IPKKND 2 Oct 25 Episode Gupshup
I loved this episode because it was one of the most revelatory episodes to date. Firstly, it confirmed that Anjali is indeed dancing to Niranjan’s tunes. Every action she takes stems from her fear of being reprimanded, hurt, and most of all being thrown aside by her unappreciated good-for-nothing conniving ass-of-a husband. In Anjali’s mind Aastha is a threat to her security. Little does Mrs. Agnihotri know that Aastha will bring her more security than she has ever thought possible. Aastha hasn’t even entered the home yet and things have already began shifting. This refers back to the model house Shlok gifted to Aastha. Aastha was the one to unknowingly nearly break it into pieces; yet, she knowingly saved it.
Shlok has been presented as a mystery. The audience has been left to their own interpretations and misgivings. He comes across as a manipulative man all set on revenge. Yet episode after episode we are presented with a Shlok that gets us weak to our knees. We are left wondering “is Shlok taking revenge or not?”, ”He is!”, “No he isn’t”… “AHHHH I just don’t know”. However, friday’s episode set two things straight. Firstly, Shlok has a tendency to develop an unwavering faith in certain people. He is capable of trusting. Whether this is a positive or negative trait is up for you to decide. I think it’s a bit more complicated than that. Shlok’s trust tends to blind him to the truth, ironic I know! He has an unwavering faith in his father, a man who he can even forsake his life for. Similarily, his trust in Jyoti is so great that anything she says is the be all end all. Shlok takes everything at face value, and this could be his greatest downfall.
On the other hand Aastha has just won Shlok’s trust for the rest of his life. She has already removed one blindfold- now Shlok will begin seeing things through Aastha’s eyes. Hypothetically speaking this could have one of two consequences. I have a feeling that once Shlok is deeply in love with Aastha she will be forced into a position that requires her to crush Shlok’s dreams about a happily ever after with Aastha. She will have to lie (it can be anything ex. taking blame for something that to Shlok is unimaginable). The purpose? To push Shlok out of her life, either by hurting him or instigating his hatred towards her. Shlok in turn could react in two ways. Having learned that things aren’t always what they seem he may not believe a single thing that comes out of Aastha’s mouth. However, if he believes that Aastha could never lie to anyone, especially him, then his unfaltering faith will once again cast another shadow.
OK now the most exciting bit… Shlock is falling for Aastha. Okay obviously he had some “feelings” or attractions for her deep down for a while now, but they were prevalent in Friday’s episode. We the viewers were finally shown subtle hints, hints from which we can assert that “ok. He is starting to like her”. I’m specifically referring to Aastha’s laughing fit. The last time we saw Shlok laugh was during the mandar scene. At that point when he became aware of his actions he quickly retrieved his Khadoos face. He did not want Aastha to see him laugh and more importantly he did not want himself to laugh because of Aastha. Now compare that scene with friday’s scene. Shlok kept laughing and consciously let go of his inhibitions. Is this the clue? Not completely! When Aastha continued to laugh we saw Shlok pause and closely watch Aastha. In those ten to fifteen seconds Shlok had lost himself in Aastha. He laughed a bit, looked at her with that gaze of his, and then continued laughing with her. Shlok willingly let Aastha have an effect on him. Despite seeing Aastha nearly everyday, it was as if Shlok was looking at her for the first time. That my friends may just be what Shlok would call “the beginning” of his love story.