Thipkyanchi Rangoli – Episode 337 – Written Update and Episode Review

Don’t look at them. Look at me, Apurva.
Whenever it’ll rain, I’ll be your very own umbrella.
Let the attackers be water droplets or people’s judgments; let the rain be of any kind,
I’ll be right beside you and our hands would always stay intertwined.
I’ll clap for you when nobody else does; I’ll be your cheerleader when nobody else can.
Because believe it or not, your husband has become your number-one fan.
– IAdoreYouCreates

W H A T   H A P P E N E D   I N   T H E   E P I S O D E ?

The episode begins with Shashank and Apurva arriving at the Dean’s place for the party. However, Apurva refuses to go inside – still bummed out that he hasn’t told her how she is looking. Shashank argues that he did tell her back then at home that she is looking nice but she counters back saying that he had not even looked at her. She calls him a liar.

He gives up and decides to properly compliment her. As he starts to carefully check her out, he tells her that her lipstick is smudged. Irked up, she starts complaining how it is all because of him since he gave her no time to get ready. 

He takes out his handkerchief and fixes her lipstick. The lipstick mark on his handkerchief reminds him of Netra’s lipstick mark on his Shirt. 

Keeping it aside, he says let’s go inside but she stops him by saying I’ll come inside but I won’t talk to you. I won’t even look at you. I am not going to give you any importance at all. 

He nods, smiling as she thrusts the bouquet into his hands and they walk inside.  

Apurva catches Netra’s sight and slips her hand around his arm, surprising Shashank who asks what’s this? Someone was saying that she isn’t going to give me any importance just a while ago. 

Apurva – I ain’t giving you any importance, Khadoos but you should, no? I have come here with you, haven’t I? And I am not going to leave this hand till this party is over. 

Shashank – Why? Am I going to run away or what? 

Apurva – What if someone takes you away? 

Shashank – Don’t worry, Apurva. I won’t let anyone do that. 

Looking at Shashank and Apurva’s comfort level, Netra realizes that Apurva hasn’t seen her lipstick mark on Shashank’s shirt – it’s fine. So what if that plan failed? I have a lot more. 

Shashank and Apurva greet the dean and his wife. Dean tells Shashank that he is lucky to have Apurva and asks Apurva to not leave Shashank’s hand while darting a glance at Netra which makes Shashank uncomfortable. 

Netra walks up to the stage and announces that Apurva will sing a song for them. Shashank tells her that Apurva can’t sing but Netra persists. She brings in Vitthu Baba’s name after which Apurva walks up and decides to sing despite Shashank’s constant requests to not sing. 

Apurva – Why did she have to bring in Vitthu Baba? Now I must sing. If I don’t sing and Vitthu Baba gets to know… he will feel bad. 

Netra continues to instigate Apurva. 

Shashank repeatedly asks Apurva to not sing. He tells her that Netra wants to mock and make fun of her in front of everyone. 

Apurva tells him that she does not care and goes ahead to sing. 

Apurva sings a song and everyone laughs at her. 

As Apurva fails to control her tears, Shashank starts clapping for her and everyone follows. He walks up and takes the mic from her hand. 

Shashank – I am very glad to tell you all today that she is my wife and I am very proud of her. 

He wipes her tears and asks her to not cry. While he tries to console her, Netra speaks up. 

Netra – Proud of how badly she sang or her being a B.A fail? 

Shashank – Even Apurva knows that she can’t sing well but she sings from her heart and that’s why the complex that she can’t sing can’t stop her from singing. Even the thought that people will mock her and laugh at her does not cross her mind. You know, Netra, singing is an art which anyone can practice. A lot of people get stuck in the game of perfection. Take my example. I couldn’t dance. Not that I am saying I am a great dancer now but even I used to feel that I would practice a lot and then dance and because of this complex… I didn’t dance for so many years. But my wife helped me get rid of this complex. She told me to be carefree and dance. You may feel I am lying but we happened to dance in a competition a while ago and we ended up winning the best couple award there. 

Everyone claps. 

Shashank continues – Basically what I am trying to say is… we can’t really achieve perfection. We tend to forget to live in the process of achieving perfection but this is not the case with Apurva. She lives her life to the fullest and perhaps, because of that – not just she is happy but she keeps everyone around her equally happy. 

