... Actually 'Arnav' is fine...
Oh, what can i say after that impressive come back from the IPKKND team? All they need is👏 taaliyaan!! A Standing Ovation for the team. Truly an amazing episode.
Three acts, and three beautifully executed acts - in front of and behind the camera. So much dialogue in this episode and so many nuances. I had a fun time watching this episode, and Ritzy posting that precap wasnt helping me solve a knotty problem at work. Uh-hunh - not at all!!
Act 1:
(Flashback)
Strangely enough, I was looking for today's episode and stumbled to the one before Holi - where she busts her bank trying to pay for the Holi colours. Arnav walks in to find her on her hands and knees practically under the bed picking up coins. Remember, this is just after they are married. She starts crawling out from under the bed, and he puts out a hand placing it in between her head and the bed, so that she wouldn't get hurt. This is when he supposedly hates her and yet, he can't stand the thought of her being in physical pain. He will always be her protector, his body will be her shield and her armour. This has always been a key characteristic of ASR/Arnav. She then asks him for a loan for Rs 300/- which he gives to her after she writes him an IOU.
(Present day)
Scene I:
Khushi at home looking for money. This is familiar territory for Khushi. She has scrimped and scournged all her life and hides her money behind hidey holes and clay piggy banks. She has broken her bank and is short of money to pay the landlord. The intrusion of prospective new tenants for the house makes it all to real for her. Her clock is ticking. She calls Shuklaji - her dabba wala partner - who has been forewarned by Arnav, and Happyji too has been been blocked by Arnav.
Khushi can ask those who are relative strangers for money - because she feels she can repay them! But with ASR she knows she can never repay him because she feels that she owes him too much!
Scene II:
Mr Raizada at his desk, counting down when wifey will make an entrance, apparently engrossed in a file, but in reality, waiting...waiting for her. He hears her payals tinkling before she walks in. Arnav could always hear them, even in a crowd. He knew the sound of those payals in a roomful of people. An insouciant 'hi', a casual walk around the table, and 'You're back here again, what happened?'
He knows what happened. But he wants her to tell him verbally what happened. She stammers and stutters and he goads her on. 'I have all the time in the world, oh! but you don't!'
I loved this scene - for one thing - it was totally predictable. I knew Khushi wouldn't be able to bring the words to her mouth. The 'ha ha happy birthday' thing is still ringing in my ears. So alike and yet so unlike each other. He cannot verbalise because he has not been able to for a long time. She cannot verbalise because she cannot bring herself to be beholden to him.
For the first time, we see ASR come out and play. And play he does. He drives home each point to her ruthlessly - but each time, its softened with a smile or a fact that she cannot deny.
'I was going to pay the rent, because its my duty, but you didn't let me, so...' His duty. The role of a daughter-in-law in an Indian family is to fulfil her duties to her in-laws as her new family. Our society never articulates the duties of a son-in-law - that he should accept her family as his own too. And ASR - from such a 'unchey' ghar has calmly and quietly without any fuss, donned that mantle and responsibility. Compared to Akash who is the real son-in-law, this adopted child's husband has taken on the duties of a son-in-law. No wonder Buaji loves him so much.
Next comes the 'ego' dialogue. 'You say I have ego, have you ever thought about yourself? If you are not as egotistical as I am, ask me for help!'
Khushi is being forced to recognize that she is not as ... um... good as she thought she was. She is surprised to hear this truth about herself - especially from him. But Arnav is now being a straight shooter - he is telling it like it is!
'Main apne style mein karoonga!'
Just like pataoing mamiji to accept Payal as her daughter-in-law, he has finally found the buttons to push in Khushi. He is truly treating her like a deal that he has to crack. Part of that process is knowing the client inside out. He has learnt and observed Khushi all these days. Now he is using that information to his advantage.
And in a flash he changes to the flirty ASR 'You can whisper in my ear. You can do it. You're my wife. Its your right!' He slides that last sentence in. Oh ASR - how well you know your Khushi! He knew that that last would get a rise out of her, and you see the glint in his eyes as she immediately responds to the 'wife' trigger in anger. This is like a red flag to her bull. She blurts out what SHE wants out of it.
From the book of business by Arnav Singh Raizada: 'Weigh the options and see where your biggest faida is. That is the option you choose.'
Unfortunately, Khushi has never read the book and just like him, when she gets angry she doesn't think too well. She offers to work for him. BINGO! He has her. And then he raises the bar - 24 hours, you do as I say. 'The clock's ticking'. She accepts - he leaves her no choice but to accept. For 24 hours, he will rule her life, her every moment. Once again, she makes a deal with the devil. Except this time, its a loving devil. One that truly cares about her.
Then the stalking once again, except this time she refuses to back up. He loves it! His smile, his flirtatiousness is back in full force.
'What can you do for me?' - the double meaning is explicit! And Khushi's heartbeat is doing double time!!! Hee hee hee.😳 So much I can make you do, Khushi, but WHAT shall I make you do.. for me? (I am having a deja vu here. dunno why?) He refuses her offer to work in the office, she wont go to RM. That leaves only one place - GH! So back to the Gupta house he goes!
Scene III:
Garima and Buaji chit chatting in the front room and their favourite son-in-law shows up. A cute scene and for the first time, Garima does a little ribbing and he takes it all in his stride! Smiles right back at her, charming the older women of GH is a piece of cake. Its the little fire-cracker that he has to worry about.
