Originally posted by: sanfan
Priya @ppak asked a question a couple of days ago about Jhanakās changed behaviour towards Arshi and the change not bearing up well in the narrativeā¦
So I thought while answering that question, let me write about Jhanak
hereās my surmise as the writing for Jhanak is lucid at most times.. it wasnāt ever necessary to write about her sort of uni-dimensional character yet there is a steadfastness to that dimension that bears up well in this taleā¦ with a bit of jerkiness in the Mumbai track when they suddenly made her vocalise ( mind bubble at least) her love for Ani.
hereās my takeā¦
Jhanak initially began with much adulation and affection for Arshi Didi. Even when it wasnāt reciprocated fully, Jhanak I guess didnāt spare much thought for Arshiās brusque behaviour.
Later on, the secret wedding made her complicit in an act that changed her relationship with Arshi.
At first, and I daresay for a long time, she nurtured that guilt around the deed ( she bore responsibility for suggesting the deed as a way out of her problem) but she didnāt expect the matter to blow up. She had resolved to go away and she did try on a few occasions to run away. In the start she didnāt even get why Ani was insistent on keeping her back and she used to question him as much as she could as she never understood the conflicting signals.
Here, I would like to point out how societal conditioning plays a role in how relationships fortify.Since people attach a lot of importance to the institution of marriage and the wedding forms the bulwark of the bond instilling legitimacy even sometimes beyond consentā¦
so at some level I guess Jhanak started to view that fateful day to mean something but she was sensible enough to assume this to be her personal thing not as an expectation from Ani to honour the bond.
Slowly and steadily she cottoned on to Aniās strange ways to resolve problems and their equations changed gradually even if at the surface Jhanak continued the Didi Jhaap as a way to keep Ani grounded or rooted to his commitment, was it her duty to do so? Did she need to do it? Noā¦ but as she realised Aniās changed feelings it served as a barrier of discretion. For her, the jhaap served as a defence mechanism as their attraction/love for each other was blurring boundaries and I donāt think she was in any condition to introspect and take on the burden of deciding the legitimacy of their relationship .. Relationship ki āmaryada ā usi main thiā¦ and here it bears pointing out that her past plays a big role( I feel her belief in the secret wedding was always undermined knowing that Ani and Arshi being in a committed bond would/should have primacy over any bond. .
Yet Jhanak wasnāt immune to the emotion herselfā¦ her heart always hurt whenever Ani made any overtures to Arshi or there was any PDAā¦ her heart yearned for some recognition even though it was immediately drowned in a voice of reason; it was a strange state to be inā¦ publicly adhering to a code of conduct but privately feeling the hurt. That is indeed the state of love which is above and beyond rationale of letās just say.. here arguments fail!!
However, even in this situation, while maintaining that she did not want to come between the two, she was as honest as possible when Arshi asked her if she had fallen in love with Sirjee ( the parvat dialogue.. to indicate her godly devotion to Sirjeeā¦ amply demonstrated at the aashirwad ceremony)
Ani and Jhanak post his ashirwad ceremony reached an unspoken understanding that they werenāt meant to be together and till she went to Kashmir, she indulged him in every way possible coz she knew they may never meet again
Yet fate ( Tejas)brought them together and once again and this timeā¦.she gave herself in love to Ani but even after that night of passion she remained resolute that there was no future for them; this must read as Jhanakās strongest position on this as even after Ani indicating his desire for a life together, she did not allow him to go that path. A lot is made out about this decision of hersā¦but for me the narrative clearly bore out that for Jhanakā¦ that was a closed door and it still remains so. This is irrespective of her own conflicted feelings for Aniā¦
I will dwell a bit on this contrarian feelings of Jhanak. For Jhanak, Ani being her husband was something she started to value or recognise as time went by and while she may have yearned for a recognition of that relationship, she wasnāt a fool to precipitate through her actions any change in status quo. Even the night at Kashmir saw her in a dilemma and unfortunately due to the third person limited pov this story adopts we werenāt privy to her tumultuous feelings post incident. We wondered at the abruptness in the shift of scene but we can now deduce that for Jhanak, the night didnāt increase her right on Ani as she was anyway reconciled to a life away from him. From the narrativeās sense, her insistence on Ani marrying Arshi didnāt make sense as it wasnāt her call how Ani navigated that but since they never discussed this like sane individuals, I could only put it to her fear of being considered the cause of breakdown of Ani- Arshi relationship.
