episode 67 a survivor's guide

a survivor's guide to how to handle people you hate.

or an analysis of episode 67

1. make sure, no matter what, you crash land into their lives at least once a day. a meeting a day will make the hatred, also known as nafrat, stay. you can choose to do this anywhere you wish. ramps have proven to be extremely useful, especially if tripping gorgeously is a major part of plan. you can find them on the streets, in their office, at sundry sacred trees, dargahs, mandirs, best of all, of course, at their home. oh nothing quite like that. home is where the hate is.

2. dream of them on a regular basis. in such dreams, it is best to see yourself in the role of hero, them as villain. for example, you are the white wigged, morally superior judge to their "darana dhamkana," rakshas who is forcing a helpless woman in skimpy clothes and come hither look to "l-l-live in" with him "bina shadi," and do "sab kuch" with him too.

terrible (where are the samosas). tell him there's no way he can have what he wants. "you are sentenced to living with lavanya (everyone holds their breath, will you force the rakshas to do the right thing and marry this poor maid?)... not."  yes, that's right, throw lavanya out of his life. this will lead to exactly what you want in the future and right now too. the rakshas looking monstrously good in his natty brown jacket, will peruse you ferociously from a low angle shot, say "oh, i can't darao her?!! but i can still scare you, can't i" and glide sublimely to his very own music to be right in front of you, breath touching distance, in just a few long strides. 

having accomplished your mission, you will fall backward eyes spewing nafrat, lips parting and quivering (it's an age old sign of hatred, especially when combined with heaving bosom). he will stare at you menacingly, eyes gone chocolate. justice will not be able to take such "tauheen," contempt of court.

she will discard her blindfold and appear to you as your favourite bua, rolling pin in hand (justice was despatched by you to make samosa, perhaps?). at this point if it all starts to remind you of the white rabbit, the queen of hearts, eliza dolittle, and the horrible henry higgins, fikar not. all is going fantastically. your nafrat is intact. rabba vey, you are so good at this.

3. every time anyone asks you to leave the city your adversary lives in, refuse to. insist that is what your dm recommends. conversely, every time your enemy says she'll leave town, go into a blue funk and get as many flashbacks of her as possible. nothing like a keen memory to sharpen the daggers.

4. following from 3 (which was a bit of a digression into other episodes but was necessary to create a complete guide), also refuse to be not insulted by him. sounds complicated, but it's simple really. this is what you do: even if someone is willing to pay you large sums of money to square up your debt, insist that the only way you will do this is by earning the amount. and that too, only by working in the very home of the person who doesn't farak you, who is always rude, nasty, as insulting as possible, and who makes you feel "main theek nahin hoon," every time you are mean to him. of course, make sure that you throw in a "shart," a strict one that says you will come to work only when he's not around. this works real well, he will hear of it and another level of how dare she hotness will be scaled. 

5. keep your ears clean. whenever anyone mentions, whispers, or even thinks of taking her name, hear it loud and clear. then go still. don't breathe. now, two options:
  

  5. a. glare at the one who has called your nafrat-ed one by a derogatory name such as chamkili, you may also narrow your eyes devilishly upon being told of her fiendish plans. how dare she put down such a condition... not to see you in your own house? it's MERA ghar... MY house, remember? the one from which you are determined to throw her out (i mean how to trust a guest who keeps climbing into you closet and other internal organs, who can blame you for shouting your most lusty "getooouuut," at her... if only your eyes would agree with your voice, sigh).

after eye narrowing, sashay sexily out into the hallway, and on finding her there as she is trying to look nonchalant eating chana, advance menacingly but with ballet like grace toward her, she will be compelled to walk in your direction, eyes only on you. as you cross each other she will mutter nuttily "bina shadi saath saath rakshas," (without marriage together together monster... to translate literally), giving you the perfect opportunity to do a mind blowing (see, everything is to your advantage) "what the."

then she will dash into a pillar, and you will not miss any opportunity to stare at her. for good measure, this will happen twice... this is serious nafrat, samjhi tum?

5.b when option "a" is not available, you must slip into flashback of woh ladki and plenty rabba vey. this episode however that was not necessary. the dream compensated most adequately, phew.

6. always remember to blame the other, only that one person... laad governor, rakshas, uss ladki, uss khushi kumari gupta, any other new names you might come up with... for all the "galati" in the world. one episode you say it, the next episode let your most important hated person do the needful.

1722. as a master strategy, take over his home. rush around teaching his girl friend how to be the girl he doesn't dream of; make her learn to do the things he doesn't like or care for. leap around the drawing room telling a most fascinating tale of a rather playful one, in the most charming and beguiling vein, leaving all who watch, like his nani, his sis, his favourite man servant, floored. to help you in this endeavour, his clueless l-l-live in poor girl friend in chhotey kapde is standing by.

at her wonderful cues, prance into action, point with grace and utter appeal toward the one you must hate, and call him by the name of another supreme villain, "kans." make sure you are looking like the cutest and most beautiful nut on earth while doing this, some extra ballet (or taekwondo) lessons might help strike the perfect pose. this will work. can't you tell be the way he's looking at you?