Look at the folks in GH - they KNOW that their daughter and her husband need privacy - even if it is a small house! They remove themselves from the scene. Any wonder ASR wants to move his love story forward here? No HP, no Di, no entire Raizada family walking in.. marital bliss!! (In April, I'd written an email to my sis - if and when the c-word happens, it will be at GH. My prediction still stands!)
So ASR has decided he will be the over bearing, stereotypical 'pati' compared to the 'swami' that she wanted him to be.. Oh Khushi! She is so confused and angry at this point - which is exactly how he wants her! He wants her defences down. That is why he moves it to GH. At RM, her defences are constantly up. There is too much going on in that house to give their relationship the settled feel it needs to have. GH on the other hand, offers a gentler, more loving atmosphere. Funny, though - Khushi is the only one with secrets here.
Act II:
A quick act between brother and sister. Some pointers in this act. Di is unaware that Chotey is not around. HP doesn't know where he is. So Baby Brother is now leaving the house, without informing his sister (or anyone) of where he is going. He is slowly re-defining the parameters of his relationship with Anjali - yet he is still providing the reassurance of his presence to her. He calls her.
'Main apne style mein karoonga!'
First he strokes her - feeds HER ego. (Yes its all about Anjali's ego, now). Ask about her. She is happy, Chotey cares about her. Then, when she is in her comfort zone, he awkwardly asks her permission to stay at Buaji's house. Once again, he demonstrates how well he knows his sister. The K-word is never uttered. It is implied. And yet, Anjali does not seem to mind. She is happy that her brother thought to ask her. Did he really need to? Absolutely not - he was already there. What was he gonna do if she said no? But the way he said it and the way he manouvered the conversation , she had no choice but to readily agree. He closes the deal with the kheer statement. Once more, exhibiting his concern for her needs.
Two women in ASR's life. Two women who mean the world to him. How differently he is taking care of each of their emotional needs. With Di - he does it unconsciously - years of practice have taught him how to manipulate the Queen Bee. With Khushi - he has to plan and strategize and use completely different tools! He is still dancing the mating dance with her, and trying to understand all the steps.
Act III:
Back to GH house we go. I guess for everyone who has seen this scene countless times, I won't hash it apart. Just touch on a few things that struck me.
'Service with a smile' : If she won't smile at me, I'll make her. But underneath is the knowledge that the more you make yourself laugh/smile, the happier you will be. Things are not as bad as Khushi imagines them to be. But she is now out of that gloomy stage and fighting mad. So the smile is a way forward again, and she actually does have a few genuine smiles!
'And you will never get mad': Ah-ha! From gloom to gussa - one stroke both gone!! Or at least from her face! Babua - yeh kaun sa management training mein padhaya jata hai?
'And now, since I'm your boss, you will call me...'
'...Actually, Arnav is fine'...
Wow - what a small piece of dialogue and so heavily loaded! He delivers it nonchalantly. Call me Arnav. For me, it said so much about ASR.
In my OS Sliding Doors - I penned a dialogue for ASR 'My name is Arnav' - when he is talking to Khushi. This one is so close to it, that I cannot help explaining WHY I chose to write that line. (Not promoting myself 😉 but just stating a fact) and what it means to me. He is identifying himself as a MAN. Not as a part of the Singh Raizada family. Not as the distant Arnavji that she calls him. He wants that distance gone. He wants her to look at him as just a man, and one that is desperately in love with her. He wants to close the gap that the 'ji' implies. She is his equal, and he is not somebody ABOVE her (here comes that 'aukat' thing again). She has the same rights as he does. He calls her 'Khushi'. She should therefore call him 'Arnav'. This is a turning point for him in their relationship. They are equals - a man and his woman or a woman and her man. Neither one of them come before, or above each other. This is how he sees them. This is reinforcing what he said about walking forward together - as two parts of a whole!
And then comes the whole 'tv se biwi' and 'biwi waali tv'. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Who knew ASR also has a sense of humour? One that cracks us up!! Wheee!! Bring it on!!
But as soon as she is hurt - he goes into husband mode. Apologising for hurting her. Sweetly reminding his wife that he knows about her amma's payals. And then the icing on the cake 'they're beautiful'. Two simple words, said from the heart, and biwi is in melt-mode.
The offer to help her with her house work. How domesticated is that? But then this version of ASR is only available on the GH platform. Its not available in the RM platform. That version has lots of bugs and requires work arounds to even bring ASR up (or down) as the case may be.
Then the lift. She anticipates it as soon as he puts his arm around her waist. She is never a burden to him. He will always lift her up and hold her high!
The final little garnish on the icing on the cake: the fall.
I'm sure you all have noticed, every time they BOTH fall down, he always cushions her body, especially on hard floors like, marble or out on the street or cement floors. He will twist his body to be underneath her. He will not only be a parachute for her, but be the solid ground under her feet. He will hurt himself for her, but will not allow her to be hurt if he can help it. Not unless he is the one hurting her. Did you notice - right now, she is either too mad to hurt, or too turned on!
After Thoughts:
He's put his soul and his heart and his mind and his body out there for her. The soul has played its role (telepathy), the heart has played its role (dhak dhak), his mind is now playing its role (mind games). Time for the body to play its role.
For once, can we just skip the weekend and go straight to Monday?
Edited by GirlOfFire - 13 years ago
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