When Ani went on the offensive with PDA, all wondered why was she upset to this extent when she wanted this to happen. It now transpires she was very upset that Sirjee could change his colours so quickly after sharing intimacy with her to that extent. For her, the annulment was only a penultimate nail in the coffin of her bond with Ani and she continued the playacting.
But his aloofness post fire incident put paid to two things
her Didi jhaap, she invoked her self respect to finally wean herself from Ani knowing that Ani has made his choice clear in whose corner he stood and she had made peace with it. She did not write a note to Ani but to all in BH for a reason. It was her way of cutting bonds with that chapter of her life and moving on.
When she wasnāt shown remembering Ani at all it may have seemed strange but it was the writerās way of showing she was ready to put the past well and truly behind her.
Yet, she came face to face with Sirjee and her buried feelings even before they came to the fore, she was asked by Ani to lose to Arshi. It was the first time, her changed thevar for Arshi was noted. It was like a case of āI am done with my share of being nice to people who donāt deserve itā. Jhanak always knew that Arshi didnāt mean well and any jhaap from her end was an embargo she put on herself ( & on Ani unnecessarily) When there wasnāt any need for it, (considering they were married now) her truth bombs wouldnāt stop.
A whole lot of latent feelings must have arisen at that stage but Jhanakās first and foremost thought would have still been āSirjeeā¦ aapne apna corner chun liyaā in which there was no place for her.
After that encounter, it would have been Herculean to expect that Jhanak remain passive when being called out for moving on. At the height of their loving bond, Jhanak never once gave justification of her bond with Rahul, how was she going to do that for Adiā¦ who wasnāt yet her friend.
Jhanak who hasnāt exactly been known to be discrete at the height of her battles with Ani went for the jugular when she received barbs.
Ani was largely keeping his anger private with her but on that fateful day, he let loose on her in an unrelated matter and it formed the battlefield for these two. Aniās anger that he is no longer the MVIP in her life and the worry that she is being careless in her choice of the next man to trust in her life caused a public volley. Jhanak was stung by the ferocity of Aniās words for a matter so trivial and so unthinkingly she let loose her own pent up furyā¦ letting that private relationship go publicā¦inadvertently.
When she was ill, his brusque care for her seemed like an insult so she did what seemed to her the final cutting of bond with her Sirjeeā¦never expecting to face him ever.
The baby announcement came like a bolt from the blueā¦her resolve that she will not let her child undergo the trauma she faced the only guiding force of her battle. When she started out, I donāt think she expected to fight a battle and even now she said she only wants an acknowledgment from Ani and in that, irrespective of how her personal feelings are, she has remained steadfast for not wanting to crash a party. āKushaal zindagiā if she has reserved her scorn for him while wishing him this.. itās her coming of age however stark it sounds.
In conclusion, barring a few aspects in this journey, Jhanakās motivations have been very clear in the narrative. Even the tussle between her heart and mind have been clear. Often her decisions to goad Ani have been questioned but I am clear that despite that, I would not like to place the onus of the decision making to part or stay with Arshi at her door, yes she forced him to adhere but Ani had the final say on the matter as it was always his cross to bear not Jhanakās. That they are paying the price of that decision is the pathos in the tale. But the way I read this tale from the start was Jhanak would cotton on to Aniās predicament sooner than later.
I will give you all a small example of a scene in yesterdayās episodeā¦ Chotton with Minu and Bodomo & Jhanak. When Bodomo chided Choton saying he was responsible for breaking Minuās heart and Choton replied saying I was saving Minuā¦ Immediately Jhanak said why did you do that, Minu is old enough to take her decisionsā¦ Well this applies to her and Aniās situation as wellā¦ š
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