Pathaini, the Zee5 Global original show, is named after the town in Maharashtra. Paithani is also a type of handloom saree produced in the same town and is known for the intricate work done by weavers on it. The saree is a huge part of Maharashtrian culture, and this Gajendra Ahire show talks about the importance of this fabric in our culture. The show also emphasizes the efforts of weavers who spend days and weeks making just one saree for sale.
Spoilers Ahead
What were Godavari and Kaveri working as?
Godavari was the most sought-out Paithani saree weaver. Godvari used to spend hours, days, and weeks making just one saree. Her sarees were the most sought after in the town, and they would be sold at eight lakhs and more. Godavari was happy with her job as it allowed her to remain financially independent for many years after she separated from her abusive husband. Godavari had a daughter from her marriage whom she’d named after another river, Kaveri.
Kaveri was a grown woman as well who was a teacher at a local school. Godavari raised Kaveri on her own when her abusive husband blamed her constantly for not giving him a son. Godavari walked out when her husband tried to harm Kaveri with the intention of killing her. Godavari and Kaveri were each other’s support system from a young age. As a daughter, she learned from her mother the importance of being financially and emotionally independent, and at the same time she wants to take care of her mother.
What was Kaveri’s plan?
Kaveri was a witness to her mother revealing that the weavers who make the Paithani sarees were not rich enough to buy them for themselves or any other person in the family. Kaveri was sad on learning this, since she had seen her mother painstakingly create sarees one after another for years, and yet she could not afford to buy the clothing she made with her own hands. Kaveri found out the price of each saree made by her mother was beyond her budget as well. Yet she was willing to take a loan and buy a Paithani saree as a thank-you gift for her mother. As mentioned above, Godavari had spent all her life weaving Paithani sarees, and Kaveri wanted her mother to own one of her creations.
Was Samrat a spoilt kid?
Samrat was Godavari’s son, who was taken away by her estranged husband only a few days after he was born. There was no mention of if Godavari had divorced her husband, as she had walked out while pregnant with her second child. Samrat was raised by his father away from his mother and older sister Kaveri, and he turned out to be a spoilt kid. His father clearly did a bad job raising him, which was the reason he had no interest in taking his life seriously. He wanted Samrat to take over his business, but the young kid was interested only in wasting his father’s money on friends and vices he had developed in the past few years. His father was constantly nagging him, but Samrat wanted to live life on his own terms.
How did Kaveri land in Mumbai?
Kaveri and her friend had booked a Paithani saree by paying an advance to the store that specifically sold Godavari’s sarees. The owner of the store was a kind old man who was an admirer of Godavari. However, Kaveri and her friend found there was a mess created at the storefront, and the Paithani saree had been given to a Mumbai-based head of a fashion house, Vinay Bhanushali of Mukti Creations. There was no way out but to request Vinay Bhansuhali to part with the saree and let Kaveri buy it. Kaveri planned to go to Mumbai without letting Godavari know the real reason behind the trip.
Was Godavari worried?
Godavari was told Kaveri was traveling to Mumbai for her school-related work. As a mother, she was obviously worried because Kaveri was alone in a big city. Kaveri was busy locating Mukti Creations, and in a haste, she was unable to contact her mother that often. Back in the town of Paithani, Godavari was unable to concentrate on her work because of her dwindling eyesight. The doctor had asked her to take rest from weaving as her eyes were getting weak by the year. This upset Godavari, and she decided the “Paithani” saree she was working on would be her last one. This was also the reason why Kaveri was keen on getting the last saree for her mother, as she had overheard Godavari murmuring her pain to herself.
Was Kaveri lost in Mumbai?
Kaveri got lost in Mumbai because she had forgotten her mobile phone in a cab. To her luck, the cab driver returned the phone by connecting with Kaveri through her best friend Savitri back in her hometown, thanks to the mobile phone she left. Kaveri was overwhelmed by the city, but she was also in awe of how helpful people were; case in point, her mobile phone being returned. The cab driver helped Kaveri during the rest of her days in the city. Kaveri had reached Mukti Creations, but she was unable to meet Vinay Bhanushali. It seemed he was the most sought-after person in the fashion world, and his team wouldn’t let Kaveri meet him. On visiting the office and badgering his team multiple times, Vinay Bhanishali agreed to meet with Kaveri to hear out her concerns. Kaveri was quick to let him know about her confusion regarding the purchase of the Paithani saree, and she requested that he hand it over to her.
Vinay Bhanushali did not comply with Kaveri and refused to part with the saree as it was a showstopper garment for his upcoming fashion show. He also claimed to have paid a lot for it, which was why he was unwilling to let Kaveri take it. Kaveri was upset as her plan hadn’t worked, and came back to her home town in no time.
Why was Godavari not willing to compromise?
Godavari was in the process of finishing her last saree as the doctor had asked her to retire from her work as her eyesight was going to get worse from that point on. Her brother insisted they needed a ‘Gateway of India’ print on the saree for the fashion show. As it turns out, the client was Vinay Bhanushali, who had paid for the saree but was waiting for the delivery. On realizing Godavari was unwilling to compromise on the design of the saree, Vinay traveled to Paithani in the hope he would be able to convince her face-to-face. Godavari remained adamant about her decision to not change the design on the saree because she felt her legacy would not allow her to do so.
