Hey TT!! I just listened to the first ep of the podcast, and it was great. I discovered your blog through vishwaspur's rikara posts, and I have stuck around and followed your posts ever since the Ishqbaaz days. So naturally, I would love to hear you guys talk about rikara on the podcast and maaaybe dedicate an episode to them?!? (please note the seriousness in my tone cause that couple still holds such a special place in my heart). I thought of sending this suggestion to your tumblr instead of the email you guys mentioned since I also wanted to convey my congratulations to you for the launch of the podcast, so I hope that's okay :)

Thanks so muchhhh, friend! 💖💖💖

Yes, I definitely think there will be an episode dedicated to Ishqbaaaz and DBO, coz it was such a formative show for both Mais and me, and it was what brought us together in the way we are friends right now. So yeah, it will happen!

The reason we asked for emails is 1. coz it's easier to keep all the podcast stuff collected there, rather than in my inbox/replies, mais's twitter inbox/replies, etc. and 2. Tumblr is blocked for Mais in Pakistan, so she doesn't get to see all the sweet things you guys are saying! So we definitely would love to get emails so that BOTH of us have access to what you guys wanna tell us. 😗👉🏽👈🏽

ok so I've been following this blog for a while now and let me just say this- your arylie gifs give me LIFE. sometimes i'll just be so f-ing tired with all the bs on twitter and just drop by to squeal at your gifs, and today I just saw your 'arylie ki pasoori' and I knew that i just HAD to send you this ask/appreciation post because it was just.. amazing?? i love how positive and hyped you are and after having to wade through twitter/if it feels great to lean back into your positivity!

look i had my stint on twitter and yes, for a while it was fun. but fitrat nahin badalti. twitter will always remain a cesspool of trash and the few true gems found there are more often than not just not worth it. which is why i RAN away from there! couple of days I tried to silently do my enjoyment on my main twitter but like..WHY??? i have this place! it's safe and I can have my say however the fuck I want! and if anyone wants to engage with it THEY ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO!! YOU are more than welcome to drop by anytime to say whatever you want. i'd LOVE to discuss all things happening to AryLie here! I did this with RiKara years ago..Vishwaspur was the only place of sanity for me back then. and I'd love to do that again with AryLie ki Pasoori here! I just want to have a good time without having to see all this negativity, fanwars, ainvayi ke drameeeeeee, making rai ka pahads etc! so yes! gifs or rants..ab toh mujhe JO bhi kehna hoga related to AryLie I'll just say it here. it can be good it can be bad but at least I'll have the satisfaction that all of that are MY feelings..not influenced by the exaggerated negavitity or the forced positivity of the general fandom!

(gg1) Hey, I may be mistaken but I believe the vishwaspur/dabba bae tumblr belongs to you. I hope I’m right because otherwise the rest of this message is irrelevant. I just wanted to thank you for creating such a page (and not taking it down). I don’t watch hindi tv shows because I could never deal with the melodrama, absent logic and sanskari bullshit.

(gg2) But recently on a youtube spiral I came across a Omkara and Gauri vm that intrigued me and sent me on an ishaqbaaz and dil bole oberoi binge (I blame his gorgeous hair!) Anyway, the reason I wanted to thank you was that I felt extremely conflicted about what I was watching especially because while I love an angsty man with a conflicted past, Omkara was quite violent and sometimes straight up abusive in the way he treated Gauri. But I couldn’t stop watching.            

(gg3) None of my friends watch hindi shows, so there really isn’t anyone I could share my love and hate for the show with. Finding your blog was exactly what I needed. You had expressed opinions that made sense to me and validated my feelings for the characters. I also loved it when I came across a post in which you mentioned both Jake Peralta and Omkara!   

(gg4) Your blog made me realize that there are enough sensible people out there (with good taste in Tv!) who enjoy hindi tv shows. And honestly that kind of allowed me to just enjoy the show and rikara for what it was and not overthink or spiral over my new taste in TV. I realize this may be a bit of a strange message to receive, but your blog made me happy, toh Thank You message toh banta hai!            

Messages like these make me believe my tumultuous journey with RiKara wasn’t a complete waste of time :’)

Oh, anon, this isn’t a strange message at all. In fact this message made me really happy. Vishwaspur is my baby. I had invested so much time and energy on that blog. What had started as my personal safe place to find enjoyment the mess that was DBO turned out to be this hub of sensibility away from the proper kachra that was the mainstream IB fandom. I toh had just made that blog to make gifs about the Queenie that was Gauri and write funny shitposts to not lose my sanity as DBO became the Dabba Show. But the way people engaged with all that content and actually cared about what I had to say really, truly gave me some great things to experience. And it genuinely warms my heart that even after a year of Vishwaspur being shut down, it still has an active activity and that people appreciate the content of that blog.

