#otp: shivaay/anika

[tellywoodtrash]

[nawaazishein]

[michmichihorahihai-blog]

S & A - Dil Mil Gaye

My first post on the blog and my first Shivika Video. Hope you guys like it.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Ishqbaaz Liveblog, E9: Tej & Pinky - TeKy - true OTP

Previously: E8 “Devi Maiyya Works Solo for Anika”

Isn't it nice that Teky sounds like tacky? This episode had some good family drama and character backgrounds. Interesting. Very interesting (@tellywoodtrash​ I could not... resist myself)

I have nothing more to say, now simply enjoy the liveblog.

Episode 9 “Tej & Pinky - TeKy - true OTP”

- I love this stone faced Anika. “MAAFI MANGE MERI JOOTI”

- Shivaay, I don’t care if you tell Anika her house is smaller than your servant’s quarters.

- Dadi your grandson is being shitty, that’s where he’s gone.

- Oh no, Tia is stuck with Pinky. 

- WOAH, The stupid guts Tej has to walk in, hand in hand, with Svetlana in front of Jhanvi. 

- Yes Anika, don’t apologize. I love the way Anika treats Shivaay now. YES, point of how Shivaay is crappy.

- SHIVAAY WTF! YOU JUST BROKE THE GLASSES OF JUICE BECAUSE OF YOUR PETTINESS.

- Shivaay is gonna throw money on that woman’s face. 

- Ugh, Buaji, you deserve to be at the receiving end of Shivaay’s words. 

- Shivaay… you are a poor judge of character. Just saying. 

- Anika, baby, I’m with you. 

- Jhanvi, don’t talk to Svetlana, that woman will hurt you.

- YES OM, STEP IN SON. Yes, I love how in few words Om is like ‘please leave’ with stone face. 

- Ugh, I hate Tej. I LOVE JHANVI-OM. 

- I feel Shivaay attracts people the way he thinks about them. First Buaji, now this sabzi waala - people who are quietened by money. 

- I agree Jhanvi. I wonder how you live with Pinky. 

- SHIVAAY’S SHOCK FOR AUTO!!!!! lol

- Tia is so uncomfortable with her saas to be. I love anyone who meets Pinky is in for a shock. Even Tia’s mum. *waiting desperately for Guggi to disappear*

- Poor Jhanvi and her alcoholism. 

- Who is this random person watching Shivaay’s wedding? This person who has burn on her hand? The bg music suggests she’s a villain… wait who’s this? WHO IS THIS? WHO ARE THEY? Ah, the one who sent the dude who became live candle in Maha Aarti.

- So this is our MAHA Villain? I see. Hello Villain. I like how she’s a bit understated. Interesting. 

- Pinky, do you not get Jhanvi just needs space. Oh, Om heard his mum being insulted by Pinky. 

- Pinky is speaking shit. Why does she have so much footage. 

- YES Shakti, thank you for interfering. I see, he doesn’t have much spine. 

- Oh God, now Tej steps in to speak shit. Clearly Pinky and Tej are made for each other. 

- Hmm… Om also suffered from addiction. 

- Well Pinky, you asked for that slap. Not that slapping her was right but… 

- Om, boy… I’m so sorry for you. *hate the cgi here* but Om, I’m really sorry for you. Addiction is a big thing and the fact he recovered - matters more than anything. 

- Oh.. Tia and her mum witnessed everything. Ok so this family drama continues. 

- Yes, a slap is problematic. Ok Tej is here to provoke batwaara. 

- OK, PINKY AND TEJ ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. 

- There, Shivaay and Dadi overheard the split up. 

- No wonder the kids have such issues man. No wonder. 

- The End -

Next up: E10

[hirakdesherrani]

Few thoughts on the so-called on past week’s IB track:

(A sort of disclaimer) In a country where the top court acquitted the accused because a/c to the judges, the ‘victim did not struggle enough’ and ‘raise an alarm’ (Mathura rape case, 1979), speaking up about sexual harassment is nearly impossible. Representing this issue in popular fiction is thus, a huge challenge. What a survivor is going through, what are the repercussions/consequences of speaking up, etc is too difficult to portray in fiction. 

One recent film which revolved somewhat around this issue was Pink. I really liked that film, ‘cos as a Delhite, that movie, at least in some parts, was quite relatable. The movie starts out with 3 girls emerging out of a horrific scenario one night, and deciding to forget about that night. The fact that these were three independent, strong-willed, ‘urban’ girls who chose to suppress the incident, instead of reporting it; made it believable.  Because the question is: who is going to believe them? The immediate reaction of girls was that we’ve escaped, so lets try to put the night behind us. Its only when the perpetrators do not let the girls forget, and actually threaten/intimidate them to apologize for protecting themselves, that the girls are forced to take action. 

