episode 66 may i have samosa

a string that ties a whole world together. and of no strings attached. while a pretender desecrates a string. here are some glimpses of this tender to creepy to rib tickling funny episode. off to get a samosa recipe, will be back tomorrow.

"kya?!!"

samosas are best with a cuppa hot tea, but i am happy to munch on mine with all that the episode brought. no less hot, or aromatic (i am a darjeeling tea fan, that fragrance of the hills, the crisp air, the gurgling rivers, aah), fresh and just perfectly steeped. and in true ipk style, the creatives take us seamlessly from a deep emotional, intense day to a happy and light one with notes of fire in it.

that single word from shyam, what?!!! was a great way to start. in one exclamation lay his shattered world. his wife had just suggested that he turn the girl he lusts after surreptitiously and without any compunction whatsoever, tie a rakhi on him, turning her into his sister and him into her brother. if i were drinking a real cup of tea at the moment, i'd surely have burned myself. too too funny, that moment. and yet... dangerous.

if anyone gets too close to shyam's deceit, he needs to act. to hurt someone. do something dirty. all the while pretending to himself, he doesn't have an option. and the ensconcing of khushi in the raizada home despite his best efforts, followed by this outrageous (to him) suggestion by his wife, completely throws him. there follows the unnecessary beating up of a cabbie, the coming to his senses and the next plan to somehow swing the situation to his advantage. 

shyam was built with insight and interest by all concerned... his writers, his actor. he was not your mundane villain in the beginning, just flat and bad and raring to rape or steal or kill hero. he was a character with an incredible flaw... no conscience. none. in that he was the exact opposite of asr. there was a low animal quality to shyam. survival and his gain his only motive. whatever i want i must get. he said as much to khushi when he advised her to do what her heart pleases; asr also wanted to live life his own way but not by hurting and disrespecting others, certainly not by lying and cheating. for he had that one thing, shyamu darling never got to taste... conscience.

otherwise he was educated, well mannered, even learned in things, but defy his desires once, and there goes the whole outer layer. the scum within takes over with extreme ease. how he manipulated anjali all the while, preying on every weakness of hers. that watchful gaze in his eyes, when he'd throw the bait and see if she caught it or not... it's ok, though my leg is hurting let me hold my ears and do uthak baithak.

every time anjali fell for it. again, a victim of her own insecurities too apart from his game playing. but not khushi. he had that same look in his eyes when he threw the tantrum about going away, being hurt.

yet her gaze was clear. she was not needy (unlike his prime victim, anjali), she said there was no way she could take money from him, for it's not right. simple. she'd earn it, even if t meant going to a place where she's been insulted... and the next major character trait comes up... her commitment to her family. the family that made her their own when all was gone. anything for babu ji. she'll tolerate anything.

clever writing in of character effortlessly throughout ipk. and these characters will create their destiny, lead the plot where it must go.

shyam had no respect for ties. but khushi would hold on and mend every string that meant something. can't quote off hand, but that poignant, "dhaga" dialogue while sewing on her angry and disbelieving husband's button: i didn't ask to be given this thread, but now that it has been put in my hand...

beautiful.

i think only in india i've come across this amount of tradition and tying together of, and giving and taking of responsibility between, a brother and sister. there are of course lost in the past, immense cultural and socioeconomic reasons, some i would agree with, and some perhaps not. but in its current form, one of the sweetest traditions we have, is rakhi or raksha badhan where a brother swears to take care of and protect (raksha) his sister with the tying of a string. i remember the horrific tinsel covered rakhis with sponge in terrible colours with some crazy motif stuck on top we'd get. loved them. being bengali, we did a reverse one for our brothers, the "phonta" or tika that would deter even the lord of death "yama," putting a barrier in his dorway, preventing him from reaching the brother... bhaiyer kopale dilam phonta, jomer duare podlo kaanta. i will protect my brother said this. 

goes without saying, for asr and anjali, this was far far far more than a ritual. a joyous, pure, and happy reminder of their meaning in each other's lives. he had appointed himself her caretaker at 14... and she had let him. she made a rakhi for him every year. he kept a fast with her, and together, these two siblings born of the same mother, found their ma once again when holding out their hands to each other and committing to their relationship. this is a tie from birth, and it shall be kept, honoured. a lot of their tragically departed mother was part of this story. even for naniji, and perhaps mamaji. daughter, sister, mother, their ma was all of them after all. and equally cherished in those roles.

it was fitting that raju singh's lovely har khushi har gham tujh se song played for the first time here. (later i grew a bit wary of this song, there was a mournful tone to it that felt irritating as the song was repeated many times... too many.)

