I know the above title must be shocking to many Maaneetians especially at these difficult times when we are desperately waiting for the moment when we can see them together again.
But guys, let us never forget, even during these trying periods that it was Gul Khan who convinced Gurmeet to play this role which he too has acknowledged. Let us also not forget that it was she & Nissar who brought together a brilliant team to give us our GHSP.
a. No other serial had the lead pair been given so much of time frame episode after episode for so many months. We got to see Maan & Geet everyday for almost 16 to 18 min in every episode. That is one of the reason why we felt so connected with them, felt their every emotion & they still reside in us long after the serial is over. The pace at which the story was told was very captivating unlike other serials where they take a minimum of 5 to 6 mths for the story to move forward. We still keep watching the episodes & we will always do. How many serials are there that can be watched over & over again? None. Don't you all think we should thank Gul & her team for this?
b. We all loved every song & dance sequences on Maan & Geet. Let us thank the people of GEET team for the song selections and the choreographer for the dance movements which have become the signature steps of Maan and Geet . Even though they are just some movements, but when we see Maaneet performing it, we are mesmerized to such an extent that we cannot bear to see the same when done by others. Surely we owe our gratitude to such a team.
c. The sets of GHSP, be it the office or the Khurana mansion or the outhouse were simply superb. They didn't give us a over big mansion, they gave us a one that just looked picture perfect. They were contemporary & classy. And the way they showed Maan in that house & the way he walked around it, it most certainly looked like his place. When we comment badly about the way the sets turned out since July' 11, shouldn't we also remember to thank the production house for giving us good sets for the first one year?
d. The outfits for the leads were simple & yet looked so good on them. Geets salwars or her night suits looked like they were made only for her, the colours, the simple designs & Maans outfits-be it official wear or personal, were again tailor made for him. They didn't make Maan wear those kurtas but instead gave him a better looking night suit. Many commented on Geets outfits post marriage but I personally felt it made her look so much more endearing. I also liked the way they kept her hair plaited most of the time. That was one of the reason why she looked even more gorgeous when she had let her hair down. Didn't we all like Geet for her simple tastes in her life. Guys, have you all noticed that even in many Saas-bahu serials , the women don't wear their mangalsutras all the time. But we have never seen Geet without it post her wedding. Shouldn't we appreciate this & thank the Geet team for keeping our Geets character that way?
e. Every serial has many supporting characters who have atleast ten minutes of screen space in every episode. We may now say that it was at this place that GHSP failed, that they could not come up with solid secondary/parallel tracks. May be its true, but seriously guys, we could not take the Arjun –Annie track for even 5 minutes. This was not mainly because of the story line that they had or the acting, It was also because we felt that this track was taking up our Maaneet time. We had got so used to seeing only Maaneet (Dadimaa,Dev,Naintara & Meera for couple of mins everyday)that we just could not take any other characters. But still, we got to see Maaneet for atleast 10 to 12 min everyday during that track (except for a few episodes in Feb & Mar) If you had noticed, the story writer for that Annie-Arjun track was Ved Raj & was directed by Lalit Mohan, the same duo who are currently doing the other project in Star plus for the same PH which is being called a hit. We had our Khoon Bhari Mang on episode 170 in Geet & the serial in the Star plus had their lead pair dancing for the first time in episode 170. I am sure we should thank the team of Geet for giving us only Maaneet for such a very long time.
f. Even the Amritsar track , we were able to take it only for a few weeks after which we felt that they were taking too much of screen space, although we still had our Maan & Geet for a minimum of 7 to 8 mins everyday. (in the month of June). That shows the magic that Maaneet had weaved.
g. We will never know why the production house & the channel decided to make the leads as supporting casts & vice versa. Or why, they showed Dev getting married .( I seriously wished she had married that friend & left Dev dejected. Atleast to some extent, we would have been happy). Or why they couldn't have come up with Sameera or Vicky' track or some office track for Maan. Gul khan herself had said they have worked for long hours to get the screenplay right & how they do the shooting of the same on the same day etc. So, for somebody like her & her team who have worked so much to create something beautiful like GEET, to let go off it would not have been easy. There must have been some genuine reasons, Come on folks, just because we were not aware of the facts, we went around bashing the CV's/PH and the channel. The more it was done, the more the story line dipped or so it appeared. But lets be thankful that atleast they brought Maan Singh back to direct in the month of Aug & Sep '11.
h. We all kept thinking right from May 10 that this serial would have topped the ratings if it had been on some other channel like Star plus, Zee or Sony etc. I too personally felt that & still do. But somewhere, I also know that if they had come up on these channels, the pace of Maaneets story would have got reduced, like its happening on the other show of the same production house. Its because these channels need many characters in their story & that too of all age group. Lets just take the example of our Maaneets wedding. We were never really bothered about the number of people attending the wedding or how the elders follow the various customs etc. We wanted to see only Maan & Geet & that's what we got most of the time. Can u even think of even one serial where the focus had been only on the bride and the groom? We got to witness a superb & a lovely wedding sequence for which I am sure we would all like to wholeheartedly thank the team of Geet & the channel.
i. And also, every other serials in the various channels show guest performances by various other artists. We only had that once & that too during Maan's bachelor party which was a necessity. But for other times, we had our Maaneet for that,whether it was their Sangeet or Maan & Geet's Birthday party. Didn't we all enjoy this? Shouldn't we mention this & thank the team for that?
j. Presently, we are requesting every other channel & production house to cast Gurmeet & Dhrasti together. But then, Maaneet was not only because of them but also because of a superb team that worked behind them in their first one year. The magic or the aura of Maaneet is the creation of that talented team. We ourselves have seen that the various people who worked then are now with various other serials. Do we then see that magic there? Obviously no.
