Saturday, May 20, 2017

Week 64 - Pillars of strength

Family values are the main focus of this show. In a family, there are all sorts of people, the strong, the weak, the short tempered, the wise, the elderly and the young. For every person in the family, there is one other person who is a pillar of strength.  In fact, a family is a circle of strength.. Every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger! This week in our show, it was all about the pillars of the Dixit home that had become shaky due to a crisis - Dev and Ishwari. 

Summary:

Khatri has been blackmailing Ishwari all these years and Dev is shattered when he came to know that his mom had stolen in order to make the ends meet during the financially challenging days of his childhood. He is even more shattered when he heard first hand from the family itself about what they lost because of the robbery. He is unable to even look at his mom in her eyes and talk to her. Sonakshi becomes a huge support for him, in facing this situation. Ishwari is devastated to find that Dev knows all about it and even Sonakshi knows. She suffers a cardiac arrest and is admitted in the hospital. The Bose family is shocked to hear this. But Bijoy is not keen on going to the hospital and is criticized by everyone in his family for being so insensitive. The doctor later confirms that Ishwari is stable. In the meantime, Sonakshi finds out that Khatri is the actual thief who had stolen a majority of the portion of jewelry and traps him intelligently. This is a major relief for Ishwari and she is now able to see Sonakshi beyond the relationship that she shares with Dev.

The part where the female protagonist is shown in the light of being the strongest and perfect is probably very TV-serial type clichΓ©. That aside, it was a truly enjoyable show this week, mainly because of the excellent execution of the characters Ishwari, Dev, and Sonakshi played by Supriya, Shaheer and Erica. πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»


Ishwari Dixit - the woman whose secrets were exposed to "everyone"


There is a permanent hatred among the fans, for this woman because she was the main reason behind our DevAkshi separation. And I will not question that hatred, because I myself did not enjoy any of the things she said or did against that relationship. In fact, I am still angry about the way she addressed Sonakshi as "baharwali" even minutes before suffering from that cardiac arrest. In the past I will always go into a loop of thoughts trying to find why she is so possessive of her son. But after watching this week's episode and hearing her own criticism about her, I am able to somewhat see her reasoning behind her behavior, even though I cant forgive her.


Ishwari suddenly got a call and she realized that on the other end was this woman, whose jewelry she stole several years ago, and has ever since, not able to meet her even once (inspite of constantly trying). She broke down instantaneously out of relief that she finally found her. She was extremely apologetic for what she did years ago, with immense hope that the lady might forgive her. But on knowing that the family was devastated because of her robbery, and that her crime is now beyond any redemption, Ishwari was crushed with shame and sorrow. Only an experienced actor like Supriya Pilgaonkar can carry out such a scene with ease. πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»❤️❤️ Please keep in mind that the person to whom she is talking to is not even in front of her and probably not on phone either...During that time, along with all the other truths that were hidden in her deepest conscience, she also confessed that she is greedy for her son's love and therefore she could not let herself be projected as a thief in front of him. Its probably this shortfall of hers that made her insecure and constantly "possess" her son.


For the next few hours, Ishwari had to live in the dark speculating how her dear son's response would be..and it was probably the longest couple of hours for her. One part of her told her that Dev would completely disown her and hate her. The other part told her that he would forgive her and hold her in his heart as always. Once again two thumbs up for this veteran actor!πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»


When she finally had to come face to face with her son, she could not even look at him and had to put her head down in humiliation. Even though she openly confessed in front of everyone about her crime, and even though she tried to explain that she is very sorry for whatever she did, her only wish that time was to hear that her son has forgiven her.. She collapsed unsure of what was going on in his mind. Ishwari is the pillar of the Dixit family. She is Dev's strength and when she succumbed to the situation that they were in, Dev also lost his power. 


For Ishwari, only Dev matters.  His one word means the whole world to her. It was always this way and it will be this way forever. When she finally woke up in the hospital, this was the first and foremost in her mind..what does Dev think of her? What Dev said in reply, is not new to us or her. Dev is like that. For him, his mother means a lot. As he said, she has the right to love him, to scold him..but never can she apologize to him... It was a big relief for her.