Everyone present over there agrees and they cheer for Apurva and Shashank. 

Apurva – Thank you very much and thank you on behalf of my Vitthu Baba also. He is the one who has taught me singing, no? Vitthu Baba is your Shashank Sir’s father but the day I got married to Shashank – Vitthu Baba kept his hand on my head and told me that I am his daughter and not daughter-in-law and that day, he became my father instead of father-in-law. Even he knew that I don’t sing too well but he still got ready to teach me. Had I not sung today, it would have been an insult to Vitthu Baba and that is why I sang. Very few girls are lucky to have two fathers. I didn’t even know what a mother’s love felt like but after our marriage, I get love from three mothers. I know I am a BA fail. I failed because I didn’t study. Truthfully, getting a BA degree or any degree for that matter is no rocket science. If one intentionally studies hard, one can get the degree but I didn’t get it. I failed but yes, I have gotten something beautiful – my people.

At Kanitkar’s Wada, Mai finds the money hidden by Dada-Kaka. 

M Y   T A K E  

I’ve already watched the episode twice and I feel I am going to come back to this one whenever I need to feel intense emotions that are strangely calming which happens to be a very weird blend. 

Like I said in my Instagram story the other day, more than the fact that he defends her, I love how he defends her. 

Why is it subtle? 

Could it not be aggressive?
Should it not have been aggressive?
Couldn’t he have handled Netra more roughly?
Shouldn’t he have handled Netra more roughly?
Couldn’t he yell at the people laughing at his wife?
Shouldn’t he have yelled at the people laughing at his wife? 

Why is it subtle?

Before getting to why it is subtle, we’ve to see when and why we get aggressive. Now it may be debatable but from my personal understanding, in this particular context, I think most of the time when we get aggressive – it is to prove something to someone.  

When we get aggressive in an argument, it is because we are furiously trying to prove our point to other people. 

When someone passes what we may feel is a bad comment, we get aggressive to prove our self-worth because these days, a lot of us are insecure in our skin. It has become easier than ever for anyone to come and trigger us because – we don’t know ourselves. Why every time someone says something bad about ourselves to us, we can’t help but wonder again and again – could that person be right?

I absolutely don’t mean that we get aggressive only when we’re trying to prove a point but certainly, quite often, that is the case.

So a lot of times, we get aggressive because we are in this desperate need to prove something to someone but the ones who’ve quit that race are the calm ones – the ones who would simply state their point. They won’t yell. They won’t repeat their point. They would do none of that because they simply don’t see the need to prove their point. 

Coming back to – why is it subtle?

Because the Shashank we saw in this episode isn’t the same one we used to see earlier. No, he is certainly not. The one who was in this episode was Appu’s Shashank. Absolutely and undeniably, Appu’s Shashank.

Shashank Kanitkar used to care about people’s opinions. Appu’s Shashank doesn’t give a damn about what judgments society holds for his wife. 

Shashank Kanitkar clearly wasn’t too pleased to have a wife who had failed to complete even her graduation. Appu’s Shashank acknowledges that life is much more than a degree and cannot determine his wife’s worth. 

Shashank Kanitkar was ashamed of having Apurva Vartak Kanitkar as his wife. Appu’s Shashank is proud of having Apurva Vartak Kanitkar as his wife. 

Shashank was speaking what he felt the need to. His confession was pure, untainted by the desire to prove his wife’s worth to the people standing there who were mocking her. 

He was given a beautiful chance and he made the best of it by pouring his heart out while expressing what his wife is to him – his pride, his sunshine, and his precious one who has brought those colors into his life that he used to be afraid of even touching. 

She had not just made him touch them but also painted him in them. 

One of those colors was – the color of confidence. 

It was his wife who taught him to be carefree and just… dance without caring who would say what. In the episode where Shashank is brought home by some guys who reveal that he ended up hurting himself while learning to dance – Mai shares how when Shashank was a kid, nobody would take him in their dance teams which would lead him to return home, gloomy. 

Perhaps, that’s where his apprehension for dancing comes from.

Had it not been for Apurva, he would have probably never danced in his life. It is because he has gotten this stubborn wife is how he has started to let go of the things and his own beliefs that held him back from dancing until now.  

