one of those ipk moments... 163

"haan! haan! ab aap kahenge ki jeet aapki hogi.

phir hum kahenge, 'yeh toh ho hi nahin sakta,

jeet hamari hogi,' phir aap kahenge,

'what the, khushi kumari gupta!

tum itne davedaari ke saath

kaise kah sakte ho ki jeet tumhari hogi?'

phir hum muskarate hue aapki aakhon mein

aankhe daalke ye kahenge,

'mr arnav singh raizada, bachpan se hum

(eyes roll crazily) pratiyogita mein bhag

lete aaye hain (smug smile)

aur jis tarah ki jeet ka tajoorba hume raha hai,

usske baare mein (eyes close and open)

aap soch bhi nahin sakte...

(set of brown eyes narrow slightly)
jisse aap shor sharaba kehte hain na,

hum usse sangeet kahte hain. 

 ghoongroo ki awaz toh humare

liye jang ki bigul ka kaam karta hai!'"
 

little snarl and a...

"what the!" through clenched teeth.

"ab aage bhi badhiye aapke iss what the se,

mr arnav singh raizada, jahan pe

aapka yeh what the khatam

hota hai na, wahan pe

hamare thumke shuru hote hain."

here's looking at your thumke, kkg.

"yes! yes! now you'll say that you'll win. then i'll say, 'that can't be, we shall win,' then you'll say, 'what the, khushi kumari gupta! how can you say with such certainty that you'll win?' then with a smile i'll look you in the eyes and say, 'from the time i was a child (eyes roll crazily) i've been taking part in competitions (smug smile) and the kind of experience i have at winning, (eyes close and open) you can't even imagine... what you call noise, i call music. the sound of ghungroo works like the bugle call to battle for me!" little snarl and a "what the!" through clenched teeth. "now go beyond that, mr arnav singh raizada, where your what the ends my thumkas begin!"

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episode 163 the lord of dance

 
the culprits own up. man gets up... looks at all. clenches jaw. notes nk's pally behaviour with khushi. everyone is so happy. he looks at her, something in his eyes...

this something in his eyes was what made the episode count as far i am concerned. otherwise, not much really happening here, just a day on the way to sangeet. of course, there's nk's little thing for khushi, which i feel is practically mandatory, expected of him where he comes from, he a jawan ladka, she a jawan good looking babe, both unencumbered, how not to be attracted...

useful too, since it lets more of that "something in the eyes" come on.

and there is too a disgusting interlude with peeping tom shyam, that sick rustic villain attitude, interesting how buaji falls upon him and gives him hell without caring about making a scene outside the house. the same lady who'd called for smelling salts at the sight of a heart with two names on the wall of her house. good for her, maybe even a clear hint to overly cautious middle class parents about keeping quiet where their daughter's names are involved in that "izzat abroo" pill we've all collectively swallowed.

as all rush off, nk is a bit wary of nannav, khushi too... but they walk out, and carry on in conspiratorial vein, while a quiet man watches.

"khushi ji aapka plan successful ho gaya..." khushi joi, your plan is successful.

hi five, and... a very confident khushi, "woh toh hona hi tha nahe ji,  aur aise karne se arnav ji apna haar maan hi lenge..." that it had to be and thsi way arnv ji also had to accept defeat...

and as needed, nk is called away... the usual ipk devise. voice off screen.

"haar jeet ki baat itni jaldi?" talking of winning and losing so soon?

the man who loves to win ain't givin' up. and asr with full asr music in attendance, strikes a stance on this whole affair.

speaking of which, have you guys scene this music being used in a pashto drama? between nagin dance and this one, the awards are all taken. please do see here (3:15 to 3:50).

"aur achha hoga tum iss maun vrat ki aur thodi practice kar lo, kyunki sangeet ki competition main harne ke baad tumharo bolti band hone wali hai, kkg," and it'll be good if you practice that vow of silent a bit more because after losing in the sangeet you'll have to shut up anyway.

he walks up to her, for once she stands firms, then turns to walk off, but hand on shoulder... he stops her.

"waise toh tumhari aadat hai, par iss baar competition mein girna mat... main sambhalne nahin aaoonga," though it's a habit of yours, but this time don't fall during the competition, i won't come to save you.

terribly sweet and sexy and of course, he will be there... hamesha.

he turns to go, trips on the carpet. almost falls. she catches him... that whole sambhalna thing which resolves on karwa chauth starts here... who will take care of whom, save whom... she will also always be there. a subtle rabba vey moment seasoned with their little altercation, it's heat.