k. There is absolutely no doubt that Gurmeet & Dhrashti are exceptional actors, for me, they had redefined the word ACTING. They will perform any role effortlessly. But what I fear is, even if they are cast together, the story line should be good & so does the screenplay & the dialogues. On top of it, you should have a superb director & lets not forget the importance of lighting which our Hrishi da had provided in our Geet. Lets also not undermine the importance of choreographer too. All these people are equally important, otherwise the magic of their pairing would get lost. I am not saying to the fans to give up their request to see them together, I too would love to see them again on screen. I am not even seeing any other serials . I am from Chennai where one has to subscribe specifically to get a channel. The moment Geet serial ended, I unsubscribed Starone. I just could not bear to see anything else . I did try to see some in you tube with an open mind, but instantly started comparing it with our GEET. (I watch 5 to 6 Geet episodes every single day) Compared to our serial, others look too filmy to me with their melodrama. So, I completely understand with my co Maaneetians who are requesting for their return.
l. One thing I have constantly seen in the last one year is the excess usage of negative comments on facebook and forums. We may have had genuine reasons for that but atleast at some point we should have learnt that such negativity will never help us. We should have been more positive with the way we conveyed our feelings. Let us always do it this way & I am sure we will get many reasons to smile in the near future.
m. Gurmeet & Dhrashti worked for long hours everyday for months to entertain us. And yet when Gurmeet takes a couple of days off, we all saw the bashing he received in the Facebook & in different forums. Do we all quit our office to get married or go on a break? I know there were many who stood by Gurmeet but there were also many so called fans who tarnished his name during that period. Inspite of all this, we all saw his dedication to work when he did the accident stunt all by himself, that too on the day after his wedding. We all loved Maan when he stood by his Geet & yet when Gurmeet did the same in his personal life, people said he should learn to be more diplomatic. He had his wifes name inked & that too at the place where he wears his watch all the time & again he was bashed. It was the director who should have been more careful while shooting. Dhrashti was blamed when the news of her not ready to sport a baby bump came up. Many of us while commenting on others never even take a moment to think & we just fire at others. Just because they are in the TV field does not mean that we can say anything about them & that it is part of their job to take it all sportingly. I read so many articles by fans who commented on Shahrukh & the way his wife supported him all through & compared it with Gurmeet. Guys, don't u all know about the KHAN's war that's been going on for years & the verbal language being used between them. Atleast Gurmeet spoke upfront and said that he would like to keep his personal & professional life separate. What's wrong in that? We all wanted to see Maan & Geet and both the leads played their part with full conviction on screen. Shouldn't that satisfy us?
n. And again when Gurmeet took time off for his film shooting, he was blasted by many. Seriously, he would have taken up that project only after consulting the production house. The serial was scheduled to go off air in October because of which he signed the film. And then when it was extended, the films shooting date had to be re worked because of which we had the body double in our serial. But then,many fans as usual blamed it on him stating he is taking too many breaks & is not committed. I seriously felt very sorry for him. Poor guy, anything he does, goes against him. Still after the serial went off air, he & Dhrasti came up on Radio Mirchi to talk to us. And so did Gul Khan. She may not have said anything to please us but she still did come . She could have easily refused but she didn't. Instead of thanking her, most of us did what we normally do, BASH her.
o. In our Geet facebook, we see people from other serials commenting badly about our serial & praising their own. Frankly I feel sorry for them. I am not saying anything about their serials. They have a right to enjoy & like what they want. For me,they were just not lucky to see what we have seen. They would never know what they have missed. Let us learn to ignore comments from such people & not reply to them at all. Gradually they'll realize their folly. I know its difficult to suppress our anger when we see such negative remarks about our favourite Maaneet but guys ignoring them is the best & also the right thing. I think being Maaneet/Gurtis fans , we should have certainly learnt this from them.
p. Right now, we are also frustrated & angry to see other actors getting so much of limelight & awards and recognition when we know who deserves it the most. Let us for one moment think this way- when we feel this, how much the actors themselves would have felt when they see such award shows. Still Gurmeet & Dhrasti stayed with the serial till the end even when their roles got limited screen space. We should be & I know most of us are- proud that we are fans of such wonderful & committed actors.
q. All these times during our Geet serial, we have laughed,cried and went through every emotion with Maan & Geet. We have used every possible adjective to explain their performance but somehow they always managed to go above all that. Whenever somebody asks me what film I am watching, I name the leads, but whereas when I am seeing Geet, I reply saying , I am watching Maan & Geet. For me that's what they are. They lived as Maan & Geet in that serial. For me, I cannot compare Gurmeet & Dhrashti with Shahrukh-Kajol performances because they just don't have any body to compare with. They are one of a kind & for me they are the best.
r. I am thankful to God that they atleast received one award for their performance. I am sure with the kind of hardwork they put in and with all our prayers and best wishes,they would receive much more recognition & awards that they truly deserve.
s. And I am very proud to say that I am a part of a group called Maaneetians/Gurtians . I feel extremely honoured & privileged to have witnessed this beautiful journey called GHSP & for this I would definitely like to thank Gul Khan and her team for this & also Star One.
I sincerely wish every member of the GEET team a successful & a satisfying life.
I humbly request every one on this page to leave a thank you message on the wall of Geet Facebook, 4 lions &Endemol facebook on this Republic Day. Let us also give them a moment of happiness. Let them enjoy the fact that they had created GEET. I am sure we can do this small gesture as they have given us hundreds of hours of happiness.
I would also like to apologise if any of my comments resulted in hurting anybodys sentiments. I have written this column only to remind my fellow Maaneetians to keep remembering the good times we had until the time new happier moments arrive.
CID
Anupamaa
Tum Se Tum Tak
