Friday 28 July 2017

She married at 60 and her take on love is the most positive thing on the internet today

For most of us, Suhasini Mulay was the cool-ish mom to Akshay Khanna's Sid in Dil Chahta Hai, and then the inspiring amma to Aamir Khan's Bhuvan in Lagaan . Some may have seen her on television too in various mommy & mom-in-law roles, which is why she's been limited to being another reel mom, in popular opinion.

But when a 2011 feature by tabloid Mumbai Mirror appeared on our timelines earlier today, our opinions on her completely changed. The article first came out at the time of Mulay's wedding to physicist Atul Gurtu in January 2011 and talks about their story from being Facebook friends to lifelong companions. In this relatable interview, she spoke about her initial concerns of meeting people online, her independent frame of mind and taking a conversation seriously. She said, "I was wary because I had met him online. I googled his name and found his resume interesting." The two met four months after their first online conversation and got married after seven months.


The reason we're revisiting the news of this wedding, four years later, is because Suhasini was 60 when she tied the knot, while her husband was 65. In 2015 also, this news managed to get the same surprised (pleasantly) reactions that the couple got at the time of their marriage. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Suhasini had said, "When we told the pandit that we were the "to-be-married bride and groom", he was stunned and stammered, 'Ji, aap dono? Very good, very good'. We cracked up laughing? We got a similar reaction at the court too. But who cared... We were happy!"

We think that last line is a legit response for most of our 'what-will-people-say' problems. And there are more reasons why we're loving this woman today. Marriage was never a compulsion for Suhasini. It wasn't a retirement plan, or tag, that had to be met. Suhasini had lived alone for 20 years before meeting Atul and had no qualms about doing that for the rest of her life too . In the same interview, she said, "I had never thought of settling down. Marriage was the last thing on my agenda. I have never been married but had a very long live-in relationship that ended in 1990. I came to Mumbai in 2000 and have lived alone for 20 years and happily."

In a recent Brunch interview , she shared what her husband told her mother when she asked him why they wanted to get married. “I liked what he said, ‘I can live alone, and Suhasini surely can as well. But if we have a chance of happiness, why not?’”

When Vagabomb contacted the National Award winning actor, she replied in a casual text; "I didn't do anything spectacular. Just got married - a bit late." Which is exactly how we feel about the news piece too. Unlike the tabloid's headline, it's not the age that matters to her; It's her refreshing approach and confidence.

Here's to more women breaking out of societal stereotypes and creating their own definitions of 'happy.'

(Source: Vagabomb)

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