for almost a week now i have been searching for the right words for this episode. i wonder why. it was a light and happy and rather romantic one, yet something at the back of mind. felt i wasn't really feeling it right.
this morning when i saw the shot above (asr and kkg standing on the gh verandah), sort of started falling into place. or so it seemed to me.
possibly it was none of all the things i surmise. but this is what i thought, so am writing about it.
the structure of ipk always interests me. often there's a sense of another layer beneath the surface, an unrevealed underlay that invites a peek. when i look at that cap now, the thought that pops to mind is couple... married couple. they have that air of two people together resolving a problem... and in the way of this world, the man is very much in charge. now since i am so biased he he about this man, i'll let him do the karta act.
ostensibly it is payal and akash's wedding... but are we really seeing asr and khushi become a couple through these days. and that is the real purpose of this wedding? they are becoming a couple not just in the romantic sense which we have, of course, noticed... but in the deeper sense as in married with all the responsibilities and depth of a dampatti... a couple. our culture places marriage at a high place, even deities are often referred to in their jodi form... radha-krishna, lakshmi-narayan, hara-parvati.
and here the ultimate tv jodi becoming a couple khushi-arnav ji, oh i love it.
karta he is here, man of the house. so you have a problem with the waiters? no problem, i'll take off my jacket, roll up sleeves and there you go, we'll serve food together.
serve food to guests together. isn't there something terribly couple, home, blessings, guests, about it?
this shot, both of their hands on the thaal/platter with poories, it has some sort of deeper meaning i felt. one of the marriage vows of the prajapatay form of marriage (i think that's the usual one we see with pheras and things, there being at least eight forms of marriage in hindu societies including gandharva which the temple wedding really reminds me of), is looking together after the home and all that goes with it, including guests. feeding people has great significance and meaning in a culture where hospitality is key and food is considered a blessing.
and what are they serving? staple. well not rice, which is so so anna, food. but wheat is also staple.
"khushi, sab rice ke liye wait kar rahe hain," he tells her to start serving the main anna, rice... reminded me of a scene much later when she will be called annapurna, goddess of food. in our land the stree or wife's role in bringing prosperity and good things to the home is much emphasised... she is lakshmi. in bengali, there's a saying... "shami bhaagge putro, stree bhagge dhon."
i use the colloquial tongue. the husband's luck brings the son, the wife's luck brings the wealth.
he gets busy, she gawks. she is silenced by this move. go asr... surprise your babe and kill us in the process... by the way, do you even know what happens to us when you wear white?
dhak dhak dhak dhak come in.
she stares at him and serves a mountain of rice to her guest... madam annapurna. the music is interesting here...sounded new.
how cutely he concentrates on the job at hand, serving rice, dal, sabzi... ah the tycoon, what love will indeed reduce one too. he reminds me of a larger than life tycoon sort i once knew who loved to serve food to his guests himself, sometimes cook too, something terribly gracious in that.
"bas karo khushi, kitna khilaogi..." stop it, khushi, how much are you going to feed? something easy about the dialogues... a real marriage feeling building up.
feed the plates to the cow... heap the rice on the plate... somebody's "dhyan toh" is absolutely gone... can't blame the poor girl.
"khushi?!"
"haan?" she's heaping the rice still.
his eyes look down, a little shake of head.
she's horrified at what she's done... khushi "aaa".
asr eyebrow up.
a tiny little moment of bliss... serving the viewer something hot and yummy too.
dialogue writers had much fun this episode:
"bada tagda intezaam kiya hai madhumati ji ne... 5 star hawtel se vaiter bulwaiya hai," madhumati ji has made fine arrangements, got a waiter from a five star hotel. hotel is pronounced "hawtel," true to our accentwa. remember the "very congratulations" after the engagement announcement diwali night?
and in a secret moment amid all the light and fun, girl looks at a man with her heart in her smile. such a pretty sight. man is busy dishing out khana. very purposeful, action oriented man type. beautiful over the shoulder look, she can't believe he's doing what he's doing... a gentle wondering smile plays on her lips, music reflects her moved state of mind.
a tender feeling floats around, served up by a simple action by a man in love. this is how it should be, isn't it, this thing we call love.
"arnav ji, aap yeh sab..." she wonders how come he did all this.
"tumhe help chahiye thi na," a very simple classic asr answer... you needed help, didn't you? no fuss, you need help, he's there to give it to you.
perhaps in moments such as these a trust grew that even the darkest hour finally couldn't dislodge.
little things that say a lot and take on much bigger horrors. david and goliath come to mind. the man who serves food with you light and happy, just being there for you is more powerful than the man who drags you up the steps and marries you without a thought for you or your feelings. that little positive act had perhaps more power than that angry annihilating act.
"haan... par," yes, but, she's still flummoxed.
"tum pooriya lekar jao, main aloo ki sabzi lekar aata hoon..." you take the poories, i'll get the potato, gah how domesticated that sounds.
along comes the lock of hair to get some action going, how much of aloo poori talk to take, hyuk. time for romance.