8. as reminded by chalhov. and because we are dead serious about this survival guide, we don't wish to hold back anything. so here goes: when sitting next to the baddie in his mythical suv (if horses and dragons can by part of myths, why not the white suv), remember never to put on seat belt. although you have driven your dad's car, and will later decimate all traffic rules hurtling frantically through sabzi mandis and things, but at this point, do make it a point not to wear that s thing. this will make sure the hate increases. the enemy can bark "seat belt peheno!" wear seat belt!! in various shades of boorishness. and at your fumbling, lose patience, reach across brusquely, thrust his face closer to yours, his torso mere millimetres away from yours, combat you in an eye lock while clicking the belt into its slot. even writing this can cause breathing failure, so please, whatever you do, don't miss a chance to inhale and exhale, you will feel the edge of your ear go hot, a certain prickle back of neck, definite change in heart rate, and a difficulty understanding which part of you is feeling what. do not worry.

 it is believed that the perpetrator of the seat belt nafrat is undergoing similar symptoms. you will both survive, just about. however, at every opportunity that presents itself try out the seat belt tactic. practice makes perfect. (this was first observed in episode 65, at the very height of nafrating, and although this episode did not present the opportunity, we felt it was important enough to be included here. you never know...)

STICKY (this applies to all episodes, everywhere in the universe, even the ones hunted out of yt and dm): beware, from time to time you may hear things. strange are the effects of nafrat. piano trilling do me so do... hey hey... heyheyhey... more music, then rabba vey... ey ey ey ey. do not panic. in extreme cases of nafrat this may happen. though in recorded history it's never been known to have happened. oh well, there's always a first time... just take basic precautions, you'll be fine. remember, no matter what happens, do not close your eyes, or look away from the opponent's gaze. also, do not move. and should the adversary want to pull you in closer or nuzzle your hair, or frankly whatever, go ahead and let him do it. this is absolutely imperative for survival. live demo of this threat unfortunately not available, but the illustrations will suffice we hope.

to be continued. we hope you found this guide helpful.

a fabulous chance to learn more skills hands on awaits. it's the musician's birthday party, they say he has some wonderful hate tricks that no one can help but fall for. see you at the bash, wish you all a bina shadi saath saath sab kuch kar sakte hain  and an ek saath do do time.

translatiya: wish you all a "without marriage together can do everything" and "1722 or what sounds like together two two" time.

......................

janmashtami episodes

episode rambles 

fanfiction

episode 137 khushi's crazy uncle

it has to be one of my most favourite asr kkg moments, that white sleeved arm coming out and pushing the door open, even as she struggled to reach it as she took her father back to his room.

and the look asr gave khushi, how much was in that... how can all the time so much be said without using practically any words. back in communications class, we often talked of subliminal communication, non verbal communication, etc. with these two one gets a complete sense of that.

earlier he had pushed open a door when she least expected it. now again. maybe all this means something. even if it doesn't, the way he looks at her and she responds, it's hard to imagine these are actors and that isn't love, just make believe.

of course, shashi ji has recognised anjali and is beside himself with worry and a desperation to communicate the truth about shyam. "sya... sya..." he calls out. khushi understands it's shyam he speaks of... but she doesn't even begin to guess what the truth might be, although she knows both anjali's husband and her fiance have the same name.

in the sitting room there's talk of calling khushi's mangetar, fiance. the look of ire and that something else on asr's face is again talkative as hell, shyam babua is mentioned again and again. yet, all these fairly intelligent people, none of them connect the two names when all hell breaks lose later post kidnap... of course, asr doesn't believe khushi when she tells him the facts. no one seems to recall that bua ji had clearly uttered khushi's fiance's name and it was shyam. 

a beautiful look exchanged between the two lovers over the fiance search. the lovers quite unaware of their intense attraction, one deciding to relegate it to acidity and the other hellbent on running away from any and all tender feelings coming over him. but he keeps being terrifically sweet to her today.

clearly this is arnav singh raizada's dil at work. the same one which he complains about to khushi one evening on a telepathic chat. '"itni koshish ki, maine itni zyada koshish ki tumse nafrat kar sakoon... par main tumse nafrat kar hi nahin paya, mera khudka dil meri baat hi nahin maanta,"  i tried so hard to hate you but i couldn't, my own heart wouldn't listen to me.


 
he'd told her it's best if she kept away from him, but he couldn't stop himself from rushing to help her. as he stood there watching her fret over babu ji, he looked so concerned, maybe he recalled how important her father was to her, and her fear and despair at the hospital. when he came out of the room, he hesitated and looked back, something was bothering him... as he left their place he saw khushi hugging her sister in great joy, he watched, his eyes seemed to twinkle as if he were really happy to see her so thrilled... maybe he did a little bit of all this not just for akash, but also for the girl who means nothing to him.

then came that sublime hesitation and his decision at last to come back. khushi was totally taken aback. he wanted to speak to her alone? no, not her, her sister. kkg jumped in front of payal protectively. he looked sternly at her, looking even more drop dead gorgeous if it were possible and said with his impeccable delhi amriki accent, "leave us alone."

