In Abhimanyu's Room:
Neil looked up to find his Bhai still instructing on the phone. He approached him and signed that he needs to talk immediately. Abhimanyu put the phone on hold and looked at Neil irritated.
"Kya hain Neil? Ruk nahi sakta do minute. Important call hain" Abhimanyu spoke.
"Meri baat us se zyada important hain. 3 minute mein call khatam karo warna main khud call kaat dunga." Neil issued an ultimatum, went and sat on the bed. He didn't even look back at Abhimanyu to see his reaction. That showed how serious he was about cutting the call.
So, Abhimanyu decided to wrap it up as soon as possible instead of challenging Neil to do what he claimed. So, he addressed the issue straight up, offered a suggestion and hung up only to see Neil being too restless.
Neil was waiting rather impatiently, and he gulped almost 2 glasses of water. Abhimanyu had advised him a lot of times to drink at least 4 litres of water, but he never did. He only liked drinking water while having food. Something which Abhimanyu didn't appreciate. In short, Neil was diametrically opposite to Abhimanyu as far as eating healthy and maintaining healthy habits are concerned.
"Kya baat hain! Itna pani pee raha hain mera Bacha. I am pleasantly surprised. Agar pata hota ki tu tension mein ya impatient hoke, pani peene lag jaata hain, toh roz koi bahana dhoondh leta tujhe pani pilaneka.
Abhi toh bada hogaya tu. Kahan meri sunega?" Abhimanyu said dramatically gaining Neil's attention.
"Really Bhai! Aapko drama suit nahi karta hain. So cut it." Neil countered.
"Ok. Bol jo bolna hain. I am all ears." Abhimanyu sat down in front of Neil on the bed, all comfortable, ready to listen.
"Bhai! Maine decide kiya ki Roohi ko show mein part lena chahiye. Maine research kiya hain us show ke bare mein. A lot of big wigs from the music industry are involved. It will be a golden chance for her. In fact, Aksharaji ki kismat achi hain ki she landed a spot on the panel.
Ashwini Aiyer pata hain na aapko, she was supposed to be one of the panelists. Unka accident hogaya toh they approached Aksharaji in the last moment. Mujhe pata nahi aisa kyun lag raha hain ki everything is signalling towards Roohi taking part in the show.
Ek bhi valid reason nahi mila mujhe...... to deny her of what she wants. So, I decided to give in. Aapko kya lagta hain?" Neil asked Abhimanyu and he was looking for an answer desperately.
Abhimanyu placed a gentle hand on Neil's palms and gave it an assuring squeeze, "Sab kuch soch samjhke decide kiya hain na tune?" He asked and Neil nodded.
"Toh phir hum wahin karenge jo tune decide kiya hain. Roohi ko us show mein part lene ki permission de dete hain." Abhimanyu announced without thinking twice.
"Bhai! Aapko mere reasons nahi sun ne hain poore?" Neil asked.
"Tu agar share karna chahta hain toh you can. Tere liye sununga but mera decision wahi rahega jo tera hain." Abhimanyu stated very clearly, and Neil was overwhelmed with the amount of trust his Bhaiyya vested in him.
Neil just wished he could have trusted him enough to confide in him. He wouldn't have probably lost out on all those past 8 years. He hugged Abhimanyu and he responded. He could feel the agitation in Neil's body language and caressed his head. He rubbed soothing circles and calmly spoke,
"Kya baat hain Bacha? Kyun itna pareshan hain? Ab toh decide ho bhi gaya na. Agey ka hum milke dekhlenge. Tu yeh soch ki Roohi kitni khush hogi aur Abhir toh teri tareefon ke pul bandhega. Calm down." Abhimanyu tried to pull back but Neil held him tighter.
"Neil! Now you are worrying me. Baat kya hain Bacha?" Abhimanyu spoke out of concern.
"Aap mujhpe itna trust kaise kar sakte ho Bhai? Aap apni Bachi ki life ka decision mere haath mein aise kaise de sakte ho?" Neil asked the question that was nagging him.
Abhimanyu forcefully pushed Neil out of the hug and glared him down. He gently hit Neil's head and chided him,
"Aise khayal kahan se aajate hain tere dimag mein? Abhi toh itni maturely sab handle kar raha tha. Tareef bhi kiya maine. Itne mein hi yeh karna hain tujhe. Tareef hazam nahi hoti hain na?" Neil looked down like the child he was feeling like.