The point is not whether he is a good dancer or not. The point is that he likes to dance. He always has but he couldn’t bring himself to dance after being rejected in his childhood. 

His wife taught him how to be carefree and do what his heart says doesn’t matter even if he gets judged or mocked for it. 

Shashank’s stance came as a pleasant surprise to me. I am not sure why. It kind of really overwhelmed me. There was not even the slightest embarrassment in his eyes. If there was anything then it was a thin layer of unshed tears when his wife almost broke down because of the humiliation she was being put through.  

It is the same moment when he starts clapping and eventually everyone follows. That particular moment is so significant to me. So significant. Clapping is ordinary. Nothing too extraordinary about it but here, perhaps, it is the most special moment because it was Appu’s Shashank making it loud and clear that even if the whole world refuses to appreciate his wife, he would be the one clapping and cheering for her – always – no matter what. 

That she can count on him.
That she will always have him as the most loyal cheerleader of hers.
Till the time the world remembers the word loyalty, they would remember this loyal cheerleader named Appu’s Shashank.

Everything about this episode of Thipkyanchi Rangoli is honestly so beautiful. I wasn’t going to do this review because this one genuinely overwhelmed me and it’s a struggle to put in words what my heart felt while watching this one. 

The very beginning of the episode where Apurva refuses to enter the party because her husband did not compliment her was so sweet. Typical husband-wife things. And this is a contract marriage, they say. 

The contract now rests in peace while the marriage has become immortal. 

Knowing that his stubborn wife wouldn’t give in, he gave in and started to properly check her out just how she wanted him to.

But what was his way? Okay, this is fine. Okay, eyes are fine. Scientist being scientist! xD. Somebody tell him that he is checking out his wife for heaven’s sake. Readings thodi hi hai! Haha.

Jisko kabhi liner bhi nahi pata tha, aaj usko lipstick bhi sahi karna aata hai? Gotta appreciate this progress. xD. 

I love how and why the lipstick moment was added. To remind us that the lipstick saga caused by Vichitra Vedi is still here. I almost forgot about it in these sweet moments. 

Mrs. Kanitkar finally agreed to walk in but on a condition – neither will I talk to you nor will I look at you. Bhaav ch nahi denar and Mr. Kanitkar bowed his head like the goad kapti navra that he is. While externally he quietly nodded, internally he must have been like – mala bhaav nahi denar asa mhantey ka hi? Baghuya. Baghuya.Haha. The man knows his wife a bit too well to buy that she won’t look at him. 

And in mere two minutes, Mrs. Kanitkar proved Mr. Kanitkar right. Regardless of the reason – bhaav bhetlach ki. 

Something that I particularly loved about the scene and would like to mention is Apurva’s dialogue after Shashank asks why she won’t leave his hand and if he is going to run away – tula koni palavun nela tar? 

Apurva’s choice of words is very interesting. She keeps saying – what if someone takes you away from me and not what if you walk away from me? 

Sort of makes me feel that she really knows it deep down that he would never leave her but someone out there is definitely capable of making him leave her through her callous schemes. Someone who shall not be named. Sigh. 

I don’t want to talk about Vichitra Vedi because I have no desire to ruin my mood but her hypocritical dialogues are so beyond me. 

Apurva, you sang really well.

What are you proud of? Your wife’s horrible singing?

Seriously? Decide, Woman. Decide. Either she sang well or she didn’t. How do you say both? I need a different antagonist for real. At this point, I am so done with Netra Desai. I am so done. 

Apurva Vartak Kanitkar went ahead to sing despite knowing that it was an intentionally set trap to belittle her in front of everyone and perhaps, also… to prove how she didn’t deserve to be Mrs. Shashank Kanitkar. She went ahead because Netra Desai had dared to involve her Vitthu Baba and once that was done, holding herself back, worrying about the mocking that waited for her was beyond Apurva Vartak Kanitkar. 

And she sang.

And they laughed. 

And she cried.

And he clapped. 

And they followed. 

And that was how, dear friends, Mr. Kanitkar transformed the trap of thorns set for his wife into the shower of rose petals. 

I finished writing this yesterday but had no time to edit and post. Such a beautiful episode this one was. Added to the list of my favorite ones. <3