@akash:
Don't get me wrong yaar, I have all the sympathy for Manav. Even I understand that he is in a catch 22 situation. It is difficult for him to turn back now when a girl's honour and life, his brother's son's life and family's happiness is at stake. If he is shown selfless, it totally goes with his character, even I don't expect him to come running to Archana in one day saying you are more important to me than family. In fact few Indian boys, in the first year of marriage, would take such a big step- to dump their family in the time of need and stand by the wife.
What I meant by saying 'old Manav' was the ideal husband concept that they have shown ever since the beginning of the serial. He was always depicted as a person whom ganpati bappa sent for Archana to help her in all troubles of life- her future husband, her life partner and her biggest strength. That is what attracted me to this serial- even though he was not educated or rich, he was still the type of person who would be the ideal husband for ANY girl. Lovers bahut dekhe hain yaar... par aisa husband nahin dekha jo shadi ki pehli raat apni wife ke saath bartan dhoye... apni SIL ke liye FD banaye saying they are my responsibility... MIL ko dahej na dena pade isliye khud haar kharid ke laye... he was a perfect husband. Any girl would have been proud to have him. Unfortunately, right now his situations are such that this ideal husband has been forced to take a back seat and the ideal brother and ideal son have taken its place.
Now, I agree that he is a wonderful lover, he accepts it himself that even though he is marrying shravani, he will never be able to get Archana out of his system, but there is a BIG difference btw a husband and a lover. SECURITY! An ideal husband should be able to provide security to his wife, not let her suffer. Unfortunately right now, bcoz Manav is being the ideal son and brother, he is not able to fulfill this important duty of a husband... dekha na Archana ka kya haal ho gaya hai us ghar mein. His Aai abuses Archana... he does not say anything coz he wants her to hate him... he is thinking about her only... but this is a sign of a lover... a husband wouldn't have done that.
A lover loves without responsibility or rights, a husband has both responsibility and rights. And right now, this is what is not entering into Manav's head- that Archana IS his responsibility, she needs him much more than Shravani. He doesn't realise that making her hate him is not sufficient, coz the girl is truly in love with him and can never hate or forget him.
And that is why, right now Manav is a silent lover. Not the ideal husband... coz every girl wants her husband to be an ideal son, ideal brother, great human being etc. but if it does not provide them security, if the husband chooses to be selfless sacrificing his wife, then how is he the perfect life partner?
And so when I say, I want the old Manav back, I mean to say that I want that 'perfect husband image' back. I want him to hold Archana's hand in public and say that he cannot fulfill his responsibility by leaving his wife in the lurch, that she counts more to him that anything else.. I want him to blast Savita for her wrong-doings and prove that he can go against his family for his wife. I want him to apologize to Sulochana and prove that he is not egoistic, he accepts his mistake and for the sake of his wife, is ready to apologize to his in laws for it.
When this happens, I will proudly say that the old Manav is back... that he has passed the biggest test of his life as a husband... he went against his responsibility (as a son and brother), his mother, his reputation (people will call him selfish) to be with the woman he truly loved and who loves him too and to do justice to her. And if this doesn't happen, I'm off this serial
As Ali says, patience is required. Waiting for that day.
So you see, along with Manav I'm also in a catch-22 situation. I understand him, but I want him to get back to the mould of a perfect husband and get back to Archana, coz I want him to be happy and that will be possible only with a girl like Archana and not with that selfish bimbo Shravani. He needs Archana 100 times more than she needs him, bcoz Archna had a lot of well-wishers, but Manav has only one- his Dad. All his life he has been thinking of others, he deserves a wife like Archana to pamper him and love him and make him feel special.
So that is why I say I love Manav, I am his fan... but right now I am not his supporter. I hope I have my stand clear now.
Kumkum Bhagya
