S̳h̳a̳k̳h̳i̳-̳l̳a̳c̳i̳o̳u̳s̳

EPISODE 5: "The king's ears are donkey ears"

After finding out about his father's death in the middle of his job interview, Shaurya heads to the police station to claim the remains. But he's shocked when the officer tells him that a family member already came to do all that, and Shaurya asks frantically for that person's contact information: "That's my Yash!" The officer is happy to offer the information... if he can show documentation that he's a member of the deceased's family too. Naturally he has nothing of the kind (and I'm assuming that even his adoption records wouldn't show the identity he was trying to leave behind). Shaurya leaves without any leads, but his eyes well up with tears as he says to himself, "I wasn't alone." At the same time, Yash tearfully adds Dad's broken trophy and their family picture next to his ashes, and cries, "Now I'm truly alone."

No you're not! Poor Yash.

Shaurya asks, "Father, answer me. Where should I go, what can I do... to find Yash?" As if answering, his phone rings with a text message, alerting him to the fact that he passed the Shubh Savera selection process. He lets the news sink in, and narrates that he wanted the job to show "that woman" that he and Anokhi could become reporters, but we've already seen that plan fall apart in the debate. He narrates, "I've found a new resolution: Father, to whom being alive was hell, I want to tell your unjust story to the world." He adds that he's going to find Yash too, and thinks that maybe the person who led him to becoming a reporter wasn't Anokhi, but his father. On Monday morning, Shaurya gets dressed sharply for his first day, while Anokhi dons her usual sweatshirt-and-jeans uniform for schlepping about. They head out at the same time, and Dad can't help but get some jabs in, pointing out that Shaurya is headed to his salaried job as a reporter, and Anokhi is going to the convenience store to work a part-time job like she's still in college. Thanks for ratcheting up the awkward, Dad. Grandpa complains that they're skipping breakfast when they both skipped dinner, but it's clear that neither is ready to sit at the same table. Shaurya lies for them that everything is fine, and Anokhi trails after him to the elevator while swearing up and down that she's totally fine with the fact that he passed and she didn't. She holds no resentment, really. He points out that she's hiccupping, which she's been doing intermittently all morning. But she looks away and says it's not because of that. She says cheerily that he needn't feel bad, and that she knows he had to say those things because it was a debate. But he finally looks over at her and says he honestly believes what he said -that he thinks she shouldn't become a reporter. That's a punch to the gut she wasn't expecting, and she thinks back to Shaurya's scathing outburst during the debate, about why someone with Pinocchio syndrome can't become a reporter. She's stunned and asks again if he really meant it, and he says coldly that her mother was right.She chases after him angrily with the reminder that it was HIS idea for them to become reporters together. She shouts after him, "Was that all a lie?!" As he walks away from her, Shaurya thinks, "Don't become a reporter, Anokhi." He can't help but be reminded of her mother who tore his family down. Even when she throws her shoe past him and calls him a crazy bastard, Shaurya doesn't turn around. "If you become a reporter, I'm afraid that seeing you will become too painful." Anokhi spends the day mindlessly tending the register at the convenience store, until an middle-aged-woman starts offering advice on how to get rid of her hiccups. Anokhi bursts into tears and whines that they'll never stop, and then when the middle-aged-woman calls her a student, she wails again, "It's been three years since I graduated and I'm still unemploooooooyed!" Hahaha. Thus begins her day of confessing her life story to every single customer who comes in, in an endless stream of hiccups, tears, and comical self-pity. "I failed the test for the thirty-sixth tiiiime! You should study hard, or you'll end up like meeee. That'll be 3,800 rupees!" She's not even looking up at the customers anymore, and just continues right where she left off with the next customer in line. She says that she might die of hiccups because she knows that in order to stop she has to confess her feelings, but the person she likes..."Is Shaurya, right?" asks the voice at the counter. Startled, she looks up and finds Ahir smiling back at her. He tells her to keep talking, and offers to listen to all of her problems because he's got nothing but time. Meanwhile, Shaurya arrives at Shubh Savera and finds all the newbies way ahead of him, huddled together sharing all the information they've gathered on their superiors. Our saseng-turned-reporter Shagun is the leader of the pack, and shares all the tips she's dug up. She corrects Shaurya's use of jondae(formal way of talking) with his fellow rookies, and wonders why he doesn't know that reporters use banmal(casual way of talking) with their own entry class. She tells the group that she researched all the head reporters in charge of different sections of the city, and the only person to be careful of is Alok. Alok is the funny reporter we met briefly while the Shubh Savera newbies were auditioning, who only dresses up from the waist-up and likes to be disagreeable for the sake of being contrary. Shagun warns them never to show tears in front of Alok, because once you get on his bad side, you're done for. Of course Alok is standing right behind them as she says all this, and shouts at the rookies to follow him. Shubh Savera's triumvirate of bosses looks on with amusement as Alok begins his usual hazing process, and wonder who'll break first. Editor Johar begins a play-by-play sports commentary as Alok makes Shagun and another guy hold their arms up in punishment for talking behind his back (she tries so hard not to cry but one tear escapes), and then turns to Shaurya to ask if he's being unfair. Shaan watches curiously, and tells his colleagues that Shaurya is the rookie who will break first, since he's the kid who railed at him and said that reporters made him feel sick. They remember him as the upstart who caused a scene during the debate, and watch with anticipation. When Shaurya just does as told and raises his arms in punishment too, the bosses seem a little disappointed that he seems to be tamed. At home, Anokhi is in a foul mood as she listens to Grandpa swoon over Shaurya's freshly minted Shubh Savera press badge, and brushes her teeth with fury remembering his words this morning. She brushes madly, until she gets an evil glint in her eye as she spots Shaurya's toothbrush.