When The Line Becomes Too Obscure

In my opinion, today's episode must have been one of the best episodes to date.

We got to watch different perspectives regarding a grave issue and everyone was somewhat justified in their stance. However, whether they have crossed the thin line separating the good from the bad or not, that question remains to be answered.

Starting from Jaydeep, as much as I love Neel and Kaju together, from a realistic point of view, no parent no matter how open-minded they are would accept such a forced marriage. Not to mention, Kaju isn't as educated as Neel, and the tag of "Illegitimate" adds a lot to her burden. Her inherent dancing skills or her profession as a tour guide means nothing to the Khuranas because they see her as a maid's daughter.

On top of that, when a goon threatens you in the middle of the night, you are bound to get scared.

The problem is, this very real problem didn't have to be solved the way Jaydeep is handling it.

There was a Bangladeshi serial named "Shonkhobash" where the protagonists eloped and the girl's father scared the crap out of the boy's family members, eventually leading to his father's death that he was forced to desert his wife. As much as I hated him for his cowardice, somewhere along the line, one could sympathize with his helplessness for the way his father died and his sister was threatened with violence. At least he was decent enough to write a letter to his wife, explaining the situation and leaving enough money so that she could go back to her father's house.

I might have sympathized with Jaydeep had he been so helpless in front of Phool Singh.

But being an influential lawyer who most certainly has an upper hand, he chose to hand Kaju over to Phool just so he could get Neel married to Pavitra. 

I wonder if there's anything that can justify such a vile act. It's not the fear of a protective father. Rather it's the menace of an egoistic man who likes to pin the blame on the weaker one so that his own prejudice doesn't get revealed. And the worst part is he doesn't have any remorse.

Neel most certainly doesn't deserve to perish under the responsibility of an unwanted marriage but knowingly violating a girl's safety and honor is in no way a solution for that.

He could very easily annul the marriage, discuss it with Pavitra's father openly and help Neel settle Kaju somewhere else, giving them both the chance to live their lives as per their choice. Instead, he chose to settle scores in the most heinous way that overshadowed everything Neel has done for Kaju so far. 

This was a line that wasn't in any way obscure but he chose to play the victim and set the original victim as a target.

Coming to our protagonists, there lies some serious dilemma, and hats off to the makers for addressing it properly.

From Neel's point of view, he's doing the right thing. It's in a way endearing that he openly proclaimed he would stand by any girl facing the same problem. Definitely not the type of confession you would expect out of your partner but at least he's not giving Kaju any false hope.

For him, it was always friendship, and he doesn't regret a single thing he has done so far.

But...

Is it really that simple? Let's forget Phool Singh for a while, his over-friendly attitude did manage to alert a lot of people both from the city and the village.

Yes, I strongly believe a boy and girl can be involved in a platonic relationship BUT... when you are constantly calling your friend "Special", unknowingly you send off a hint that there might be something more and unfortunately, that's what happened with Kaju.

She herself tried to deny the idea since the logical portion of her brain could sense their inappropriate match but the moment he came back and married her in front of everyone, it was a strong statement and the poor girl is now stuck in an impossible situation.

I feel for Neel. He did everything in his power to save an innocent girl who saved his life on multiple occasions. But on several levels, he has crossed his line.

On top of that, his realization that Kaju has accepted the marriage wholeheartedly adds to his burden because now he can't be as casual as before. A lot of things have to be considered and he doesn't have a strong support system who can help him choose the right path.

He is stuck somewhere along the line and how he decides to proceed further will determine whether he's on the right path or wrong. 

Coming to the actual victim of the scenario, my heart broke for Kaju today.

Not just because of her helplessness but also as a girl as her dilemma was too painful to bear.

This poor girl saved a man's life without caring about her so-called honor and chose to do the right thing till the end. She could very easily pin the blame on Neel. Instead, she bore it all and called Neel only for her mother's sake.

The marriage brought some momentary relief. She felt her feelings were reciprocated and she let herself be happy for those handful of moments when there was no one or nothing between her and Neel.

But the realization hit her too hard.

Neel's statements aren't contra-indicatory and somewhere deep down she always knew they weren't an ideal match.

But what's hurting her more now is that at least earlier she had his friendship. Now it's his pity.

I know, it may seem very stupid of her at this moment that she's wallowing in self-pity without giving Neel the benefit of the doubt. However, I believe it's her pragmatism that she's not getting swayed away with momentary tenderness.

Any relation, be it a marriage or friendship, should be formed between two equals. And by equality, I am not implying financial status but their commitment as well as compatibility. 

Earlier both Neel and she had equal contributions to their shared bond. But now the balance has been shifted. It's only Neel who's carrying the burden and she feels like an alien here among all these people, half of whom are hell-bent on throwing her out of the house.

Neel has been shown as the person who slowly started to liberate her. She respects him, perhaps loves him too for his pure heart but the foundation of that relationship was based on mutual trust and respect.

She was willing to stay committed to their friendship despite it hurting like hell. It was a friendship between two equals. One who jeopardized his personal life to save the other, and the latter one to honor that sacrifice by standing by his side in his need.

Unfortunately, the equilibrium has shifted. She's simply an ordinary girl who Neel wants to feel confident and secure in her place. He's willing to go to any length for that but for her, nothing is special about their relationship anymore. Now she's simply a burden who Neel can't shrug off his shoulder because he is too decent to that.

So she's going through extreme emotional turmoil where she doesn't know which path to follow anymore. Considering the storm that's coming her way, let's just hope it gives her the clarity she needs to fight off all these predators. 

Tagging the members in case you want to join the discussion 😊