So really..thank YOU for this.

Wrapping Up The Dabba.

Ummm. It’s been a rough year..as far as the fandom life goes. Full of many downs (hence me lovingly calling it a MANHOOS YEAR!!!). But all the downs don’t mean there weren’t any ups. In fact, 6 hours before the date officially changed to 2018, I sat down to look back to the year that was and could only remember the good things. As disappointing RiKara turned out to be, I can’t deny that they were really my muse throughout the year. The one ship that made me write, gif, edit, vm, headcanon - that’s rare for me. Specially the vm part. I’m actually quite pleased that because of RiKara I got over my fear of vming and churned out some decent vms this year. That and of course..they have been the only ship in my life which made me make a whole separate blog for them! And not just make it but maintain it to the best of my ability. That’s HUGE for me people. ME. A lazyass person who can’t stay committed to anything except messing up my life xD

Honestly, I’m no longer the person who celebrates the changing of the date. Life doesn’t overnight become better or even change significantly. But still...12 months is a long time. People do change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. So it’s alright to be sentimental at this time. Rest assured, I won’t be TOO sentimental but still, bear with me.

Vishwaspur happened..on a whim. And woah..the starting few days WERE a huge a struggle. The amount of times I forgot the switch between my main blog and this one was crazy xD And then filling this blog up with new&relevant content was also a race for me. Cuz I just HATE empty blogs. But before I knew it..the blog was up and running smoothly. Back in those days I was SO into the mess that was Dil Boley Oberoi that I just wanted a place to vent freely without the fear of being judged or questioned. My corner, my space. I just wanted to stan the amazingness that was Gauri Kumari Sharma and savor every little bit of RiKara goodness that I got to the fullest. I didn’t want any jhamela or kit-pit. I knew that there was a decent fandom for Ishqbaaaz on tumblr already so I was happy that I would get enough notes on my gifs/edits to keep me going. Then there was the Dabba Tales! Which just..hah! I sometimes go back to read some of my episode reactions and have a good laugh at them. Ehh..I’m not that bad at humor as I think myself to be xD Or maybe it was just DBO providing me enough fodder to make a whole dum biryani out of every. single. DAY. Either way..what fun!

Back then..I had legit NO idea that VP would grow the way it did. Very soon it wasn’t just me posting my shit on the blog. I was interacting with anons and users alike. Maybe because I haven’t really been active in tumblr fandom but..it was a delightful feeling for me. Actual people interested in my opinions? It’s not a feeling that I get to have in my personal life. EVER. I’ve been part of forums and fandoms before but here it was a feeling of exclusivity. Most of the interaction was one-on-one. And honestly, I did keep it that way deliberately. Almost everyday there would be asks waiting for me to get to and really, they became the highlight of my day. But I must say it also got tiring. Still I did it all cuz it was all so FUN.

And somewhere along the line..what I said actually started holding some weight? Like somehow I began to...influence the fandom if I may say so? Not in a HUGE way but small bits here and there that came to my notice. Like the nicknames and the titles..even the crackships and the brotps xD I’m a very humble person but c’mon..allow me to be gleeful that some of the things that became a part of the fandom dictionary came from this place xD It was a good feeling for me to see my opinions being treated as something worth discussing. It’s a huge thing for anyone in the fandom!

That being said..not every day was a good day. Like the show which is the reason the blog exists in the first place, VP went through many ups and downs. Frustrating topics and repeated explanations. It’s not like this place didn’t give me frustrations and they showed! I have, I confess, been outright rude here multiple times. My bad days are never just confined to real life. They show up in my virtual world as well. And every time I became rude, I felt SO bad afterwards but damn...it became too much sometimes. I had to legit remind myself that this is my space, meant to first and foremost make me happy and I couldn’t do that with all the negativity that was coming my way. Khair..in short, I got the control back but I swear I thought I had driven away all the people with my rudeness. I had pakka thought ke VP toh buss ab band hoga cuz everyone would disown me but imagine my surprise when my outbursts didn’t drive people away. Hayyee..kaash real life mein bhi aisa ho mere saath xD

Vishwaspur has gone through good days, bad days, AMAZING days, lazy days, hectic days and now...well...empty days. At the time of writing this..my inbox has a few unanswered asks ranging from general queries about the show to best wishes for myself, all of which will remain unanswered cuz..urgh...just..I don’t want to ruin this blog by making it something that it hasn’t been since its inception. I don’t want to change tracks. I don’t want to make it my personal blog. Like someone said.. “Let this blog stay up for posterity!” to me in the inbox. I admit I have replied to some non-IB/DBO related stuff around here but dil nahin maanta yaar >.< It’s called “dabba bae” for a reason. Manhoos tha but..apna tha. RiKara I mean..not the blog. RiKara toh well..gaah..I am so done with the show and them on literally ALL levels that I don’t want to do ANYTHING with them. Acha tha, bura tha..jaisa bhi tha..khatam hogaya. If I stay and linger..I know I’ll end up straight up hating everything related to them. So it’s better to just..let go.