When she saw the family that she was desperate to meet all these years, she was ready to take their curses and was ready to do anything that might reduce their loss.. but was shocked and dumbfounded when she knew that after all, her stealing the 2 bangles did not bring their family to the streets... Infact it was Khatri who had stolen the majority of the portion. And that this truth was revealed by Sonakshi - the woman, who Ishwari thought was a danger in her life all along. This part might seem very filmy - but the fact is that Ishwari was never projected as an "evil". She was against Dev-Sona relationship, which makes her a villain. But she was never shown as an evil person. Infact, she has always been naive and easily manipulated by GKB! That being said, I could overlook the "filmy" angle to it.


This pillar of the Dixit family regained her confidence and strength now, thanks to Sonakshi πŸ˜Š


When Ishwari thanked Sonakshi, it looked heartfelt to me. This time, the way she spoke to her seemed like she was able to see Sonakshi's goodness beyond all the hard feelings she had for her all these years. The way she hugged her and kissed her hands seemed to me that Ishwari has embraced Sonakshi into her life and her family.. The way she spoke to Asha seemed to me that she was atleast trying to forget her past bitterness with the family. The way she told GKB that Sonakshi was a good person seemed to me that she means it..


However, it also very soon occurred to me (thanks to GKB looking at the untouched glass of water, and Ishwari taking the medicine as soon as Sona left the room) that she probably did not accept Sonakshi with all her heart. And that there is still some hesitation... 


But inspite of this, I somehow strongly have a feeling that Ishwari is wiser now and is handling GKB in her own way to protect Dev and Sona. It is now clear to her that Sonakshi has not entered their lives to snatch Dev away from her. If that was her intention, then this was a perfect timing for Sona to take advantage.. It is clear to Ishwari that Dev will not let go of her hand under any circumstance...If he was like that, then there cannot be a more convincing reason for it, than now. Isn't this enough for Ishwari to become a pillar of strength for both Dev and Sonakshi? πŸ€”πŸ€”


Dev Dixit - the man who was literally dying out of guilt which is beyond any consolation


When Dev saw that Khatri was instigating that family against his mom, he was not able to control his anger and rightly so! Who can be quiet and composed when your mom is being insulted? Thanks to Sonakshi, his anger was kept under control.  She reminded him that they have come there to reduce the guilt of his mom.. not to beat up Khatri. But, if they had known at that time, that Khatri was the one who had taken all the jewelry and put the blame on Ishwari - then what Dev tried to do was probably the right thing to do! A man like Khatri shouldn't be spared... πŸ‘ŠπŸ»πŸ‘ŠπŸ»πŸ’ͺ🏼πŸ’ͺ🏼


When Dev confronted that family and begged for their forgiveness - I must say that I cried a lot. Shaheer, the actor is not just acting out a set of dialogues given to him. He is someone that lives the character ❤️❤️. And therefore, the emotions that come during the execution is extremely natural πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ». As he went on to hear his mom talk to the family.. and confess profusely for all her sins, Dev Dixit, the other pillar of the Dixit family also broke down. It was an immensely emotional scene, handled extremely well by Shaheer and aptly supported by Erica.πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»


When Dev walked away from that place heartbroken and guilt-sticken for all the crime that his mom did for that family, I was only wondering how Dev will ever come out of such a profound guilt.. Dev has always been someone, who cant keep much in his heart except the "sadness".  Everything else, he expresses very clearly to the person that its intended for - Love, anger, care all of these are easily expressed by him. But most often, I have seen him suffer in the sadness of his heart all alone. This one was too much for a person to handle and Sonakshi was just what he needed at that time. All of the flashbacks that played in his mind were all telling him how much he respected his mom and was pushing him more into the guilt zone for finding his mother in a situation like that.