payal was lovely as she told her sis to be reasonable and let him talk to her. khushi pouted. asr frowned. does this man practice his frowns? how does he get them to look this good? inbhestigasson kareka padi.

thankfully, the favourite ipk rescue devise, the phone... it rang.

out came "hay.. haylo," kkg style.

and a few feet away, a quick "sorry," asr style.

i loved that scene, everything about it. payal was magnificent, asr was moving... then with a touch of the comic khushi barged in. she heard what was being said... and again was struck by a million emotions. tears threatened to pour, a tremulous smile its first indication.

payal said the trouble was khushi believed the breaking of payal's wedding was all her fault.

a man who said he had no heart in his chest, who said she meant nothing to him, jumped in protectively, "usski koi galati nahin hai..." it's no fault of hers.

again i felt that traction, something entered and settled in my heart. this was a feeling that needed no name, just needed to be cherished and pondered... if need be in lengthy essays on a hindi tv serial, even if people thought one was mad for doing that.

lovely writing and direction all through. episode was so thick with meaning and beauty and every kind of emotion... hate, love, nurturing, wonder, joy, sadness, sombreness, playfulness, comedy, an exciting sexual tension.

he said that and immediately noticed khushi was standing right there, she had overheard him.. she was reacting and he knew she was getting really emotional. tears in her eyes.

he attempted what he had to. a quick get away. by the way, has he grown even more lithe and there's a catlike grace to his movements which is causing fairly severe breathing problem this side of the screen.
she gave chase... he had to listen to her... he turned back and said, okay, tell me. she started saying what she waned to, clearly she was going to be nice.

could he risk that? his instincts leapt in to protect him khadoos asr man of dimag, just as he'd repeatedly moved with alacrity to shield her. the same momentum with which he'd suddenly turned and blocked her, he turned away and marched off... seems he didn't want to hear what she had to say.

of course, he didn't. it might touch him too much and no way could he let that happen.

such fascinating play of a so many subtle and not so subtle emotions of attraction across the episode.

she rushed after him and did something totally bizarre. she took the air out of his tyre with a hair pin. i felt all sorts of things coming through, led chiefly by a sense of extreme sexual tension that makes you almost giddy headed and you need some sort of release...

for the past two days they'd been too close too often... planning together, wholly immersed in a shared project, not being nasty, sensing each other's emotions, especially he could feel her many feelings for her family and was clearly moved... and just as by the poolside on diwali night there was the "wo sab" she didn't understand and that left her breathless, so also this caring protective man, gently asking her questions, there for her, apologising to her sis, saying she is not at fault.

it was all a bit too much.

something had to be done to go back to even keel... a little nafrat times. back to laad governor and sanka devi equation.

thwarted when she tried to be nice, khushi opted for nasty. and the tyre went flat. she stood grinning her head off, while he looked stunned then freaked out.

now you'll have to stay... she declared.

he swung out of his car and did some more of that lithe killer walk ending up right before her, angry and incredulous. what the f... went his angry voice, while his eyes grew most ungentle. are you crazy, he asked.

by now, her reply possibly didn't surprise him any more.

aap crazy, she retorted of course. he turned back to leave. i was intrigued. no real yelling again. he was really crazy, wasn't he? for her.

she did her sorry aur dhanyavad  bit. he stopped, rabba ve notes wandered in on a lilting note, a little inquisitive... asr looked at her quizzically.

yeah, he reminded me of mills and boon words a lot today.

when she said there's a reason for her weird words, he muttered under his breath since when does she need a reason to talk. sounded like  a possessive, smitten lover to me. his "isse" and "usse" sound so intimate, almost caressing. never have i heard the third person singular sound this endearment like. and that avoiding of all eye contact or conversation about his apology to payal... again it said he cared too much and needed to not be found out, by anyone else or even himself.

he couldn't help himself and began to smile a bit at what she'd said, when again sanka attack, she summarily wished him bye and told him to leave.

oh that look on his face when he processed this. that smile which said, she's crazy, ah well... i love her just like that whispered something amid all that shrug and bye and cocked head and amused half smile.

turned out, he didn't know how to change a tyre. they wrangled a bit over it, what! you can't change a tyre?! yeah so, big deal!

of course, the jalebi maker was also an expert tyre changer. she might not be able to push a car but change tyre she is expert at.

we went right back to the adversaries mode of lovers, a little aggression, skirmishes, constant contact of another kind, through anger, ire, irritation... but contact.

kids laughed at him, really why are kids constantly making fun of this man... anyway, they called him "uncle".

then she referred to him as uncle.

he was genuinely horrified.

she fixed the new tyre and prayed for a good and safe journey. obviously writers were dropping major isharas, hints about something...  a new track maybe? i was never good at understanding all this. so i just gawked at the fabulous romance.

she refused to say sorry to him. but khushi, he is also going to thank you for changing the tyre... not.

ha, the man had the last word.

such a game of love, this last word getting.

a young beautiful funny girl in tight churidar and a young totally handsome guy in formals, that too grey and white, changing a wide, heavy tyre together, well  he did help her roll it into place... all this looked unbelievably erotic and also cute at once. asr and khushi always evoke layered nuanced response.

she called a spanner... paana... the hindi for "to get". paana hai... need to get, she called out. kya paana hai? what do you need to get, he barked back, frowning. again much more than what was said, was said.