Sooo...on that note and staying true to my “I am leaving this shit behind in 2017!!!” with a rather bittersweet heart I announce..this is going to be my last post here on Vishwaspur. The blog will exist, obviously. But I just won’t be active here anymore.I haven’t posted any original content in ages and it sucks for me to see you guys still visiting me like the dear people that you are but I remain unable to properly reply to any of that. And I don’t want to keep being that person. We all have spent some great time here and I don’t want the last impression of this place being as something that just died without any announcement (even if I have said something like this in the past there’s no way I’d have let that happen) So..yeah.

I won’t call out specific names because everyone who has EVER visited this place or has enjoyed what was being done here has made my days...great. It has been fun. All the honest-to-god fangirling and all the savagery and all the annoyance and all the craziness and all the memes and specially..all the FEELS..sharing them with you was fun. Even though blog only existed for 6 months, they were some good six months of my life.

So, thank you. For giving me the time of your day. For giving Vishwaspur the time of your day. If you were a regular visitor of my inbox, thank you. If you were an occasional visitor, thank you. If you were a silent reader, thank you. If you had fun here, thank you. And sorry if I was ever rude to you. Sorry for making promises I couldn’t keep. Sorry for any intentional or unintentional action which might have made you feel bad.

It’s been great.

And it’s been fun.

But it’s time to move on for me.

One last time, thank you.

Sending you all my love and best wishes, Mais.

No one does savage like the Rikara fam 

Credit to @kriti_parikh, @maissum, @DilBoleRikara

(Also thanks to @vishwaspur, through whose Twitter account I could discover done-with-it Rikara fans like myself)

Hi! So there are a lot of ppl out here that don't really like Four Lions/ Gul Khan as a production house and disagree with a lot of decisions they make. But, if it were up to you (and Gulneet were kidnapped or something lol) which users/fangirls here on Tumblr would you hire as new crew members to produce Ishqbaaz and why??????

Hey anon!!!

This is a really interesting question omg, I’ve always said that some of us fans here on Tumblr and Twitter are far more talented than some of the editors/writers on the actual show. (Not that the writers/crew aren’t talented enough, who am I to judge when I myself am the shittiest writer ever.)

Here we go, Tumblr IB stans as crew members! :

@tellywoodtrash and @vishwaspur as the official writers and CVs: I’ve been following their blogs for quite a long time and have seen/read their analyses and liveblogs and it’s safe to say that these two have a really broad and vast understanding of Shivika/ Rikara and the show in general. Plus, their sharp wit, khidkithod humour and overall cleverness is just what this trash-fire of a show needs! A good percentage of the fandom is already on board! (Also TT and vishwaspur ne apni setting kar li hain, toh shubh kaam mein dairi kis baat ki?

@nawaazishein as the cinematographer: Bc have you seen her edits???? Have you???? Pls go look at her edits/gifsets if you watch this show, I promise you, you won’t regret it. She makes the most breathtaking edits and makes the most mundane shots of the show looks soooo beautiful.  With her on board, Ishqbaaaz will definitely win Best Cinematography at next year’s SPA!

@chashmishh and @paulfwesley as editors- Bc they’ve made some amazing, and meaningful edits on the show/Shivika that you can check out on @ishqbaaaaz !!! Much more qualified than the editors on IB current with the zooming, coloring and whatnot.

@ilovefusion as the producer- Basically the captain of the ship bc she’s one of the oldest (and coolest) stans I know. Will come up with amazing ideas to bring the show forward with her ideas and opinions and will oversee the rest of the kaam that we’re up to!!

@brownchori: as the official costume/wardrobe designer: At this point, anyone except Shivani will suffice for the job but @brownchori really has a eye for aesthetics, based on her beauuuuuutifuuul mood boards that she makes based on Shivika (you should really, really, really check them out). I think she’s perfect for the job since she really captures the essence for each and every character in her edits and will do so as well IRL as well!

@eeterniityy as the official promoter/distributer for Ishqbaaaz- This girl has convincing up to a whopping number of 11 people to watch this show. She’s the master of persuading and will make the show see great heights TRP-wise!!!

