! I too liked she went straight forward and attacked kalindhi, i guess she is jelous of her relationship with her daughter! Infact boy's mother is almost always jelous on the new daughter in law as she'll have to share his love with the new woman.. here anjali is also hurt that shlok cares more abt ashta! i too liked her expressions there!
Hmm, liked your theory abt the sharp judge of characters... that makes me think of Neeranjan...is he controling all these and hus puppets dont even know it.. he did mock anjali that her son doesnt consider her hus mother.. dnt know, maybe i am wrong! Myra I am not too sure but all the indications are there that point to someone as a master manipulator and based on all the candidates present, it should be Neeranjan. He is the only one who knows his son and wife. He also recognized the potential of Astha as the future wife of Shlok just by watching her interaction with Shloke and that of her father. He also most probably gave the offer because Avdhut is her father. Then his plans hit a block with Astha and Shloke both refusing and Avdhut supporting Astha. He was very curious as to who Kalindi was most probably to work out the dynamics of this family. Later on he used Anjali to find out what Astha is all about. Remember when Astha used to visit Agnihotri mansion, Neeranjan told Anjali to work with Astha. That gave him the information that Kalindi is Astha's backbone and Anjali is now after Kalindi. As you have said he also rebuked Anjali by telling her to find out exactly what Shloke wants. If Neeranjan is the main manipulator then the journey for him has not been a smooth one because both Anjali and Shloke have a mind of their own. But he is getting there. Anyway this is just my guess based on what has been shown. Lets see what the writers are upto.
Coming back to the Kirloskars, Avdhut as usual does not want to accept that they might have been bit too lenient with Astha. Maybe he is also trying o calm Kalindi so that things don't become too wrong. Kalinidi was right in telling Avdhut that Astha could have told her at least, but Astha is too caught up in Shloke's web of love to take a step back and think. On one side she thinks that she has to prove her love for Sholke and on the other hand she has to prove to her mother that her mother has not given her wrong teachings. ;
Avdhoot was true to his nature where he keeps on making excuses for Astha. But he also was feeling angry at Astha's actions. So some of his reactions were trying to make sure that Kalindi doesn't go overboard with Astha. Kalindi of course did when she once again slapped Astha. It is now becoming a daily dose of slaps for Astha. Also Kalindi is subconsciously putting a lot of pressure on Astha to prove that Astha made a right decision. And Astha is also succumbing to Shlok's pressure to prove her love as according to her, he proves his love for her in a lot of ways - taking her side against Anjali, promising to make sure that her parents are not humiliated though they always are, painting her and showing her those rosy pictures of their life.
Talking of Shloke, there was an interesting conversation between him and Astha. Shloke who had earlier claimed to know when she is fibbing did not push Astha to tell the truth. Astha is now scared regarding the marriage and is getting apprehensive regarding leaving her parents home. Wonder whether she has started to think that whether after her marriage she can maintain her contact with her parents or not or whether she can be as open as she was before. Although Astha did not verbalize it, Shloke did pick up on it and told her that she can go to her parents whenever she wants to. After the conversation ended Shloke had an enigmatic look on his face...this rascal is up to no good.😳 By the way why on earth is Astha praying to Lakshmiji and Bappa? Doesn't she know that Shloke is the chosen one for all the Gods and all of them are working against her but for Shloke?😉😛
I liked Shlokie's expressions and wouldn't mind another monologue from him regarding what he is planning to do to Astha. His words that she was free to go to her parents were not sincere. Well, she would probably be free to go to her parents, but she wouldn't be sharing anything with them. Astha's instincts are telling her that things may not be as rosy as depicted by Shlok, but she is ignoring her instincts. Today she was subdued and Shlok probably guessed that she got in trouble due to this ubtan thing. He would know that as he deliberately delayed her where she would be caught by somebody or the other. She is now beginning to hide things - not telling Shlok about getting caught and warnings by Kalindi not to do repeat this kind of stuff. Then not telling her parents that Shlok asked her to come to his house.
Regarding Shlok being the chosen one, he is everyone's favorite whether it is Gods or humans. Be it Astha, his parents, siblings or neglected grandparents in the old home, everyone just favors him. So why should Gods stay behind? Astha prayed to Bappa before Kolhapur trip that she would give him 100 coconuts if Shlokie stayed out of her life. Shlok had smirked at her prayers and Bappa of course listened to Shlokie. And why not? Shlokie is so entertaining that Gods would not want to miss the fun by putting him together with Astha.