 


......................

feeling arnav ji feeling episodes
episode rambles
fanfiction

episode 135 feeling or fact

farre anyone?

now if you are a hotshot drop dead gorgeous tycoon with a mind for cracking deals and getting people to do what you want, convincing them in ways fair and otherwise that what you say is a thing of profit, anything else is sure to lead to loss, what is the one thing you will most need when off to handle a tricky situation?

why, farre of course.

what farre? you may ask with imperious impatience.

you know, those cheating wala paper.

things have come to a head, akash is storming out of home, mami's refusal to accept payal as bahu has him in a frenzy and the whole family is stirred and desperate trying to bring calm back. everything is happening too fast.

as this dramatic scene unfolds, an episode with two classic ipk elements is coming together. humour and the contrasting philosophies of kkg and asr. one light and frothy, the other deeper and just as defining of their relationship as anything else.

that sizzle of comedy which barun and sanaya pulled off together, added immeasurably to the ajeeb love story of one arnav singh raizada and one khushi kumari gupta, and was very much a part of what made it all so sexy.

khushi urges asr to go quickly and save the situation... doing things her way, of course. this entails emotion, dramatic dialogue, not cool headed negotiation as is his wont. he is highly skeptical of the approach, but recent events have indicated that sometimes she gets it right... sort of.

sanaya deftly delivers a completely filmi khushi with great conviction and not a trace of hamming. khushi is genuinely a bit hindi phillum, she is a fan of salman khan... her solutions to problems tend to have celluloid sensibilities. recall the fully togged dulhan on bed strategy to ensnare asr into marrying la, or for that matter the selling of bangles to fill his office with plants in a bid to sway his decision. not into excel spreadsheet type analysis and strategies, our jhalli.

"haan haan ab hum miss manorma se miss-takewa ban gaye hain, humre har baat pe problem hi problem hai," yes yes, wails mami in ascending melodrama, now from miss manorama i have become mistake, whatever i say is a problem.

"aisan third kilas chhokariya se hum apan akas bitwa ke haippy marriage kaise kar de?" with such a "third class girl" how can i conclude a happy marriage for my akash. 

oh the tongue is sharper than those garden shears today, she's been hurt deep by this independence shown by her doting, gentle son, and his lack of interest in rich, upper class girls is absolutely intolerable. she has been that "third class girl" and has struggled all her life to clamber up the social rungs and hit super first kilass, and now her bitwa is all set to bring an ordinary girl home as wife. politically, this ruins her... her much cogitated plan being to get son hitched to a wealthy heiress, and improve her status and position in the family transitively: saas of rich bahu, something grand and irrevocable about that.

poor manorama, all the insecurities of being born poor, if only she were a little less crass and obvious. but then she wouldn't have been mami, would she. 

chaos in the living room. the two conspirators – in these matters asr and khushi are absolutely on the same side, each for the happiness of their sibling – watch from above.

go go and speak, this is the chance... khushi tells asr. "aur yad rakhiyega... jodiya... uparwala... kahin na kahin sab ke liye..." and remember... couples, the one up there... somewhere there's someone for everyone. 

uff the hooey. he turns away exasperated.

which is when she makes the farre offer. little cheat notes... of course, who can ignore such wiles... a girl who is willing to give you all her farres, got to give her at least your heart. what say, asr.

living room is tense. for a change, even mama ji is present and livid at his wife's antics.

"mami ji," starts asr.

"khushi ji, aap kab aayee?" khushi ji, when did you come, asks anjali close to tears.

asr begins to present his case... highly tutored by the one who knows about such matters. well at least, that's what she claims.

"arnav ji aap sab se kuch kahna chahte hain..." arnav ji wants to tell you all something. khushi takes position to guide him, her confidence and smugness are too good to watch, and all over her smile.

"mami ji, mujhe aap logo se yeh kahna tha ki..." mami ji, i wanted to tell you... he rushes a bit, very uncomfortable, this is too corny for him. but he is awww cute conveying that, yes khushi, i am cool with this hesitant, awkward asr.

"ka baat hai, arnav bitwa? humka bolne ke liye koi muhurat ka baiting karat ho ka?" mami is impatient, sharp; what's up, arnav bitwa, are you waiting for some auspicious hour to tell me?

"nahin, mami ji..." his rasp is back, his no nonsense air.

"main yeh kah raha tha ki woh upar..." i am saying that, er, that up - again he attempts feebly. charlie brown comes to mind, especially the expression or lack thereof on his face when lucy says really gluey silly things.

a lame finger points skyward... all are intrigued... upar? above? what's there? a classic comedy moment.

khushi interrupts... with gestures... not that, this... and a smiling pose.

valiantly, the karmayogi pushes on... "haan, jodia..." yes, couples, he blurts. funny man, no clue how to do this soppy stuff. arnav singh raizada yells screams shouts, makes deals not filmi speeches. that is princess jhalli's forte.

