*Season 2, Week 18* Analysis Thread - Page 16

Originally posted by: Samanalyse

As this Khatri arc came to a head, it touched on one of the core themes of the show: you can control only your own actions, but not their consequences. What this means, and an important lesson for all of the characters, is that good intentions do not absolve you of the consequences of your actions. At this point in time, all of the characters hide behind good intentions to justify the many upsets and upheavals they have caused, from Sona and Dev to Ishwari and Bijoy. But by introducing the results of Ishwari's crime, the writers are complexifying this entire question, and showing how being a victim in one situation does not absolve you of being a perpetrator in another. In more subtle ways, this is what Dev and Sona learnt about the split -- the fact that they were hurt and broken didn't mean that they didn't also hurt and break the other. Each of them saw themselves as the victim of the other's injustice until they understood how they had been unjust themselves; that is the crossroads that Ishwari is at now.

It is not difficult to imagine Ishwari's thought process when she stole those jewels. She might even have asked for the money outright (as is common with household help) and been denied because their family had to focus on the wedding expenses at the time. Seeing the excess of expenditure that usually comes along with weddings, Ishwari probably thought that there was no end to this family's wealth. What would it matter if she stole some jewellery? I wouldn't even be surprised if there was some anger and bitterness there, seeing that family enjoy their wealthy while she struggled to put together the basic necessities for her kids. And probably in a desperate and emotional moment, Ishwari convinced herself that this was the right thing to do... because she was doing it with good intentions, surely she wouldn't be punished.

That is precisely where she went wrong. True that she didn't intend to send that family into ruin, but she did, and she was forced to live with that fact. Honestly, what bothers me most about the whole thing is not the theft itself (though that was categorically wrong), it is the fact that Ishwari didn't make atonement her first priority once she had the chance to. If she had, she would have done anything in her power to find that family, including confessing her sins to Dev and falling in his esteem so that he could seek them out with all the tools he had as a successful businessman. Instead, she put her godly image in Dev's eyes above the truth. As long as Dev saw her as perfect, the truth could be pushed into a dark corner of her mind and ignored. That reality played out quite literally in her dream sequence yesterday. And it is this hypocrisy that allowed Khatri to exploit both her and the family she worked for all of these years.

This explains a lot about Ishwari's character and her insecurities (as you all have beautifully discussed over the past few pages). She clung to the title of "ma" because she knew that even if she couldn't be a perfect individual, she could be the perfect mother. As an individual one can and should fault Ishwari for her crime, but as a mother, it is easier, especially with the narrative of divine widow-mothers in our culture, dismiss her crime as a "sacrifice" of her own dignity and integrity for her children. The moment Ishwari stops being "Ma," she actually has to contend with the fact that she is a criminal. And this is precisely the conflict that Dev is stuggling with now. Should he be grateful to his mother for how far she went to ensure that he succeeded, or should he damn the woman who committed a categorically wrong act that resulted in the tragic dissolution of a once happy and stable family, a woman who bit the hand that fed her, and then fed him lies about being ethically and morally sound?

I think the key here is for all the characters to understand that an individual is not defined by a single role or action. Yesterday, mean-dream-Dev told Ishwari, "tu ma nahin hai chor hai," but does being a theif negate Ishwari's role as a mother? Conversely, can even the most perfect motherhood cancel out the fact that she was indeed a thief? No. All these years, she tried to hide behind the "ma" moniker, and made that her whole identity to avoid facing the truth about herself as a person. Now, both she and Dev have to face the fact that she is a person cannot be defined in such a simple way, and deal with that reality. That family is not obliged to forgive Ishwari and she may have to live with that too.

Special mention for Supriyaji who was absolutely brilliant in yesterday's episode! The way she said, "memsaab" when she heard the voice was gut-wrenching and really gave you a feel for the destitute but ruthlessly ambitious woman that Ishwari once was. I am loving this incredible fleshing out of her very complex and beautifully written character.

Originally posted by: dreamy.tiara

Suyash, stupendous post 👏👏.. Especially the above points..