"iss saal rakhi achchi banee hai na?" the rakhis are looking good this year, aren't they?

 
very naughty brother must give sis a hard time. how his eyes hold her in his gaze, precious and prized... have i ever seen any pair of eyes do it quite so wonderfully. and please, must the man look so hot in a tika?? here i'm trying to muster all my sisterly feelings over this touching scene. and all i can see is a splash of red flaming at the centre of a forehead and white shirt offsetting gorgeous skin.

but daljeet is flawless as sister. and he as brother. when talk started of daljeet leaving, it was hard to imagine who could ever replace her.

in nani's eye was a gleam when the grand children played, and how proud she was telling khushi about the ritual they shared. asr observed the rituals that had meaning for him. he had his own way of connecting with the eternal... through his conscience, through his commitments. 

and nani's eyes gleamed again when the laddoo talk came up. she noticed her chhotey make note of the laddoo maker. pleased as punch was she. i never realised the first time round, maybe because i started watching late, how much of a hand and will nani had in this pyaar. grandmother of all plotters. adore her character and jayashree t's interpretation.

"saath saath... sab kuch kar sakte hain?..."

l..l..live in matlab?

bina shadi kiye without marrying...

shadi nahi no marriage

mangal sutra nahin no magalsutra

ek hi kamre mein in the same room

sab kuch kar sakte hain? can do everything???

poorey parivaar ke saamney? in front of the whole family?

just when she thought this laad gov had a nice side, perhaps even a decent bloke in him somewhere, out came the hawww-ror story. living in? khushi had come to teach la, looks like today la ended up teaching khushi something new. an all new parampara, tradition. "sab kuch kar sakte hain", "bina shadi ke." gadzooks, pass the samosas. and off went the crunchiest tastiest part of episode. lots of chillies and bite in it. and hiccups.

no ties. no pheres. no strings attached.

sex without marriage. she can't believe she's even considering the proposition.

of course, the shock is too much. and all she can do is go into auto pilot and reach for comfort. for khushi that is food. always. in joy, in sorrow, at night, or morrow. a defence in its own way i guess. to save herself from a devastating sense of emptiness at times when an accident and two people gone come to mind. don't know psychology... but there's something in that constant eating of hers. nonstop... chana, ber, chew nail... and of course jalebi, gol gappa, aloo poori, you name it. we shall get to the bottom of it in season 2.

hic... hic...                  hic...                     hic!..

"enough!!!"

for the time being, a string that has no idea it's getting tied is coming into play.

the cutest face to face between two would be lovers. miss "stuffed mouth" and mr "er, ahem, keep that thing away from me." he can't miss a single chance to be nasty to or about her. nor can she. brilliant. had they been indifferent to each other or missed even one chance, we'd have cause to worry. 

remember school? this is exactly how boys behave when a girl gets under their skin... get after the girl. unresolved souls, no idea what to call this "irritation" they feel (er didn't he say something about being "irritate" in charming "off" english in the middle of a hindi sentence). 

his advice to his girl friend, don't become like "uss" girl. that girl. why is such a thought even coming to his head? maybe because he can feel how the small town dupattewali can have plenty influence on big city cool rich good looking people?  

her nutty conclusion, not only is this idea hiccup giving, only one person can be responsible for doing such a bad thing. that rakshas. he must have screamed and shouted at poor la, and forced her to do this bina shadi sab kuch kar sakte hain thingie. huh! khushi di ya hear what la said and how comfortable she looked? obviously not; for there's only one person you can see, after all. and can i really blame you.

ok, indi, that's enough.

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