Aur Nikal Padhe Hein Dil ke Armaan

There's something about tonight. I can feel it in the air. I'm by myself and for once am glad to be home alone. I switch on the TV, bursting with anticipation. And when the background music starts playing - aur nikal padhe hein dil ke armaan, I know it's going to be our night... Now the moment of truth. I'm on the edge of my sofa. The nominations for the best actor are... My heart is thumping faster than a racehorse... And the winner is... Shilpa screams. I scream even louder.

I jump up and clap my hands with glee. Hastily I switch on the computer. I'm so excited, I can barely type. Somehow I manage to log into the JJKN forum and the euphoria there is electrifying... Armaan fans are delirious with happiness. 

Mona & Apurva - ITA Awards 2005
(Credit for uploading: Rupali)

That was 3rd December 2005.

It's been ten years, but I can still remember every single detail of that memorable night. Woh raat, woh lamha, woh andaaz mujhe hamesha hamesha yaad rahenge.

As I watch the above video, I cannot help but notice how calm and serene he looks. A man at peace with himself. Like a monk. And such a contrast to Armaan Sir in Jassi Jaisi koi Nahin. 

ARMAAN SIR. My first crush on a fictional character. What a character! He was not black or white like the villains and heroes of the 1970s, but had a hundred different shades of grey. No doubt a difficult character to portray. And there was just one actor in the whole of India who could play that role.

APURVA AGNIHOTRI. The man who played Armaan Suri.  The man who breathed life into the character of Armaan Suri and made him immortal. The man who played the role of Armaan Suri so convincingly that there was a line of girls right from America, through Europe, to Mumbai, who wanted to marry him.

When you watch the first few episodes of Jassi Jaisi koi Nahin, you notice a certain stiffness, a camera consciousness; you get the feeling that perhaps he was trying a tad too hard? But with each new episode, Apurva eased into the role, until he was eating, breathing, living the life of Armaan.

(watch 7:33 - 8:45)

The result - a large number of JJKN viewers were soon found suffering from a condition known as Armaanomania. Not sure whether you were one of them? Well, if you had or still have three or more of the following symptoms, you were probably inflicted by this condition.  

Symptoms of Armaanomania:

1.  Whenever you heard the word "armaan" in a Bollywood song, your antenna went ting. And you soon realised that every other Bollywood song has the word armaan in it.

2. The moment Armaan came on the screen, even your two year old would lisp - mamma, look - AMAAM!

3. A yellow stress ball was on the top of your Christmas wish list.

4. You stood in front of a mirror, poked your cheeks with your fingers and wished you had dimples.

5. Even after ten years, you still remember he wore a white suit and a red shirt in the Valentine's Day episode, that he was wearing a light blue suit when he confessed his love to Jassi and that he was wearing a printed shirt when he clobbered Nandu.

6. You loved everything about him, whether it was the way he closed his eyes for a split second when upset, or the way he repeated certain words twice, or the way he squished the life out of his stress ball. Most of all, you loved the way he cupped Jassi's face with his hands and touched her forehead with his.

7. Even after ten long years, you still remember every single JandA scene, nuance and dialogue. Like the scenes shot in Amritsar, Armaan bathing like Mandakini, Tham Ja, the  scenes shot in Goa, the way he clicked his tongue the morning after, the thapad that was heard all over the world, the jealousy track, Octavia, his confession, vada pau in Raj's apartment, the first time Armaan sees Jassi after her makeover and our hearts sang - ude jab-jab zulfein teri... 

8. Coming back to the symptoms - you thought our national anthem was - tu meri jaan hai.

9. Instead of chanting Jai Shri Ram, you chanted - Jai Sir Armaan!!!

10. The 3 little words you loved to hear were not 'I love you' but 'Damn it Jassi.' Waise Armaan Sir, aap din mein jitni baar Jassi kehte the, utni baar Ram ka naam lete toh kabka moksh prapt kar chuke hotey.

Speaking of Jassi, I personally believe Mona brought out the best in Apurva. As Apurva has himself said in some of his interviews, there was sheer magic whenever Mona and he were in the same frame. I remember my TV broke down when I was watching the scene below. The electrician said it had got overheated :P

(watch from 8:20 - 14:40)

Sigh!!! Ek meethe se rishtey ki woh meethi si shuruaat ab sirf ek yaad banke reh gai hai  :( If only we could see them again in the same frame - even if it were just a cameo or a guest appearance.

After JJKN ended, Apurva did some brilliant work in daily soaps like Kaajal and Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye and also participated in reality shows like Big Boss and Say Shava Shava. Soon he will be seen with his wife in the reality show, Power Couples.

But no matter how many shows he does, no matter how many different roles he plays, I will always think of him fondly as my... err... Jassi's Armaan Sir ;) 

And as he celebrates his birthday later this week, I wish him a world of happiness. May he soar to heights he's never reached before, whether in front of the camera or behind it. 

He loves flying, so my birthday wish is - may he soon play the role of a pilot in a daily soap. Oh c'mon, fans too have a right to make a wish on their celeb's behalf ;)

Alas, time for me to fly as well.

O hansini, meri hansini

Kahaan udd chali?

Mere armaano ke

Pankh laga ke,

Kahaan udd chali?

Any guesses why that happens to be my favouritest number?

 Bye guys. Ciao. Hasta la vista.

RELATED POSTS:

Jassi Jaisi koi Nahin - 12 Years on

Keep smiling. Keep ROFLing. Life is Beautiful :)

Of Lice and Mums

So, my entire weekend was dedicated to head lice.

I guess most mums, especially those that have daughters, have encountered these terrifying monstrocities at least once in their lifetime. Well, for me it was a first, so you can imagine my shock when I saw a big fat louse tightrope walking on a strand of my daughter's hair.

THE HORRORS!!!

But I learnt a few facts about lice that day and thought of sharing my newfound wisdom:

1. Head lice are for mums, what monsters under the bed are for toddlers - they can give you NIGHTMARES.

2. No matter how squeaky clean your child's hair is, she can still be infested with this plague.

3. They multiply fast and how. If left untreated, you can find an entire louse village up there, in just a couple of days.

4. Once you are done checking and treating your child's hair, your own hair will begin itch for days,   no matter what you do to get rid of the itch.

5. You will feel as though hundreds of mini beasts are crawling all over your head, for days to come. Believe me, you don't have a single louse; it's all in the head (pun intended).

6. Most head lice treatments, DO NOT destroy the eggs, even if they claim to.

7. Once you start checking your child's head, every single speck of dust will look like a louse.

8. After the head lice killing spree, your bathroom will remind of a minuscule battlefield, especially if you have just watched the dvd of Asoka.

9. It is as difficult to get rid of the lice treatment  lotion from your head, as it is to get rid of the lice.

10. Head lice are by far one of God's most horriblest of creations. What was He thinking?

Have you got any head lice horror stories to share? Just click on "comments" below ;)

Until next time, happy nit-picking.

Keep smiling. Keep ROFLing. Life is Beautiful :)