@what-the-pyaar as the official photographer: (basically Gorky’s job) because she takes the most amazing screencaps of the show and will bring out the best/use flattering angles for our cast! (Plus her captions are theeee best)

and finally, myself as the casting director- bc thinking up of dream casts for 287892 different shows is what I do in my pasttime/for pleasure lol. Plus I’ll make sure that we won’t just recycle the QH cast and look for/launch new talent!!!

Any good ib blog you'd recommend following?

The ultimate I recommend is my sister’s blog @ishqbaaaaz (her main blog is @chashmishh) for everything Ishqbaaaz/Dil Boley Oberoi

The other queen is @tellywoodtrash

@vishwaspur has some great stuff, mostly Gauri and Rikara

@manmarziiyan is good too, though she’s not specifically Ishqbaaaz but she does post a lot about it and has some great gifs

@nawaazishein has some great posts and edits as well

@jjb25 also reblogs a lot of Ishqbaaaz

@jobless-n-aimless does as well

and then there’s @nakuulmehta which is the fan account for Nakuul if you’re looking for Nakuul specific (though they do post Ishqbaaaz, because it’s Nakuul’s current show)

I hope that helps!

The utter and criminal lack of Dabba (because I can’t in good conscience call it anything else)

Disclaimer : This post is going to be just a miasma  of unresolved rage, venting, run-on sentences and quite a bit of unnecessary analysis of the newly merged hour-long torturous experience called Ishqbaaaz… yes it does actually have 3 As, for no damn reason. Read on at your own risk.

I’ve been a pseudo-regular on IF for the last couple of months where I post some fics (what a discreet plug?! Go find me on IF - writergenie17) and infrequently indulge in some discussions. I was mostly active on the DBO forum cuz you know… its the only show I watched and I like to torture myself, to say nothing of the fact that KJ is yummy beyond belief. 

Of course, I did get my crash course in IB history and lore, (though I was never part of the faithful ShivIka bandwagon) before following DBO quite faithfully through all the mind-bending villainous chemistry adventures, eye-melting, utterly disastrous costume choices and of course, the dabbas that have given the show its iconic name (courtesy of our very own @vishwaspur ). 

For a show with no story line and absolutely no idea where it was going, KJ, Shrenu and the behind camera team deserve a whole lot of kudos for making us come back to it every night for another dose of WTF?! Casting is probably the only thing about this show that kept me coming back the numerous times I told myself I had to quit for the sake of my own mental health. Rahul Dev as KT was beyond perfection. KJ and Shrenu were setting screens on fire from the first episode on and we were all hooked. 

Then came the Svetlana storyline,which was at that point of time still quite tame… the track gave us ChulKara, something I look back at fondly, even now. I know a lot of us were frustrated with the lack of progress and the amount of crazy crap they were flinging at us every night with the devolving of the Multilana story line into a series of Ripley’s believe it or not videos. But even that was acceptable considering the minuscule amount of attention our two leads get now. But that’s something for later…

Then with the Fakelana’s famous freezer dabba gone, we got one more dabba in the form of crazy Bua Maa’s Ratan ka dabba. 

Another inferior story line which was however enormously bolstered by Sushmitaji’s amazing portrayal of creepy Bua Maa. I think I was more scared of her than even KT and that’s an accomplishment on its own.

But to our relief, even that came to an abrupt but sort of satisfying end. The team managed to give us starved viewers a week’s worth of solid RiKara and even though there were gaping plot holes and stuff that just didn’t make sense, we knew by now, that to expect anything even remotely associated with logic from these people is like wishing for pigs to fly. But we got beautifully set and shot RiKara scenes and we were happy. Things were finally starting to move in the right direction. Even if misunderstandings hadn’t been cleared, at least our Omki looked ready to look past his usual ‘giri hui aurat’ rhetoric. 

Then came the merger like a tsunami and swept away all our hopes and dreams of a story line for our RiKara. Now, they’re being used as props… like seriously, KJ aur Shrenu ki jagah unke cutouts rakh do to bhi chal jaayega. 

I honestly can’t believe that the Rudra-Bhavya relationship, which doesn’t technically exist, is being given the same, if not better billing than RiKara, who’re actually married and have been for about six months now. How can the problems facing these two entirely different relationships (if one can even be called that) be treated the same? That too, why is this becoming a project for ShivIka, jinki khud ki relationship skills itni amazing hain ki wo dono ek doosre ko divorce de chuke hain because of course, they can’t resolve anything worth sh*t between themselves. But aa gaye hain duniya ko sudhaarne. 