"Sirf Akshara ke mamle mein tu mature baatein karta hain. Aur kaam ki baaton mein. Baki time pe toh tu....khair chodo." Abhimanyu didn't feel like chiding him.
"Ruk kyun gaye. Bolo na. Ab aapka Bacha hoon toh bachpane wale baatein hi karunga na. Aapse nahi toh kis se karunga? Thoda sa nahi samjha sakte aap?" Neil sulked cutely and Abhimanyu's irritation transformed into adoration.
"Toh phir sunle. Roohi teri bhi Bachi jaisi hain. Tu uske liye koi galat decision nahi lega jaise main tere liye nahi loonga. Intentionally toh kabhi nahi.
Ab anjane mein toh galtiyan sabse hojati hain. We can't help it. It's a part of life. We learn and we move on. So itna mat soch. Be positive. Aur koi bada kaam nahi kiya maine. Apne Bache pe trust toh har parent karta hain. Maine bhi wahi kiya. Samjha!"
Abhimanyu explained him with so much love that Neil had to blink his tears back. He didn't want to get all sad and sentimental now. It was time to make their Princess happy.
Before he could say anything about that, both of them heard Roohi's voice. She was singing and she didn't sound very cheerful for obvious reasons. But they were hypnotized by her voice and went looking for her immediately.
In Roohi's Room:
Roohi on the other hand chose a song that best suited her current mood. She always had the habit of using music to convey her feelings. She felt that the connection made her music sound better and reach the audience better. She appreciated the honesty her voice held in times like that.
Ore manwa tu to baawra hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai, baaware
Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote-jaagte?
Jo barsein sapne boond-boond
Nainon ko moond-moond - 2
Jo barsein sapne boond-boond
Nainon ko moond-moond
Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon anjaane raaste.........
Tears slipped down Roohi's eyes as she sang the verse. She was feeling something similar. Her heart was heavy. She wanted something very badly, but she knew she was done fighting for it. All she could see was ambiguity.
She didn't know where she will land and in whose favour the decision will be. She knew that she could have tried harder, but she didn't want to force her family to give in like they mostly do when she really wanted something.
She wanted them on board heartfully. She was well aware of what she was signing up for and she wanted all of her family to put up a united front. She will never hurt them ever again for anything related to Akshara Sharma.
Roohi had made a promise to herself to never do such a thing after she realized the extent of hurt she dished. But that was making her helpless.
Goonja sa hai koi iktara-iktara, goonja sa hai koi iktara
Goonja sa hai koi iktara-iktara, goonja sa hai koi iktara
Dheeme bole koi iktara-iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara
Goonja sa hai koi iktara-iktara, goonja sa hai koi iktara
Huhhhh......Ahhhhhh........Ahhhhhhh..........................................AAAAAaaaahhhh...
Neil and Abhimanyu were standing at the door and trying to take in the pain that her voice held. Her tears pained them. Neil was about to go and tell her that she could do what she wanted but Abhimanyu held him back. He wanted Roohi to get it out of her system.
He knew from experience that keeping things in never helps in the long run. His child was gifted with such beautiful way of letting the steam off. He was glad she was putting that to use.
They noticed Manjari who came along with a servant to give them snacks. Roohi's voice pulled her towards her room. Harsh was just going to freshen up after returning from the Golf match that ended terribly for him. Even he was forced to go and see Roohi perform. He hoped that Roohi's song would help him ease out but what he saw, told him a different story.
Sun rahi hoon sudh-budh kho ke, koi main kahani
Puri kahani hai kya kisi hai pata
Main to kisiki hoke ye bhi na jaani
Ruth hai ye do pal ki ya rahegi sada
(Kise hai pata, kise hai pata, kise hai pata)
She kept singing and what all of them did was just stand back and listen. Roohi had her eyes closed, and her audience were too silent for her to even notice their presence. She was in a trance and her voice came out from her heart. At least all of them who were listening felt that.
Jo barsein sapne boond-boond
Nainon ko moond-moond - 2
Jo barsein sapne boond-boond
Nainon ko moond-moond
Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon anjaane raaste
Manjari had tears in her eyes and Harsh was quick to console her. He took her aside and tried talking with her about her feelings. Neil saw his mother crying and went to give her a back hug. Abhimanyu was just rooted to his spot. He couldn't move. The pain in her voice was too much for him to take in. He didn't notice what was happening around him.