"aur aap girne say dariyega mat kyunki hum aapko sambhal lenge..." and you don't worry about falling, because i'll always save you, because i'm from lucknow where the winner also helps the loser... 

good, angry young girl... give it to him.

he just looks at her, a bit disconcerted, possibly stirred in a way he didn't expect by that sudden touch of hers...

he is about to say something and she starts off her "haan haan" predicting the whole conversation... a little cut away to this moment :). often getting it wrong but who is to stop this express train. he looks on, seems amused, i could have sworn in fact he was.

"jahan pe aapka yeh what the khatam hota hai na, wahan pe humare thumke shuru hotey hain..." where your what the ends, my hip thrusts begins. complete lunatic... and lovely she is, how not to fall madly for her. the poor man.

thrilled with herself she walks off... leaving a hot bothered sexy man behind, determined to vanquish this miss walkie talkie.

in the living room a smitten nk believes khushi ji can get things done without saying a thing? huh? shyam enters, wearing green, gah... same as akash, what? and kkg in green too, what's up?

"khushi ji aapki kamar kitni lambi hai," khsuhi ji, you waist is so tall, nk in fine hindi.

"how dare you, kkg?" asr in mother tongue english.

he's trying to get a word with her, but the whole fam is on... shyam stalks khushi... "kahan khoye hue" where are you lost, asks his wife. disgusting man continues the stalk.

the natraj ki murti, usually the smugglers heist in hindi movies of the seventies which seems to hold sway over the creators' imagination, makes an appearance. can't figure out why the props girl couldn't find a box it could fit into properly.

anyway, the beautiful lord of dance, the majestic nataraja, nani ji's trophy won at a young age, is declared the prize. khushi who was sitting next to nk while asr seethed at the opposite end, leaps up and does pranams declaring it will be the gupta's soon. "hello hi bye bye, mind it!" counters mami in contender mode, very rajnikant.

little eyetalk between the the laad governor and miss jhalli all through. as also shyam's constant lurking around khushi, trying to engage her in conversation,... he seems to be reaching some sort of an edge, a little desperate, almost careless.

khushi leaves, and surprisingly asr follows. he must talk to her it seems.

"khushi!"

she walks on, oblivious, or pretending to be.

"khushi kitni baar kaha hai tumse when i'm talking to you don't walk away..." that walkkk away. how many times i've told you when i speak don't walk away. again this thing, he has something about people turning away or not paying heed when he talks. why i wonder... and why was this never explored further? 

"chal toh nahin sakte par hum bhag toh sakte hain na," can't walk, but i can run, can't i? she runs... maybe she knows he's reached boiling point. and maybe something in her wants to get burnt too. she must run.

i must laugh out loud, funny girl... sanaya's sense of comedy just too good and glances off barun perfectly, he catches the vibe and it all becomes absolutely fun... yet sensuous, how this happens i have no idea.


what was he trying to tell her. disconcerted gorgeous man alert.

ek do teen chaar... as kkg and bua ji practice their sangeet dance, someone approaches gh... shyam. he lurks behind pillar spying... a lascivious smile on his face as he indulges his khushi fantasies. a sense of senseless obsession growing. eeew.

disturbing scene... invasive this spying.

buaji sees shyam smiling mesmerised at the dancing khushi... and takes on the bessaram aadmi. shyam is still speaking of his innate decency. if you repeat a lie many times, it becomes the truth. nicely directed.

in the meantime nk is making love sick blank calls to khushi... and he also wants advise from nannav. so now he has to be nk's love consultant. first akash, now nk, obviously his prowess with women is well known, hyuk. when he picks up the courage to say something, nk talks gibberish and then in frustration disconnects the phone and leaves.

phone, tired gardener, irritated by nk making a play for kkg... phone rings. he picks it up... "hello," off hand.

dancing girl freezes.






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episode 161 hit and miss

slap.

stick.

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lovely episode, clipping along toward the big sangeet muqabla. the haar-jeet/win-lose conversation of 160 has led to khushi declaring war on the "saamnewala." no, not medha and lata as bua ji wonders... but the ladkewalon, aka the boy's side... more specifically, that laad governor.