Anjali also had an amusing interaction with Sojal's mother. I am sure it was not amusing for Anjali but it was for me watching her reactions and expression. First Sojal and her mother met each other like long lost buddies and the mother almost strangles Anjali in her enthusiasm.😆 Anjali has got the "I am the queen and you are the dirt" expression back on her face. Anjali gives a pointed look at Sojal after listening to her mother's laments about being fleeced by an autowala. Sojal's mother also decided to give Anjali some lessons regarding how to squeeze a person's arm to show ones gratitude. Now I know why Anjali is always pinching Sojal...she is extracting her revenge.😉 Anyway, Sojal's mother is very greedy and she has no hesitation regarding stealing in her daughter's in laws house. She also has come deliberately in not so good clothes so that she will receive good gifts. No wonder that Sojal does not want to leave this house. She has no option but to stay. It also seemed that Anjali is aware what her mother is all about and she did not pay attention to Sojal's mother question regarding how she managed Sojal as a DIL? In fact she indirectly told Sojal's mother that Sojal is fine as a DIL. By the way today it was clear that Anjali has no patience for Sojal's mother so why did she chose that girl who was recommended by Sojal's mother as a future wife for Shloke? It was all a farce ...a nautanki enacted to give someone a push. By the way quite a shrewd decision in opting for Sojal as a DIL. A girl with no support and thus has to accept the rules of Agnihotri mansion for her own survival. In camparison Astha has the support, but what will happen if she is isolated from that support?
Yes to everything you have written. Also, it answers the question as to why Jyoti was married in that middle class family. So it seems that spouses of all are chosen from lower status families so that SILs and DILs can be controlled. So if Sojal's mother wears the saree given by Sojal to Agnihotri functions as her clothes are not good enough for their functions, then Sojal of course can be controlled. Similarly Abhay is used by Niranjan for his purposes just as he was used for that ashram property deal (another farce) so that a carrot named Astha can be dangled in front of Shlokie. No wonder he chose Astha after that first meeting. He wanted control over both Shlok and Avdhoot and Astha is the tool to do that. And yes, that whole looking for girls for Shlok was a big farce of which Anjali too was a part (obviously at Niranjan's command).
Another thing is that it describes why Anjali is so angry at not being able to subdue Kalindi. Since DILs and their mothers are low in pecking order, she controls them. Sojal mother due to her greedy nature is easy to control and for Anjali to show her superiority and disdain for her. But Kalindi is made of different material where she is not impressed by Anjali's show of wealth. Avdhoot/Kalindi neither wanted Anjali's gifts nor wanted to come to her house. So Anjali's inability to control Kalindi is a dent for Anjali's immense ego. Again this shows her similarity to Shlok who too takes affront when he is not given the respect he thinks he deserves.
I am going to end with Anjali who loves Shloke a lot and who had tears in her eyes when Shloke let her know that Astha is more important to him than she is.
Anjali despite her abuse invokes sympathy when it comes to her interaction with Shlok, as it is not about wealth or status at that time. It is mother's hurt at constantly being rejected by her favorite child.
Overall, I liked the episode as it was not a saas-bahu episode or an episode showing abuse. It was more about power play in various relationships. Another thing was that Avdhoot today told Kalindi that they have to start from scratch with Agnihotris because they have no choice. Also he told her that they have to keep them happy so that their daughter remains happy. That was a statement of typical parents who think that their girl would only be happy if inlaws are happy. So a change has already occurred in the principled household of Kirloskars. Both parents are hugely reluctant to go to Agnihotri house for fear of getting humiliated. of course, Astha assured them by giving an example of Shlok's promise but even she did not seem convinced herself. So Kalindi and Avdhoot are now preparing themselves to be humiliated when previously they would not have even tolerated the idea. Astha of course is responsible for all this. Wonder how she would react later on when she figures out that she is the one who caused her parents to be subjected to so many humiliations? Will she too be broken the way Anjali is?
I guess anjali got used to her behaviour and thinks that her royal ignore will make her stay away.. but that woman is truly amusing!Originally posted by: rani-lucki
i can't believe anjali lets sojal's mum get away with her behaviourlol she is too funny
Originally posted by: Myra.nelly
Kalindhi was intitled to b hurt, their relationship was very open before and ashta could have told her! But she isnt thinking straight now bcoz of shlokie!
Anjali reminded me shlok a lot today with her sarcasm, i guess thats y i liked her so much today 😆
Originally posted by: Myra.nelly
Neerja,
I really want to know if shlok willingly will make ashta go far away from her parents by creating a rift! That means his father wish will b fullfield and avdhhot might bend to sign those papers for his daughter happiness! But, shlok always said he wont let ashta be hurt in any way...so he cant keep her away from the kirloskars right?! So, i am very curious how cvs will handle this and making sure that shlok diesnt change his current priorieties!
About ashta and her mother.. all i can say ashta us blinded and her mother didnt deserve this kind of humilliation, yes they didnt teach her responsibilities but she could have tought logically that her parents would b worried! But i guess logic is too much to ask from ashta who is spellbound by shlok!!
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