After this day, Ishwari would not be able to use her past to make Dev guilty and make him act as per her wishes. Her tainted past is exposed and has already colored the mother-son relationship.

I liked how you drew parallel between Jatin and Kajal, and sketched Sona's subsequent introspection. But I did not understand what drew you to the conclusion that Kajal may turn out to be Dev's best friend like Jatin is Sona's. Till now, she thinks Dev may harm her and her family, so I am not able to understand this transition. Would you please elaborate some more?

And one free advice😆, so that we are not deprived of your awesome analysis😆... I too have faced lots of troubles from IF. So, before posting the reply always copy the entire reply as back-up.

- Tia

Originally posted by: Samanalyse

As this Khatri arc came to a head, it touched on one of the core themes of the show: you can control only your own actions, but not their consequences. What this means, and an important lesson for all of the characters, is that good intentions do not absolve you of the consequences of your actions. At this point in time, all of the characters hide behind good intentions to justify the many upsets and upheavals they have caused, from Sona and Dev to Ishwari and Bijoy. But by introducing the results of Ishwari's crime, the writers are complexifying this entire question, and showing how being a victim in one situation does not absolve you of being a perpetrator in another. In more subtle ways, this is what Dev and Sona learnt about the split -- the fact that they were hurt and broken didn't mean that they didn't also hurt and break the other. Each of them saw themselves as the victim of the other's injustice until they understood how they had been unjust themselves; that is the crossroads that Ishwari is at now.

It is not difficult to imagine Ishwari's thought process when she stole those jewels. She might even have asked for the money outright (as is common with household help) and been denied because their family had to focus on the wedding expenses at the time. Seeing the excess of expenditure that usually comes along with weddings, Ishwari probably thought that there was no end to this family's wealth. What would it matter if she stole some jewellery? I wouldn't even be surprised if there was some anger and bitterness there, seeing that family enjoy their wealthy while she struggled to put together the basic necessities for her kids. And probably in a desperate and emotional moment, Ishwari convinced herself that this was the right thing to do... because she was doing it with good intentions, surely she wouldn't be punished.

That is precisely where she went wrong. True that she didn't intend to send that family into ruin, but she did, and she was forced to live with that fact. Honestly, what bothers me most about the whole thing is not the theft itself (though that was categorically wrong), it is the fact that Ishwari didn't make atonement her first priority once she had the chance to. If she had, she would have done anything in her power to find that family, including confessing her sins to Dev and falling in his esteem so that he could seek them out with all the tools he had as a successful businessman. Instead, she put her godly image in Dev's eyes above the truth. As long as Dev saw her as perfect, the truth could be pushed into a dark corner of her mind and ignored. That reality played out quite literally in her dream sequence yesterday. And it is this hypocrisy that allowed Khatri to exploit both her and the family she worked for all of these years.

This explains a lot about Ishwari's character and her insecurities (as you all have beautifully discussed over the past few pages). She clung to the title of "ma" because she knew that even if she couldn't be a perfect individual, she could be the perfect mother. As an individual one can and should fault Ishwari for her crime, but as a mother, it is easier, especially with the narrative of divine widow-mothers in our culture, dismiss her crime as a "sacrifice" of her own dignity and integrity for her children. The moment Ishwari stops being "Ma," she actually has to contend with the fact that she is a criminal. And this is precisely the conflict that Dev is stuggling with now. Should he be grateful to his mother for how far she went to ensure that he succeeded, or should he damn the woman who committed a categorically wrong act that resulted in the tragic dissolution of a once happy and stable family, a woman who bit the hand that fed her, and then fed him lies about being ethically and morally sound?

I think the key here is for all the characters to understand that an individual is not defined by a single role or action. Yesterday, mean-dream-Dev told Ishwari, "tu ma nahin hai chor hai," but does being a theif negate Ishwari's role as a mother? Conversely, can even the most perfect motherhood cancel out the fact that she was indeed a thief? No. All these years, she tried to hide behind the "ma" moniker, and made that her whole identity to avoid facing the truth about herself as a person. Now, both she and Dev have to face the fact that she is a person cannot be defined in such a simple way, and deal with that reality. That family is not obliged to forgive Ishwari and she may have to live with that too.

