"Love, but Make It Complicated"
Image Source: Masala Bollywood
I had always admired the DeepVeer couple. For those who don’t know, “DeepVeer” is the popular hashtag for Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. The little girl in me felt genuinely happy seeing Deepika finally smiling and looking at peace after her much-talked-about breakup with Ranbir Kapoor.
Recently, they appeared on the famous Bollywood talk show Koffee with Karan. They looked fab, and I found myself elated watching them together. But what was meant to be a sweet, lovey-dovey episode soon turned controversial. Deepika revealed that they were in an open relationship before marriage - a confession that shocked many viewers.
Now, the episode aired two years ago. So why am I talking about it today?
Because I am a big Bollywood fan girl. If Bollywood taught me anything, it’s that love is fairy-tale, dramatic, and sometimes… complicated. I grew up watching grand romances like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Veer-Zaara, and Jab We Met - stories where love is forever, pure, and usually monogamous. But real life? Not always so neatly scripted.
Lately, I’ve noticed conversations around open relationships becoming more common. At first, it feels WEIRD…almost the opposite of the love many of us grew up believing in. The idea of sharing your partner or exploring connections outside a relationship can feel shocking when compared to Raj-and-Simran-level romance. I often wonder how people handle this!
Image Source: Pinterest
And then comes the most human emotion of all: jealousy. Isn’t a little jealousy part of what makes love feel alive? Love is SACRED. It gives you a sense of belonging and the comfort of knowing you are someone’s chosen person. Every relationship has complications, but where do we draw the line between exploring love freely and justifying betrayal?
To me, love without loyalty is freedom with no foundation. Marriage is precious -something meant to be protected. Yes, attraction is human; we notice beauty and admire people. But when committed partners start emotionally investing elsewhere, it stops feeling harmless and starts feeling like infidelity.
Statements like, “It’s not like I’m going to act on it,” or “Physically I’m here, but mentally I’m committed,” or “It’s just harmless attention,” can sometimes sound less like honesty and more like excuses to justify lusting after other people.
Maybe modern love is evolving. Maybe relationships are being redefined. But for me, love has always meant loyalty - not restriction, but reassurance. Not possession, but choosing each other, again and again.
Oh my gosh i loved reading this! I remember being just shocked and gasping at the tv with my friends when she announced this! Especially a Bollywood couple, were we envision this traditional all consuming love. Personally my idea of love has always been monogamy - that person is your whole world and you are loyal to them and only them. I guess I am a little old fashioned though because now some people do say that love is freedom, and some of the longest lasting marriages are open ones. Very interesting topic to think about.
I feel weirded still about it. I may be too old school for open relationships. But it works out for other couples kudos to them.