they met. and the sparks flew. thus began an all new love story. no question, it was impossible to give it any name. shades were taken off with flair, off centre plait swung in style. eyes threw fire, lips slashed, hips swayed menacingly. neither could leave the other well alone. from the very moment they met.
she said in charming colloquial vein, "kaun ho nand kissore?"
she said in chaste englissiya, "no no nand kissore naahin, raijada hain."
"hum bua hain," bua i am, roared the larger than life madhumati devi.
"arre tum bua ho, toh hum mami hain," oi if you're bua, i'm also mami... shot back gaudier than rolled gold manorama raizada, stating her claim to high status and extreme importance.
the lovers started off with a tiff, as is the way of ipk. there was the ubiquitous "mu" too, the misunderstanding. mami thought bua was phati saree's mummy; i wonder what enraged bua more, the phati saree alias for khushi or being called a mother. childless widow that she is, she is naturally sensitive about being mistaken for a mom. but the sweetness of it was she was also wild about her niece being called torn saree. so very typically family, buaji is allowed to call khushi sanaka devi, parmeswari, chatori, maharani, titaliya, whatever; but how dare an outsider!
khushi came in the nick of time and saved us from world war 3. the girls were surprised to see anjali and mami at their humble door.
but bua was having none of mami's snottiness. even as the girls invited the guests in, a barb had to be thrown, she sniggered at mami's excessive gold, i thought you were a walking talking ad for jewellery, "e to kauno jebaran ka chalta phirta bigyapan haye."
mami got ready for round two.
but the real game was starting elsewhere. consumer companies often speak of putting the thing they want people to go out and grab, "within arms reach of desire." well, anjali in red rose scattered saree reminding me of her mother, had come to do precisely that: put khushi within striking distance of asr. of course, she had no idea that that's what she was doing, all she wanted to do was make sure that somehow lavanya became acceptable to nani and so could continue to live in shantivan with chhotey. for if nani threw la out, chhotey would leave home too. interesting, how all sorts of things were coming into play, only to make sure khushi would reach the right place. you could say dm had planned it so. or the storyteller got it really right this time; and threw in just enough hints to suggest the hand of something from outside and above in this intricate game.
i have heard the writers of ipk mention that when the office track looked like it wasn't really suitable for the wide target audience of ipk, it was decided to move the scene of action to raizada house, his home. and they had to come up with a good idea to achieve this. i have to say, i enjoyed their managing of the track. later when shyam had to be brought back, i'm afraid, i found the ploy most uninspired, pretty off key.
and so it was that a "prastav" was placed by a concerned sister and duly rejected by a girl of 18 with plenty self respect. although by now she was sure she couldn't leave delhi, but she had no idea why.
the negotiations continued, but the girl seemed resolute. the mami was relieved and got down to another bout with the bua. who gave a full throated love call, "na humri sari phutee hai na humri mitthai khattee hai." neither is my saree torn, nor have my sweets gone sour. their was talk of "raijada circus" where girls are trained like animals. buaji, full marks for the observation. i am with you in this. and i am shocked that asr didn't put a stop to this training programme, but i have a feeling clever touches have been added to make sure we get comfortable with it all as we go along.
suddenly on the circus issue, a moment of hearts meeting between the new lovers. mamiji on cue, yes it is a circus but it has only on "babbar sher" big lion, her mil. so who's the clown, asks bua, could it be the lady before her?
and the battle resumes.
their most delightfully campy endeavour was ably supported by two of raju singh's cutest signatures for the two inimitable ones, "baba o baba" chimed the bootiphool lady's piece, and the very difficult to give a name to but let's call it "eee awww eee awww" sang for battleaxe bua.
as centre stage sizzles with proposals and snarks, off stage in a shady corner skulks the cretin. scared his wife might catch him. terrified his little extramarital play will be disturbed. between the setting, the stance, and shyam, a perfect match. this is what people like him do. can you imagine asr hiding like this, even if he were having an extramarital fling? character... it is indeed destiny.
he sat there looking fixedly at his laptop, the little piano melody lighting up the scene said, his mind was on other things. no people... actually, a person to be precise.
la walked in with promises of really trying hard and winning over all the raizadas, "sabka dil jeetke rahoongi." he said just keep di happy. "agar di khush nahin hai toh kuch theek nahin hai. main di ke khushi ke liye kuch bhi kar sakta hoon." if di isn't happy then nothing is ok, i'll do anything for her happiness. ok, writers, i get the point. a bit hard on a new girl frirnd though. still she asked, "par ek baat batao... di ke elava tumhare life mein aur koi important nahin hai?" but tell me something, beside di, is there anyone in your life whom you consider important?
straight to khushi went his dil, his dimaag, everything.
guest house and the night rages, khushi in a corner, he catches her hand and pulls her up... that elemental moment when she looks at him hair flying, storm blowing through them both, were they here or in some other time space eternity?
a girl in a red saree, beautiful, eyes full of complaint and brimming with tears. flashes of her rain, they pour without even needing to think... store room, she turns at the window walking away from him, her dupatta wraps around him.
"batao na, asr," tell me, asr, la persists, still hoping.
he is lost in another world... returns slowly..
"hai aur koi?" is there anyone else?
"nahin... aur koi nahin hai." no... no one else.
why did asr not say what his insides clearly told him? why this need to run away? to hide? isn't that what i just said he'd never do? not like him. not like him at all. obviously, khushi was reaching places no one else had, and that was unnerving for this man who'd done much to create his faraq nahin padta thick, impenetrable wall.
you have all the guns nani wants in a bahu, everything nani wants in a daughter in law of the fam, khushi has, it seems. but.
khushi can't accept the offer. she doesn't want to work where there's asr. period. non negotiable. what happened between the two of you, wonders anjali. looks like there's no way to change khushi's mind. till anjali remembers. the contract! either work for the raizadas and train la, khushi, or pay rupees one lakh. oh, the leap in anjali's delivery of that "ek lakhh." she knows instinctively, she's got her ace, this game is hers now. for a little while we see the determined, ziddi streak of anjali. nice.
khushi is shocked. aaargh, that laad governor's sis is just like him. shyam returns and pipes up he will take her responsibility. huh? who be you to do that, hai re nand kissore? shyam offers to give khushi the money. anjali gives her a day to make her decision. khushi is in a quandary.
who is important to you?
who is the one who can take your responsibility?
who has all the qualities of a good wife?
who hears the music of your payal in a silent night?
......................
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