Virika Journey

Zindagi mein… Lamhe khaas aagaye

Tu hi Tu hain

"What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined - to strengthen each other, to be at one with each other, in silent unspeakable memories."

-George Eliot

And memories we continue to treasure and carry forward as the EHM draws curtains and the story comes full circle.  But what we take from the show, traverses beyond the course of the stories the show presented. We continue to cherish a pristine bond- a bond that NOT ONLY JOINED the fictional embodiments but all of US; to each other and most importantly to them..

An unspoken connection between two strangers as they chanced upon each other through destiny’s decree, a fairytale beginning of sorts as Jeevika accidentally fell on Viren’s feet. What followed was a surreal journey. If the first meet suggested a love story replete with dreamlike aura, what we witnessed for the next 2 years was an endearingly simple, subtle tale of companionship between two individuals, where words were hardly needed and rarely uttered. 

Yes! For the pre-wedding phase of their journey Viren-Jeevika hardly spoke. They exchanged pleasantries, were cordial with all and sundry, bearing the quintessential diligence and responsibility on their able shoulders as second skin. Besides a one-time episode during the Manan confrontation, we never really got a peek of what to expect from Viren-Jeevika or the layers in their characterization..

Of course, reason being- the journey was yet to begin.. Viren and Jeevika were to discover their intrinsic selves and their horizon once they became VIRIKA. The challenges that came their way leading to their personal growth found meaning only in each other’s solid support.  Whether it was the post-wedding phase of exploring each other amidst the orientation week; of adjusting to the anxieties and butterflies that accompanied a new status quo or the colossal cancer crusade requiring an unreal sacrifice, they embarked on each turbulent voyage in each other’s sheltered presence.  

Fans swooned over Virika, This was a couple that needed no poetry or the romanticism of a star-crossed love story. They had a simple premise but their gestures- each embrace, each nose-nudge, cheek caressing or the rare pecks and kisses, the dance performances, new or old (Tumsa nahi dekha was definitely class apart) was sartorial JV…Not to leave out the sizzling rain and shower sequences mesmerized fans. The simple companionship interspersed with sizzling chemistry of these newly-weds was a perfect blend. While the gestures were magical, their simplistic conversations and confrontations kept it real.  They found a heartwarmingly simple yet honest way to communicate their dilemmas and insecurities to each other – one of my favorite scenes is the one where Jeevika tells Viren they are both lost in their various responsibilities and in the bargain are missing each other. Their simple heart to heart and clicking a picture together to freeze time, to preserve their togetherness and eclipse any void that daily duties may have caused was a pleasure to watch.

Every time detractors came around to calling them too sugar-coated and unreal, came a twist where they were only deemed HUMANS with flaws. Jeevika’s irrationality was exposed when she ran away from Viren and the entire family on her sister’s wedding after she went through a phase of self-deprecation and self-imposed guilt that she was a lesser partner to Viren.  At the same time Viren’s rage found bearings when Jeevika inadvertently let out to Swamini about the reality of her assumed son.  The latter saw a prolonged phase of physical separation although they remained spiritually connected. This phase showed that no marriage is perfect- it needs constant attention, to work its way around each other’s inadequacies and deficiencies. At the end of the day what matters is the WILL and INTENT to have no exception to togetherness.  They somewhere showed in simple ways what it is that is lacking in marriages today that was never an issue with the previous generations.

Not letting your individuality overpower companionship.

Coz it does take Two to TANGO… through the course of the incidents shown in their life they came to become each other’s belief system, not just spouses. While Viren stood by Jeevika during her battle with destiny against menacing cancer, Jeevika’s unflinching faith in her husband stood the test of law and a family’s predicament during the Riya-Sambhav jargon.  There was an unbelievable strength and ‘beauty in pain’ presented during the abortion and eventual ‘unable to conceive leading to pre-surrogacy’ phase. 

As the story runs its course finally, I sit back and reminisce the times trying to figure out which part of it outshines the other. Unlike Karan-Krystle, I cant pick ONE FAVORITE SCENE (although the morning after in Goa during the first honeymoon is just something else LOL). I can’t help but smile as I typed yet another long-winded panegyric after complaining that I haven’t kept up with the show or revisited Vintage JV scenes recently and therefore I couldn’t summarize their journey. Ramble nevertheless, but its all fresh in my mind like it was just yesterday.  

And to think theirs wasn’t the show’s core story. But the screenplay and most importantly THE PORTRAYAL weaved magic and made the experience sublime. Such that, each moment lives fresh in our collective minds and holds a special place in our hearts..

Coz we are joined to JV through unspoken memories

So lets relive these moments we spent hours talking about, through Purva’s VM.. as the sands of time pass us by..

Virika may no longer appear live on our tv screens but it will be hard to erase the imprints they left in our psyche .. coz

“The life given by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal.”

 ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

P.S. It’s beyond my literary aptitude to write a tribute for Karan-Krystle. The debate between cause and effect continues in my mind as I wonder if it indeed is KRYAN’s comfortable ease that filtered in JV or if there is that intrinsic and inexplicable connect to the characters they played, that somewhere worked as an ice-breaker for them personally. Coz through their own admission, we figure they are quiet personal about Viren-Jeevika. Anyhow, not digressing further I would like to thank Karan and Krystle as an ardent viewer for giving us Virika and wish them all the best in their individual and collective futures.

Its been an absolute pleasure..

Signing off my final JV write-up

-Sonali