Posted:
A few days ago I made a post on why Maan loves Geet:
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/geet-hui-sabse-parayee/1757400/why-maan-loves-geet?pn=1
Now I am very proud to say I am making my first post, by request. Thank you neha9999, who asked me, in the discussion of the previous post, to try and find the reasons Geet loves Maan, other than the obvious one of his being her saviour.
*If anybody else has any ideas, or requests for posts about character development or filling story loopholes I am always looking for new stuff to write about and never tire from analysing these characters and their story, even the likes of poor underdeveloped Nandini (I am totally thinking of writing a personal history for her because I don't think the CVs will ever develop her but they do give tantalising hints that suggest a very interesting and fresh character).*
Anyway, onto business. In my previous post I used videos to highlight why Maan loves Geet but here I am going to go down a more traditional route and just writing. I hope I can sustain your attention despite the lack of multimedia 😛
Why Geet Loves Maan (other than him being her saviour):
1. She can trust him
From her upbringing, Geet has been taught that young men are out to get her, ergo the constant presence of chili powder in her bag and the need to defend herself when Maan calls her to the office for work late at night. Although she initially doubts him, he makes it pretty clear that he has no dishonourable intentions. She begins to trust him and he never gives her a chance to go back on her complete faith in him which leads to my next point..
2. He is always there for her
In this quality he is different from everyone else she has ever had deep relationships with in her life. Mean or not, angry or not, telling her she is a complete idiot or not, he is always there when she most needs him to help her or just give her the support that she needs. After Dev abandons her and her family refuses to support her, Maan's constancy is almost surprising to her but I am sure it is a pleasant surprise, one that makes her fall for him in spite of herself.
3. He trusts her completely
In the scene where Maan finds Dev's phone number in Geet's room, after he has asked her whether she wants him to hunt her "husband" down, she tells him she has never seen it before and he believes her. This really touches her to the extent that it provokes her to voice some of her so-far silent feelings. I am sure it is wonderful for a girl who has been treated with no respect by anyone so far to be so implicitly trusted by a man she holds in such high regard.
4. His strong sense of right and wrong, not to be compromised at any cost
When Geet worries about breaking up Maan's family after Dev's true colours are revealed, he assures her that he is not on "her" side but rather the "right" side. I think this is a big deal for Geet because if she felt that Maan was doing these things for her, it would make her out to be something of a vamp, cruelly breaking up his family. The assurance that he would take the same course of action, regardless of his feelings for her, gives a lot of security in that she knows he won't ever resent her for the decision he was forced to make. Also, his behaviour again acts as a complete contrast to that of her family in Hoshiyarpur, who despite the fact that she did nothing wrong, were prepared to alienate and even kill her because of her circumstances. Maan does what is right, even if it compromises his family's honour, as it clearly does later on.
5. He puts the "tender" in coconut!
To use Geet's own comparison, even though Maan is a tough (coco)nut to crack, he gives Geet, almost exclusively, first glimpses of, and then more drawn out encounters with his softer, sensitive, tender side. His quick temper often stems from his deep sensitivity to his pain and the pain of others, which is probably why he shuts off from emotions so vehemently, so he can, as much as possible stay on an even keel and remain in control. The very thought of Geet in pain sends him into emotional overdrive and being in love with her humbles him in a way that makes him incredibly sweet and vulnerable. Her returning his feelings lets him reveal all these hidden aspects with some sense of security that she won't let him down and so Geet gets to see a Maan that almost nobody sees completely, not even Daadi.
6. He gave her a loving, open-minded and nurturing family (office buddies included!)
Even though Darjee accepted Geet back into his family, I always was a little concerned that he did so only after she was honourably married to a wealthy business tycoon. What Maan gives her is an environment where she is loved and cherished for her personal qualities and moreover for her bravery in what she did. They don't judge her or make her feel small but accept and love her as one of their own and this provides a great environment for her to grow and develop personally. And for Daadi, that relationship with Geet starts off because of the effect Daadi sees she can have on Maan and how happy she can make him. Geet feels this and even mentions it when they are both expressing their respective feelings at their wedding.