Special mention for Supriyaji who was absolutely brilliant in yesterday's episode! The way she said, "memsaab" when she heard the voice was gut-wrenching and really gave you a feel for the destitute but ruthlessly ambitious woman that Ishwari once was. I am loving this incredible fleshing out of her very complex and beautifully written character.

The highlight of the current track is how we are digging deeper and reaching the core of Ishwari's behaviour. A perspective shift from where I am looking. The show is not just addressing the symptoms. He is your son, but someone else's husband too... You have to learn to share him... Why can't Ishwari share him? We find her reprehensible in our opinions, but she is not monstrous in herself. As a young, illiterate, ambitious widow, she probably found this world strange, threatening and reprehensible in fact. It all snowballed into this huge issue. Like said above, she stole the jewellery however, she did not realise she is ruining a family. What does she do now?

That explains why it was so important for her to maintain her image in front of Dev. Because, that is all she got in the end. That point onwards her only identity was that of Dev's mother. The money was used towards Dev's betterment. In fact, I would go on to say, the higher Dev rose, worse it got for her. The help she needed was 10 footsteps away from her room and yet she was unable to get that help. She became a hostage to her own beliefs and allowed herself to be exploited in ways that were unhelpful to herself and the other family. Dev Dixit kuch nahi kar paya

Dev goes on to tell the whole world that he is not the annoyingly successful Dev Dixit. He cannot even get an apology from the family who suffered while his grew. He can no more bleach it all in the name of his family and their happiness.

I see an interesting parallel between Khatri and mami-vicky here. Khatri succesfully exploited Ishwari because she was not telling her son the truth and not teaming with him. Mami-vicky are able to do the same to Devakshi with terrible repercussions as we have seen. The darker less-romantic side of this story narrated all too well

Originally posted by: Harryfan011

1. @Tia, first and foremost, thank you for reading and appreciating my post... It really means a lot to me...

2. @green This is why, I had a completely separate point regarding this assumption of mine, in my original post...

I know that what you have mentioned in the green part, is going to raise some questions and doubts in the mind of the readers...

So, first of all, thank you so much for asking this question and I hope that my answer will be able to not only quench your thirst but, also some other people, who are too shy to bombard me with questions...

Now, coming to answer...

I know that I am jumping the gun in writing the above mentioned segment of the post... It is purely based on the assumption and hunches... I know that, only one episode has been aired with her and hence, I could be proven completely wrong...

2-a. First and foremost, I don't think Kajol has entered as a character to recreate the same scenario or situation that I felt that was created in Rithvik's track...

(In my personal opinion, Rithwik and Natasha were created as parallels...)

As our initial assumptions regarding Jatin (that he was here as a marriage prospect... But, it it completely different on how he has acted so far) have been proven completely wrong...

Considering the role that he plays in Sona's life as a best friend, a constant support system and Soha's godfather... I feel that there is a void in Dev's life since he only has Sona to depend on...

It increases not only his emotional dependency on her but the same cannot be said about Sona since she had a strong support system (in form of Jatin), who believes in her and her decisions...

This leaves Dev at a disadvantaged state, hence his initial jealousy and concerns about Jatin's presence in his ex-wife's life could actually act as a barrier for him to have any kind of future with either her or their daughter...

In fact, Sona also enjoys an unfair advantage since she is the only person with whom Dev can share his deep-lying fears and emotions... Hence, she is placed at a position where she is irreplaceable in his life...

On the other hand, Dev's position is her life is primarily based on her underlying affection and concern for him... If she had desired, she could actually replace Dev with Jatin quite easily... (Not any kind of prediction or anything... Just giving an example)

Hence, it makes sense for the writers to insert a character in Dev and Sona's relationship who plays a role similar to Jatin...

