OLiSwEll

The episode starts with Runjhun and Mahadevi walking through the doors of Pandey Niwas. The 3 Mamis are working in their kitchen. Mittho walks over and starts with her verbal abuse asking where they were gone so early in the morning. Kalsanwali joins in and starts with her physical threats of hurting Runjhun and pulls her by her arm. Billo joins the other 2 with the same kind of threats. Runjhun’s both arms are pulled by Kalsanwali and Billo, with both giving her a long list of chores to do. Mittho stands there and rolls her eyes. The 2 Mamis start to bicker over whose work takes priority. Mittho, feeling left out, joins the duo with her list and threatens to withhold food and water until Runjhun finishes her chores. She pushes Runjhun out of the way to get started.

Mittho then turns on Mahadevi and questions her about where she went so early in the morning. Mahadevi stays mum. She asks Mahadevi to go to her room and Runjhun will bring her tea there. Mahadevi declines tea as he goes up the steps. Runjhun starts her tasks as sad music plays in the background. In their room, as she is mopping the floor, she spots “the calendar” that caused all the upheaval between her and Guddu and gets pensive.

She is back in the great room of Pandey Niwas and sewing when Mittho and Billo throw more things at Runjhun to do. Runjhun sits there quietly and Jamadar Kalsonwali joins in with more of her stuff in her threatening way. She pulls Runjhun up from the floor by her arm and asks her to pick up her washables as Guddu enters the room from outside. On hearing Guudu’s voice, Kalsanwali lets go of Runjhun’s arm and because of the force of the pull, Runjhun stumbles backwards with an armload of clothes, as Guddu leans forward to steady her. Runjhun hangs on to Guddu’s supporting hand for a minute. The 3 Mamis look on with fear and Guddu turns Runjhun sideways in his arms to look at her. They look at each other and Guddu looks back at Kalsonwali.

Guddu walks towards Kalsanwali who is clearly afraid now and starts back-stepping. She wants to say something but words don’t come out. The other 2 Mamis look on. Guddu tells Kalsanwali, referring to Runjhun, that this girl has done enough nautanki (drama), make her work. Runjhun has become lazy, give her more work. The Mamis are shocked and then smirk. Guddu then turns to Runjhun and yells at her to work with imandari (as in put your mind to it). Runjhun stands there teary-eyed and shocked. He barks at Kalsanwali again to ask her if she understood. Mittho and Billo smirk and Kalsanwali barely nods affirmatively. Guddu kicks some containers and leaves the great room to go to their room upstairs. He is angry and the hands are back on the hips as he stands there thinking.

Runjhun Mishra is baaack in Guddu’s head!

He talks to himself that this is exactly what he should have done to her. Runjhun Mishra was not working as he did not give her enough to do. And because she did not work, she became too complacent. Now she will not have time to give him pravachans (sermons). Now she will neither give pravachans nor will she bother him, hence she will not have time to think of winning the chunauti (challenge).

Mittho is heard screaming about Runjhun not finishing the chores given to her. Guddu walks over to the window to look down on the scene with the 3 Mamis standing over Runjhun. He is struggling mentally with what he sees being said and done to Runjhun, he turns away and turns back to watch. He waves his arm in a fist, almost steps towards the door and walks back to the bed, angrily questioning himself what is wrong with him. What is happening to him? Why is he feeling so bad? He tells himself to get with reality. He sees himself in the dressing table mirror and feels that the more he thinks about it, he will be trapped and he has to win the challenge. If he wants to win against Runjhun Mishra, then he needs to think of the challenge only.

He is sitting on the edge of the bed when Runjhun walks into the room with his food. Runjhun looks back at him hurt and they get in an eyelock, but he is the first to turn away. He looks at the plate sideways while thinking and she quietly asks him to eat. He berates her for the choice of food she has cooked and that he does not want to eat such trashy food. She looks on hurt as he picks up the food and starts eating. As soon as he puts the first morsel in his mouth, he splutters and chokes and tells her that it is too spicy and he does not want to eat food prepared by her. For 5 more days she will not add chillis to the food. He angrily tells her that the nuts and bolts that have loosened in her brain, he will surely tighten them. He will shatter her ahemkar (ego) in the 5 days. He says he gave her so much importance in his life that she is doing “tandav” (a rigorous dance attributed to Shiva, the Destroyer, in Hindu mythology) on his head. He turns away from her while she stands there hurt and crying. As he is facing the mirror at that moment, he looks up to see her tears and visibly softens a bit.

The 3 Mamis are in Mittho’s bedroom, gurgling with laughter, celebrating their victory. They are dreaming of the day when Guddu leaves Runjhun and then she is theirs again (hah!). They are cackling away about their good fortune when Rajju walks in glum-faced. The 3 sober up and Mittho asks him if something is the matter. He says that if things happen this way, their bhag will go out the door. He mentions that the boy’s parents are coming to fix the wedding and are asking for Mahadevi’s kundli (astrological chart). If the chart does not match, what will happen? Mittho is upset that the boy’s side is doing this so late in the game. Kalsanwali says that no worries they have a solution for this in their house. They can get Runjhun’s kundli and pass it off as Mahadevi’s kundli. Mittho does not like that and wants a kundli made just like Runjhun’s. She tells Kalsanwali that she has Runjhun’s kundli and Kalsanwali realizes that she does not know where it is. While Mittho, Rajju and Kalsanwali are thinking, Billo thinks of her own advantage as Runjhun will continue to stay in the house.

It is nighttime. Guddu is eating supper and Runjhun is watching him silently. She tells Guddu that if she has made a mistake, to forgive her. She knows she should not have had thandai (the drink laced with bhang) and she is sure she did something untoward while under the influence or he would not be so upset with her. Guddu angrily tells her why should he be angry. What difference would it make to her if he is upset? Runjhun counters that if he is not upset, why does he flare up every other moment at her? She is totally unaware what she did to upset him while under the influence, and she asks for his forgiveness regardless. Runjhun gets down on her knees in front of Guddu, who is sitting on the settee eating, holds her ears and tearfully pleads to be forgiven. It clearly affects Guddu who gets up, turns sideways and asks her to disappear from his sight, to leave right away and he does not want to see her in front of him. Runjhun is visibly upset. He says she does things behind his back and is not a straight talker. She does that over and over again. He tells her to her face but she goes behind his back. He has seen her drama for 25 days. 5 days are left and in those 5 days, Guddu Shukla will do what Guddu Shukla desires. He will be Dabangg Guddu Shukla. He angrily asks her to scoot, get lost. He does not wish to see her face. Runjhun watches him with tears flowing and the sad Bhagonwali song playing in the background. She gets up and leaves the room, while Guddu stands there with his hands on the hips.

Precap. Guddu, Amma and Runjhun are in their room. Amma advises Guddu that only he can do something. Her Mama Mamis think of Runjhun as their naukar (servant). Guddu is the only one who can teach them a lesson. He turns to face Runjhun with a scowl and addresses Amma that Runjhun has become inured of atyaachar (torture), let her suffer. Just as Runjhun has worked her wiles on him and weakened him, she can do the same to her Mama-Mamis. Amma and Runjhun are shocked to hear Guddu’s words.

A personal note:

This episode portrays Himmanshoo Malhotra at his best as Guddu. It is such a pleasure watching him go through his internal conflict. Nivedita Tiwari matches him in every scene. I will have to watch again later to really appreciate it.

I hope the CVs are back in full form with this episode.