"wait," says he in a misty kinda voice, and a hand comes to push back the strand of hair... connecting us back, back, all the way to a storm riven guest house one dark night. the heat of all the moments in between...
she stares at him, jaw dropping as rabba vey does its thing.
fun, frolic, tenderness, sensuality, all in one shot...
"waiter... paani dena," the guest asks the "waiter" to get some water. so cute the lady with the green saree, later she gives mami ji a mooh tod jawab about branded goods, and fancy shopping. and if i'm not mistaken, khushi says she is sharper than her husband and keeps track of the accounts. ipk always showed a certain kind of respect for women... and in interesting ways.
khushi is aghast, "maasi ji, yeh waiter nahin hai..." he's not a waiter.
he serves the water without fuss. and when he's thanked, says a cool "you're welcome, " (this time, issk, no confusion, he clearly chose dilli amrikiya).
pleasant demeanour, cool smile, while she is in a state of "o"... the prince and the mad girl.
does it for her clearly, holds his temper. "lagta hai aaj inke tabiyat theek nahin hai..." seems as though he isn't well, she mutters.
he helps her clean up... a little play around "kone wali katori," and then the devastating smile... he is out to get her. confused she may be but the message is communicating, a little wee bit of a smile back...
"khushi, sab under control hai... tum theek ho?" khushi, is all under control, you ok?
she's troubled, still in a haze about the waiter act, he's back in jacket, about to leave, turns around and pauses.
"khushi!"
she turns.
"thank you shyam ko bol dena," low sexy voice... say thanks this evening.
smart turn and out.
she has to go to "raijada" house with the family...
mami ji there is wondering why anjali isn't back yet, "ee anjali bitiya taking too longs..."
"di aur mandir ki baatein toh di aur mandir hi jaaney," nk delivers another dialogue the writers must have enjoyed writing. only di and her temples know what goes on between di and her temples... rough translation.
khushi comes and in an endearing scene introduces chacha ji, mausa ji, kirane ki dukan/mom and pop store, bunai ki dukan/knitting business, manorama talks her biig biig dejainer talk, but mausi gives it back ultimately... you see, they only supply to the brand guys...
a lovely snide attack on the nouveau riche india's craze for branded spending. fact is, a lot of louis v, gucci, and others are getting made in shops such as mausi ji's. and we are willing to pay anything for them.
now she is in his house looking for him... just as he was at gh eyes restless.
nani has noticed the look. she keeps looking for him... nk rushes about with videos... sarees are being seen. and nani notices again, "kise dhoond rahin hai aap, bitiya?" she asks reflecting the same question garima had asked dear boy.
what a lovely stage in life... won't even last a day.
she's about to leave and he appears... hey hey at his very sight... and standing on his favourite staircase, he sees her. nani notices state of affair.
wise old lady goes "hmmm" and invites khushi to choose a saree.
three sarees here, which is good for you?
someone is walking past suavely... not waiter, very much tycoon. and the
enchanting phone drama ensues.
she almost chooses the one he doesn't like, but then noticing his crestfallen air, she goes for the one he likes. terribly sweet this whole thing, including nani ji's catching them out. oh the smile at her choice.
and again a couple thing gets done. in bengali weddings, and others too i guess, the boy gives the girl a "lajjavastra" after they get married, in the mandap itself. now on, he will protect her honour.
constant awareness between the two now... she leaves.
anjali is in her car dreaming, her husband calls her just to gloat, the oil is draining out of the engine. obviously it's catastrophe around the corner.
absolutely oblivious to that, he stands by the pool dreaming.
"what a strange feeling is love, bhai," mutters the smitten akash. immediately the smile goes and a funny seriousness in his eyes...
"if the one you love is hurt, you can't take it," says akash... asr recalls he's running after the ambulance.
"aur..." pauses akash.
"aur?" prompts asr.
"and if there are tears in her eyes you can't bear it." asr thinks of khushi with glass embedded in arm, in pain... he must remove the cause of pain.
oh he feels it he feels that love...
the teri meri night is remembered... she's without a partner but he won't let her fail...
"even when she's not there, her thoughts are with you..."
"if she wants something your heart wants to fulfill all her desires" asr thinks of her wearing the choori and grinning in delight.
"aur yeh feelings, yeh chain se rahne bhi nahin dete... aur unse baat..." and these feelings don't leave you in peace and you want to talk...
... to them, asr completes the sentence... "karne ko dil karta hai..." he is missing her, my stomach is somersaulting.
akash, a bit slow, finally is intrigued that bhai is into this. why are you...asking me all this, he asks.
"uh..." replies waiter, tycoon, lover "aren't you getting late?" very dilli amriki accent tonight.
at gh, khushi has packed a bag full of all her love for jiji... and jiji is hellbent on taking it all to rm. of course, she'll be taking kkg along too.
before i go, just one word to shyam, dear bungling killer, people do survive accidents.
............
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