Till death do us part (Part III )

Continued from previous post...
"Shruti will you marry me?" She was shocked.It had only been three weeks since they had started dating.She couldn't believe that he was really in love with her enough to want to marry her.
"My knees are kinda hurting here,Shruti"
"Get up Manas.Let's talk about this"
As luck would have it,at that very moment, Kanav was sitting in the same restaurant.
He saw the man next to Shruti get down on his knees and felt that hot flush of jealousy.
He couldn't believe she had moved on so quickly.True,they had not been in love for three out of four years of their marriage.But common courtesy dictated that she wait for at least a healthy amount of time before getting hitched to some other guy.It had only been two months for crying out loud.

Back to Shruti and Manas.

"Manas don't you think you're rushing into this?"
"I can't wait any longer.My parents are pressuring me to get married soon.And I have no idea how to tell them I'm gay."
Silence.
"I'm sorry,what?You're gay?How could I not have known?Once in college,I told a guy he was gay when he didn't know himself.But then why are you marrying me?Oh god,this is a disaster.I knew it.I knew it was too good to be true.You idiot.Why?"

"Okay a little bit of overreaction here.But I thought you knew.I mean come on,honey,the pink Manolo Blahnik pumps I gave you?And on any given day my clothes are more well-coordinated than yours.And the fact that I'm a Mills and Boon fan?Little bit of a give-away.How didn't you know?And why,you ask?Because Nishi had told me all about you and Kanav and the whole marriage of convenience,and well,pardon me but I thought I was any day a better match than that.I'm sorry if I misled you.I'll leave now.I'm so sorry."
Kanav saw the guy leaving.He was sorry for her.
She was sitting with her wine in her hand,looking so confused

.
He walked over to her table.
"What was wrong with that one,Shruti?"
"Gay."
"Ouch.That's gotta hurt.But why,then?"
"Your fault.Stupid marriage of convenience to you.Plus I just found out I have the world's worst gay-dar.Go away.Leave me to my wine"
"Oh poor you.Do you miss me?I miss you a lot,you know.Girls these days,calculating minds.I miss being bossed around by you."
"No honey.You're used to me.Like I was to you.But I've learnt something.It's time to snap out of old habits.Being single might be hard,and lead us to make errors in judgement.But its different.I got proposed by a gay guy today.How often does that happen?
And that's what keeps life interesting.To keep moving.Every morning is a new chance to make new mistakes,new friends,new habits."
"Wow you sure bounce back quickly,Shruti.But you're right.Okay I have one last question,which self help book was that from?"
Shruti burst out laughing,
"I live with a live one.Nishi moved in.She's full of it,but she does have a point.Well,see you around,smartass.If you miss me,you know we can stay friends.Marriages aren't forever.Frienship isn't either.But if we've given one of them a shot,why not give the other one a try too?"
Kanav smiled, "Till death do us part,friend!"
....The End Is Just the beggining.....

Till death do us part (Part II)

Continued from previous post.....

Shruti and Kanav had a relatively uneventful divorce.She was the rich one anyway and he seemed to have found his conscience.He apparently,didn't want the money and was even willing to pay her for the shares of his company,that were in her name. Shruti was surprised at this new in-charge Kanav,and for the first time in four years she felt like he was a man she could actually like.
And then,just like that,she was Shruti Khandelwal again instead of Shruti Khanna.
Oh god,the charade of having to change her name on all her social networks.So annoying.
She could almost imagine her Facebook timeline shouting out her condition: "Shruti Khanna changed her name to Shruti Khandelwal.
Shruti Khandelwal went from being "married" to 'single'.."
Phew!The thought made her cringe.
And all too soon,it was her birthday.A few friends called. Kanav sent her a text. She was relieved.She couldn't have mustered the courage to talk to him anyway.The truth was,he'd grown on her. Like they say in hindi," Uski aadat si ho gayi thi"

Nishi,her best friend,called.She insisted on taking Shruti for night-out. Shruti begged her,said she was fine and wanted some quiet time on her birthday.
Nishi dragged her out anyway.
They went to a pub and gulped down vodka shots.
Nishi had invited some of her work friends.Mostly cute guys,and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Shruti hit it off with one guy,Manas.
She liked racy novels and he was a more of a romantic.She loved Thai food and he hated it.They were as different as chalk and cheese,but they didn't care.
They exchanged numbers and started dating.Manas was a doctor-a neurosurgeon.
Shruti felt like she was in episode of Grey's Anatomy when she met him.But he was a really nice guy,and she started to care for him.

But she'd had too many relationships gone sour since college so she didn't allow her to get ahead of herself.He was amiable and charming and respected in his profession but she knew with her track record,that some things just don't last.
Then it happened.
She and Manas were in a restaurant having dinner,when all of a sudden he got down on his knee and asked her,
"Shruti Khandelwal.
Will you marry me?"

                                                                                                                       
 To be continued......

Till death do us part?

This was one of the most boring high society parties Kanav had  been to in

almost a decade.His wife,Shruti,quite the social butterfly,was a woman who

preferred to get her stories first hand.He hated every bit of it,but

she never let him forget that that was what he'd signed up for.Theirs

had been a marriage of convenience.A beautiful rich heiress and

handsome yet unscrupulous businessman,with one failed business venture

after another.She was in her rebel phase and he in his

broke-and-need-the-money phase.Long story short,he had a succesful

business and a luxurious life but for the occasional black tie event

that made his insides squirm.Strange really.He wasn't what you'd call a

moral person.He never had qualms about anything,for that matter.But

these parties and the people : you'd think someone had given Satan too

much wine and cheese.These people seemed to have mastered the art of

bitching in a sophisticated manner and their holier-than-thou facade

was just so convincing,that onlookers might be appalled at the idea of

them having any ill-will towards anyone.What a joke!Well you win some

and you lose some.And there was no denying that his wife was a looker.Talk about

 trading up.But underneath that dazzling smile and that incredible body,there was an ugly truth-she was a woman who did not like admitting defeat.She had refused to acknowledge the fact that their marriage was in shambles.They were both cheating on each other and they both knew about the other's indiscretions.