If she actually plays a role similar to what I believe, then, she could actually replace Sona in Dev's life, if he wanted...

(We all know that Dev will never do that, like Sona... In fact, I feel that she will either end up playing a role of a close friend or a supportive sister for him)

But, building on my previous point, if Kajol is even able to take some of the roles that currently, Sona plays and hence, constitutes to one the reasons for Dev's continued reliance on her... Hence, it will create a sense of doubt in Sona's mind that she actually can no longer be part of Dev's life, like she is used to...

And, if Kajol and Dev is able to develop a friendship of sorts... Then, it will soften the stance of her mother (talking about Kajol's) as well as she might also gain the same kind of approval from Ishwari (that Jatin currently enjoys with respect to Bijoy)...

Also, it will mean that their relationship might have one thing which Dev and Sona's relationship: trust (as mentioned in my post)...

(I don't think that she will ever replace as Soha's mother.. For that matter, I don't Jatin can also ever replace Dev's presence in Soha's life... And, I frankly feel that, at most, Kajol can become the cool fun aunt like figure for Soha, if everything goes well)

This will push her to be in a similar position as Dev is... She can only be part of his life, either as Soha's mother or as his friend (only, if Dev desires so) Hence, Dev-Kajol coming closer (even if not, as life partners), will only act as a catalyst for not only introspection on where she felt short in their relationship as well as the realisation that she just can't remain in Dev's life as just 'another friend' or as 'only Soha's mother'..

She needs to realise that she needs to be an integral part of Dev's life, for her to be happy... She needs to physically show her need for Dev to remain close to her.. She need to physically and verbally tell him that for her, he matters and she can't see him with anyone else..

5-b. Now, coming back to the second part of the question... Where you questioned me about how will Kajol transition to being the woman who considers Dev as a 'big bad wolf' to her being 'his friend'...

While we know that Jatin-Sona were childhood friends whose bond only deepened during the separation...

We have to also realise while Dev and Kajol don't exactly any kind of relationship, but both of them has a clean slate as their relationship...

From the physical appearance of Kajol (I assume that she was in her mid-20s or late-20s, to be more precise, around 25-28 years old)...

If I am right, then, she was just a mere infant or not even born (during Ishwari's theft since I am assuming Dev was 10 years old.. Again, not exactly 100% confident about this fact), hence she never actually understood the implications of the changes that has happened in her family's life (hence, pretty similar to Nikki or Riya's situation where they both understand the reason for their poverty-stricken childhood but could never really understand the deep impact that it had on their family dynamics)

She is only believing and reacting to the thoughts or beliefs of her mother (since she is also an orphaned child who lost her father at a very young age... Another similarity that she shares with Dev).. She doesn't know any better... Hence, it also explains her surprisingly violent reaction...

(She is also seems like someone who is extremely protective about her family... Another common trait that, if proven correct, she will share it with Dev)

So, I am not saying that she will easily get convinced or believe the words of Dev-Sona... But, what gives me hope that the surprised look that she had on her face (when Dev put the knife at his throat, and asking for forgiveness from her mother)..

Also, the expression and the look that she has on her face (after Ishwari and her mother's phone conversation), that look didn't reveal any anger or contempt for either Dev or Ishwari... The expression on her face is more inquisitive or contemplative..

And, we all need to recognise that both Dev and Sona has to break someone's barrier, if they wish to accomplish their goal of making Ishwari move on from her past... And, currently, the best candidate is Kajol...

If she decides to trust Dev and Sona, she is directly going against whatever she has known so far... And, hence, for her, it will be more like taking a 'Leap of Faith' and usually these kind of leaps need implicit trust or blind faith on someone's ability or character...

And, hence, if Dev is able to prove to her that her initial beliefs were not completely correct and prove through his gestures, he truly seek forgiveness for his mother's misdeeds... Then, that blind faith will turn into an implicit trust on his character and decision-making ability...

