I have NEVER been as disgusted with YHM as I am today.š”š²
What the makers have done to the show is mutilation of their own creation..Never did I think I would come to detest my favorite character in the show so much as I do right now.
I have not been writing reviews for close to two weeks now, thanks to the genius plotting, over-emphasis on a single character (read: Shagun), the FL and the ML being reduced to side characters...and being butchered mercilessly...bit by bit...
So today, its not going to be a traditional review as such.
I only want to discuss the THREE "protagonists" (since Shagun cannot be left behind for too long, CVs will get ulcers if they dont show her in EVERY episode) and where they stand in this show. How they have contributed to the mess or are going to contribute to an impending mess in the show.
Raman - An erstwhile favorite, and possibly the only male character on Indian Telly we had all come to love and so adore (need I say the other male actors dont even GET to mouth as many lines as KP?). Not just because of KP's powerful acting that has made Raman come alive but because of how unique this man's tribulations and emotional turmoils were...that we could all relate to. His passion, anger, feverish affection for his family, his impulsiveness even, but most of all, his JOURNEY...from a man battered by his past...a selfish, wicked ex-wife who left him for the riches of the world...and left him hanging, dangling at the end of a rope...his journey from a man who hated himself and hated his reality to a man who slowly peeked out from his cocoon...and saw the world for how beautiful it COULD be, courtesy Ishita Iyer, the woman he was fortunate to marry, even if it was for Ruhi ke liye.
This JOURNEY and how he took baby steps in this direction fascinated us the most...as he took us all along, wiped us off our feet, making us a part of it all. He had turned into a secure, pleasant, happy man...who had learnt from his wife to let go of the past and not make its remnants seem so overburdening and menacing. Ishita taught him to respect Shagun, since she IS the mother of his children...she was the one who taught him to be normal around her and not bark mad everytime he saw her. She taught him to NOT let Shagun hover around in his mind and heart, even it was in the traces of bitter memories...and a traumatic past...
Fair enough. That was great advice, especially when it comes from a second wife, who could easily have gloated in the fact that her husband was behaving crudely with his ex-wife and she need not plot and plan to make the two stay away. Which wife would want her husband to be close to his ex-wife? Especially when she KNOWS she could possibly never give him what the ex-wife has already given him (his children) and will continue to have that kind of a special hold over him all throughout their lives. No woman would. Women are insecure, and it takes a LOT to do what Ishita has constantly done in Raman's case...make him warm up to the idea of being cordial, even friendly, with Shagun...for the sake of his kids. Heck, she even SHARED his joy...at him finding out Shagun had changed for the better. Because deep down, even she feels its only right that the biological mother of the kids have an untainted image, be respectable in their eyes. How many women can think like that?
But WHAT makes Raman think he can CROSS that faint line of cordiality and acceptance to the absolute madness he has been a part of the last few weeks? Starting with the way he followed her around to the cold storage and getting trapped in Ashok's plans, to the video made of his CPR session with Shagun, to the ABSOLUTE INSENSITIVITY and CALLOUSNESS he displayed when clinching on the surrogacy deal with Manoj and Shagun.š” He has been acting like an arrogant prick right from the time Ishita watched the CD of him giving CPR to his ex-wife...and though he WAS NOT doing anything wrong technically, he acted extremely dismissively of his wife, not even bothering to clarify her doubts...assure her all was right...nothing of the sort. He seemed like he couldn't case less. He seemed that all this while he was waiting for Shagun to turn into an epitome of sainthood so he could be around her at whatever cost, to hell with his wife's feelings, he seemed more eager to gratify his own self-interests than honor his wife's wishes.
Is this the journey Ishita signed up for? To be rejected, discarded, dismissed, humiliated and hurt even, when she married this angry man with a torrid past, shitloads of baggage and an ex-wife who miraculously would constantly appear in his life, at regular intervals?
Heck, is this the journey WE signed up for?š” To watch Raman declare pompously in front of a fifty odd people that "Shagun ke bacche ke baap MAIN hi hun aur ab Shagun ko main apne saath ghar le jaaunga"??? To watch this man defend an ex-wife who has a stellar record of ruining him and reducing him to a failure countless times, as opposed to publicly defending the woman he has married and vowed to honour: Ishita. When has he ever defended his WIFE the same way he today defended Shagun in front of everybody? Sure, he defended Ishita when his whole family was acting crazy a couple of months back...but for the most part, he is quick to blame her, and keep mum when others point fingers at her...It is extremely hurting to watch it all...to see this level of concern (which goes WAY Beyond just humanitarian concern for a surrogate mother) and is, at the least, disturbing. Is he just bothered about his baby? Or is his nostalgia and blind faith in his ex-wife's newly formed virtues turned his head?