And one can’t even express themselves now on the IF forums cuz the ShivIka bandwagon just steamrolls over anyone who doesn’t believe in their ‘ShivIka is the main couple’ rhetoric. Since the merger, the DBO forum has been informed that they’re closing down and that all the forum members should move to IB as its the parent show. RiKara fans have no place there cuz that is the one relationship that IB has been entirely blanked out on and now, no one wants to give them the time of day… not the creatives and certainly not the IB fans who could care less about anything that doesn’t involve Shivaay and Anika fighting like six year-old’s. 

The people who used to watch DBO and are now forced to sit through 40 minutes of unnecessary juvenile drama to watch KJ and Shrenu stand around in the background and agree with everything Bhaiya and Bhabhi are saying, are soon going to have had enough. We have been hanging on with the promise of one little scene between Omkara and Gauri… one scene and I’m sure we’ll be happy once we get it but why should we settle for crumbs when this relationship should be getting equal attention? RiKara at the moment have more of a chance to develop into something real and beautiful than either of the other couples. If RiKara isn’t given a decent attempt at a story soon, most DBO viewers that the CVs tried to rope in using the merger tactic to increase their TRP, are going to stop and as a result, the show will be forced to end. 

We already know Gul and Harneet have no concept of using an actual story line and with the third edition of IPK taking up most of their non-existent creative abilities, I have a feeling their current pride and joy, Ishqbaaaz is going to face the situation of being the less favored step-child soon. We RiKarans are used to that and we’ll survive… par tumhara kya hoga IB fans? 

You seemed to have initiated an interesting discussion on Rikara. Just saw @vishwaspur and the anon's explanations. Your argument does make sense though. Even I want to know, does Om really like Gauri, and if yes, then why? More importantly, does Gauri like Om, 'cos all her actions seem to stem from wifely obligation? What is the basis of their relationship, that they saved each other's life? Maybe we should ask @vishwaspur to explain, since she seems to know best?

Hi anon,exactly, Om on the one side and Gauri on the other because even her actions are confusing to me, seeing as I see wifely obligation in a lot (not all) of them. Mais wrote a lovely piece on her take on the matter, she really is the brain when it comes to all things Rikara. She has a lot more insight into these things, which is why they make more sense to her. They don’t make sense to me at all, sadly despite her explaining it. It’s frustrating because I love them to pieces and want to understand, but I don’t. I guess I’m thinking too rationally, which is weird because I thought I’d learned to shut of my brain when it comes to IB and just enjoy the kuch bhi but alas.... Harshly put, I don’t think I see the why in their relationship/sticking around one another at the moment? 

Hey Rikara anon here!

Ufff there's just something about the character Gauri and the way Shrenu played it that just sets my imagination alight 😭

Are there any characters or characters+actors combos you've loved over the years? Would love to hear your opinion!

bruh @vishwaspur is the proof of how much Gauri inspired me. Queenie for a reason!

character+actor combos..i mean yeah. any actor that i have liked in any project is due to the way they owned the character. for instance..Obi as Aunn and Wali. while Aunn was more his territory but i remember being skeptical about him as Wali when the cast of Diyar e Dil was announced. However, now I really cannot imagine anyone else as Wali. he did SO well with all of Wali's layers. Gong Yoo fuckin' embodied Dokkaebi..the grace of the mighty warrior Shin, the tragedy of an immortal being, as well as the dorkiness of a 939 year old child xD Matsumoto Jun's Doumyoji Tsukasa has all of my heart! Ji Chang Wook peaked with Healer. uff..Park Bo Gum as Choi Taek!!!! Iqra Aziz's performance in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi was bloody phenomenal..same goes for Yumna Zaidi in Inkaar! Sanam Baloch made Bano eternal in Dastaan. Sanaya Irani as Khushi Kumari Gupta like c'mon the woman perfected the 4Lions chirpy heroine blueprint. gaah there's just so many!! abhi zyada yaad nahin arahe hain xD

Ok, I am the anon from the underdog loving ask. I lurrrrrved rikara...having such a hard time trying to wean myself off. I can't believe that I still read rikara ff

(God I miss @vishwaspur so much 😭😭😭)

Cannot blame you. They’re an exceptionally hot couple who were criminally underrated and wasted on screen. 😩😩😩

May Gulneet pay for their crimes in fandom hell!!!!!!

Maaaais!

The way I live for your Rikara gifs and headcanons 😭

I was just on Vishwaspur yesterday cause wanted to read your gushing about Queenie and was so pleasantly surprised to see your reblog! 😭

uff!! Imlie has really made me nostalgic for Rikara! I too go through Vishwaspur kabhi kabhi and just..uff! jaisa bhi tha..apna tha. Imlie is just so..blah! I MISS MY QUEENIE GAURI!!!