Coming back to subject here, portraying this issue with sensitivity is not something one can expect from Indian daily soaps. Upar se if its Ishqbaaaz to toh aur sone pe suhaga. I mean, Gul begum thinks that by making her heroines wear jeans she is presenting a ‘modern’ and ‘progressive’ female lead on television, so suffice to say that this woman has the least credibility in Tellywood to portray an issue as sensitive as MeToo. But madam ko shauk chadhta toh kya kar sakte hai. 

Bringing it back to the plane of IB, I don’t get it that why do the CVs choose Gauri as the poster girl for their so-called “empowering” tracks? Be it the 2rs version of English Vinglish, and now this. 

The problem is that Gauri is an unreal character. I dunno what Gauri was supposed to be, but a/c to me Shrenu and Atif had significant leeway/freedom to portray Gauri the way they wanted to. Because everyone watching DBO was aware that they are watching the ‘Gauri Kumari Ssarma’ show. DBO is probs the only Gul show, where the OTP or the AYM male lead is not the highlight of the show. Gauri was the ‘hero’ of the show, and I’m consciously using the term ‘hero’ here because she got to do everything that the ‘heroes’ in Tellywood do. Gauri had almost become like this Batman-sort of character who is a fighter, she makes mistakes, falls down, but always gets up and defeats the villains at the end.  It was almost as if Gauri was not allowed to accept defeat or fail. 

To then make this Gauri, the subject of such “empowering” tracks, the CVs have to significantly change her character sketch and introduce artificial insecurities or other traits which do not set in well with her original character sketch. 

Despite my misgivings, I gave in and watched a few parts of this track, because my friends really praised it. I didn’t mind the Tuesday and Wednesday bits where Gauri is assaulted. The direction was off though, and it looked like some bits were cut because they overlapped weirdly. If Atif or LM had been directing the scene, it would’ve probably looked better, but then it would have been too scary for me to watch. 

My issue started with the Thursday episode (or whatever I saw of it). The fact that Gauri decided to keep quiet about the incident was not OOC, because DBO starts on the point that the whole village chooses to believe Kali Thakur instead of Gauri who they’ve seen grow up in front of their eyes. Omkara, the objective outsider in this plot, also chooses to believe the worst of Gauri. No one listened to or believed Gauri that time, and can well explain why she would think that no one will ever believe her. 

What annoyed me a lot, was that Gauri decides to let the perpetrator go scot free. Because this undos all the development in Bareilly track 2. [A short break here, I’ve seen a lot of fans comment that Kali Thakur did not actually molest Gauri unlike the superstar, and I feel people totally missed the danger KT presented. KT wanted to make Gauri his sex slave for life (and for his brothers too). I’m not comparing KT and the superstar, but it irks me that people really underestimate KT’s villainy]. Anyways, so by the end of Bareilly track 2 Gauri is not scared of KT anymore. Yes, she wants to escape him, but this time its a do or die situation for her. Because Gauri understood that as long as KT’s alive she (and her mother) would always be in danger, she cannot run from him forever. Which is why Gauri stabs him to death. IMO I think Gauri fully intended to close KT’s chapter there, because she looked like an avenging angel in that scene, it was not the fear she present in the first Bareilly track. 

For that Gauri, to now let the superstar go unpunished is out of character. Gauri would not speak up about the incident but she would let the matter rest. DBO Gauri would find some way to expose the creep for what he is, and in this case, take help from Anika and Bhavya, because it would be too much for her to face him so soon after the incident. 

For the sake of the track, the CVs had to significantly alter Gauri’s character sketch (like they did in the English track) to ‘fit’ the popular perception of a survivor of sexual harassment as portrayed in television and movies. Here I feel, Shrenu had to make a performance choice. There are moments were the real Gauri slips in the scenes for example a particular teeth gnashing and eyebrow frown expression which is peculiar Gauri expression, I really can’t explain it properly but there it is, and one sees that when Gauri traps the superstar in a carpet and escapes. 

Also, there was this particular dialogue which a lot of people had interpreted as “victim blaming herself” but I don’t think it was that. Victim blaming would have been if Gauri had said that its her fault that she is the fan of such a person or she was foolish to ask for a selfie. But what Gauri said that she should have been smart enough to smell him out, because, obviously Gauri being more intelligent than most should be the first one to smell a rat. 