"iss jang mein jeet... humari hogi." in this war... victory shall be ours, prophetic words from kkg. she will indeed completely destroy his fort no-faraq and conquer its most precious treasure, his dil... the poor man will keep thinking his dimaag can resist the assault.

but what struck me really this episode was its tenor, its tone and texture. comedy was today's chosen genre. after the break up with la, which saw fairly serious and intense stuff, an element of tragedy even in la's story, a deliberate attempt at lightness, before romance sets in and makes it all densely emotional. this episode was laurel hardy, charlie chaplin, physical comedy, very thappad-atta... slapstick, as illustrated above (hyuk).

karan goddwani and sanaya irani were impeccable in their utter senselessness. suddenly in the middle of it, a mosquito, why? then the slap... wonder if the writers came up with all of this while toying with the word "slapstick." how to get a slap... why, thwack a mosquito, of course. where? on asr's... cheek? great, so we have physical contact... heat, passion, drama, but all around a ridiculous reason... then a completely corny word from a cute, "paagal" man, loveria. a little comedy act with a pithy message... the heart of it, as it were. a fairly classic structure i thought.

  
"100 chuhe khake billi chale haj ko... " when payal demurred at the suggestion of competition for sangeet, khushi hit back, after eating a hundred mice, the cat goes on pilgrimage?!! apparently payal had done nagin dance at someone's sangeet. snake dance. anyone remember the snake dance from bride and prejudice? seems up north this is quite a thing at shaadi functions. and maybe by 161, writers knew many call shyam snakewa? so a little joke?

khushi giving bua ji a little push to get her twirling and in the mood for dance, and then leaping around doing her trademark thumkas with a few well chosen nagin moves was hard not to smile at.

from here we went to rm where the three ladies there were in deep talk about shaadi, the wedding atmosphere is building up. seems madhubala ji the dance instructor has taken umbrage and decided to ditch the raizadas; no problem, says, nani ji, she will teach the steps, she's a dancer after all. and the moaning groaning mami ji, cheated out of a rich daughter-in-law by the vagaries of love, counters, "are you suwar (sure)?" suwar as in pig. again that almost physical humour. mami ji's mouth is a comedic device in effect, even nk can't quite match her tempo and range. dialogue writers obviously had a special loveria for this englissiya speaking lady. "publically humra itna insalat mat kijiye..." awww.

 
what were those two pickle jars doing sitting in front of nani ji, i wondered. did they mean something? happiness? joy? good fortune? usually, we find pickle jars at gh.

"aisa koi nahin hai jo naach nahin sakta uss laad governor ko chhorkar, " there's no one who doesn't know how to dance apart from that laad gov, khushi mutters as she walks into rm, nk in hot pursuit... suddenly, mosquito attack... and the leaping, jumping, trying to kill mosquito moves begin, almost choreographed. nk of course thinks these are real "murda" (corpse) when he means "mudra."

nanhe ji thinks khushi ji is teaching steps, follows around trying to replicate them and when she says that's not what she was doing... he's insistent, holds her hand and tells her to quickly teach him some.

 
of course, someone's eyes fall on on them just then. a lovely little peak at jealousy flaring. man in frenzy, loses track of call. woman completely unaware of this momentous event.

when nk realises what has khushi prancing... "machhar yaani mosquito?" he worries, "oh god agar mujhe lovaria ho gayee toh..." oh g what if i get loveria (of course, he means malaria)? and in typical "nri" hyuk style a rush to get the mosquito repellent...

leaving kkg alone by the poolside intent on catching and killling all the mosquitoes of the universe. clapping hands together, jumping up and down, peering strangely into things. no wonder when the man sees her, he has that slightly incredulous air, asks, what are you doing? "kya kar rahi ho tum?" the "unbelievable" thing in his voice just below the surface wanting to burst out.

she looks uncomfortable, then as if resolved, looks up only to notice...

"shhh, bilkul chup...!!!" shhh, absolutely quiet...  drama queen, "aapke bhale ke liye hai... kuch mat kahiye... aur hiliye bhi mat..." this is for your own good (always suspect any sentence that begins thus)... don't say a thing... and don't move.

