I am trying to figure out a gifset showing this but a thought that keeps circling in my head is that when Nani initially manipulates Anjali into bringing Khushi to Shantivan to train Lavanya, her hope was that Arnav will be impressed by Khushi’s sanskaars and choose her. This is a variation of the “gopi bahu” plot that is so common in Bollywood/dramas (in just about every arranged/unexpected marriage storyline) and in western media, it’s a variation of the Madonna/whore trope. And I really thought that’s where they were going when the training storyline stared. Except, that’s not what happens here.
Arnav isn’t impressed by Khushi’s habits of serving others at the dining table before sitting down or her religiosity or that she knows every ritual or that she wears traditional clothes (lbr he likes Khushi in any clothes) or that she’s a virgin waiting for marriage true love (although he learns to respect all these parts of her).
What impresses Arnav, in spite of himself, is when Khushi knows the right words to console Anjali during her wedding anniversary, when she covers for Lavanya during the missing Lakshmi fiasco and her explanation for why (which emphasizes both her work ethic and her genuine desire to help his family), her fixing Anjali’s brace without hesitation, her refusal to take money for training Lavanya after Diwali. Also just generally her antics and genuine happy go lucky exuberant nature.
It’s such a great subversion of this trope and so subtly done.
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