If I analyze the track ignoring this character issue, there are still some false notes. No doubt Shrenu acted well (when does she not?) but the entire track seemed hollow. We have all the “checklist scenes”: the villain pulls the dori, tears the sleeve, the survivor screaming in half-darkness, trying to wash off the incident under the shower, sitting in darkness in the ‘typical’ pose depicted in posters, etc, but it was a conscious attempt to ape such tracks from movies than to come up with something original. The one shot that i did like was Gauri’s handprints on the painting of the woman, when she was struggling. That was symbolism done right, and it was organic. 

What really ruined the track for me was the whole sting operation bit. The idea behind MeToo is to have the victims speak up and find support in each other. If they had to go with the sting operation bit, then why not have Gauri devise a plan to expose the devil like she exposed Buamaa? The CVs altered her character sketch for the sake of the track only to have Shivika do what Gauri would herself have done in DBO. 

The only reason for the sting operation bit was to take close up camera shots of Surbhi. Surbhi is a stunning woman offscreen but I hate it when writers almost abuse the actor’s physical charm just because the actor possesses it. For example, how the makers of Jodha Akbar showed Akbar practicing sword fighting half-naked on the terrace of the palace, only because Hrithik Roshan has amazing abs. Like it was sooooo unbelievable that Akbar, the Mughal Emperor, would be training like this in the open unprotected, that too shirtless. This smacks of lack of integrity in the writers. 

After that the whole track lost meaning. And then we have the obligatory ‘everyone praising Shivika’ and Shivaay giving a lecture at the end, effectively murdering the entire set up for the track, which was precarious in the first place. So, this ‘track’ might have checked a lot of boxes, but at the end of the day it just came across as tokenism, for me.  

[tadibaaaz]

Hello, welcome back! Now that Rikara story is kinda over, it seems weird to ask this but still. Do you think Om and Gauri are a good match? I mean, I love them individually as characters, GKS is actually my fav FL of 2017. But I don't think they are suited to each other. Like if Om was not married to Gauri due to circumstances, I don't think Gauri would love him. Like I can't imagine Gauri falling in love with a guy like Om, though he's really nice. What do you think?

heeeey, thank you! :)

i agree with you, i can’t think of a plausible scenario where Gauri and Om would’ve naturally fallen in love with each other if it weren’t for Kali Thakur’s shenanigans. pre-KT Gauri probably wanted a tough Salman Khan type Hero™, not someone as passive/angsty as Omkara.but that’s why i love them so much as a couple!

usually on TV, love just happens to the OTP, but with Rikara the process was a lot more deliberate:

Shivaay and Anika were in love much before the naam, khoon, khandaan stuff got resolved, but Rikara mainly progressed every time Om’s worldview (the main conflict) was challenged. to simplify, Omkara would essentially fall more in love with Gauri each time he willingly questioned his own ideology. Gauri, i think, fell for him every time he behaved in a complex way, forcing her to look at things from his perspective (i.e. he loathes me, but loves our baby/respects my mom/fights for my honor?).

almost all of Rikara’s separations were a choice, not a matter of circumstance (unlike Shivika’s divorce for e.g.). butthey still decided to come back to each other (he even kidnapped her with consent lol). the universe (or villains) didn’t conspire to make these decisions for them, they did themselves, especially post-DBO.

personality-wise Omkara and Gauri weren’t the perfect match initially. they challenged each other way too much, they didn’t understand each other’s perspectives, and approached life very differently. sure Dadi is all about that takkar ki ishqbaazi, but lbr with them it was too much takkar and not enough ishqbaazi. Omkara had to consciously change himself to be the right person for Gauri, and so did she. they grew together as people in ways that they wouldn’t have individually and now finally they seem in sync. they’ve willingly GROWN to become each others’ soulmates, which is why i think they are a perfect match now.

eternal love doesn’t just magically appear one day, you have to actively nurture it. that’s what Gauri and Omkara have done. and sure, Omkara might not be the Hero™of Gauri’s dreams, but homegirl somehow manages to pull out moments of herogiri out of him anyways, so it’s not like she’s completely deprived of her old fantasies ;) haha

[tellywoodtrash]

main gehra tamas, tu sunehra savera (...) musafir main bhatka, tu mera basera (...) tu jugnu chamakta, main jungle ghanera; main tera, main tera, main tera...

Amitabh Bhattacharya (Kalank Nahi, Ishq Hai; Kalank)

[tellywoodtrash]

[tellywoodtrash]

[tellywoodtrash]

[tellywoodtrash]

Here's a fun thing to do - name 1 (or more;) bollywood movie au for each of your otps! Basically which b movie's plot would you love to see them in (or would suit them most!)

Hi Bunnie!

How have you beeeeeeeen? Hope life’s being good to you!

Verrrrrrrrry interesting question. Took me quite a bit of thinking (it’s a brain-fog kinda day), and here’s what I came up with so far. I’m sure I’ll keep thinking about this more, and add to the list!