Not just in that scene, but Shaheer did exceedingly well also in the subsequent scenes ❤️❤️ - when he came in Ishwari's imagination as the forgiving and unforgiving son and later when he came home but found it very difficult to see his mom and meet her in her eyes. In the past there were a few times he was unhappy with his mom - all in matters related to Sonakshi. Even though he expressed his disappointment on her during those situations, he never found it difficult to face her. This was the first time, he ever felt like this and therefore he was visibly shaken.


However, nothing can reduce his love for his mother...And that is the Dev Dixit that we and Sonakshi fell in love with.


I thought Dev was shaken enough and there is nothing that could make him more sad.. But when Ishwari collapsed and he feared for her life, he became even more sad. In this context, even though its incorrect to say that it was a treat to watch Shaheer, I must confess that his screen presence in highly emotional scenes elevates the scene and its content to a much higher level than its intended at. ❤️πŸ˜„πŸ˜πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»


We have seen Dev bow down in front of God, when he wanted his dear Sonakshi to become a mom.. not for his own selfish needs, but for her sake and her happiness. But this one was even more sincere and he surrendered himself completely to the almighty begging for his mom's life. It was a good touch that Sonakshi overheard him talking to God and hearing all about his conversation with Him for Sona's sake, 8 years ago. The guilt from his mom's crime, the helplessness from her illness, and the fact that he never expressed his feelings to his mom was all totally drowning him! Sonakshi was all that he had in that moment of utmost despair. And Sonakshi supported this pillar of the Dixit family with all her might.πŸ’ͺ🏼πŸ’ͺ🏼


There were not that many dialogues for him after his mom recovered. But who needs dialogues, when Shaheer is the actor! His sigh of relief, his gratitude to Sonakshi, his pride when his mom appreciated Sonakshi and hugged her, were all neatly done by our superhero πŸ˜Š❤️


Sonakshi - the woman who supports the "pillars" of "her family" with all her strength


She loves Dev very dearly. She respects Ishwari. Period. She knows both their weaknesses and strengths. She is the only person that understands what they mean to each other better than they themselves. And above all she is a person with a good heart and a clean upbringing. When there is a girl with these qualities on their side, then any harm that is aimed at them has to bow down and move away. Nothing can harm them.


Whats great about Erica is her underplayed emotions. All TV serials these days have their woman protagonist shed unmeasurable amount of tears and have them talk in high pitched emotional voice. Erica is a change from those stereo types. The character itself demands her to be like that. And she has done full justice to it. πŸ‘ŒπŸ»πŸ‘ŒπŸ»πŸ‘ŒπŸ»


Dev Dixit, the otherwise smart, bold, intelligent, go getter of the family, needs a lot of guidance and hand holding when it comes to dealing with the women in his life. I am pretty sure all men are like that. Sonakshi is the only one, that can control his impulsiveness, channelize his anger and love in the right direction. Even after so many years of separation, she has retained this strength. She supported him in every step that night in getting the whole thing under control.


We all keep saying that Sonakshi never expresses that she loves Dev. She never tells him that she needs him. I have also told many times that as much as Dev expresses his love to Sonakshi, she never says much to him. However, I realized this week that her way of expressing her deep love for Dev is by being there for him and his family and emotionally supporting him.


According to her, he is - spineless, mamma's boy, very rude, can never take any decision on his own... However, inspite of all that, why is she doing so much for him? Why is she going back to him and Ishwari again and again and again, inspite of knowing that they will not give her importance. She knows that Ishwari does not like them both to come together at all and probably will never approve of it 100%. Then, why does she even try to heal the pain and discomfort that has now come between this mom and son? She knows that when its a question of choosing between her and his mom, Dev is always going to favor his mom and she is only going to be number 2. Then, why does she stand there and adore the way Dev was taking care of his mom? She knows that Ishwari will forever treat her as an outsider. Why does she go and fall for them again and again and yet again as if its her own family? The answer to all this - is that she loves Dev immensely and his family is very very dear to her. Just like how Dev keeps on telling Sonakshi that he needs her and loves her.. this is her way of expressing her love - by emotionally being there for him and his family in a time of need.❤️❤️❤️πŸ’‘πŸ’‘


