Netflixs most recent reality dating show, IRL: In Real Love, debuted this week. The shows creators are attempting to bridge the gap between online dating and real-life dating for a generation that has grown up trying to figure out how to find love. We are told that love has become more complicated since the introduction of online dating, but this is far from the truth. Marriage and love have always been difficult. For a large portion of society until a few decades ago, marrying the person you love was nothing less than a struggle. In most relationships, the ultimate imprint from ones parents would be a deal breaker. Our general public has acknowledged the idea of organized relationships for ages. In the central scene of Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore-starrer Griha Pravesh, chief Basu Bhattacharya attempts to zero in on the silver lining of such relationships. We are informed that one can find love after marriage in these arranged marriages. Unlike other unions, love may fail to last because it cannot be the only thing holding a relationship together.Survival of the Marriage.It was a story of one such couple, Amar and Mansi, who have settled into a routine in their everyday lives, is told in Griha Pravesh. Since the day they got married, they have been pinching pennies to purchase a home. Amar didnt even go on a honeymoon because he thought it would be a “fazool kharcha” (wasted expense). As a result, Amar is seduced by Sapna (Sarika) when he meets her at work and sees a woman who is unafraid to take risks. His day is made exciting by the simple act of trying tea for the first time with her. He says, “Tum sab kuch kar sakti ho, tum akele picture dekhne bhi chali jati ho” when he finds out that Sapna watches movies on her own: “You can do anything, you can even watch movies on your own.” It shows even more clearly that Amar has never broken the rules, and the thought of being with Sapna is enough to get him going in the morning.In contrast to many other storytellers, Basu Bhattacharya was aware that stories do not end when a couple gets married. The plot begins here. After Anubhav and Avishkar, Griha Pravesh is the third book in his trilogy about relationships. Basu never pretended that marriages are perfect in this film like in the other two, but he insists that the promise of this relationship is much greater than the small temptations that one might encounter.In the second half, Amar and Mansi go out for what appears to be a date night. Shes happy because they havent been together in years, but hes nervous because this is his chance to say he wants out. Mansi cant stop thinking about the dream home they could buy as they take a nice romantic walk on Marine Drive, but Amar is trying to choose the right words to end their marriage. He announces his decision late at night while they are both asleep, and she immediately admits she does not love him. It is intriguing to take note that we only see them battle once she requests to see his better half.Amar and Mansi have an eight-year-old son. When the parents are separated, the characters and the filmmaker choose, for some reason, to ignore the childs existence. Amar never mentions his son in his numerous conversations with Sapna when discussing their separation. Mansi, too, refrains from discussing her sons fathers death in the event of a divorce. We never hear from Babla again after Basu hides her with a comic book in a different room. There is no such thing as the kid in their emotional cycle, which makes you wonder whether the dad was a truant from the start and whether the separation wouldnt affect his life.Basu Bhattacharya depicts Amar in two worlds: he drinks tea with Sapna in a beautiful restaurant and lives in a house almost decrepit with Mansi. He is unaware that he is moving between these two worlds, but when he realizes that he has strayed from the norm, he experiences a rude awakening.Basu emphasizes throughout his trilogy that there is no compelling reason for two people to remain married. It wont appear coherent to anybody, and, surprisingly, the couple cant make sense of why they let go of the enticements and open doors they get to select each other, yet that is precisely what they do.
