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In the run-up to the redemption of Mala helped along by Paro, today, the CVs revealed a rather unusual split, and as a result some potentially very interesting new alignments in the haveli.
Rudra's control had cracked wide open by the time Paro got there. The scabs on his soul-deep wounds had ripped apart, and the room was viscous with the sullen ooze of anger, shame, pain, rejection and a multitude of other emotions that had roiled inside him for far too long.
Even the swigs he took from the bottle to numb the pain could not more than dull the edge. An edge that was instantly sharpened by the words that were wrenched from him and cut him afresh as they stabbed at her. At her, no not his Maasa, but that other woman the one who had run away and dumped him like so much rubbish in the bin. Words that showed no signs of stopping or slowing down, but that seared out of him and into her, shattering her composure, dissolving her joy in tears that ran down eyes so like his own that they might as well have been his.
He could not have that. No. How could a woman like her cry? A woman who had left him and Bapusa to shoulder the burden of her abandonment while she enjoyed a life of privilege and ease. Left Bapusa leaning on his crutch, and he to the crutch of alcohol. What would everyone think? That a woman like her was actually swept away by emotions?
No. She needed to stop crying. After all, she'd done him, them, a great favour. They still existed. Were not just alive but living. And now she could do them another favour and go away. Leave them to never return. Today he was making the decision, as she had fifteen years previously, for himself and Bapusa that she should go away. His hands shook her off, dismissed her, like his voice, with contempt. And he walked away without once looking back.
He did not need to turn around to know that his wife, his Paro, had gone over to that woman. But Paro returned to him as he stood braced against the wall letting the contents of the bottle mingle with the burn in his throat. Returned to him and tried to tell him she understood how he felt, because she too had lost her parents as he had his mother.
So he corrected her. Her parents had not left her of their free will. Nobody had taunted her with the fact that her mother was a runaway. She had not lived her life in shame and contempt. She could never tell him not to be angry or upset or hate that woman, because he hated her and would hate her all his life.
That's when she, his wife, his Paro, left him for her and went over to the other side. Told him she didn't mind him venting, as long as once the dam had burst, he listened to that woman; gave her an opportunity to tell her side of the story!
So then he pushed her hand away from where it cupped his face, and staggered away, reeling under the blow of this fresh desertion.
And stumbled back to his father. To tell him what he'd done. How he'd sped that miasma away. Sent her back. Bapusa need not worry. She would not be returning. Bapusa could go back to sleep. He'd scared the demon away.
And his father, the person he had tried to shelter from this storm that was blowing their way, instead of being relieved and welcoming his decision, or patting him on his back, asked, "She's okay isn't she?"
A dramatic episode today as the CVs built the case for Mala. So we got to see the flashback that redeemed her somewhat, and shovelled a little of the dirt Dilsher's way. And as a result we saw Dilsher's surprising reaction to Rudra's revelation - not welcoming his son's decision to reject Mala as much as showing his concern for Mala whether out of mere humanity, guilt or feelings that never quite burnt out, it is too early to tell. What we do know is that Paro has an unexpected ally in the haveli to bring Mala back home.
The rift will no doubt widen tomorrow as bonds old and new are tested by the power of Typhoon Mala as it finally hits the haveli. Mohini's attempts at manufacturing a split between Samrat and Mythili are likely to be subsumed by the after-effects of this new storm. At least for a while, as the household realigns itself for and against Mala. I for one am looking forward to Dilsher's and Mohini's reactions to Mala's presence. And Rudra's reactions to Dilsher-Mala.
Acting was compelling, and ably supported the power-packed script and incisive dialogue, which were to me the real heroes today. Although all drunken male performances will end up being compared to Amitabh Bachchan's many renditions of the same, and inevitably conjure a sense of deja vu and/or not match up. 😃 Having said that, Ashish was still convincing in the hospital and came into his own the moment he left the room. Sanaya was equally convincing as the wife torn between looking after her husband's immediate and long-term mental health.
As was Sadiya as the Maasa, finally being made to see her son's scars - physical and emotional ones - inflicted as a result of her running away. Kali Prasad Ji and the actor who plays Danveer were able to impart a sense of the dread and shell-shock that effectively led Kakisa to ask if anybody had died. 👏👏👏 to the cast and crew for an episode that effortlessly captured our attention and one that makes us eager to know what will happen tomorrow.
Waiting for the storm to hit!
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Smitar's brilliant analysis on Page 2
Enjoy!😃
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