Oh Jalebiiiii, I cannot even describe to you how perfect the whole Shivaay/Gauri dynamic was. If there’s ANYTHING worth watching in that godforsaken show, it’s that bond. Gauri was literally THE OPPOSITE of everything Shivaay stood for (in the matters of Naam, Khoon, Khaandaan, and breeding and just general background.) But the second the man saw her, he adopted her as his baby and stood up for her and her rights, and she too was just so fierce in the way she loved him back and kept trying to make his life better. The best part was that their relationship was beyond Om, who linked them in the first place. They genuinely liked each other as people (for some godforsaken reason!!!!?!?!) and just went, THIS MY FAVT. PERSON and decided to love each other. There’s so many scenes, that if it was any other characters, it would have seemed ok ok but mostly pheenka (like there are scenes when Om consoles Anika), but Shivri scenes just............... Hit Different. He was just so so soft for her the way he wasn’t for anyone else; there’s a scene where she’s upset and crying because of thinking she’s not good enough for Om, and The Great Wall of Shivaay, The SSO, sits down on the floor with her, hugging her and holding her and consoling her. Like................ ????????? The amount of Pure Love there, I just.........

Q. Best friend? Hero? Kindred spirit? Confidant? Partner-in-crime? Protector? 

Lol, can I cheat and say Ani/OmRu in the redux, and ShivRi in the OU?

Hi anon! 

Yes, he did care about Gauri only in the capacity of Om’s wife when he first met her. Because that’s what he first met her as. But he DID side with her over Om from the moment they met; Om had told her to leave, and she was doing so, Shivaay found her leaving, learnt the whole story, and brought her back immediately. Against Om’s wishes. And held Om responsible for his actions and relationship towards the girl he married. At that point, Om really really did NOT like Gauri (as is apparent from his behaviour during all the ceremonies they went through in the Mahasangam eps), and the last thing that made him “happy” was Gauri sticking around and becoming a legit bahu of the house, which Shivaay was determined to make happen. So Shivaay *did* pick Gauri over Om and his then “happiness”, from the very first moment he met her. 

At that exact point when he met Gauri, he was just over Anika’s bloodline issues (the Nayntaara track). This is a man who threw the Chaabras out for Dev’s legitimacy being murky; so he clearly cares who his siblings end up marrying. For him to accept Gauri as a bahu of the house (a bigger deal than whoever Prinku marries, if you look at that mindset; the bahu "becomes" an Oberoi, as opposed to Prinku who leaves the familywhen married) despite knowing nothing about HER Naam Khoon Khaandaan, is proof that Shivaay is really and truly free from his NKK ideals. Besides just the bahu thing, Shivaay’s shown warming up to Gauri AS A PERSON from very early, seeming charmed by her personality and vivaciousness (in the scene by the pool, where she tells him about driving the bulldozer over Om’s car.)

After that, the next real ShivRi moment we see is after the three month leap, when Tej suggests pulling the plug on the comatose Omkara. Shivaay and Gauri’s relationship has clearly grown leaps and bounds by then, seeing how comfortable they are with each other, both physically (with the hugging) and emotionally. We didn’t get to see it develop, but by then Shivaay clearly has formed a relationship with Gauri that’s not influenced by Om’s presence and opinions of her. (@nawaazishein and I have headcanons here re: how it may have come about.) From then on, ShivRi are seen actively invested in each others’ happiness and their relationships with their respective spouses. 

Hi @maatikikhushboo (what a great username!)

I think ShivKara will be in disbelief and shock, coz honestly, what are the odds?!?!!! On the other hand, they’ll also be like “wow, this explains sooooooo much” about their shared idiosyncrasies. They’ll be lovingly eye-rolling in the bg as the girls get up to their usual shenanigans.

We’ve never seen Rikara discuss this aspect of Gauri’s life, so not sure of Om’s reaction, but Shivaay is aware of Anika’s nightmares and how much she’s been longing to find Chutki, so he’s gonna get super choked up and emotional and happy that Anika’s finally found that missing piece of her life. He's probably gonna cry as much as the girls themselves. 😭😭😭