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I've been wanting to talk about the now somewhat 'infamous' realization scene from last week for a bit now and I figured while I'm at it, why not just discuss Meera and Abhi overall as characters and their journey so far since it's all pretty interconnected as far as I can see.
Meera:
When I saw the first promo of this show, I expected her to be the cliched "high maintenance" chick trying to adjust in a joint family...not the first time that Indian TV would have attempted that. Instead, I learnt that this character is anything but that particular cliche.
Her atrangi philosophies, her innocence, the totally random phrases she'll blurt out, her unflagging optimism even in the face of low self-esteem, her ability to simultaneously be so wise yet so clueless😆, her total disregard for any of the typical societal expectations and trappings, her mischievousness, and ultimately her big heart...all of these endear her to us.
I didn't expect to find this character so endearing but she has slowly but surely made a place in my heart now...to the point where I feel like taking her contradictions in stride just to see if I'm surprised along this journey😆.
Abhi:
Probably the most well written and multi-layered character of the show portrayed to complete perfection by Priyansh...
Again, the first promo didn't hook me...I expected a typical mahaan character and a cliched shaadi, then drama.
Instead, we see a guy who is simple, patient, strong, compassionate, super-responsible, caring, mature...but above all this, he's such a human character...he is simple, yet there are undercurrents to him...he has immense patience for the most part but like any human being, loses his patience when pushed too far.
Here's a guy who has spent half his life caging most of his emotions and dreams, all with a smile simply for the sake of managing his family...and managing them not in a mahaan way...but in an indescribably touching way...the way he takes everything in stride, especially the bad...and still finds the will to get up and again and again and keep trying...there's both a quiet dignity and immense sadness in his heart...but he still smiles because his family relies entirely on his smile and his strength to function in any way...one of my fav. scenes in the show sums up his situation so well...when his daadi compares him to a God, and his mother remarks that the family so easily venerates him to a God's status whenever it suits them and just as easily blames him for everything at the first sign of a crisis...he is both their Messiah and their punching bag. And he bears that cross with such good humor for the most part.
"Lowe" + Realization(s)
A lot has already been said about last week's realization so I won't rehash all of it...but just a few thoughts about the connection, various shades between these two characters...and what draws them to each other...
I think the crux in this case is simplicity...because kisi mahapurush ne kahaa hai ki "simplicity mein hi sundarta hai"😆...for some people, life and emotions really are just that simple...someone walks into your life like a breath of fresh air, makes you smile, cares for you, cares for your family...and that is it...that is love for that person. In other cases, a person needs far more interaction, analysis of their thoughts, their emotions before putting a name to that emotion, that bond.
90% of junta belongs to the former category, and so does Abhi😆...This is a guy who was put through the arranged marriage parade 12 times so clearly he was willing to get married on that premise...wasn't exactly complicating the idea of love and marriage in any way...it was simple and straightforward for him. When he first saw Meera, he had a puzzled look on his face...puzzled yet instantly intrigued...it gave way to that now familiar smitten smile when he learnt that she was the girl chosen for him by his family...that's the kind of guy he is...it wasn't really a question of who/what/why? He instantly liked her...it didn't require any analysis on his part.
With time, he grew to know her...and she continued to puzzle him and enchant him with her refreshing outlook on all kinds of topics and life in general...for a guy who has to shoulder the burden of being Messiah to a kooky family on a daily basis, she was a godsend...the first person to actually care about his 'genuine' smile, who so diligently tried to bring him out of his shell, make him smile...she was his ultimate respite from the madness of his family...how could he help but fall for her?
The question was never about what 'self-analysis' Abhi needs to do to understand what it is that Meera evokes in him...it was probably apparent to him since day one given the straightforward kind of guy he is...but a lifetime of holding himself back from ever indulging in his own dreams and desires probably prevented him from actively processing it.
It ultimately comes down to what draws them to each other...as Abhi so beautifully put it in the realization scene...the first ray of sunlight doesn't need anyone's permission to shine at a certain place...it belongs to any place it shines on...Meera is that sunshine in Abhi's life...she didn't ask for any permissions, she just swept in and lit up his life...and simple as that sounds...that is why he loves her...that is it for him😆
Would it have been nicer if the bond had continued as is? Not given a label or a name? Possibly...but somehow the way the scene was presented, it just fits...it's hard to envision this having gone any other way at this point. Abhi has always been more aware of his feelings towards her since day one but had been curbing them...ultimately there was no name to give to it but love because nothing else would explain the draw he feels for her...
So I would say this was a set of realizations...Abhi's realization that he loves Meera...my realization that this show needs to be viewed through a somewhat different lens, just like Meera to kinda get a sense of how it all fits together😆...oh and the realization that sometimes despite what everyone is saying, an epi isn't that bad😆
I feel that the realization was needed to move the story forward and that was the intent of this long drawn out dream sequence...it was Abhi's moment to give flight to his dreams, to soar on those emotions for a bit, to allow himself a dream, to yearn for the seemingly impossible.
Meera is probably the first dream he has allowed himself after giving up his Engineering dream...thus the importance in terms of storyline growth...this was needed to move him out of a relatively stagnant state of just going through the motions of managing the homestay and his crazy family...for the first time, he's ALLOWING himself a (long overdue) dream/aspiration...and that is how he treats Meera...like a tender dream.
As for Meera, I am waiting to see how the story unfolds but the sense so far has been that Meera struggles with a more crushing burden...her family's disappointment...so far, she hasn't shown the ability to really manage to rise above it...the show enjoys making the Aman storyline convoluted to drag this bit on. So I'm not sure how and when Meera will realize her feelings or act upon them...Abhi in a sense has been more than obvious since day one...while Meera is all about pure joy...she doesn't analyze her feelings much either...she lives in the moment...she might need a jolt of some sort to achieve her "realization". Let's see if that ends up being as contentious as that of Abhi's😆
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