DAY 32! - You can't just leave!
Unexpected visitors ruled the night yesterday, and today... well let's just say letting go of some people is becoming that much more uncontrollable.
The most controversial question of today's episode...wait, was he supposed to be my pizza waala or courier waala? Or shall we just refer to him as her dil waala? Yesterday he saw a reflection of himself in her whilst she stood so fearlessly, firing question, revealing secrets, demanding answers from his best buddy. And today he stands so firm and adamant, personifying a taller version of her. So stubborn. No chance of him leaving the premises without manipulating this devil to cough up his true intentions.
"Navya Cabir ki zindagi se nahi jaa sakti!" And so she can't just allow Navya to exit from her son's life. The mother fears. Fears what though? That her son's gayness will re-surface once Navya steps out of the house? That his heart may end up chasing another male bride to bring home? But what she fails to understand is that to be gay is not like having a forty-two degree fever which will come and go according to the change in the surroundings. It's not a disorder which can be cured by caging him with a girl. It's his definition of love. It's the truth of his life. The more she tries to bind him to her ways, the more he will rebel. The more he will resist. The more he'll distance himself from her. Now that's the real idea worth fearing.
"But Manik you can't just leave like this right?" - Invitation no. 2! Not bad...not bad at all. Where initially he seemed be struggling to even reach her doorstep, he has been just gifted with the invitation of staying at her home, in front of her sight, under this starry night, amidst this love-filled wait, and that too by her. She's inviting him to be able to caress each other with the eyes they weren't allowed to use. To be able to non-hurriedly catch up and converse not about Dhruv, not about Panditji, not about the fusion concert; but about himself and herself. About them. An offer that would beat any other deal, any day. But today's just not that day. Today his arrival was necessary upon the devil's arrival and his departure must by synced with the devil's too. Today he's in the mood for some man-to-man talk. There was a time when he was impatiently waiting for an open invitation from someone to insist that you can't just leave Manik. But now that time has ticked away. The hour of the night has struck when he must question this shameless demon; "Pandit...You know, how could I just let you go so easily?"
Rule no. 1: You claim to be Nandini's guru. The best mentor she can possibly ever have the good fortune of having. Manik suggests that you remain the teacher you're acclaimed to be. Teachers don't frequently visit their students' home. But no worries. Everyone is allowed to make their first mistake. The intelligence lies in learning from the mistake and refraining from repeating it. Because if unfortunately you do happen to repeat the mistake, the invite for a scrumptious dinner will be from Manik's behalf and I'm sure he'll have a blast experimenting with how to bake, fry or grill you.
Rule no. 2: You also seem to claim to be the man for Nandini. Real men don't exactly manipulate and use the weaknesses of a certain relationship for personal gain. She knows her Ams better than you, so no need to recount the strict methods of your guru's teaching-hood as I'm sure she's aware of her Ams' every rule.
Rule no. 3: There's an age limit! Wait wait wait! Didn't the wicked witch tell you? I had imagined that since she had advised you to bring along an unneeded gift to the "ladki's ghar", she would have also revised with you the rest of the do's and don'ts of this game. Perhaps if you had wanted to realistically portray yourself as the beneficial suitor for Nandini, that "guru" tag should have been removed and left at home before inviting yourself for dinner. You see, you may not look too aged from a third person's perspective but the perception of an old paedophile automatically awakens when someone hears about a guru's love for his shishya. So be it the totally floored chachi at this stage, or be it the rather impressed chacha who consistently believes that "Manik bhi ek din, world famous singer banega."; for you to be their son-in-law, is something they aren't even thinking in their dreams.
Rule no. 4: Asking for the bowl of daal from the girl who already belongs to someone else, now that's a big no no! Manik suggests that if you had even considered the thought of asking him politely, he would have considered not staining your perfectly ironed jeans for you. But you crossed your line and so he was compelled to cross his. You see there is already plenty of hope floating in the air these days, that there remains no room for your revolting hope of envisioning your future with Nandini.
Rule no. 5: You're wasting your time, fighting for something that isn't up for grabs. She's no trophy. She's no reward for your hard work. It's fine if you really want to challenge your opposition whose strength you can't even imagine at this stage, but Manik suggests, for your own well-being and for the security of your career, "Stay away pandit! From me...from nandini." You see treading towards her isn't so easy. Dreaming of touching even her shadow is out of the question. She's safeguarded within his warmth, in his heart, beneath his soul. And he's the fire which will set ablaze any living being that steps their uninvited feet in their lives. You stand so confident today, smiling your vicious grin and predicting the events of your own unseen future. But the future you're imagining with her is beyond impossible! Because she is someone else's future! She's been locked in someone else's fate. Her heart has been destined to beat for someone else. She can't become the devil's because she already belongs to the monster.
Rule no. 6: You're not allowed to leave! You were given many chances but you overlooked them all. And now Manik believes that since you have decided to play this game anyway, he might as well show you his real talent. The talent to protect, to fight, to shield, to reveal. How he had wished for you to just quietly pack your bags and leave the city so no one would ever find out about your deep, dark secrets. But you seem to have called for your own doom. You question him as to how he can think he deserves a girl like Nandini. It's sad to see you weren't there to witness a long-awaited confession yesterday. When his girl so rightfully assured him that there's no one better for her than him. And he swears upon that belief, that confession, those words of reassurance; that he will expose you to the core of your secrets. He promises to allow you to taste the bitter taste of loss at the end of this game. He promises to not let you go so easily without unmasking this deceitful mask you seem to possess. You can't just leave because he won't let you leave!
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
