@Priya and all: I have actually been thinking about the post-ML falling in love process for a while now and turning it over in my head, wondering why it felt incomplete somehow compared to the first and heres what I came up with.
The first time around also, it didn't take Maan long to fall for Geet. Then, he only denied it and fought it when he didn't know that Geet felt the same way. Once he got a hint that she also felt for him the way he felt for her (probably in the dargah), it became all about getting her to confess. So if Geet had confessed at that time (and not had the complication of being pregnant then), then their love story would have had no trouble. As you can see when he asks her if she loves him and that is why she won't be his mangetar in the red saree scene, and she says that ambiguous "yes", his whole face softens for a second before she clarifies what she has said yes to. So you see it was Geet that delayed the start of their relationship because she kept pushing him away, with good reason of course and because as obvious as it was for us viewers, she was pretty oblivious to his feelings. I mean he took a bullet for her and the next day she was playing loves-me, loves-me not. I mean how much more clueless can a girl get??? 🤣
But post ML, there was no obstacle so as soon as Maan fell for her, they were a couple. She was already his, he only had to learn to love her, which is hardly a hard lesson considering she is his soulmate, understands him better than anyone and could give him the solace that those family members he could remember could not. The only obstacle to their love post-ML was his denial phase which was fueled by too many expectations from Dadi and Dev. Once they left him alone and he and Geet reached an understanding (Teej confrontation) then there was no looking back.
I think the post-ML love story was brought about really well, it was just drowned out by a lot of white noise. The attraction started right from Teej, but MSK was under too much pressure to feel something that he couldn't let those feelings stew and develop which is what caused him to want Geet to be at fault and keep believing NT so easily. However once he hashed things out with Geet he realised she wasn't the bimbo he had been taking her for and saw her strength and began to respect her. Then with NT he saw her dedication to his family and decided to keep her happy. With the file fiasco he saw her hardwork, intelligence and multitasking and was impressed by her. It was at this point that he started having feelings for her again and having that adorable, shy crush where eh couldn't stop looking at her, he was sort of tongue tied in her presence and he took her on a date to impress her, MSK style! This finally culminated in the archive entrapment story where all the tension was released in that hug and he realised she was truly his partner in life and welcomed her back into his life and his room. This is where I believe he fell in love with her again.
Still they were like a newly married couple who didn't know each other very well before marriage and they didn't have much time to themselves because of the circus so finally they went on their trip together where they faced hardships, each one rescued the other in turn and Maan saw yet another facet of Geet where she is this spunky girl who never says die and will go to any lengths to ensure his safety and comfort. Losing her momentarily made him realise how much she means to him and he just had to get closer and this encounter brought a whole new level of comfort and love to their post-ML relationship, which we now see.
And finally, first the Santosh Nigam track saw them having cute nok-jhoks to lighten each other's burdens and the Vikram thing will bring them closer because it is the first hardship they have had to face, in Maan's eyes and in this new version of their relationship. Maan is definitely very much in love with Geet at this point and I don't think it is at all duty-bound and hasn't been for a while now. It was just much easier for them to work out this time because Geet was already all in and had none of the issues previous.
So from this I conclude (this never-ending post) that Maan pre-ML as well, needed to be understood and loved unconditionally for his true, sensitive self to come out. Unfortunately in their original love story, Geet did not understand this nor could she provide it right away, without first crossing several hurdles. BUT Geet post-ML had nothing but love to give and so Maan opening up and their relationship happened much faster.
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