Dedicated to crusty for inspiring me to come out of my hibernation and all others for their encouragement.
Mahirji
First impression, well mannered, care taker of the family, mr.dependable, sober and stable. A man, family and business colleagues look up to for support, solutions and guidance.
A man his power and wealth hungry father is overjoyed to have as his son, a man his loving mother is grateful to have as he is and has been her anchor in her tumultuous life! A man his siblings are lucky to have for he fulfils their every wish, acts as their father figure and most importantly allows them to enjoy their frivolous lifestyle though they are adults enough to partake in family business and other responsibilities,because he the working horse of the family!
A man every one comes running to when they have any sort of trouble.
A perfect son, a perfect brother, a perfect business man, a perfect employer, a perfect human being. A man who works 18 to 20 hours per day and rest of his hours go in basic human necessities.
No wonder his family places him on such a high pedestal but for the life of me I can't comprehend how he breaths at such high altitude where he has been placed. There is no chance of error, no scope for mistakes, no flaws are accepted from him. This degree of perfection is suffocating.
He is the first person to wipe others tears but I'll bet my wealth, forget about wiping his tears or consoling him, I'm sure no one has ever even seen him shed a tear.
This is were Bela enters his life, she respects him but doesn't place him on a pedestal. She brings out the imperfections in him. She makes him lose his somber and get mad. She interacts with him like an equal. She is the only person who has let him be him. She is the only person who denies his help, aid and support in every way.
That leaves him dumbfounded because his mind fails to process this, this is what he is supposed to do, this is what is expected of him, this is his area of expertise!
He is going forward with the marriage with a mentality of making it work, with sense of pre established responsibility. He has taken this woman as his wife, he had to cherish her, he has to take care of her, he has to defend her, he has to protect her. This is palpable in all his actions and words regarding her.
But gradually and unexpectedly he starts feeling new emotions, many of which he doesn't understand nor is he in control of them.
He says he doesn't expect anything from her, within 48 hours of saying that he throws a tantrum after watching bela with Rehan!
We don't have the dexterity in our left hand like the way we have in our right, because we haven't used it as much as right hand from a long time, this applies to many of our muscles, if we don't use it for a long time, the control over it we have gets slow. Same with emotions and feelings, Mahirji has not experienced many of them like majority of us, he has skipped that part, straight from being a child he has evolved into an adult, a responsible adult. so when he starts feeling those, it's an alien concept to him, he doesn't completely understand them nor does he have total control over them. Those unhinged emotions just start spurting out of him, left right and centre and bela is on the receiving end! So when he is under the influence of these feelings he loses his composure. After watching, experiencing and living his parents marriage massacre and its consequences, His priorities have evolved accordingly. For a long time I failed to understand what he wants, what is it that Mahir Sehgal craves?
He doesn't have close friends he shares his life with, with siblings we already know the equation. Father only interested in one thing. Can't express anything to mother because she herself has issues.
Gradually I realised through his actions and more specifically his reactions to bela, what his heart earns for.
He understood from a very young age good looks and attraction are transient, love is transferable, physical intimacy is evanescent, wealth can be gained.
He showed the only thing he believes in is responsibilities but gradually I feel like the most hungry he is for is companionship and loyalty, one who sticks around for ups and downs, accepts yours flaws, doesn't expect you to be perfect, cares for you irrespective of what you can do for them. He wants to be her partner, he doesn't care if she plans to rob a bank or go for a swim in cold pool, he wants to be on her team. If he has the assurance that they are playing for same side he is willing to play his part.
The day he snatched that orange juice flask from belas hand at the dining table post bela-Rehan chat, was the day I first saw the glimpse of the real man behind his calm-composed exterior.
At that point it was not much, the reaction was very disproportionate to the trigger. It wasn't just jealousy or insecurity or fear of losing bela, it was more like "I want to be the person you are comfortable with, I want to be the person you laugh with, I want to be the person to wipe your mouth thing.
It was a tad bit juvenile but this is what made me fall in love with this man, Im not interested in perfection, it's a myth. These things, made him more human to me, made me relate to him.
If I recall correctly, bela was so shocked to see the well mannered, soft spoken Mahirji snatching the flask from her' hands. After he quits the breakfast table, she wipes sweat from her forehead! Because like us, it finally hits her this is a real human man, and he gets hurt and can get mad at her!
That was the first time she realises she is playing with fire, she literally starts sweating!
Iss rakh ke neeche bohat dabe hue Sholay hain!