Right from the start the Maheshwari family is being made to admit to the discomforting truths about their family members by Meenakshi. Earlier fingers were pointed at Mishti’s lineage (regarding her father’s criminal record and his subsequent attempt to blackmail Rajeshwari) and now the question of Kuhu being Shaurya’s illegitimate child was raised.
At one point during her outburst that required Mishti to insult her own family members, she admits to being ‘muhboli’ (adoptive child in the family) while showing pride in atleast being a legitimate daughter of her parents whereas Kuhu, she says is, najayaz (illegitimate).
It’s ironic how the two sisters at different points in the story had to face problematic situations owing to the reality of who their respective parents were, when actually for them their adoptive family is as real and dear to them as their own family would have been. (Loved how Kuhu didn’t so much as bother about saying anything about who her biological mother was neither did she care about explaining whether or not had she ever tried to get to know about her. For her Varsha is her mother and that’s the end of it.)
It is also ironic how the well-intentioned Maheshwaris have had to bear the brunt of keeping family secrets whereas the scheming Meenakshi has conveniently got away with all her dirty secrets related to meddling with others’ lives, be it that of her own children or that of Maheshwaris.
Abir has questioned Meenakshi about her actions and decisions and has held her accountable for her immoral ways. (It would be interesting to know how as a child or an adult Abir started picking up on his mother’s manipulations and made a conscious decision to make himself distant from her. More importantly make himself different from her.)
Meenakshi’s false sense of entitlement and egoistic nature has led to innocent characters unknowingly becoming victims of her never ending machinations. Mishti has directly faced emotional and mental torture owing to Meenakshi’s blackmailing and Kuhu has been made a pawn so that Meenakshi finds herself triumphant in her self-created “game of who would be an ideal partner for whom” .
Mishti in the last episode was innocently shown musing over how she would have forewarned her sister (Kuhu) to stay cautious of her mother-in-law had she been there to help Kuhu get ready for her wedding. And again ironically, after picking up fights with Mishti for inane reasons and blaming Mishti umpteen times for being the reason of all her problems, despite of Mishti’s very public and dramatic revelation about her parents, Kuhu was not jumping the guns to murder Mishti. She in fact was taken aback and termed Mishti’s behavior as her getting fits (“Pata nahin aaj Mishti ko kaise daure pad rahe hain..”)
Kuhu has crossed the line many times in her arguments with Mishti but the way she was shocked to see Mishti’s use of words and her uncharacteristic behaviour, it was clearly indicated that she never expected Mishti to behave in such a hurtful manner. It was also indicative of the fact that (despite of not adhering to such codes of conduct herself) at least in certain ways Kuhu did have high regards for Mishti.
When I had started watching the show (which was purely out of interest in checking out the blossoming romance between Abir and Mishti) the perception I had about Kuhu or about the equation between the two sisters so to say, was that Kuhu would be a bratty, comical, dimwitted sidekick to Mishti (many of the show’s viewers I think would say that she is exactly that but I think differently) I didn’t think I would care much about Mishti’s sister let alone their sisterly bond. Hence to be intrigued about the two sisters right from the start was pleasantly surprising. I would say at the heart of Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke’s storyline is the strained yet sweet, outwardly fickle looking yet strong, relationship between the two sisters.
Mishti has had first hand experience of Meenakshi’s torturous ways, Kuhu does know that she should be wary of the MIL and yet has been blissfully unaware of the mental and emotional harassment that Meenkashi is capable of subjecting others to. A part of my heart wishes that Mishti had discouraged the relationship between Kuhu and Kunal having seen what Meenakshi is like but then again had she shared such views she would have further only been misunderstood. Moreover, Mishti was convinced that Kunal loves Kuhu and no matter what he would stand by her sister’s side. Once Abir had told her that if we two people love each other they can and should fight to no end to be together. I guess somehow Mishti believed so too, that probably Kuhu could find a better mother-in-law but would she find another person she would fall in love with?
Kunal has been the chameleon of the storyline. From showing himself to be Mr. Goody Two Shoes to be being downright insensitive and misogynistic in his approach, he has treated other characters with respect and disdain as per his own convenience. One instant he would be respectful towards Parul and call her maasi, another instant he would look at her as though she merits being nothing more than a domestic help. He would talk about how guilty he feels for cheating on his family members and Kuhu but wouldn’t show a wee bit of guilt or remorse in running away from his wedding (It looked as simple as going out for a morning routine of jogging for him when he picked up his bag to go out of the house so that he doesn’t have to marry Kuhu.)
If the marriage does happen (which I think it would) inevitably at some point the glaring truth about this marriage would & should begin to look apparent to Kuhu. I am desperately hoping she would get to know Kunal for who he is (a manipulative guy who toyed with her emotions all along and never intended to marry her in the first place) This truth holds the key for how Kunal would be perceived as by his own brother Abir and Mishti too (both of whom trusted him) More than anything else it holds the key for Kuhu to open her eyes to the murky world she has landed herself in by continuing to being in her lala land about marriage, about Kunal.
The makers here have an opportunity to not take down the lazy and simplistic route where Kuhu is reduced to a mere puppet, vulnerable and hostile, in the shadow of Meenkashi. They have the opportunity to showcase how years of upbringing can’t be so easily meddled with by treacherous people. Infact, they have the chance to berate the Rajvanshs in a bittersweetway (When the truth of Kunal being Parul’s son (something which they have heavily hinted at in the episodes so far) would be brought forth, I do not think Kuhu would want to separate from him or judge him for who his parents are. She might simply not care as she doesn’t care now that someone as archaic and authoritative as Meenakshi is going to be her mother-in-law. Kunal on the other hand, was party to the tamasha regarding Kuhu’s parentage that Meenkashi made sure Mishti creates in order to insult the Maheshwaris and to make sure that Mishti distances herself from Abir)
Truth is a beautiful and terrible thing and therefore should be treated with caution said our beloved Hogwarts Professor, Dumbledore. Another quote of his which I often use,that holds relevance is that with understanding comes acceptance and only with acceptance can there be recovery.
Terrible truths await to be discovered by Mishti, Abir and Kuhu.
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