Since, Shivika have been making no sense since separation fiasco, and Rikara have become invisible after Bareilly, I'm more interested in your relationship with @vishwaspur. How do you, as a Shivika fan, and @vishwaspur as a Rikara fan, reconcile your diverse opinions and appreciate each other so much? Esp. considering the IB fandom bullshit where Shivika and Rikara fans are at each others throats?

What a heart warming question! 💖💖💖💖

I can only speak to why *I* appreciate and love @vishwaspur so much and there’s quite a few reasons: 

She’s the perfect amount of fangirly and objective. While fangirling is abundant in any fandom, objectivity is truly hard to find. Especially in Tellywood. ESPECIALLY in a clusterfuck of a show like this. 

Her analysis and headcanons show such deep insight into the characters and what makes them tick. They just resonate with my own interpretation of the show/characters. If there’s aspects I’ve never thought about before, she puts her points across so aptly, that I can’t help but agree with most of them.

Skillz. Whether it be in writing, or VMing, or giffing, she has the power to MAKE you care about the stuff she cares about. Like, she actually had me shipping Mahi and Gauri there for a while there (!!!!!!!), and my coming around to Gauri and Rikara was all thanks to her gorgeous gorgeous gifs, when I was at best, ambivalent about them during the DBO period. (I had a whole tag dedicated to the phenomenon! I actually have quite a few tags dedicated to her around the blog actually.)

She has A++++ taste in music, and I’m a sucker for that. 

We were mutuals long before tellywoodtrash or vishwaspur ever existed (though I don’t believe we spoke much then; except a super fangirly message I sent her about Diyar E Dil once lol), so there was a healthy amount of (silent) friendship and respect even before all this. 

We’re both chill enough to understand our preferences for our respective couples is just that: a personal preference. People are free to like/dislike whatever they want, man. It’s not necessary that two people need to be 100% in agreement about everything in order to be friends. The fact that she doesn’t like Shivika doesn’t make any difference to me whatsoever. (Similarly, I don’t think she cares about the fact that DBO was just NOT for me.) We just don’t talk about that. We choose to only focus on the things we DO have in common: Rikara, and above that, ShivRi and AniRi. (God bless our amazing #brOTPs 😭😭😭😭)

She, like me, loves her female characters to death.(She’s got a great twitter thread about it! Yo Mais, make that shit reblobbable!) 

Coz men, even fictional men, are disappointing fuckers. 

She’s the originator of many a great nickname in the fandom like “ACP Anda” and “Maaaaaaaaaaaaa” 😂😂😂😂

Tharak. Tharak is a great uniter, dear anon. (Still haven’t forgiven her for getting me hopelessly attracted to Kunal’s hands. I didn’t even know I was INTO dudes’ hands before her corrupting ways.) 

Basically, Maisu is just a joy to have around in this fandom, and I’m glad our paths and preferences happened to serendipitously overlap for this show! 😇😇😇

I read your and Vishvaspur's breakdown of Om's (partial) confession yesterday. Honestly, though I liked and understood both of yours reasoning, I can't blame fans for not feeling it. I mean, fans are humans, they're going to compare Shivaay and Om, and when one sees that Shivaay took a bullet for Anika (just an eg.), Om's intensity is going to be questioned. People are not going to doubt Gauri's devotion, 'cos we've seen her moving mountains for Om, but his feelings do seem shallow in comparison

(context)

Hi anon! 

Goddamnit, I had a whole huuuuuuge write-up written in reply to this, and the window closed itself and I lost it. Ok, let me try my best to recreate it. 

If we compare Shivaay and Omkara as characters, then in my book, Omkara wins out every single time. He’s a more complex character, unlike any other male lead we’ve ever seen; whereas Shivaay is just a cookie-cutter rehash of every other 4 Lions male lead, with absolutely nothing to redeem him. If we look at the reasons and motivations they married the women, Shivaay physically and emotionally abused his way into marriage (with a woman he had feelings for!), whereas Omkara married a woman he despised in order to save her life. After the wedding, yeah, both of them treated their wives deplorably, they’re ably matched there for sure. But if we compare the two confessions of love, Omkara’s confession was the most beautiful, emotionally-charged, passionate declaration of love I’ve personally seen on Tellywood in forever (performed by Kunal to perfection), whereas Shivaay’s confession, while nice and all, was really nothing special to write home about. (Anika’s declaration was better, and Shivaay’s merely a watery callback to it; further botched by shoddy audio editing/framing.) 

