Posted:
I felt the analogy of Maaneet marriage to a car was repeatedly used in this show. Here are three instances I could think of.
April 8th 2011
In the episode, when Tejji asks Maan what he would do to save himself if the car's brake fails, he says that he would be more concerned about the well-being of his passengers than for himself. He also says that to answer his question he would apply the handbrake. Now this would seem like just the perfect answer to give if one is taking an interview to become a driver but I felt there was more meaning to these lines than meets the eye (or should I say ear?)
Look at the situation. Maaneet's marriage was in a turmoil after the MC and both of them lost control over it, lost as they were in their own ways of handling the gloom. They were led by others who seem to know better what they needed to set things right. By the time they realized that they needed to get control of their marriage (the car), they were pulling the steering wheel in different directions although both wanted to go to the same destination. Maan decided to slam the brake pedal hard to stop the car from spinning out of control by confronting his wife. However, the choice of words he used to do so had the opposite effect. Unfortunately due to the neglect of the car all these days, the brake oil (which is Geet's ability to take the brunt of his harsh words) had leaked and the hydraulic brake failed. Their life together was headed towards doom, much like the brake less car.
Realising his mistake, Maan is trying to regain control of their marriage.. This time he wants to be firmly in the driver's seat but he will handle his car (their marriage) with care and love. To stop the car from speeding to its doom, he will apply the handbrake (the emergency brake), a far more gentle form of braking, compared to slamming the brake with the feet. He'll redeem their marriage for the both of them. Yes, he cares more for his passenger (Geet) than he does for his own life. And under no circumstance will he jump out of the car (his marriage) to save himself.
April 19th 2011
Maan is ordered by Bheeji to get the car sparkling clean after being scolded by her for not being around when she looked for him. Although her harsh words did not go down well with him, he still steeled himself and swallowed the humiliation in silence. Later, while cleaning the car, he remembers every harsh word Bheeji spoke and lets his anger out by splashing the water forcefully on the car.
This scene to me was another symbolism of Maaneet's marriage. Seeing and hearing Geet forgive Dev, Maan was furious and wanted to clean out Dev's intruding presence (which was the slush) from their marriage (the car). Unfortunately he was way too forceful in doing so. His words gushed out like the force of the water he was splashing on the car and hurt the feelings of his beloved wife but he was blinded by his fury that he did not see what he was doing to the car, their marriage. Only Geet's act was playing on his mind much like Bheeji's words kept ringing in his ears when he was cleaning the car.
But the minute he sees Geet watching him from her room, he softens and the manner in which he cleans the car undergoes a subtle change. He is no longer splashing the water with force but is gently splashing it on the car, all the while gazing at his Geet. This shows that Maan's approach to handling their marriage has definitely undergone a change when he realised his action had affected his Geet.
April 21st 2011
The car symbolism seemed to be re-emphasised in the opening scene. Bheeji asks Maan to drive Lucky carefully in the car and Geet volunteers to go along with him, ostensibly to watch over her brother but actually to make sure Maan was alright after the wrestling match. Their hands meet as Maan helps Lucky into the rear seat of the car and they inadvertantly hold the door together.
Geet's hand was on the car door, indicates her tentative approach to their marriage but when she finds his hand on hers she withdraws hers from his, showing her reluctance to support him in making their marriage work. Maan opens the door for Geet and after she sits in the seat next to the driver, he goes around and takes his own seat behind the wheel. Maan ensured that Geet sits in her rightful place next to her husband in the car that denotes their marriage. If you recall he did not even allow Darji to sit next to him when he went to pick him up. He poured water on Darji's plans to sit beside him (both literally and figuratively). This shows that Maan would never allow anybody to navigate his marriage. That privilege is given only to Geet.
Just as he sits on his seat, Geet notices him grimacing from the effort. He had recently been in a wrestling match saving the honour of her family and was hurting from it. This shows just how much effort Maan was putting into making their marriage work. Even after the painful match he was still willing to drive the car, showing that nothing would deter him from taking control of their marriage; however many hits he may get, he will never give up on their marriage. Geet was moved by his pain and offers him water. We all know the importance of water in Maaneet's relationship. It always sought to bind them together. Here too it played its role to communicate to Maan his Geet's concern for him.
While offering the water to him she says to herself that Maan never thinks of himself when he is in anger. How true! If he did, would he have hurt the very woman he is madly in love with? She admitted that Maan is not himself when he is angry. What her heart knows already, her head has to accept. Maan makes sure he holds her hand while taking the bottle from her and looks at her meaningfully for he knows that his pain hurts her and yet she is stubborn to accept him.
Note that the driver was the one who was hurt in the fight. The car is still fine. So Maaneet's marriage is fine although Maan is repeatedly getting hurt in ensuring its success. Lucky lay incapacitated at the back indicating that no one, including Geet's family, can get the marriage running even if they were to interfere. It is only Maan who would do that, even if he is injured. He needs Geet's help in directing it in the right course.
Although Geet is still adamant in not going with Maan we already see several signs of her slowly melting. Today we saw for the first time Maan driving around Geet after he doned the role of the driver and she was seated in the navigator's seat, right next to him. Hope she guides their marriage as he skillfully steers it along and together they successfully reach their destination of eternal happiness.
A word about the colour of the car and the car make. The car is white in colour indicating the purity of Maaneet's marriage. But then white is also a colour that gets stained pretty easily and the stain is visible to the naked eye. So when Maaneet have a problem with each other, the rest of the world knows, for they cannot hide it from each other or the rest of the world. As long as they are willing to clean the stains themselves, the car is still good to go. Maan is already making efforts but he needs Geet's support.
Coming to the make of the car. This car is no fancy luxury car. It is a hatta khatta Ambassodor, one of the sturdiest cars around. Maaneet's married life may not be fancy or luxurious, with all the strappings that marriages of rich people come with. Have we ever seen our Maaneet hosting lavish parties for the whos who in town at the drop of a hat? No. Their married life is simple yet sturdy. Even if it is subjected to life's tribulations, it will come out tops and not break down like the fancy luxury cars do at the sign of first trouble. This is not the first problem their marriage has faced but certainly the most serious one. Inspite of it our Ambassodor is still running quite well. There will be several more problems their marriage may face in future but their rugged Ambassodor of a marriage will take care of it all. Not to worry.
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
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