Shivaay/Anika:

Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke

Gender-reversed Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha

Khoobsurat (2014)

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.

Shivaay in the Alvira role, Anika in the Ricky role! (Mallika/Vikramaditya Thapar as their made-up love interests!)

Dil Dhadakne Do

Shivaay in Ayesha Malik role, Anika as the scrappy one-who-got-away journalist Sunny Gill

Omkara/Gauri:

Gender-reversed Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Socha Na Tha

Riddhima as Om’s longterm girlfriend he thinks he’s in love with. Anika as his sweet and loving but bewildered and frustrated Bhaabi.

Jab We Met

Cheeni Kum

Just something about the vibe of the film suits them and their mellowness a lot!

Queen

Gauri meets Om somewhere on her solo travels through Europe; they meet back up in India months later and start a relationship! (Bonus: Svetlana in the Vijaylakshmi role!)

Rudra/Saumya:

Band Baaja Baaraat

Wake Up Sid!

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

Arnav/Khushi: 

Swades

Madhumati Bua as Arnav’s childhood nanny he wants to take back with him to the U.S.

Sumo/Shravan:

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Hum Tum

[tellywoodtrash]

Hey TT, I don't know if you're gonna answer this or not considering both their actions were wrong but do you prefer the way Arnav treated Khushi after they got married the first time or Shivaay with Anika after their first wedding ? or just their whole dynamic as a couple through out both the shows . Thank you ❤

I mean, “prefer” is the wrong word, but I approved less of Shivaay and his BS. They’re both hurtful, abusive assholes, who coerced a woman into marriage and then just won’t tell her why the hell they’re acting like a crazy fuck, but Arnav acted marginally more honourably (in a societal manner) after the forced wedding, accepting (this word feels gross, but I can’t think of another rn) Khushi as his wife in front of everyone from the get go. Shivaay carried on with Tia and ugh all that whole mess. They both suck, but Shivaay sucks a little more in the scenario.

As a couple dynamic, I prefer Shivaay/Anika (OU). Again, objectively they’re kinda worse writing-wise, but subjectively I’m just super attached to them coz I’m still watching the show (I’ve been watching/analysing them longer - 2 years continuous now. I just know them much better.) Also, something about their push and pull feels more EQUAL to me than Arnav and Khushi. Like, not social class or anything, but like… Maturity-wise. Khushi just always felt a little childish to me (like, even beyond her canon age of 23.) We’ve never gotten Anika’s age in canon, but she just seems older and more world-wise, and so she’s more appealing to me. Shivaay and her are just more on an equal plane, with both their positions in their families (the eldest, who’s always looking out for the whole family); even in their moments of immaturity and Extra™ and petty vindictiveness, they seem more evenly matched to me.

[tellywoodtrash]

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👆🏽👆🏽👆🏽 This is what I mean by “healthy hotness”! 🔥🔥🔥

[tellywoodtrash]

Your fragrant breath like the morning breeze has come to the stillness of the garden. You have breathed new life into me I have become your sunshine and also your shadow.

Rumi.

[tellywoodtrash]

I cannot make speeches (…) If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am.

Jane Austen, Emma

[tellywoodtrash]

I was wondering what are your top 5 shivika moments?

Hi anon! 

Man, oh man, oh man. Toughhhhh question! But after extensive thinking… Here they are, in no particular order, because I love them all…

The sindoor-mangalsutra scene after the memory loss. Or as I like to call it… “Shivaay sexing the memories back into Anika.” 😏😏😏

Hospital scene after he took the bullet for her, and she’s under his bed hiding from Pinky, and they hold hands and cry, coz too many feelz.  😭😭😭

The scene where he wakes her up, says he’s making breakfast for her, and gifts her the phone, “pyaar se”. 😻😻😻

The whole scene where post memory-loss Anika is convinced she’s infertile. Both the comedy bits where she’s really freaking Shivaay out (“baanjh”, “kok”, “WOH waala sukh”), and the emotional bits where he assures her he doesn’t care even if she can’t give him kids. Coming from the Mr. Khoon and Khaandaan, that’s a lot. 💗💗💗 

Waking up together, “moons ke peeche”.  🌙🌙🌙

Honorable mentions: 

The first time he makes her “blush”. 😚😚😚 

The saamp prank during the Girls v/s Boys Horror wars, which I think was the first scene where they had sexual tension, but it wasn’t problematic/abusive. Just light-hearted banter. 😊😊😊

The comedy scenes from earlier in the show, like the time she throws pochche ka paani at him, the “Billu ki shaadi hogi” song/argument, the bet they make to patch RuMya up, etc. 😆😆😆