"listen you..." he starts...

and slap. thwack, phatak... the deed is done... kkg has slapped asr. tight. on left cheek.

shock. eyes growing angry. jaw hardening. asr music. dangerously. swaggering. in.

"woh... chala gaya... matlab... ud gaya... machhar chal kaise sakta hai..." that... went... i mean... flew away... how can a mosquito walk... classic kkg dialogwa. sanaya brilliant right through.

asr advnaces... a signature piece of this crazy romance. she begins to step back and nk arrives... the man is beside himself with anger...

some more mad talk, then a loud, vicious, "shut... up." new year is all about shutting up it seems.

when nk speaks up for khushi, everything comes to a head... jealousy does not bring out the best in asr...

"aur tum abhi issi waqt yahan se chali jaao..." and you, leave this place now, he turns on khushi. when she starts apologising with, "dekhiye, hum dil se (oh what a reminder of the hot tea by the cool pool day)...," he loses it, "i said get OUT."

khushi comes flying down... slap echoing in her ear.

he will veto sangeet talk... absolutely furious. is it only that bizarre thappad that bothers him? no, definitely nk grabbing khushi's wrist has left him seething, unable to control his anger.

"aisa koi competition nahin hoga.." there will be no such competition, the man is in rage today, his music clings to him...

of course, nk doesn't seem to notice the mood and says if you don't have the muqabla, how would he know if he's the winner "sikandar" or  the "bandar" monkey. a glacial stare lights up the screen. the poor boy however is practically abandoned by his fam in their pursuit of wedding fun, dance competition; even mama ji is willing to go ahead minus him.

then in steps akash... if bhai doesn't want sangeet, there will be none, he is quite ok with that.

a visibly irritated asr is touched and with a smart, "thanks, akash,"  leaves. scathing looks at kkg from time to time, who of course is still hearing the thappad at regular intervals. nice sound effects.

next scene, signs of that feeling so elusive, but before that a warning: man dressing. about to wear tie.

"arnav ji, hum do minute aap se baat..." arnav ji, may i speak to you for two minutes... khushi is again out to save the day.

"mujhe nahin karni... out!" i don't want to... out. curt, hurt.

a sleek silver gray tie goes around the neck in a swift sure motion, a head bends, hands get busy knotting... white shirt, gray waist coat... gelled hair, strands spiky, falling forward, stern, angry jawline, a combination not suitable for the weak hearted.

"par hum toh bahar hi hain..." but i'm outside... tom and jerry vibes again, despite her sincerely apologetic and remorseful air.

he's seething.

she starts, "dekhuiye, arnav ji agar aap thappad ki vajah se... hum..." see, arnav ji, if you are because of the slap... i... tears appear and her face begins to crumple.

he turns, pulling off the tie, ready to shout, sees her tears.

everything changes. that quick flip of expression, from angry to nonplussed to brimming concern. he walks up to her as though unable to help himself.

"khushi?!!" oh that timbre in his voice again... like that day when she'd dashed against him at the poolside afterv discovering snake's truth.

"dekhiye, arnav ji, humne jaan boojjhkar nahin kiya... hume pata hi nahin chala ki macchhar aapke gaal mein..." see, arnav ji, i didn't do it on purpose, i didn't know that the mosquito would on your cheek... she begins explaining. but.

"haan haan thhek hai, it's ok," he cuts in hassled, voice gentle-ish... husky... troubled, can't take her crying... "rona band karo..." stop crying.

"toh aapne hume maaf kar diya..." so you've forgiven me?

the sweetest nod with the slightest almost smile...

she is wreathed in smiles immediately, "achha? toh hum sangeet rakh sakte hain," aah so we can have the sangeet? tears are wiped off promptly.

he's stunned.

"what?!!toh tum yeh acting kar rahi thi?" so you were acting all the while?

one minute  angry, next second concerned, then almost tender and loving, and wham incredulous and angry again... supremely romantic utterly ipk.

"itni... itni..." so... so... he's at a loss for words, gathering rage.

"aap phir se gussa ho rahe hain..." you're getting angry again...

"get out... isse pehle ki main..." get out, before i...

"isse pehle ki aap kya..." before you... what? kkg, you don't ask such things of a frantically in love in anger in hurt in madness man. shhh. 
 
then further attack of sanka, a cheek is presented... she invites him to slap her. back to the genre of the day.

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