Rajiv Thakur, the actor best known for The Great Indian Kapil Show, is currently the flavour of the month for his OTT web series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. A shy boy and a shy girl entered into an arranged marriage in which the boy had no questions to ask his to-be-wife. There was a six-month gap between their engagement and marriage, during which they neither met (except for a date at a juice center organised by the boy’s best friend) nor spoke on the phone.
Q: Who initiated the talks for the arranged marriage?
A: Aarti had an aunt who knew my mother, and both of them had met at a satsang. So, this relationship happened by the will of God. I instantly said yes. Before that, we were swinging from yes to no because of relatives.
Q: When did you meet her for the first time?
A: At Aarti’s house. I was accompanied by my friend’s parents.
Q: What was your initial reaction when you saw Aarti?
A: I had never been involved with a girl before meeting Aarti. I told myself, “Wow, this beautiful girl is going to be my wife.”
Q: What was the conversation you had with her?
A: I did not ask her anything, but since I used to do theatre, her relatives assumed that I taught dance . They were not well-versed in drama and theatre. But she very respectfully asked me, “Are you a choreographer?” I said, “No, I’m an artist. I do theatre, and I’m a writer-director.” She was probably impressed by my many talents, so she gave her assent too.
Q: Did you get engaged immediately?
A: Yes, we got engaged within a month because the talks had been going on for a long time.
Q: What are the qualities that made you fall in love with her?
A: She was very beautiful and caring. Also, a girl who had never cooked at home came to my house and learned to cook—and did it so well. She had very good family values.
Q: Did you call each other regularly?
A: There was no talk between engagement and marriage. We are both shy; neither did I call nor did she. Her mom and my mom kept asking us, “Why are you not calling each other?” I said, “We both are very happy, and besides, she was in Delhi.”
Q: What were the positive changes that came in you or her after marriage?
A: The biggest change that came after marriage was that I began living the dream of becoming an actor. I had done theatre in college, but I had a shop, so there was no hope of coming to Mumbai. But when she came into my life, suddenly there were auditions for Laughter Challenge, which never happened in our city. And I was selected. Once we came to Mumbai, everything started falling into place. I started getting work regularly.
Q: How has the relationship changed from the time you were engaged to being husband and wife?
A: She has become more beautiful, and I more handsome. We have started caring more for each other.
Q: Who is the more possessive one between the two?
A: My wife. She doesn’t let me go anywhere, but that doesn’t bother me. The good thing is she never calls and disturbs me when I am working.
Q: Who is short-tempered and funnier between the two?
A: I am the short-tempered one and also the funnier one, because the latter is my business.
Q: There is a saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
A: Aarti makes awesome chana, rajma, and paneer when she is in the mood to cook. If the house help cooks, my family requests her to take over.
Love for me is: Love is family, and where there is love, there is happiness and prosperity. Love is the most important thing in life.
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