Goonja sa hai koi iktara-iktara, goonja sa hai koi iktara
Goonja sa hai koi iktara-iktara, goonja sa hai koi iktara
Dheeme bole koi iktara-iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara
Goonja sa hai koi iktara-iktara, goonja sa.....huh..huh..huh...........
Roohi started sobbing even before she finished the song. She felt too vulnerable after expressing her heart out. It was cathartic but it was draining. Abhimanyu ran in to take her in a hug. The warmth made her open her eyes and the familiar touch soothed her.
She held on to her father with the guitar still in between them. Neil came in soon after and pulled the guitar away. He joined the hug and told Roohi,
"Itna rote hain kya Princess? Meri naak mat katwao aap. Aise sensitive aur delicate darling ban ke rahoge toh show wale aapko Nirupa Roy bana ke present karenge. We don't want that. Do we?" Neil gave it away in his own sassy style which Rooh really appreciated.
Roohi came out of the hug and took a moment to understand and come to terms with everything. Once it sunk in, she jumped on to Neil and held on to him like a koala bear. Abhimanyu couldn't help a laugh because he was definitely expecting it. His daughter can flip her moods at the drop of a hat, and she never holds back her expressions. Neil had to really balance himself to handle the onslaught.
"Sachi Chachu?" Roohi almost squealed in his ear and Neil couldn't even shut them to save them. He nodded but Roohi was looking for words. So, before she yelled into his ears again, Neil gave her the words.
"Yes. Yes. Yes. Aap Musical Mastane mein part le rahi hain. Hum kal sare formalities complete kardenge. I will do the negotiation for you. Khush!" Neil asked with a wide smile on his face. That was a very wrong thing to ask.
"Khush! That is such a lame word to describe how I feel. I am over the moon." Roohi screamed out of happiness at the top of her voice and Neil's ear drums were this close to burst up when she diverted her attention to her Poppy. She got down and snuggled to her Poppy.
"Aap ki bhi permission hain na Poppy?" Roohi asked. It was very important for her to know what exactly her Poppy feels about this.
"Bahut zyada khush hoon main aap keliye. Baki ki baatein baad mein karlenge. Ab sirf khush hone ka time hain" Abhimanyu assured her of his approval and her smile doubled if that is even humanly possible.
Manjari saw the scene and walked out of there calmly. She didn't want to ruin the moment, but she needed some answers from her sons. She wasn't ready to play pretend even for her granddaughter.
"Main abhi Birla Boy ko batake aati hoon. Bahut khush hojayega woh. Sirf woh hi tha mere team mein starting se. Aur Soha bhi. Mujhe use bhi batana hain. Bye." Roohi announced and ran away to Abhir's room.
Harsh walked in and the brothers looked up with a smile. Neil gave him a side hug while Abhimanyu greeted him with a warm smile.
"I hate to break the news to you guys but Manjari bahut upset hain is sab se. From the looks of it, tum donon ne yeh baat usse pehle discuss nahi ki hain. Am I right?" Harsh spoke in an even tone.
Abhimanyu and Neil shared a look, and their expressions made it very clear that they messed up. Harsh had to bite back the smile. Manjari so rarely got so angry at her grown up sons.
It was usually the other way round because she was often on the receiving end for being negligent of her health or over working. Devil danced in his mind and he thought, "This would be fun" and walked out before he broke into laughter.
He knew that his wife would come around. She is a softie, but she will make her kids grovel for sure.
"Nahi yaar. Kya kardiya humne Bhai? Maa ko ek baar batana toh chahiye tha humein. Woh pehle se hi Aksharaji ke naam se hi bhadak jaati hain. Kaise manayenge Maa ko?" Neil whined. He didn't want to pacify anyone now. He did a lot of heavy lifting for today already.
"Manana toh padega aur woh aasaan bhi nahi hoga. Akshara se Maa bahut naraaz hain." Abhimanyu spoke but Neil cut him off,
"Naraaz nahi nafrat hain Maa ko Aksharaji se. Unki jagah koi aur hota na ab tak pata nahi kya kya kardeta....for what she did to you and Abhir." Neil defended Manjari and Abhimanyu agreed. It was going to be too much of a uphill task for them.
Manjari can be really protective of her children, if she chose to and they knew that very well.
All the best to them!!
What do you think about Neil's decision?
Did you guess it right already?
What's your take on Neil and Rohan's conversation?
Do you agree with the counsellor's analysis?
Did you like Abhimanyu's reaction?
How do you feel about Roohi's feelings?
Is Manjari's reaction justified?
What will happen now?
Well! Let's wait and see.