Love in the Times of Red Carpet

Freida Pinto is living in montages. It is that magical time of her life. Everything is a heady blur, moments rushing past her one after another even before she’s been able to grasp them. Instant fame has that effect. It just sweeps you off your feet.

I read something about her being engaged or married in some newspapers and also read her and apparently her fiancé, Rohan Antao’s response featured in Mumbai Mirror dated 18th February 2009. According to the daily, Rohan is not even aware that he’s been dumped. “I don’t know what to say, if I’m engaged to her (Freida), dating her or even if I know her,” was his bewildered reaction. Whereas Freida SLUMDOG Pinto seems to have no recollection of any past involvements, if there were any. She says, “At the moment, my profession dominates my life. Do you have proof (of the engagement)? Nobody has a right to spoil my happiness.” Certainly not! Although I don’t see how being in love, engaged or married can spoil anyone’s happiness?

Perhaps she has decided to move on. And perhaps, it was not as much of a happy decision as we might want to believe. In such situations the tendency is always to lay the blame on the one who’s more successful – which might not always be true. Who knows, maybe Freida brushed aside all queries about Rohan Antao more to avoid pain rather than cause it. I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. There are umpteen examples in the film industry when relationships have succumbed to the pressure of changing equations, especially whenever the power centre has shifted in favour of the woman. Deepika Padukone-Nihar Pandya, Aishwarya Rai-Vivek Oberoi, Priyanka Chopra-Hurman Baweja, Kajol-Kartik…all these girls moved on for better prospects – men, money or movies.

Is that such a bad thing? I don’t know, it’s too complicated to generalise. It’s a hodgepodge situation, really. Two completely contrasting sentiments come into play, mostly at cross purposes. Suddenly your girlfriend/ fiancée/ wife is a star! She’s all over the place, on television, in the papers, on the covers of magazines, wanted, loved, admired and adulated by hundreds - it could be disconcerting even for a stronger man and completely debilitating for the weaker, especially if he is neither rich, nor successful nor famous. Suddenly, for no fault of his, he becomes the loser…and the monster starts turning on his belly. The girlfriend, on the other hand, is wide-eyed, happy, ecstatic, heady…enraptured…looking expectantly towards the opened gates of heaven…everything else pales in comparison to the dazzling sounds and lights coming from there…everything…including people she might have loved…

Many such love stories have disappeared without a trace, engulfed by the overwhelming voluptuousness of showbiz. Love should conquer all but it has become a fat, lazy and apathetic zombie since it was demoted. Too obese to fight smart opponents like ambition, acquisition and adulation. Of late, love prefers retreat to hard work.