I don’t know why but I was oddly reminded of the ‘Beauty & the Beast’ when watching today’s episode. The story of the Beauty and the Beast is known to everyone and there’s no need to rehash it. I felt the trajectories of the characters are alike, Riddhima, the beauty (belle) is forced by circumstances to enter the castle of the fearsome beast. She has to fulfill an obligation otherwise life will be forfeit.
Riddhima enters Vansh’s castle full of forebodings and fear. The situation in the castle does nothing to allay her fears rather it increases her fear. The surly and ferocious attitude of Beast does not help the matter either. Her continued stay leads her to explore the castle and she discovers that the castle has many secrets contained within. Curiosity piques her and she tries to unravel it but is warned off by the Beast.
Despite Riddhima living in great fear of the Beast aka Vansh, she continues her poking and prodding to dig out the buried skeletons. Riddhima soon gets allies by people living in the house, who tell her about the cursed prince.
Days blend seamlessly into weeks, the frosty relationship between the Beauty and the Beast begins to thaw. Riddhima gradually begins to understand that beneath that monstrous exterior, there exists a big heart full of love. Feelings seems to bloom in Vansh;s heart too. Until…..
While Riddhima is within the castle, Gaston, the local stud who has an eye on the treasures of the Beast and on the beast and on owning Beauty rouses enough people to attack the Beast in his lair. Meanwhile, Riddhima is lured away with the news of impending death of her father.
The Beast who could have easily slain the attackers within a sec is stunned at the ‘betrayal’ of Riddhima. Thinking that She abandoned him, the beast gives up but not before putting up a fight. In his final moments, the beast goes back to his lair to die in peace.
On this side, Belle has come to know about the treachery and rushes back to the Beast, because her time was up and because she loved him. She arrives but too late. The beast is hair’s breath away from death. cursing her folly, the beauty with tears coursing on her cheeks, confesses her love. Her being pure and the her love being true, the cursed monster is released from the curse..
Vansh, cursed by abandonment, betrayal and bound to live like a beast (or be killed) lives in a secure fortress. He has minions to do his work but not anyone who understands him. He lives alone, aloof, detached and quite ruthless.
Riddhima arrives to this fortress, ably manipulated by the unscrupulous Gaston who has a hidden agenda. Riddhima, however has been brainwashed into believing the worst of Vansh. Everything she sees sustains that belief. Until Mrs.Teapot and others take a hand, offering glimpses into Vansh but never giving the whole picture. Riddhima though brainwashed into believing the worst of Vansh has an innate core of justice. She also has the intelligence to piece together the puzzles littered around the place. The stubborn girl is determined to get to the bottom of the truth and serve justice which she believes will imprison Vansh. But what she does not know yet is, she actually will be releasing him from the prison within which he had been locked in.
Riddhima who has come to find the truth will find her her destiny in the beast. Vansh who has been cursed will finally have the pain of the curse lifted when he finds true love in Riddhima!
The journey of Riddhima and Vansh is not going to be smooth. It will run into tempest, be broken by boulders set in their way. They may have to backtrack, they may have to re-start but find each other, they will, for they are meant be.