How can his and his wife's CHILD be so effing important but not the WIFE herself? I fail to understandš²
What he declared before everybody else at Manoj's apartment was still better than the sheer arrogance and finality with which he declared in Bhalla House, that Shagun is actually the surrogate mother of His and Ishita's baby...and that Shagun will continue to stay in the house till she gives birth to "their" child...Of course, this was no less shocking for his wife or his family members to hear...everybody looked OUTRAGED. And too right they should!š”
Contrary to reports, Ishita didnt look ONE bit relieved or happy or grateful or whatever. Thank God. Thank heavens they didnt butcher Ishita by making her accept this sordid arrangement which did not have her approval at all.š She looked MORE hurt, more betrayed, more rejected...very very let down. Toshi asked the right thing - What made you think Ishita would gladly accept a child out of Shagun's womb?? Why d F did Raman not think about it once? š”š”š” Just because HE thinks Shagun has changed...so that is enough and there's no need for Ishita to actually process the same and allow/disallow this whole surrogacy thing? How patriarchal, how sexist. I am very very angry today.
Is this the same man, who was lifeless for years and years after Shagun left him? The same man who took an eternity to gather his life around? And that could only happen after Ishita came in his life? Is this the same man who was talking of giving his ex-wife second chances or whatever, despite being tortured by her in every conceivable way for years and years? If this is how his brain works, then well, he truly deserves Shagun and all the wrath she used to inflict on him earlier.š”
Raman reeks of arrogance, of a man blinded by the want of a child...which he doesnt care HOW he gets as long as he gets it. Is this the same man we had all come to adore in this show? I despise him now, because he is behaving like a typical MCP who doesnt mind taking circuitous routes to achieve the ends. Imposing himself on his wife. Arseš”
There's more to him, which I will discuss in the next paragraph...with reference to his wife.
Ishita - She may have been too submissive, too sacrificing, too understanding and whatnot, but today she raised the RIGHT questions before her husband. It was simple - SHE had made peace with the fact that she would not be able to conceive ever, she was content with her life, then why did HE have to go all out and get into this surrogacy thing? What was the necessity? That too, without HER consent? By manipulating her, lying to her? Raman retaliated by saying...that all hope was lost, which is why he had turned to surrogacy (I better not start on how ridiculous this last-resort theory is, I might write an epic here blasting Manoj and Raman, both )...
She raised the right qs when she asked, "Zabardasti mujhe ek bachcha gift kiya jaa raha hai" woh bhi Shagun ke pet se...Exactly. Why d f didnt Raman think about it earlier? HOW COULD HE NOT DAMMIT? IS HE SO THICK IN THE HEAd?š”š² Its high time Bollywood stopped getting all senti about Maa and Maa ki mamta and all that. Just because your eggs have been fertilized without your knowledge and a baby's booming in your Sauten's womb, it doesnt automatically give you motherly feelingsš”
I had mentioned earlier in my reviews, that she doesnt want a child, she is prolly not attached to the very idea of having her own child, atleast not like Raman is...then all this nonsense Raman has started will only turn against him, because it seems its HIS wish to have a child..not HERS...the prerogative matters. And yes, Ishita was right when she said SHE should have consented to it, which she didnt...atleast not willingly...by doing this Raman had made her feel more rejected, more worthless, absolutely like a baanjh.š
And its fallacious for Raman to even mention that he was doing it all for HER...since HE could see behind the perfected, practiced composure of her eyes, her real pain...bloody filmi nonsense this is! The whole idea of having "their" child was seeded by HIM...I dont remember seeing Ishita swooning with thoughts of "their" baby...she seemed very detached from the start. Then WHY did Raman ASSUME this baby (irrespective of whose womb it came from) would solve all of Ishita's probs? Hell, was there any problem in the first placE?š”
AND this is where I rest my qs - Raman said, that as her husband, he did what he thought was right ...FOR HER...for her happiness yada yada..qs is, shouldn't Ishita as his wife have the first and final, actual say on WHAT constitutes her happiness? Who gave him the authority to decide? And go obtain her consent in this manipulative way to clinch the surrogacy deal??? This is where I totally LOSE Raman. He was gone, in my eyes. Imposing his will on his wife, just because HE thinks it was right for her. Why do men THINK this way?š”š”Why do they think they are so goddamn important that women would accept EVERYTHING they decide???
Raman called Ishita;s unaffected demeanour a mask for the world...but hell, why cant it be that she REALLY was strong from within and had accepted her destiny as it was? Also, why destiny? Its not necessary every woman SHOULD and MUST want to give birth to a child.