"ji, uh, har kissi ke liye koi na koi kahin na kahin..." er, for everyone... someone, somewhere or the other. everyone is looking more and more puzzled, what's happened to the boy? this is not going well at all... and a huge burst of laughter is pushing at my throat.

"i mean upar se..." i mean from above... the man is desperate now. 

"hello hi bye bye..." manorama is quick to grab the words and twist them to her own purpose. the bride and the groom that come from upar, above... they should be of the same upper class. equal status... 

"one taap one battam naahi chalat hai!" one top class another lower class won't work. not one to mince her words, our spitfire mami. so what if her thinking is crass, effete, and utterly erroneous.

akash needs miss india, not khoon bhari tang, mami is clear.

so how long will asr's patience last. aren't his eyes already showing signs of change? impatience? ownership? time for "enough"?

"par, mami ji..."

"phool istap, arnav bitwa... esab philmi talk batiyane ki koi jaroorat nahin hai..." full stop, arnav bitwa, no need for all this filmi talk. uh oh.

la tries: but mami ji, akash's choice is also important, isn't it?

mami won't listen to anjali, akash, la, anyone.

our man is losing it and getting in form. he walks off, and those little eye movements stay back in my head to torture me mercilessly.

at the poolside. he stands, concerned, even angry.

  
she walks up to him, and promptly says the wrong thing, "arnav ji, aapne theek se nahin..." arnav ji, you didn't say it right.

"just shut up, khushi..." he whirls around. furious. in seconds he is the confident, on top of everything man we know.

"maine tumse pahle hi kaha tha... yeh jodia... koi kahin... ye sab..." i'd told you before... all this couples, somewhere someone... all this...

gritted teeth... supremely nasty yet utterly gorgeous, yet another asr trademark.

"yeh sab phaltoo ki baatein hain... it's nonsense." 

if there's one person on earth who doesn't balk at his clenched jaw, angry voice, it's miss filmi. she insists, "agar aap ne thodi bhavna ke saath, mehsoos karke kaha hota toh..." if you had said those things with feelings... and she gets even more movie-ish, reminding me of the cliched creative flakepot as she completes, "feeling, arnav ji, feeling!"

"mujhe mat sikhao apni yeh stoopid feelings aur lines!" don't teach me your stupid feelings and lines. but arnav ji, those feelings, stoopid or not, you are already swimming in helplessly... the jodi has been made it seems, somewhere it appears there's someone meant for everyone, even the heartless khadoos businessman whose strategies never fail.

"hum naahin agreeangey!" mami ji shrieks she will not agree. her husband reminds her of her background, that lowly status she has so longed to obliterate... things escalate. and in no time, mami is leaving home. mama ji decides to call her bluff and doesn't stop her, she is out of the house, hoping someone will call her back, too troubled to give in on her own. emotions are all in a mess, hysteria lurks everywhere.

out walks the cool suave tycoon.

"mujhe apne tareeke se handle karna hai," i will handle it my way, he's decided.

"problem koi bhi ho... professional ya personal... solution ek hi hota hai... aur solution kissi feelings ya dil se nahin aata... solution aata hai power aur paise se..." whatever may be the problem, professional or personal, the solution doesn't come from some feeling... it comes from power and money.

sexy cool voice, a graze of tiredness lacing it, and a certain authority that comes from tackling the din and grime of real life every day.

"yeh ek language hai jo sabko samajh aati hai," this is one language everyone understands.

i feel a sudden sense of sadness for this young man... what a lesson life has taught him. those who haven't had a difficult childhood will perhaps never gauge all its implications. this icy hardness was there in vijay verma too. remember "deewar," one of our first meetings with the classic angry young man? in him that aching need to be loved and freed of pain too. in deewar, the atheist was made to finally stand before god and beg for his mother's life, and then he had to die. we were not ready maybe for any other end. but this time round, asr will be able to stay non theistic and look forward to a life with the innocent mad utterly theistic love of his life. they did try to kill him, but we would have none of that. vijay verma would have been proud of asr. 

"got it..." he walks away.

this is the asr position. across from it sits kkg's belief... emotions matter. who's right who's wrong. i think the writers went with both. depends on the situation. 

in this case, asr was right. his smart taut conversation with his mami gave her the scenario succinctly. think with your dimaag, not dil. walk out now, and the position you've built over years is gone in a trice. make peace with the inevitable, use it to your advantage, you'll rule. mami understands this language, as his instincts told him she would.

and mano darling is back.

but before he went out to get mami, he showed his sweetest side without even realising it. his nani was collapsing as he came into the living area, in a second he was the loving, concerned grandson. held her tenderly, walked her to a seat, made sure she was ok, even di was not given priority at this point, he knew who was most perturbed by all this.

then arnav singh raizada strode out to get his family back in order. on the day he'd quietly bought his mami the necklace she desired, he showed he new her heart. today he proved he knew her head.

he is coolly triumphant.

she smiles a "see, i told ya," smile, still believing it was her idea that worked. 

no, i did nothing the way you said, "tumhara yeh khayal hi stoopid hai ki yeh duniya emotions par chalti hai," this very thought of yours is stupid that the world runs on emotions.

people understand "faida" and "nuksan", profit and loss... not "dil" and "jazbaat", heart and emotional considerations. 

mise en scene cleverly etched a little advance retreat at this point.

