Two strangers with a lot of baggage met at a common friend's party. They chatted, they flirted and they hit it off! What commenced as a mere attraction at first sight, ended as a commitment for a lifetime. This is what actors, Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi's love story would sound in brief. Against all odds and friction from the family, these two were successful in establishing a beautiful relationship.
Be it buying a dress worth Rs. 550 or a big house in Mumbai, Archana and Parmeet have had a wonderful journey so far in doing every big or small thing in life together. And, we thought of bringing to you their beautiful journey so far. So, here we go.
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When Archana and Parmeet were first introduced, the former was on a rebound. It is usually perceived that relationships that develop under tense circumstances never blossom. Well, we think that these two were born to defy the clichés.
Explaining what made him fall in love with Archana, Parmeet once mentioned:
“For me, it was attraction at first sight. Archana bowled me over with her beauty and grace. It was Archana's truthful nature and complete transparency of thought that attracted me.”
Archana, on the other hand, was fascinated by Parmeet's curious character. She puts it like this:
“It was his contradictory nature of being soft and rude at the same time that attracted me towards him. I remember the first time that I met him at a party, I was reading a magazine and he just pulled it from my hand for showing it to someone else without even an 'excuse me', which for me was really crude. But, he instantly turned with a 'sorry,' leaving me intrigued at the same time.”
These two hit it off instantly and started dating on a regular basis after this party.
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Archana had a failed marriage before she met Parmeet. At that time, she had made up her mind that she was done with men, and would enter into matrimony again. For her, the male world was insensitive and domineering. But once she met Parmeet, her outlook towards men changed completely. Discussing the same, she said in one of her interviews:
“After my previous failed marriage, I never wanted to have another man in my life. But with Parmeet, I realised that men can be gentle, loving and sensitive, and not all of them are violent and possessive. Parmeet is an absolute antithesis of a male chauvinist.”
The couple was in a live-in relationship for a long time before they tied the knot. It was not easy for them as there was a lot of criticism that the two had to face from the public as well as their private circle. However, it is their understanding that helped them withstand everything. Recalling this time, Archana said in an interview:
“While living together, the press wrote about our lifestyle, but that least affected our relationship. What really hurt was the antagonistic approach his parents had towards our relationship and towards me. I'm glad Parmeet stood by me and never made me feel insecure. And after all these years, I have become even closer to my in-laws, especially towards his mom.”
And, talking about their life after marriage, Parmeet once said:
“We don’t say ‘I love you’ every time. Now, it’s more about understanding each other without even uttering a word. When you have kids growing up, the idea of romance goes through a sea change and it’s very peaceful.”
Apart from the family issues, there was a huge difference in their career graphs as well. This usually becomes a deal-breaker, but these two handled it very well. Parmeet talked in an interview about what their personal approach was in handling this issue, and said:
“Though Archana had already established as a star, I was never jealous of her achievements. Neither did we ever have our respective egos ruining our relationship. We are just two individuals returning home after our day's work. We give each other our space and don't interfere with each other's work.”
Adding to this, Archana said:
“Ours is certainly not the Abhimaan case. He was always proud of my achievements, as at that time, I was already well-known, while he was still struggling to make his mark. At times, he kept aloof when he lost out on his roles, but then successfully took it in his stride and worked hard. Actually, his strength lies in his dedicated attitude. He works diligently and never chooses to be my competitor.”
Archana and Parmeet were in a live-in relationship for around four years before they tied the knot on June 30, 1992. For them, marriage is just a tag that society has created and has nothing to do with the depth of a relationship. They married after four years and did not make the big announcement because it was not really a big step for them. For them, they were just two people who were happy in their own space. According to Parmeet:
“Every relation begins with friendship, and friendship starts with trust. The moment one partner jeopardises this element of trust and honesty, a rift is created. We were in a live-in relation for four years, and later when we married we did not announce our marriage for another four years because it didn't really matter to us. Marriage is a label given to a relation. It is in fact love, which shows that henceforth, two people exclusively belong to each other. We both stood by each other when we decided to live-in. Maybe we wouldn't have married, but to give our children an identity, we thought of tying the knot. However, we still remain the best of friends even today.”
