Come, fall in love again!

Can a second time in love be as beautiful as the first?

Always trying to come up with out-of-the-box ideas to celebrate special days, in 2019 HT Brunch put out a cover story on February 14 titled “Second time lucky.” It featured six couples who had suffered a serious setback in their relationship before finding their “forever ever after” a second time around.

There is life after heartbreak, we hoped to convey, however dark it may seem after a relationship falls apart. On Valentine’s Day, we wanted to offer hope to the heartbroken.

The concept worked better than the story did. The singles were happy, but more than one friend who was in a second serious marriage dissed it. “Love is no different a second time around,” they said.

This confusing thought was top of my mind as I started to interview Arjun Rampal and his beautiful partner, Gabriella, for the cover story in today’s issue.

I’ve known Arjun for over two decades, so I was able to ask him questions many others may not have been able to. How was it to fall in love after a two-decades long marriage? What’s it like to be a father to young Arik Rampal, his son with Gabriella, who is now three years old? And what are the dynamics with his teenage daughters and their little family?

To be fair, both Arjun and Gabriella answered all my questions with unpractised ease. It was their first interview together, and Arjun did try to wriggle out. “You know I still believe in nazar,” he said. “I can’t be talking about these personal things.” But Gabriella’s openness prodded him onwards.

The story reveals some beautiful little anecdotes, but also tells us what we already know: that all it takes to love is acceptance and a whole lot of understanding, whether the relationship is romantic, one between father and daughter, or even one between a man and his ex.

Here’s giving full respect to the idea of falling in love again, something our society has just begun to celebrate as wholeheartedly as we should.

P.S. One question I chose not to ask Arjun and Gabriella: Now that they’ve been together four and a half years and have a son, why are they not married? They seemed so together in love that I thought it wasn’t my business to ask, or yours to know! Do you agree? Tell me by writing to me at jamal.shaikh@hindustantimes.com

Also in this issue: What does Bollywood’s most-loved former film critic Rajeev Masand watch on a long haul flight?

Chef Anahita Dhondy spells out the rules of integrity when posting plugs on social media.

And a food writer spends a few days working in the kitchen of Mumbai’s tony Masque restaurant and writes about her experiences.

“THE STORY REVEALS SOME BEAUTIFUL ANECDOTES, BUT ALSO TELLS US THAT ALL IT TAKES TO LOVE IS ACCEPTANCE AND A WHOLE LOT OF UNDERSTANDING”

This Valentine’s Day HT Brunch cover from 2019 showcased couples who successfully found love a second time, as did Arjun Rampal, with his partner Gabriella (below)