"ek baar phir tum galat nikli aur main sahi..." once again you were wrong, and i right. asr music. then that walk up the stairs, leaving all behind, ascending.

......................

feeling arnav ji feeling episodes
episode rambles
fanfiction

episode 131 two by two

season has certainly changed in ipk, wasn't this man just telling that girl she means nothing to him only last evening? and he was yelling to make sure she got the point... or was it to ensure he got the point... well, someone got the point hopefully. the intensity of it, from episode 124 and "yeh humari sagaai ki angoothi hai" right up to yesterday was simply finishing us off. though i have to say, i loved being killed this way... slow, painful death with just the right amount of extreme asr gussa.

but ipk writers have great instincts, they play us beautifully. they take us to deep shaking up sort of emotions, and when they suss we could do with a break, in fact a break is essential, otherwise we wouldn't feel the depth deeply enough, they pull a little string and whoosh the curtain of light frothiness falls and away we go to another world, knowing the other one waits there and we'll be back some day.

after all, if it were monsoon all year round would we write songs to the rain?

looks like after that tempest of rage, something was cleansed. and a quietly sliding door opened his highness's dil or dimaag to some basic truth lurking within. the man apologised, though stealth style, and then even as he held his fiance in his arms, looked longingly at the girl leaving the room. once upon a time she had shown her turmoil at the same sight via escaping tear, this time it was his turn to show his uncontrollable feelings, also not formally taken note of.

formally, they belong to other people. but when it comes to a sense of ownership... chame to you.

what i truly appreciate is that our writers are not irresponsible. lightness too is put to great use, both to take story forward, and to expand on that pyaar and its many nuances. rarely have i seen humour so cool yet useful. of course, delivered by actors who seemed to balk at nothing. how they switched from tear making stuff to giggle giving without the intense chemistry between these two beings ever leaving the scene. even rabba ve was not necessary to feel that.

okay, the episode.

akash is wearing his clothes inside out... an ipk way of hinting at lau... remember khushi ji with her other way round kurta? "akash itna blush kyun kar rahe ho... koi hot date hai ..." why's akash blushing, hot date, huh? la's prattle always makes me grin. when she's not turned into an idiot by writers, she's kinda the closest to "normal" among all. i love the way she calls khushi to do this or that... peremptory yet loving; a girl brought up in a well off family with servants all around... generous of heart because she's always got more than enough... not mean spirited, not too deep maybe, but remarkable in her own way... lots of potential (i remember that phrase from childhood, such a seventies way of saying it). the only thing missing from her life was love. a man's forever sort of love.

and that she seeks from a man who is more than capable of it, but alas, she doesn't trigger that feeling in him. for that he needs the jhatka of gota, the tadka of "woh santre ka juice nahin mila na," a sprinkling of pompom, a generous dash of "phree biskut," some ramanchi, and other such mysterious things.

"di, chamkili ab tak kyun nahin ayee..." why isn't chamkili here yet, wonders la, again helpfully reminding him of the one that shines and beckons... he remembers her drenched yet composed little voice saying, i know my being here or not makes no difference, "main janta hoon hamare hone ya na hone se..." he needs to get out of the house...

found that reaction interesting... the restlessness, the need to get away.

akash is khoya khoya chand (sorry no translation, or maybe... lost lost moon?)... fixing hair... fretting, nervous. his bro, the imperturbable raizada is wondering what's wrong with his placid sweet akash. a funny scene with a decidedly male what the air.

when asr's "main tumse meeting ke bare mein pooch raha hoon..." i am asking you a question, gets akash's "pata nahi wo kya jawab dengi..." don't know what she'll say... the deal making off to work guy can't take it, thsi daftness, "what are you saying?" and that look, one had to guffaw.

"bhai, meri shirt kaisi lag rahi hai?" bro, how's my shirt?

"mr sharma?" mr sharma, who?

"are you ok?" the look on asr's face.

9.40am attack is on at gh too. payal dithers. khushi talks at cross purpose and a nice sequence in situational comedy style.

it was wonderful to see the gentle love story take off . and in its ambiance, the kya naam doon love story take several steps in the right direction, albeit with attendant yelling screaming laad governoring and khushikumarigupating too. dil dimaag wars came to the fore. and another four letter word got uncensored exposure... deal. 
 
poor akash fumbles desperately over whether the client is "naya" or "nayi."

khushi chases her jiji with batwa, purse. always in ipk people forget things here and there. look what a mess that payal got jhalli into... and what mesmerising madness.

phone and forgotten things, how would ipk have managed without these.

akash buys gift for "client." "payal? payal kiske liye?" anklet for whom, wonders asr. this is too much... now he has to interfere ha ha.

"oh, hero, dekhke chal zara," hey, hero, watch where you go, warns the irate auto driver as asr crosses the road without looking left or right, chasing after akash. echoing laughter from me... yes, hero, you have no idea what you're rushing into.

