No-Payash(am)

How have I missed you guys! I hope you all have been floating well. ❤️

I have been rewatching the kidnapping-track onwards, and I have been wondering about Payash. They are always presented as the more sensible, balanced, 'normal' couple in contrast to Arnav-Khushi—with some due regards.

Firstly, their relationship was really underdeveloped and used as a foil for Arnav-Khushi's relationship to ferment. However, to me, Payash's relationship seems very shallow. Unlike Arnav who took time to fall in love with Khushi, Akash claimed to have fallen in love with Payal just from few terse interactions. Lo and behold! We have a contrived marriage proposal but no courtship. After the marriage, their story was given up until the kidnapping track. Now, Arnav and Khushi are mess, and they haven't even consummated the marriage till this point. However, Arnav would have a) noticed that Khushi was feeling inferior amongst his colleagues b) he would have never left her alone and would have commanded respect from everyone in the room so much so that Khushi didn't feel inferior. He had immense pride in Khushi no matter what went on in their bedroom. They fought bitterly but fought as equals. He would have never neglected her or her feelings like Akash did Payal. He WOULD HAVE NEVER ASKED KHUSHI TO BE A BAHU instead of fussing around her traumatized cousin.

omg, same!! I miss the forum so much hoping to be back to full-time time-wasting here this weekend now that I'm nearly recovered! 😈

you're right! Akash and Payal weren't just the parallel couple and a foil to Arnav and Khushi, but also the narrative used them as crutches for Arnav and Khushi's story to move forward. It really hurt to see that the daily soap format, lack of time maybe? led them to not invest in the two as much later on! I absolutely loved their scenes during nye and even the small tidbits you would see in the background. Akshay and Deepali are fabulous and beautiful actors as well who remained underutilized.

I think you are def right about Arnav would've commanded respect for Khushi. The one instance after their fake/forced marriage is when Khushi visits his office and Arnav eyes Shukla hearing him call Khushi bhabhi. He demands respect from his employees and he expects them to treat Khushi as his equal partner regardless of whatever is going on between them. He lets things slide at home before the kidnapping but afterward, he didn't stand for any nonsense in any way.

Akash on the other hand appears as someone extremely conventional. I think the giveaway is that Payal rejected his proposal numerous times and till the end, all he cared about was that whether she loved him or no. Payal spoke about class difference and familial inequality from the experience of a broken marriage, dowry, and how she's seen Khushi and herself being taunted. She didn't think their love was enough to overcome that gap whereas even in the worst times, Arnav and Khushi questioned each other about how can the other not let love be enough (Khushi questioning when Arnav brings up the contract, Arnav when Khushi avoids coming back to shantivan). Akash looks at Payal through her joining his life. Even his wish for everyone to accept Payal or he'll leave the house came from a place of I just want Payal as my wife, not that Payal is the only love of his life. I think the order of those two things says a lot when it comes to priorities.

Once he has her as his wife, he feels as if everything else will slowly fall into place. I think that's why he is inattentive to Payal. He takes her presence for granted in his life whereas Payal had to go through albeit only five mins, the illusion of losing him which makes her overcompensate consistently.

I think there's also something to note from the point of why a guy like Akash would choose a girl like Payal. This comes from the assumption and interpretation of what we see of Akash. He seems like the ladla of his parents and the youngest of all siblings. He is used to getting things he wants so he doesn't fully understand the rejection he gets from Payal. He is also someone who appears to be happy as a shadow to visibly unconventional and risk-taker Arnav so he probably doesn't want a girl who had competed in pageants and seen the world to some degree because those girls are more vocal about what they expect from their partners whereas girls like Payal, whom he fell for after seeing her talk to a child I believe, would only prioritize familial relationships over even morals if it comes to it. A girl like Payal, who is the image of a perfect demure Indian daughter is perfect for a guy like Akash who has had a coddled upbringing, and a career handed by his older brother.

Akash is content with the idea of a perfect life and I think both Akash and Payal considered their relationship to be a certain level of perfection through the early days of marriage until the honeymoon at least.

You both were right about Akash and Payal.

More than Akash, Payal was lost after the marriage. She knows how much her mother in law disliked her from the word go. I feel she should have done something to address that issue. She was gentle and sensible before she got married and supported and guided Khushi many times.

She looked ethereal when Akash first saw her. He fell in love with her at the first sight. From then on it was simply how to maker her his wife. He never paid attention to what Payal was saying about the differences.

Arnav first and then Nani, Anjali and his own father supporting his cause did not help either. He got what he wanted, so end of story for him.

When he said you are not just a sister to Khushi but, you have responsibilities towards this family, I was like "Hello Akash, isn't Khushi your family?"

Cheers..