Archana shares the same view and says:
“Even after 15 years of togetherness, we are lovers and not a couple. The marriage didn't alter our relationship. We still fight like friends and makeup immediately. And best of all, we don't sulk or keep grudges. For us, marriage is just a tag. A piece of paper cannot change the nature of a relationship.”
After several years of marriage, you either learn to accept the flaws in your partner or you try your best to change them, making the relationship a burden. Archana and Parmeet have a very practical approach towards it where he annoys her to keep the spark alive, and she lets him do that. Explaining this, Parmeet says:
“It's great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. She looks stunning when she is angry, especially when there is a tussle on petty matters, like 'why don't you keep the towel in the right place,' or 'your hair is all over the sink,' or 'your clothes are lying all over the bed. We have never had a major fight so far since all the important decisions have been taken together.”
And, Archana has a very wise opinion about this:
“He just loves to keep his huge shoes in the living room, and then he simply forgets about it. When I was pregnant I used to tell him to keep them aside else I would trip, and yet he would forget. I guess there's this one thing that I understood after all these petty issues, is never to change your man. If you try to change the other, it creates a burden on the relation, making the entire relation futile. In fact, it's only when you change your expectations rather than changing your partner that life becomes far easier.”
Besides this, Parmeet and Archana have also accepted the dissimilarities that the two have. Explaining this Archana said in one of her interviews:
“The beauty of our relationship is that within our similarities, lie our disparities. We both are foodies, though he is a meat-eater and I am a staunch vegetarian. We love movies. I like HBO and he prefers Star Movies. We love long drives, and although he loves fast drives, I am fond of long scenic drives. Yet we adjust and compromise on the other's preferences.”
Did you know that Parmeet is seven years younger than Archana? Yes, it is true and there are other celebs as well with such an age difference! Just check out Bollywood Celebs Who Are Younger Than Their Wives
When you are together, you do not just grow old together, but you learn together as well. Being in a committed relationship teaches you a lot. We pick up a lot of things from our partner, deliberately or otherwise. These two have had a wonderful journey as far as this learning process is concerned. Parmeet explains this by saying:
“With Archana, I learnt to look at life the way it is, with no pretences. For her, a spade is a spade. She taught me that life is all about choices. It's your choices that affect the world around you and it did. When we were in a live-in relation, my family was dead against it, and as I now reflect, I agree that my choice to stand by her was right.”
And, children contribute largely to this process. Yes, the couple is blessed with two sons, Aaryamann and Ayushmaan. Asserting how kids helped them grow their bond even stonger, Archana says:
“Being a mother changed my entire existence, my entire being. Suddenly your focus is that little thing in your life, your life's greatest joy.”
Parmeet also excitedly and happily shares how their life changed after achieving parenthood, as he says:
“Aaryamann and Ayushmaan are Archana's top priority and I am the neglected one. But, they are the link, which makes my relationship with her solid.”
After years of marriage, you get to know about each aspect of your partner. Their vulnerability and solidity are well-exposed to you. And, the story of this lovely couple is no different, as they know each other inside out. Talking about her darling husband’s strengths and weaknesses, Archana says:
“His strengths lie in his strong middle-class values, his willpower, loving and gentle nature, and his non-judgemental and non-aggressive attitude. His weaknesses are his stubbornness, even when he is wrong, his lack of communication and expression of feeling. I love to talk and express each emotion- anger, pain, joy, but Parmeet just lets his emotions float and keeps them all bundled up.”
And talking about Archana’s strengths and weaknesses, Parmeet says:
“She's perfect in everything she does! But, her strengths lie in her ability to adapt herself in any situation, her balancing act between the house, the children, her work and her never-say-die attitude. Her weaknesses are her short-temper and her spic and span attitude, which is actually good. But then, it's perhaps I am too messy, so I adjudge it as a weakness."
The beautiful journey of Parmeet Sethi and Archana Puran Singh is surely an inspiration for a lot of young lovers even today. And, we wish this wonderful couple a lifetime of happiness!