"o madam paise dijiye!" miss kkg in her rush forgets to pay the auto man.

hero and madam set out on a mission interference.

while snake sets up candlelit black magic.

an episode that speaks of three pairs of lovers really, and shows us many sides of this crazy thing called pyaar.

akash so wants to give his, but the taker is terribly smote by life, afraid to reach out.

anjali is immersed in her feeling to a point she can't see what's what, again life's taken its toll and she wants an escape from reality. hiss knows that and uses precisely this weakness to stay close to his first love... cold hard cash. no wonder then when she asks in that candlelit room, "yeh toh bataiye aaj kaunsa mauka hai jiska hum jashn mana rahe hain..." tell me then, what's the opportunity today that we celebrate, he replies "mauqa toh aap hain, raanisahiba..." the opportunity is you, raanisahiba. has a candlelit room ever felt more obscene, the breath of the beast upon the flames.

then there's hero and madam. who have no idea how much of a faraq they give.

"akash!" he calls out.

"jiji!" says she.

 gust of wind.

and a beautiful turn toward each other... first notes of hm hm hm and his nasty little "tum!!" love the contrast in the feeling and the expressed tone of voice. layers again.

interestingly, when they return to the same scene after the break, the music is different. comedy is cued.

the what are you doing here altercation takes off. of course, she is not answerable to him, nor he to her, but who's to tell them that.

i am falling flat at the cuteness of the tycoon. instead of just shutting jhalli up with a scathing look, he is all aggression and fighting away. huh. can't walk away from jhalli, she really gets his goat, teehee. can he hear himself talk?

"mujhe tumhe jawab dene ki koi zaroorat nahin hai... mera jahan dil chahega main wahan jaaoonga, tumhe iss..." i don't need to give you an answer... wherever my heart wants i shall go...

your heart? er, did he mention his heart? my pulse rate is falling.

"chame to you," yells the english major.

"what?" yeah someone had to shut you up.

"same to you," m'lady has found her consonant.

"excuse me, table for two?" enter the hapless waiter. unconscious adder of fuel to fire.

"ji... 2... 2... ek inke liye or ek inke akad ke liye," yes, two two, one for him and one for his stubbornness.

the two, whose date our two are crashing, see each other and ting ting ting... sweet gentle love music in. mad love takes rest.

payal wants to be here yet not be here. akash is so open and generous, she has no idea how to escape. finally, he falls on his knees before her and in front of a restaurant full of people, declares his love...

no guile, no pride, only love. how can anyone deny that? and payal is almost swayed.

when...

hero and madam intrude. loudly and rudely. tch tch, no feel for lau, these two. feeling, khushi ji, feeling (sorry, i know i shouldn't have peeked into 135 and stolen your line, but really, can you see yourself here? and that tone of voice, sigh.)

a 2... 2... cute episode. and did she really say, "chame to you?" or i just misheard the whole thing? whatever.

......................

feeling arnav ji feeling episodes
episode rambles
fanfiction

episode 165 handsome is as...

something's cooking in the kitchen while in the drawing room gifts are being served up.

bua ji is forced to give shyam his gift, and not losing any opportunity to bait her, now that she's committed the cardinal sin of threatening him, he smiles and says with simple sweetness, "isske liye aap logo ka bahut bahut dhanyavaad..." many thanks for this. everyone loved shyam, even the astute asr, the clearly ugly creature had a chameleon like quality and could show only his decent, not wealthy but educated side at will and stay in character without missing a beat. the one knowledgeable in the shastras was the heel, while the one who challenged the very practice of worshiping with fanfare and rituals was the straightforward man, one you could trust, one with a deep conscience, who even had the grace to admit his mistake and apologise if necessary. always an interesting part of this tale. never judge a book by its cover seems to be an underlying message here.

mami in the meantime was out to calm her nerves with a spot of satisfying bitchiness, "bahut hi halka phulka hai..." seems very light, she says of the necklace given to her.

but nani, always the gracious elder, loves her saree and di her thaal, despite mami asking for "return iskeme" for this ordinary looking plate. bua ji says this is puja ki thaliya... from "nukhlau" (that flipping of consonants so very real) ki khaas devi maiyya mandir.

all are trying to save the situation as buaji and garima ji look more and more perturbed at mami's abject rudeness.

in the kitchen, the heat is being turned up slowly to get the right flavours going.

khushi says to win this challenge one needs talent, not money and power. and pretty sure of herself in that department, she throws in ssome chillies, "agar hum haar gaye hum wahi karenge jo aap  kahenge..." if i lose i'll do whatever you tell me to. bright eyed and super sure she is, gaining strength, going about her work.

but music indicates this was an unwise move, the man is being challenged... he will counter with a twist of something tart.

he has a smile in his voice, a mean one, and he says, "really... soch lo..." really, think about it.

"humne apni zabaan di hai..." i've given my word, asserts the "hunar" girl... and an out of focus asr just behind her, camera framing them in an interesting visual clinch, begins to turn, the mischief in those eyes... he's getting ready for some fun... i want to win you, i want to defeat you...