Paithani sarees were known for a particular design, and to change the age-old traditions just for the sake of money was below her. Godavari belonged to a family of weavers, and she did not want to alter the art passed down to her. Kaveri ran into Vinay and let him know Godavari was her mother, and she was planning to buy the saree for her since it was her last one. Vinay Bhanushali, on reaching the city, gave in to Godavari and decided to not force her to change the saree design. However, he wanted Godavari to deliver the saree on her own, which was a pleasant surprise to the renowned weaver, who agreed to the request.
What happened to Samrat?
Kaveri’s plan to purchase the saree was about to fail as her mother was heading to Mumbai to deliver as per the request. She had to reach Mumbai before her mother reached and hoped to convince Vinay to not keep the saree. Samrat was on bad terms with his father throughout, as his father refused to give him any money. Samrat wanted to start a small lodge with his friend Vishal. Vishal seemed like a shady character trying to make the purchase of the lodge look like a proper business proposition. Samrat was surrounded by imbecile men who were up to no good, just like himself. They had no future plans and were roping in him in the hope to get some money off of his father.
Samrat’s friction with his father led to his father deciding he would not give him any money. He shared this with Vishal in the hope his friend would come up with a better plan to fund the refurbishment of the shady lodge. Samrat was in no mood to ask his father about the money after the falling out. He also knew his father was not a good parent, as he’d forced his son to follow through on his expectations and never allowed him to make life choices of his will. Samrat was angry at Vishal when the latter suggested he kill his father to get access to his money. This led to a physical altercation between the two, and Samrat was gravely injured as a result.
Did Kaveri’s father apologize?
Kaveri was a witness to an injured Samrat lying on the road bleeding with no one to help. She had just received some cash in her account to purchase the Paithani saree for her mother, but sadly, more than half of it was spent on Samrat’s expenses. Samrat and Kaveri were estranged siblings. They knew of each other’s existence, but the friction between the parents led to them not having a close relationship. Kaveri was good at heart and showed generosity by spending the money on her brother. This indicated she was raised with the right values by Godavari. As a sister, she did not show any bitterness and agreed to part with the money that was meant for her mother, who’d raised her. The brother-sister reuniting was a weird angle, as there had been no scenes between them to establish the relationship.
Kaveri’s father reached on time and had a cathartic moment when he found out Kaveri had paid for the expenses. He was overwhelmed by the past and how badly he’d treated his daughter and wife. The man had a quick realization, but it was too late to convey his apologies since he had spent most of his life away from Godavari and Kaveri, raising Samrat on his own. However, during the time of distress, it was Kaveri who showed up and saved her kin. Kaveri had also never had a good relationship with her father, and she was in no position to accept his apology, as she did it out of concern for her family, not because she wanted to prove a point. Her father wouldn’t have shown this generosity if Kaveri or Godavari were sick and in the hospital. The fact that Kaveri showed up for her brother changed her father’s mind.
Did Kaveri get her hands on a Paithani saree?
Paithani, the show ended with Kaveri heading to Mumbai in the hope of stopping the sale of the saree she had meant to buy for her mother. She had hoped to reach before her mother and let her know her plan of buying the saree for Godavari. It’s not clear if Godavrai would be happy with it, but she would likely not accept it as it was not in her nature to wear or buy something that she made with her own hands. Kaveri’s plan did not work, as she was asked to head to the fashion show conducted by Vinay Bhanushali. At the event, she was shocked to find out her mother herself was the showstopper as she wore the saree she had made with her own hands. This was a big gesture from Vinay, who was probably moved by Kaveri’s words when she revealed that the weavers never get the chance to wear their own wares. However, this sudden change of plan came out of nowhere. So far, Vinay was seen as the typical new-generation fashion house head who did not understand the ethos and the culture behind the saree he had placed an order for. It feels like the change of mind that Vinay went through was too quick, and there was no transformation process.
Kaveri was elated to see her mother in the saree she’d made. It was an ode to weavers like her who spend hours making such sarees and are not wealthy enough to purchase their own work. Godavari’s reaction, however, was not shown. It was essential to know how she felt on receiving her last saree as a gift for all the hard work she had been doing for the past many years. Godavari came back to Paithani only to find her son in the hospital recovering from his injuries. She learned about Kaveri’s role in saving him. However, Samrat began to accuse his mother of not saving him from the wrath of his awful father. It was insensitive of him to be making that comment. There was a plausibility that his father may have let Samrat know that Godavari did not care enough to take him with her. Godavari broke down and apologized for not showing up at the right time and promised to take him with her on discharge. This mother-son moment also felt tacked on at the last moment.
From the start, the makers did not show any communication between Samrat and Godavari; suddenly, there came this reunion. Samrat wanting to stay away from his father was justified as he was raised by a man who instilled a patriarchal ideal in him, which Samrat may not necessarily agree with. Samrat left his father in no time, and it was assumed he moved in with his mother and sister. Godavari’s estranged husband was also seen apologizing for his mistakes, but as a strong, independent woman who was far from her estranged husband’s abuse, she chose not to give him any chance and continued living as an estranged spouse. The last part of the show has Godavari surprising her daughter Kaveri with the Paithani saree, the one she wore as a showstopper for the fashion show. Kaveri was surprised by this saree she wanted to buy for her mother, and at this, she let her know all about her plans.
Godavari was charmed by her daughter’s effort, but she chose to pass the saree on to Kaveri as a family heirloom. The legacy of weavers may end with Godavari, but the saree she earned would stay in the family since Kaveri now owned it, and she would pass it on to the next generation. Godavari felt she was close to her tradition, roots, and legacy by giving her saree, and she knew her daughter would do anything to retain it going forward.