7. He loved her baby
This is key. When Geet left her family, deciding to save her child, the one thing on her mind was that child. She left with the idea that she would have to raise it all by herself and her baby would become her whole life. She didn't expect to find help, let alone love and joy in her life that would accept her situation and her baby. And Maan doesn't just accept the baby, he completely re-orients his life in no time to go from a confirmed, bitter bachelor to a loving husband and a doting soon-to-be father and grows to love the baby as his own. The decision to save Geet over the baby (though how you save an immature fetus if the mother dies anyway, is beyond me) really tortures him and he grapples with the difficult question of whether he would have reacted differently if the baby had been his, biologically. I think Geet loves that he not only cares for her baby but really takes time and introspection to figure out his role in the baby's life, as its father.
8. He learns to control his anger
Maan's one biggest flaw is his anger and how it renders him an irrational mass of testosterone. But over the course of their relationship, his anger becomes less and less frequent and I think that uncontrolled, irrational side of him made its last appearance (before ML) at Holi, when he realised the horrible, potential consequences. He really learned how to control himself in Beeji's and Teji's presence, becoming less selfish and more open to understanding other peoples' points of view. This was especially clear in Maaneet's conversation just before ML, when we all thought he was going to erupt at the poor sarpanch and take out his anger on poor Geet but instead he used mature reasoning to understand where those people were coming from, that they didn't mean to insult him and allowed him to be ungrudging and proud of Geet's personal and professional achievements in the village.
AND FINALLY...
9. Geet loves Maan because he loves her
I mean, how could she resist those love-lorn eyes when they look at her like that? He really shows his love for her in deep and meaningful ways that are not necessarily grand and romantic all the time but personal, showing how well he knows her. I loved the scene in the beginning of Amritsar where he makes gol guppa for her to try and make her eat something and when they are supposed to go to a movie but he takes the opportunity to make it all about them by narrating their story, instead! I know you can't fall in love with somebody just because they love you, but I think it did make a contribution in this story. Maan's silent and sometimes not so silent devotion to Geet, even when she kept trying to push him away (following her to HP) is what made her consider that she could maybe have a future with this wonderful man, despite her past.
So there you have it! I hope you like all the reasons I found and feel free to add more if they occur to you!
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/geet-hui-sabse-parayee/1757400/why-maan-loves-geet?pn=1
Now I am very proud to say I am making my first post, by request. Thank you neha9999, who asked me, in the discussion of the previous post, to try and find the reasons Geet loves Maan, other than the obvious one of his being her saviour.
*If anybody else has any ideas, or requests for posts about character development or filling story loopholes I am always looking for new stuff to write about and never tire from analysing these characters and their story, even the likes of poor underdeveloped Nandini (I am totally thinking of writing a personal history for her because I don't think the CVs will ever develop her but they do give tantalising hints that suggest a very interesting and fresh character).*
Anyway, onto business. In my previous post I used videos to highlight why Maan loves Geet but here I am going to go down a more traditional route and just writing. I hope I can sustain your attention despite the lack of multimedia 😛
Why Geet Loves Maan (other than him being her saviour):
1. She can trust him
From her upbringing, Geet has been taught that young men are out to get her, ergo the constant presence of chili powder in her bag and the need to defend herself when Maan calls her to the office for work late at night. Although she initially doubts him, he makes it pretty clear that he has no dishonourable intentions. She begins to trust him and he never gives her a chance to go back on her complete faith in him which leads to my next point..
2. He is always there for her
In this quality he is different from everyone else she has ever had deep relationships with in her life. Mean or not, angry or not, telling her she is a complete idiot or not, he is always there when she most needs him to help her or just give her the support that she needs. After Dev abandons her and her family refuses to support her, Maan's constancy is almost surprising to her but I am sure it is a pleasant surprise, one that makes her fall for him in spite of herself.
3. He trusts her completely
In the scene where Maan finds Dev's phone number in Geet's room, after he has asked her whether she wants him to hunt her "husband" down, she tells him she has never seen it before and he believes her. This really touches her to the extent that it provokes her to voice some of her so-far silent feelings. I am sure it is wonderful for a girl who has been treated with no respect by anyone so far to be so implicitly trusted by a man she holds in such high regard.