But she is also a human being and also loses her ground. And during that time, only her mother can come to her rescue. Asha is the perfect mother that a girl like Sonakshi needs - She gives Sona all the freedom that she needs, without questioning or influencing her. But, if Sona ever breaks down, she rushes to give her shoulders... Asha is Sonakshi's pillar of strength. And yet, Asha did not attempt to interfere in the Dixit family problems.. And Sona was not keen on sharing that with her as well.. Good touch yet again on family values 
πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»


I really want to be like Asha when I grow a bit older. She is such a tremendous goal for all mothers out there! Not just mothers..She is also an extra ordinary wife goal! How assertively she spoke to her husband and pointed out his mistake to him..
πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ˜˜πŸ˜˜


The main protagonists have a grey side to them and the "so-called" antagonists have a positive side to them and thats the beauty of this show - that no one is perfect. However cruel, Bijoy is towards Dev and Sonakshi's relationship, he cannot be an evil person that takes advantages of someone's bad time (like the evil Vicky). Asha and dadi's' timely reminder to Bijoy was a good touch this week. I am hoping for a more composed and considerate Bijoy in the coming weeks.


The other tracks this week:


GKB-Vicky - It was a welcome relief to know that GKB considers only Sonakshi as her enemy and not Dev or Ishwari! However, she is banking on Ishwari's naivity to manipulate Sona and Dev's relation... This time, it seems to me that GKB's lentils are not going to cook in Ishwari's stove 
πŸ€“πŸ€“


Asha-Dadi-Bijoy - This trio has a bond. Bijoy's insensitive behavior towards the Dixit family's difficult time was rightly criticized by the wise women. It was a relief to see Bijoy trying to amend his mistake and trying to be a responsible man of the house. For a moment, I felt, If only the equation between the 2 homes were good, Bijoy could be great support to the Dixit family, especially to Dev who does not have a father to look up to and to lean on and to get a wise advice in an hour of need.


The Kids - 100 points to the makers for keeping the kids as kids πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ». Golu is the cutest kid in town and when he is on screen, I even forget about DevAkshi reunion. The way he claimed his share of contribution in coloring Ishwari's card and the way he said he needs to spend some quality boy's time with Big cha was toooooooo cute πŸ˜˜πŸ˜˜πŸ˜„

And Please, lets not forget Eleena. The society always under estimates the mom that stays home and watches kids. Its not an easy job. So three cheers to Eleena, for baby sitting the kids while the rest of the folks were in hospital.πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»


High scores this week:

1. Shaheer's pitch perfect emotional downpour throughout the week ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Supriya's effortless expression of her deep trauma ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. Erica's portrayal of the strong woman Sonakshi is very convincing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Khatri - this villain will be in my favorite villains list. His style is really awesome! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It seems to me that Dev overheard Ishwari and GKB's conversation. It also seems to me that there will be some change in Ishwari. But I don't want Dev and Sonakshi to get together for Soha or Ishwari or Asha or Bijoy..I want them to get together again for themselves. I want them to be in love for the rest of their lives genuinely.. not out of any compulsion. Let them not succumb to interferences and compulsions. Let their Love win. ❤️❤️



2 comments:

  1. Brilliant. Every family needs a pillar/ pillars of strength to steer the family through the crisis . Dev with Sonakshi 's support once again that he is a rock withstanding all turbulences hitting his family . Shaheer indeed is a king of expressions.
    100/100 marks for your " high scores of the week" . Khatri will indeed be remembered as the most loved villain of Hindi serials.
    Looking forward to yet another interesting blog of yours, blogs whose high light is clarity of thoughts and expressions.

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  2. @sai kripa Very good to see you back. Thanks for your compliments 😊 It was an enjoyable experience writing it, and am glad you enjoyed reading it :)

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