Hence, while cornerstone of Dev and Sona's relationship was built on mutual admiration, respect and love for each other... The cornerstone of her relationship with Dev (if it happens), will be based on trust and mutual understanding of each other's circumstances...

I am not saying that the journey will be easy or anything.. But, I feel that it will be very interesting way to take this story forward...

I hope that I am able to clarify your doubts and bring calm to your curious mind... Thank you for giving me an another opportunity to build on my post... My above explanation was exactly what I wanted to say earlier, but was not in the right frame of mind to achieve it...

3. @blue, this is my usual modus operandi.. In fact, I copy the article to my clipboard after writing another post...

But, this time around, I accidently pressed 'Enter' and unfortunately, I had copy/paste something different and hence, my article was no longer present in the clipboard and then, you know the rest...

But, thanks for the advice... I guess, I learnt the hard way...

-Suyash

A/N: I just reread my post and I realised that I made a lot of minor, but significant grammatical errors.. Please bear it with me..

I promise that I will correct them after watching today's episode or tomorrow... If today's episode proved to be too much for my system...

@Tia, Lakshmi, Charu: Thanks so much for appreciating the post!

@Shaavi: I am not sure why it has to be about Dev vs. Sona and Bijoy vs. Ishwari. Since the episode yesterday focused on Ishwari confronting her past, that is what I focused on in my post. I prefer not to look at who is "better" or worse because I think that everyone has their own individual journey. Also, it gets into murky territory with regards to the rules of the thread. Ishwari and Bijoy each have areas where they are "better" or "worse" than the other, but I don't think it's productive to compare, because they are in such different situations.

Yes, of course, in his own right, Bijoy does need to learn the same lesson, that he can't control the consequences of his actions. He can "protect" Sona from Dev with all the best intentions in the world, and believe that it will make Sona have a better chance at happiness, but he doesn't have the power to make her happy, as the last seven years have shown. Even now, she wearily goes through the motions at his command but it is clear that it is pulling her in two different directions. The thing about Bijoy though, is that his fears are founded in rational thought. From the very first time he spoke to Ishwari about Dev and Sona's relationship, she made it very clear that she was not happy with it. He faced the prospect of sending the person he loved most in the world into a hostile environment where she wouldn't be appreciated, and from what he saw from then on, all his fears came to pass.

I said this a few days ago: Bijoy is not hard to win over, and that is precisely because his fears come from a rational place and can be dealt with rationally. He needs to be assured repeatedly that his daughter is well-cared for and respected. In order for that to happen, I think he just needs to see more of Dev, and get to know his good qualities.

As for Dev and the break-up, I think there is an important distinction between asking for forgiveness and following through. Sona wasn't wrong when she said that Dev is an expert at making mistakes and then apologising very sincerely. But at some point, that isn't enough. She loves him, but she needs time to see if they could actually be in a relationship again. She had a huge breakthrough when Dev disappeared and she realised she never trusted their love, but trust isn't something you can "do," it's something you have to feel, and Sona just doesn't feel that for Dev yet where her feelings are concerned. She trusts him with Soha (as demonstrated by the fact that she left her at IN) but not with herself. I am also looking forward to see what changes that.

For now, I see this reticence on her side as her form of introspection, because that is Sona. Dev acts first so his introspection comes in the form of remorse and repentance after the fact. Sona introspects before she acts (which often leads her not to) and so once she does act, she does it with confidence and doesn't apologise for her choice or look back. As always, they could each use a taste of the other's medicine!

@melliflous: Thanks! Ishwari did weaponise this mother card a lot. I am also hoping that it is neutralised after this big reveal. Maybe we can think of her hospital visit as the "death" of Ishwari the ideal mother, where her more human form emerges. Hopefully, she stops Dev from accepting the punishment for her crime.

Originally posted by: thedramaqueen

I see an interesting parallel between Khatri and mami-vicky here. Khatri succesfully exploited Ishwari because she was not telling her son the truth and not teaming with him. Mami-vicky are able to do the same to Devakshi with terrible repercussions as we have seen. The darker less-romantic side of this story narrated all too well