I first got on MandA's trail in 2003

I started a topic recently, wanting to know when people started suspecting about MANDA. Judging from the replies, most ppl seem to believe that it started, or at least became evident, post-makeover. The earliest was Neelam di who said it might have been when Armaan made his fake proposal to Jassi (July 2004). Not bad, di…you're close.

Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy……the first time ever the thought of MANDA struck me was in November-December 2003. that was when I read the first-ever interview of the JJKN cast in India Today. I was already a JJKN addict by that time. It was a behind-the-scnes look at JJKN and explained the relationships among the actors (except that no one said then that RK was playing Cupid between AA and someone😡); I learnt, to my pleasant surprise, that all these guys were actually friends. A remark of Apu's stood out then—he described Mona as being "exactly like Jassi" in real life, and added that she was "adorable". Well, nothing much to read into that, but somehow or the other it struck me just then that maybe, just maybe, this pair could get together.

Soon afterwards I saw an interview of Mona's in which a fan asked her who her favourite costar was; I expected her to say "nandu" BUT she said "Armaan sir" and blushed!😳 From that time on, I just took it for granted that MANDA would get together.

Mind you, it wasn't just a usual fan's desire to see her fav onscreen pair together offscreen. I didn't even WANT JandA at that time; I was a huge Purab fan and wanted Jassi to marry him and only him. But it never crossed my mind to link Mona with Sameer Soni. 😕Yet I somehow always felt that Jassi had better chemistry with Armaan than with Purab.

Coming to that, I didn't even care abt Apu and Mona at that time. Apu to me was still the flop Bollywood actor who had got a second chance with TV; Mona Singh was a stranger to me though I lowed Jassi.

I had no inkling of SANDA then; I had no idea that AA was dating SS all the time I was blissfully linking him up with Mona. So I got a tremendous shock when a friend told me SANDA were engaged. My first reaction was of disbelief.😭 I remember walking home stunned; later I kicked myself for having spun such a crazy daydream. From that time I tried to forget MANDA and actually like SandA—I swear I tried.

I had never liked SS from the moment she appeared as Ganga in KSBKBT. But after SandA's marriage I actually tried to like her for the sake of "Armaan"—and also, I guess, to assuage my guilty conscience. I even succeeded for a while; SS kinda grew on me and I was on the verge of liking her.

But stray clues throughout 2004 made it hard for me to forget MandA completely. When the first romantic JandA track was introduced (Armaan's fake proposal), they introduced a new title track which, if you remember, had A carrying J over a bridge in some garden to the "hey-hey" tune….the tenderness and shyness in that sequence, especially from Mona's side, had me wondering again but I just ignored it at the time.

Then there were the ITA awards 2004 where Mona won an award and AA wasn't even nominated then. He was asked to present her the award. When she came up to him, he gave her an extra warm hug nd if I observed correctly, he seemed to be murmuring something in her ear. After handing her the trophy he seemed to forget himself and hugged her AGAIN. ( SS was sitting in the audience, watching😉).

What is saw then wasn't flirtation; it a sort of tender understanding that made it all the more heartwarming.

In December 2004, there was this SONY show called Dance Dance for which MandA shot a promo. It had them standing back to back and saying something like "Dance ka josh..uda de sabke hosh!" Nothing funny in those lines, but these two were giggling away conspiratorially asif they shared a secret joke. In fact, one of the girls in the CR ( I watched this in hostel) remarked "Look how happy he is to be with her!"

One noteworthy thing is that all Apu's remarks like, "something magical happens when we work together" and "I want to work with hr for the rest of my life" were made BEFORE the makeover. The V-day hug also shook me; though I had realized by then that AA had evolved into a very fine actor, the expression on his face took me by surprise. I have yet to figure out whose feelings were reflected in that hug—Armaan's or Apu's.😉

All this makes me feel that MandA were perhaps, perhaps intended to be together. But thanks to RK's bungling, AA started dating SS before he had a chance to make friends with Mona; by the time MandA established a rapport, AA was already "in love" with SS so even if he had any tender feelings for Mona, he would brush them off with "no…it's just friendship….i love Shilpa after all".

Mona might have had a crush on AA from the beginning—a crush that grew into something deeper as their friendship strengthened. By the time their mutual feelings actually started to hit them , AA was married; he thought he was "safe" from falling for another girl, little realizing that this is a common mistake many make.

MadnA already had the bond of friendship, fondness and tender understanding binding them. The final touch—physical attraction—came with the makeover. AA was dazzled, besotted, and perhaps forgot that he was only supposd to ACT like Armaan, not FEEL like him. He got a bit too carried away and Mona's defences crumbled at such flattering attention from her attractive friend. Thereafter, their sizzling chemistry was evident. I kept believing it was just great acting till some scenes just started getting too real. But I suppressed any niggling suspicions.

It was only when I came to IF and read tabs' and tina's posts that I realized that others thought like me. No looking back after that—MandAMonger Blytie was born!😆

What I want to emphasise here is that it was purely instinct that led me to these suspicions. It was much, much later, when we came to know many facts and got data from interviews and articles, and tabs' first-hand report, that logic strengthened what, perhaps, the heart already knew. Today I am convinced about this; I don't know the "rights and wrongs" of it but I do feel that, somewhere, things did not turn out like they should have.😭

Thanks for posting this Blyton,very interesting, I can't believe u noticed it so early on! 😊

Thanks Blyti. Your observations were very interesting. I wish there was some way I could see the ITA 2004 awards. and I also wonder why Apu has always been sidelined as an actor while mona's always won so many awards. I think his acting was no less than Mona's.

I disagree with blytons observations.I think they got attracted towards each other after her makeover,by that time they were good frieds but not close friends. Mona has stated in her every interview that apu never used to talk in the beginning and it took quite a while to break the ice .so my guess is that they gradually became good firends and then the romance track started where they became even close friends and somewhere down the line,they were attracted towards each other.
but it was def during the actual romance track during/after the court case

Wow Bly!!👏 Truly well-written and now after reading it, it makes sense that it must've started earlier on. I can't believe I never noticed it eventhough I had been watching the show since the beginning!😕 I agree with u hon. In a way, maybe this is how it's supposed to be. They're perfect for each other and share a great friendship and probably something much more, but I guess they weren't meant to be. *SIGH* Oh well

Not that I agree with stealing someone else's man, but how I wish Mona had hooked up with Apu, seems like Shilpoo is the homewrecker. 😆

I agree with Tina, Blyton. Mona has definitely said in each of her interview that A was very introvert, less talkative and all, and she was more close to Nand than A so the attractions all grew right after her makeover when JANDA were made to do more romantic scenes. They became close friends by then which worked for the fabulous onscreen chemistry, which lead to MANDA MYSTRY.

The valentine hug looked like a real one maybe becoz they shared a compatible relationship at that time later it became deep and strong.

Originally posted by: ~Taheera~

wow... amazing observations!!!! 😛

Right u are tiki! I'm waiting on piyu's observations now!😉😆

Nice bylton.

But i feel its Apu who first had feeling for Mona. Slowly slowly they came together. When Apu fall in love with SS and Married that was very initial stage of MandA acting together. And after makeover in bursted out. But Apu cannot open his mouth being a married man.