I am glad these regressive notions of men have come to light. I am glad Ishita questioned those. But if it takes a detour and she goes back to accepting/forgiving Raman for this absolute hideous moral transgression, then well, women dont really have a place in this country.š
I am sorry, no matter HOW top notch KP's acting usually is, the reasons, the plot, the track itself is so horrendous I could not accept ANY of Raman's pleas/reasons for doing what he did. "Main haath jodta hun...galti ho gayi mujhse" This is galti, huh? Its not like he did it at the spur of the moment! Like Ishu said, it was planned and well thought-out. Disgusted, I am.
Now I come to the third person in this mess.
Shagun- From the moment she made a re-entry in this show, in a holier-than-thou avtar, we all had a hard time digesting it. I had still made peace with the fact that Shagun had changed, she should be given a second chance, especially since her love story with Manoj had sort of begun to take off. I was sort of in a lala land, thinking the makers are going to give us IshRa scenes aplenty, while cruising through ShaNoj love story as a parallel track. The horror bombed on us when we realised it was ultimately going to be Shagun-Raman-Ishita AGAINš²
No matter HOW many times she says she wants to redeem herself, pay Ishita back for whatever she has done for her, blah blah blah, she seems fabricated, insincere and comical. I have not been able to accept it and I never will.
However, when questions were being raised about her character yesterday...when it came to light that she indeed, was carrying Raman's child...I was wondering, if people have taken it to be a love child or something born out of ShaRam's affair, then why the hell did people not persecute Raman yaar? Shagun toh phir bhi single hai, uske jo dil mein aayega woh karegi (am not supporting her, just for the sake or argument)...its Raman who should be brought to task as to what "adulterous" acts he got himself involved in...
At the end of the say, even if I do not understand Shagun's virtuosity, fact is - she was carrying Raman's and Ishita;s child (assuming, as of now)...the onus was on Raman to explain the truth to Ishita...to convince her..to not LIE to her in the first place...Neither Manoj nor Shagun is married to Ishita, Raman is. Raman is accountable to Ishita, neither of them are...Manoj is, technically, as a doctor. But technically, Shagun isnt. Even if she's a bitch, and is out to get your husband, you cannot charge her, when your own husband has been doing all sorts of nonsense behind your back. Its like, apna sikka khota ho, toh kisi aur ko kya bologe.
So that is what struck me - Shagun was immediately humiliated, abused, attacked, and even thrown out of the society...called names. Raman was not. When in reality, as a married man with two kids, Raman has MORE of a responsibility to present a good example to the society than Shagun does.
How hypocritical and shoddy these thought processes areš²
And tomorrow, it seems Shagun will go mad with all the abuse coming her way, and in an impulsive fit, jump off the terrace. She ACTUALLY jumps off the roof And it seems, Raman will blame Ishita for the same...
how is this even fair? I prolly will make an angry rant-like post tomorrow as well, but as of now, all I know is...Raman is the main architect of this mess. Even his ex- wife's death. If benefit of doubt were to be given to Shagun (she wanted to repay Ishita or watever in this unique way we can never understand) then it transpires that, eventually, the onus LAY ON RAMAN to convince Ishita, tell her the truth, explain things to her, before it all blew outta proportion.
As a wife, Ishita is right in her place. As family members who have seen Shagun at her wickedest worst, they are right in their place too...for not trusting her an iota and letting her into the house. In some ways, Shagun too is responsible, because she suddenly assumed Ishita will garland her and put colour on cheeks in sheer happiness, once she gets to know her Sauten is carrying her and her hubbyz baby...but then that assumption does not warrant death. The authority with which she was telling Toshi she'd stay on till the whole of 9 months...I was like, you have the NERVE to say that???š² Like, HOW? Would you have smiled at Ishita had you been in HER place? And welcomed her, ki chalo chalo, I'll be your nanny till you give birth to my husband;s and my child???
She would have raised hell. Raman wouldn't DARE do this with HER around. Then why does he ALWAYS do such shitty things with Ishita? Has she no value??š”š”š”
It is Raman who designed it all...and now it lies in ruins. He is simply dangling between these two women...and now, even in death, Shagun wont leave him alone.
I cant even BEGIN to state how stupid it looks ...this whole ghost-coming-back-for-revenge-track. I am appalled that YHM has decided to go the Jodha Akbar and SSK way...they introduced everything from serpents to extra-terrestrial creatures to tantriks to ghosts in their shows...seems YHM is following suit.
Sick, I am of this utter nonsense.š” #You are Officially Ruined YHM
And tomorrow Shagun falls off the roof...jumps, actually...no, she doesn't die. Shagun cannot die, nai toh YHM will shut shop. EK has her ways of bringing dead people back from the grave. Sometimes I wonder why people waste money on hospital bills...they should just go to her and add a few more years to their lives.š
but Ishita will be the Fallen Woman tomorrow, and thereafter, because scriptwriters have lost their mind and can figure out no other way they can cause family members to go against Ishita.
Ishita was the angel alright...but from tomorrow, she will be the Fallen Angel.
Arjun
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