4. His strong sense of right and wrong, not to be compromised at any cost
When Geet worries about breaking up Maan's family after Dev's true colours are revealed, he assures her that he is not on "her" side but rather the "right" side. I think this is a big deal for Geet because if she felt that Maan was doing these things for her, it would make her out to be something of a vamp, cruelly breaking up his family. The assurance that he would take the same course of action, regardless of his feelings for her, gives a lot of security in that she knows he won't ever resent her for the decision he was forced to make. Also, his behaviour again acts as a complete contrast to that of her family in Hoshiyarpur, who despite the fact that she did nothing wrong, were prepared to alienate and even kill her because of her circumstances. Maan does what is right, even if it compromises his family's honour, as it clearly does later on.
5. He puts the "tender" in coconut!
To use Geet's own comparison, even though Maan is a tough (coco)nut to crack, he gives Geet, almost exclusively, first glimpses of, and then more drawn out encounters with his softer, sensitive, tender side. His quick temper often stems from his deep sensitivity to his pain and the pain of others, which is probably why he shuts off from emotions so vehemently, so he can, as much as possible stay on an even keel and remain in control. The very thought of Geet in pain sends him into emotional overdrive and being in love with her humbles him in a way that makes him incredibly sweet and vulnerable. Her returning his feelings lets him reveal all these hidden aspects with some sense of security that she won't let him down and so Geet gets to see a Maan that almost nobody sees completely, not even Daadi.
6. He gave her a loving, open-minded and nurturing family (office buddies included!)
Even though Darjee accepted Geet back into his family, I always was a little concerned that he did so only after she was honourably married to a wealthy business tycoon. What Maan gives her is an environment where she is loved and cherished for her personal qualities and moreover for her bravery in what she did. They don't judge her or make her feel small but accept and love her as one of their own and this provides a great environment for her to grow and develop personally. And for Daadi, that relationship with Geet starts off because of the effect Daadi sees she can have on Maan and how happy she can make him. Geet feels this and even mentions it when they are both expressing their respective feelings at their wedding.
7. He loved her baby
This is key. When Geet left her family, deciding to save her child, the one thing on her mind was that child. She left with the idea that she would have to raise it all by herself and her baby would become her whole life. She didn't expect to find help, let alone love and joy in her life that would accept her situation and her baby. And Maan doesn't just accept the baby, he completely re-orients his life in no time to go from a confirmed, bitter bachelor to a loving husband and a doting soon-to-be father and grows to love the baby as his own. The decision to save Geet over the baby (though how you save an immature fetus if the mother dies anyway, is beyond me) really tortures him and he grapples with the difficult question of whether he would have reacted differently if the baby had been his, biologically. I think Geet loves that he not only cares for her baby but really takes time and introspection to figure out his role in the baby's life, as its father.
8. He learns to control his anger
Maan's one biggest flaw is his anger and how it renders him an irrational mass of testosterone. But over the course of their relationship, his anger becomes less and less frequent and I think that uncontrolled, irrational side of him made its last appearance (before ML) at Holi, when he realised the horrible, potential consequences. He really learned how to control himself in Beeji's and Teji's presence, becoming less selfish and more open to understanding other peoples' points of view. This was especially clear in Maaneet's conversation just before ML, when we all thought he was going to erupt at the poor sarpanch and take out his anger on poor Geet but instead he used mature reasoning to understand where those people were coming from, that they didn't mean to insult him and allowed him to be ungrudging and proud of Geet's personal and professional achievements in the village.
AND FINALLY...
9. Geet loves Maan because he loves her
I mean, how could she resist those love-lorn eyes when they look at her like that? He really shows his love for her in deep and meaningful ways that are not necessarily grand and romantic all the time but personal, showing how well he knows her. I loved the scene in the beginning of Amritsar where he makes gol guppa for her to try and make her eat something and when they are supposed to go to a movie but he takes the opportunity to make it all about them by narrating their story, instead! I know you can't fall in love with somebody just because they love you, but I think it did make a contribution in this story. Maan's silent and sometimes not so silent devotion to Geet, even when she kept trying to push him away (following her to HP) is what made her consider that she could maybe have a future with this wonderful man, despite her past.
So there you have it! I hope you like all the reasons I found and feel free to add more if they occur to you!
Bindi
Udne Ki Aasha
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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