And yet they continued to maintain public appearances.And now it was bothering him.He needed to feel something.He couldn't live a lie anymore,it was suffocating inside the four walls of their house.

She was talking sharply now,shaking him out of his introspective mood.

"Nishi and Karan are getting a divorce.The usual.You know,he's a philandering idiot and she's a basically a trophy wife.Not a good combination.I told Nishi to take him for what she can. At least the beach house in Goa should be hers.She has the best lawyer in the city"

Kanav snapped "Oh shut up,Shruti!Where do you get off telling people what they should and shouldn't do?I want a divorce too.I can't take it anymore.I need companionship and I want love.And you are the spawn of Satan."

Silence.

She was in shock.

"And you think you're the most interesting person on the planet.I have been going out of mind tolerating your idiosyncrasies.And you talk like a girl.Why did you have to come into my life at all?

Kanav retorted,"You married me to get back at your father,admit it."

"Well,that purpose has been achieved.I want out.Love and companionship,huh?Let's see how far you get" And with that she stormed off.

To be continued....

Looking for something?Maybe Not!:P

Continued from previous post:

Mohini had been his assistant for almost 2 years now. She was familiar with his ‘phases’. It always went the same way. Aakash sir would get an idea in his head and mull over it for weeks. What she didn’t get was why he didn’t like ‘normal’ people in his plays. She had asked him once-“Sir, why don’t you make a nice, filmy style love story. Why do all your characters have to be so complex?”Aakash had looked at her and smiled. She was so naive, it amused him. He said, “My child. It has always been my strategy to never give the people what they want. Our audience always expects a happy-ever-after. They’ve been accustomed to the same mushy crap for decades. I want to give them something new. Something fresh. Something which urges them to think.Otherwise, I’ll just be lost in the hoi-polloi of the theatre industry. You’re 24, educated and you’ve got a head on those shoulders. Surely you see what I’m talking about here?”

Mohini was looking at him with amusement. The old man had gone senile. Impractical to the core. Yet his philosophy was intriguing. She had always thought directors gave the people what they wanted. And here he was, challenging the accepted notions. She felt a certain respect for the way he loved his work and innovated and played with the audience’s mood swings. He was right as usual. The people would hate his bold views first but then they would come back for more.

She remembered what her mother had told her when she was ten. “Be the change you want to see in the world. The Mahatma said that. It’s something we should all try.”

She understood Sir now. So she said, “Well, in some very unusual way, you’re following the Mahatma’s advice. It’s kinda cool!”

The old man smiled again. He said-“And there you have it. Your generation in a nutshell. Saying the Mahatma’s name and trying to sound hip by shortening words. One confused lot I must say. ‘Kinda’..Hmm.You know you just gave me an idea. Scrap the Mandira thing. I’m going to make a play on the confused lot that is your generation-trying to ape the West and yet trying to retain your roots….”

"Wait.Dude,are you like drunk or something?"

"No.And I'm 50.Are you calling me a 'dude'.Interesting.Why don't you fill me in how you 'guys' talk these days?"

And he started rambling again. Mohini went back to her cabin thinking-“The dude is eccentric. Never gonna change is he? By breakfast tomorrow, he’ll be back with a new idea.”

Looking for something?

He thought he could never find the perfect fit for the role. No one really seemed to fit the bill. They were all 20 plus pass outs from the various renowned drama institutes over the country.Yes, most of them could act well.But no one seemed to have that air of nonchalance, that unassuming demeanor that he pictured the character,'Mandira' would possess.

“Is my vision of the character unrealistic? Does no one have that-what is it I want-damn even I can’t think of a word myself to describe the character! How, then can I explain to these actors? Well, we’ll see.”

He got up to address the gathering. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I understand you’ve all come to audition for the part of Mandira and Shoumitra respectively. My young assistant here must have briefed you about the characters you’ll be trying out for.However, before we move on to the second round, let me tell you a little more about the protagonist, Mandira.I want  you all to listen carefully.”

“Where do I begin? Mandira is an amalgamation of all the different women I’ve come across in my life….”

They all smiled and winked each other. “Of course. Had to be misconstrued yet again” He thought to himself. He cleared his throat and began again. “Please do not take this the wrong way. I meant she possesses different qualities-for instance my mother, my sister, my former boss, my college girlfriend-they were a huge part of my life and I’ve taken one quality from each of them and created something unique-Mandira.I find it hard to exactly explain what I’m looking for, but here are a few pointers-I want you to be the exact opposite of the girly stereotype. As in, the stereotype that society has of girls-the love of the color pink, the enthusiasm to shop, the whole susheel kanya thing? Do not want that in the character. Mandira is a tomboy-she hangs out with guys, is a little rebellious but knows her boundaries, very mature, unassuming, and has an air of nonchalance about her. She’s a photographer.Basically,I want to convey that women can be very diverse, and the women these days are not what they are shown like on those regressive saas-bahu sagas. This is purely a realistic portrayal of the modern Indian girl. So now I’d like you all to start with the auditions in five mins, after rehearsing the script.”

Phew.He breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped he’d been able to make people understand what he wanted.

To be continued……