Zaroori nahi hai ki har banda seene par goli khaaye pyaar ko saabit karne ke liye? Why are we playing Pain Olympics to try and quantify who loves their girl more? Characters will react according to the situations they’re put in by the plot. Didn’t Om grab on to a sword with bare hands to save Gauri’s life even before he liked her? Didn’t he get up in an injured state and fight the pehelwaan seeing her hurt? Didn’t he WALK INTO FIRE to save her? Didn’t he put out the fire on her dupatta with his bare hands a few episodes ago? Jab aisi naubat hi nahi aayi ki Om ko goli khaani hai, then saying “Oh but Shivaay took a bullet for Anika when Om didn’t for Gauri”, is pointless. 

Look, I don’t deny that Rikara have gotten the short end of the stick in this show many a time compared to Shivika. They have. The channel/makers’ obsessive focus on Nakuul over the other cast members, especially Shrenal, is a goddamn curse on this show. But even with the limited screen space and marred tracks, I feel like when Rikara *have* been in focus, they’ve gotten more emotionally-complex and beautiful writing than Shivika. It’s why the two couples feel on par, even though Shivika’s journey has been going on for a whole year more than Rikara. 

I understand that fans are human and they’re going to compare, but then they should critically analyse all aspects of the two characters and their plots. All this just reeks of fandom nonsense rather than a genuine comparison and analysis. Also, there are certain “risks” and given assumptions when it comes to watching a Tellywood show. Rule 1: Don’t get your hopes too high. In fact, have no expectations. Rule 2: Appreciate, focus, and analyse what IS THERE, rather than what COULD BE, which is what @vishwaspur and I aim to do with our spaces. We try to join the dots, infer, and analyse the characters and the plots from what has been shown on screen as established canon. Yes, of course there could be a million improvements in this show overall, but those are not in our control, so it’s pointless to dwell upon it endlessly. 

Unpopular opinion, but I love AniRi more than ShivRi. Not just since the first epi. of DBO, from the phone convo, but how Anika came b/w Svet and Gauri, and threatened her bodily harm, if she thought of hurting her devrani. Also, do you think Anika would be so keen on the DDLJ plan, if she knew how exactly Om treated Gauri during DBO days, and even afterwards when he suspected her of having an affair?

Hello anon! 

Not an unpopular opinion! We haven’t even scratched the surface of AniRi yet, and we’re all quite already overwhelmed by love for them. Once they properly establish it, jaane kya haal hoga fandom ka! I really really love ShivRi a lot, but my god, I really love female relationships so much. I don’t think I everrrrrrr will be able to pick between the two! 

I read this conversation between @vishwaspur and @harharaikay, and I am really very psyched at the potential of Gauri returning to OM as Anika’s sister, rather than Om’s wife. It opens up so much more possibility for the Rikara track! Also, I’m already sobbing a little at the thought of Big Sister Anika and Jijaji Shivaay who are going to killllllll Gauri with laad and pyaar. (Rudra better watch out; his position is in seeeerious jeopardy!)

The thing with these shows is, the aapsi issues between the couple never reallllly gets exposed to third parties; like how the reason between Arnav and Khushi’s elopement in IPK was never really fully revealed to the family. (Shivika are a whole different case, because EVERYTHING between them plays out publicly, given Shivaay’s position in the family and the business. Plus that’s just who they are as people: EXTRA AF.) So I don’t really think Anika will ever learn the whole truth of the affair accusation. Because Rikara are above all, super lowkey and private. At most all Gauri will disclose to her is that Omkara hurt her deeply and maybe hint at his trust issues, and Anika will take her at face value and support her (while also secretly helping Om earn forgiveness and win her back. Because lol, Anika sitting around doing NOTHING for her OTP????? Not a fucking chance.)  

Yousuf x Zulekha: Tu mera nahin, Kyun mera nahin?

First off, a thousand thanks to @vishwaspur for suggesting Mera Naam Yousuf Hain to me.  And to think that I would’ve spent my entire life and died without watching this drama *shudders at the thought*.

There is so much to like, appreciate and love in this drama comprising of 20 episodes. I don’t have the words or the talent to do justice to how much I loved this show. But let me try. 

Thanks to my dissatisfaction with Yakeen ka Safar, which is no one’s fault but mine, because I was fooled into believing it is a love story, I had to find a serial which satisfies the feels. I got that and much more in MNYH. 

Where to start? Okay, honest confession, I had absolutely zero idea about the epic love story of Yousuf Zulekha, and I kept wondering in the first episode why was it important to Yousuf that Zulekha’s name was Zulekha? So, I had to read up a bit on it to find out. Honestly speaking, Yousuf’s side of the love story is very simple. He heard the name Zulekha, thought she was meant to be, and in two meetings he fell in love. And soon that love transformed into Mohabbat. But what if Zulekha’s name was not Zulekha?