"pachhtaogi." you'll regret it.

she's all miss confidence, but he says he'll remember what she said, they'll speak about it on the day of the competition. well we were there that day... so whose haar was it, whose jeet. and who kept the lord of dance? and who was the lord of the dance.

as he's about to go. he stops, draws back, lids guard eyes for a scheming moment then he turns to her, a deliberate question, "kuch bhi karogi, right?" you'll do anything, right?

i will not let my mind go to places it must stay away from...

she is worried but, "kuch bhi..." anything. oh she's in a mood to rush in where angels fear to tread. wonder why, wonder why? why this caution to the wind attitude? do you also just want to win exactly like that man looking sexy and smug... or do you want to lose. be vanquished. be won.

he would have gone, but she can't seem to let him, she wants her piece of him too,"aur agar aap haar gaye, toh?" and if you lose, then?

pause.

"agar aap ki kismat aapka saath nahin diya, toh?" if your kismet lets you down, then?

 
a game this is... and exciting, just when you thought one had given up...

"main nahin haroonga," i will not lose, a smooth confident statement.  asr notes jump in assertively with a "what the..." at her temerity.

"aur mujhe kismat par bharosa nahin hai, kyunki main apni kismat khud banata hoon." and i have no confidence in kismet, because i make my own kismet. he took it nice and easy on that sentence, enjoying it, knowing he believes in it, not allowing anyone to mess with this belief of his.

i was grateful to ipk for not taking this away from him. in a world going haywire around us, where with age you realise there's not much you can trust, where practically anything can happen, we have to find something we can hang on to no matter what, at least that has been my experience. for some that is their faith, the belief in the eternal and that is how they live through it all. for some it is their faith in their own action, only that gives them strength, purpose, validity; helps them deal with this life. it defines them; neither way is the only way; both or some other too will work, in my eyes, as long as it is you. this was asr... let it be.

there was a certain elegance in the devi maiyya loving kkg and the make my own destiny mr raizada finding the immortal connection we humans call love. and living out a certain truth a young woman with not the most "ideal" ideas by tv serial standards had uttered... pyaar sabse bada hota hai. love is the greatest of all. that idea, i at least have found no reason to challenge or doubt.

kkg takes him on. she says, well he hadn't managed to make his destiny on several occasions and lists them much as he had reminded her of all the things she'd done which she'd said she never would.

he says ok, i accept your challenge, he'll do "kuch bhi," anything (gah, mind, please stop boggling) should he lose. okay, kkg, what will you make him do? fry jalebi? dance towel dance? or...

they shake on the shart.

scene moves to a tense drawing room. i often wonder why everyone keeps quiet while mami is being rude... then akash the husband saves the day... just a while back he was akash the son, now this. now this? his mother is shattered. payal's fate is sealed it seems.

between akash and his kitchen loving cousin they point out the thaliya is from sterling industries, who only make things of the finest silver.

hai re copyright laws, what infringementiya.

that evening, a very worried khushi, quakes and thrills at the thought of losing, "tumhe nahin pata, jiji, agar woh laad governor jeet gaya toh humare liye saza hi hoa," you don't know, jiji, if that laad g wins, it'll be punishment for me.

it's the evening of sangeet at last.

dropping his mask for a bit, evil shyam makes his entry with bichhua in a box.

but the real bite is in three hot young men dressed in sangeet finery, coming down the stairs. what is with these stairs... you know in singapore, i often notice the escalator is  a major necking place, furtive kisses and groping while you ride a staircase with your lover in front the whole world, at rm, this static staircase seems to be imbued with some power, never is a walk down them simply that. even shyam has a certain look whenever he's anywhere near them.

"humare bhai kitne handsome lag rahe hain na..." our brothers are looking so handsome, aren't they? badi sayani anjali di voices the thought of half the female population of the planet.

look who is out to win tonight.

"akhir pote kisske hain," after all whose grandsons are they, says nani... that one is definitely the template for the super confident grandson. he's technically her "nati" daughter's son, considered just a little less important than "pota" son's son. but in another progressive cool move, ipk writers dispense with this distinction, and make all the three guys of the same generation (one not even related to nani by blood), grandsons... the same sort.

nani ji is in form tonight. as mami ji gets all dramatic about the pain of losing bitwa to new wife, she reminds her tartly that she realises only a mother can know that.

shyam carefully transfers the scorpion to a red mithai box, thinking it can be left there for a bit as he complies with his insistent wife's request to join the family photograph session. in the usual way, this goes on longer than anticipated... different poses, styles, combinations... his eyes dart toward his little black number all the while. at last he can get away.

but the red mithai dabba seems to have disappeared.

the setting up of the scorpion confusion was neat i thought. a time consuming photography session is exactly the kind of thing that happens during such occasions just before guests arrive. Servants organising the place, do often move things away at the last minute in a bid to get the venue looking good.

asr was not in a smiling mood (is he ever), but di makes chhotey smile with papad ka tukda... what a khadoos.

and yes, "we have to have to win, warna..."

......................

the teri meri prem kahani episodes

episode rambles

fanfiction