This is a question that bugged Zulekha. In Zulekha, I’ve met perhaps the most relatable heroine till date. Relatable because she asks the same question that I’ve always wondered: Mohabbat kya hain? Zulekha keeps asking herself this question till the very end, and that is the best thing about the love story. I think I’m past that phase in my life where I could be just satisfied with a cheesy love story (unless of course its starring SRK). Recently, I wrote about how I was dissatisfied with Rikara’s love story because Gauri has no reason to fall in love with Omkara. 

Zulekha keeps questioning herself till the end, whether what she is feeling for Yousuf is mohabbat, whether its the mohabbat which he deserves and whether its the end all, be all, and she can’t survive without him or not. She is not testing Yousuf, she has full faith in him, she is testing herself, and thats what I liked in this love story, it is Zulekha’s story and she is consciously aware of that fact. “Kabhi sochti hu tumse pyaar karti hu, phir kabhi sochti hu tumpe pyaar aa raha hai”

This is however, not a story of Mohabbat only. Its more a story about three women standing up for their right to choose. I love how the story explores the omnipresent issue of women’s freedom through organic, realistic stories. Starting with my favorite character in the story (apart from Zulekha), Aafiya begum, Zulekha’s mother. The first ten episodes of this serial are light and fun, and strongly reminded me of Pride and Prejudice. The manner in which Aafiya plays off her husband’s wishes, takes a stand for herself within the boundaries drawn for her, and ultimately, frees herself of her shackles is admirable.What is more admirable is her sass. Uff! No one, and I repeat no one in the world of serials, can match Aafiya’s killer snark and sarcasm. She is officially my queen of saas.

Since, this is Zulekha’s journey, her curiosity and experiments in finding love, and the fight for her freedom is well shown. What is also well done is Madiha’s story of unrequited love. Madiha is not an epitome of sacrifice, neither is she is the psycho vamp. She is the in-between and the most realistic depiction of one-sided love I’ve seen after Nisha from Dil Toh Paagal Hain. Madiha will do everything for Yousuf because she loves him. She might be selfish too. She will also question Zulekha and her fate, that what has Zulekha done to deserve Yousuf. At the same time, she does not agree to be Yousuf’s second option. Because if you love someone with so much shiddat as Madiha does, then you expect the same in return, and Madiha will settle for no less. And like Zulekha she will too, go to any extent to see whether she will get that Mohabbat in return or not. 

Coming back to Zulekha, her story is a fight against her father who represents the chains placed upon women, and her refusal to be a pawn in someone else’s game. And she continues this fight till the end. Nikkah or no nikkah doesn’t matter to Zulekha, what matters is her choice, and whether she will be able to respect the man she is married to. I should probably mention, that this is the first Pak drama, where the concept of consummation is discussed so openly. In all the other Pak dramas I’ve seen, it is assumed that if they are married, and once the door shuts, they have had sex. While the delinking of sex and marriage in Pak dramas is realistic, it also slightly abhorrent to think that the ML and FL may not even like each other but they’ve slept with each other. In this matter, I prefer Indian dramas, where consummation is born out of affection, though I hate the hype surrounding it. 

Zulekha is confused, and that is as it should be. Is she in love with Yousuf because he got beaten up for her? Is she in love with Yousuf because he can do anything for her? Or can she fall in love with anyone provided that person respects her? Is love so fickle? Zulekha’s approach to love is practical and methodical, which a perfect match to Yousuf’s love-at-first-sight. 

The intensity in Yousuf’s love shook me. After so long, I’ve seen a male lead whose actions justifies the word ‘Mohabbat’. Its not pyaar, or love, it is ‘Mohabbat’ because mohabbat is the only irrational feeling which listens to no one and bows to no one, except the lover. Yousuf would have gone to any extent for Zulekha, Nikkah doesn’t matter, but what matters is what Zulekha’s wishes. If she wants to walk away from Yousuf, if she thinks Madiha is more deserving of Yousuf’s love, then Yousuf will bow his head to her wishes. 

Ultimately, MNYH is a story of Yousuf’s undying ishq, Zulekha’s quest for Mohabbat, her journey to freedom, to questioning society’s morals but not by becoming a baaghi or bhagodi, but facing the society upfront, and eventually letting the heart get what it wants. If fate does not allow two people to meet, then 25 years later, fate also united two people, even if they try to defy fate, ‘cos they are fated to meet. 

“Tu mera hain, mera ee hain”