Wanted: Married men!

Wanted: Married men!. Remember Woody Allen’s Match Point where single woman (Scarlett Johansson) is pursued relentlessly by a married man and later dumped, even killed, when she coaxes him to be with her, baring the thin line between love and lust!

The single woman-married man trajectory has been explored on reel and in real life, like a sexy Barbara Mori playing the third angle in the Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan and Susanne Roshan love story or Sushmita Sen falling for Vikram Bhatt, now her ex.

Actress Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar’s love story too started when the lyricist was married to another, as it did for Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, and Sarika and ex-husband Kamal Hassan, besides Hollywood sweethearts Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. A married man confesses, “Why is it that when we are taken, we get a lot more attention from single women than ever before?” Stand-up comedian and actor Vir Das explains, “Women view men as projects. In the case of married men, half the work has been done and single women can reap the benefits.”

Is it also about the forbidden fruit being sweeter? Says actress Pooja Bedi, “It’s the excitement of the chase. A married man doesn’t require any hand-holding. But it could be disastrous for both the people involved.”

Agrees psychologist Varsha Pathak, “A married man can provide a secure environment. He knows the entire mathematics of settling down.”

Reema (name changed), who’s dating a married man shares, “Single guys expect too much. I have a hectic work schedule... A married man is more understanding.” Adds Kakkar, “Single women prefer a happily married man so they can reap all benefits without any effort”

And it’s not only the women who seek such an alliance, it’s the married men too. Jokes adman Prahlad Kakkar, “Married men feel grateful when single women reciprocate their advances, unlike a single man who takes this attention for granted. And since he has reached a certain position in life, he can afford to be generous.”

Explains psychologist Seema Hingorrany, “Married men seek single women due to plain boredom or incompatibility in their marriage. It’s not always about sex. They may be getting no appreciation in a marriage and seek approval in clandestine flings. It happens with married women too.”

Confesses Kshitij (name changed), “I have been married for eight years and feel unloved. My wife is way too occupied with her job to even notice. My affair gives me the sanity to stay in my marriage.”

But the havoc that such relations can create is not something that can be overlooked. Boney Kapoor’s ex-wife Mona, who was still married to him when he started dating Sridevi, said about their separation, “Had I not separated from Boney, the pain would have affected my entire being and manifested itself in negativity and health problems. It was a harrowing situation. I needed time to lick my wounds, to air them and let the feelings ebb. But now, I have moved on in life.”

But does the resentment end there? Confesses Deepti (name changed), “Every time I see my husband getting friendly to a single woman, I feel threatened.” For a married woman, a single woman is someone who’s free to do her own thing.

But not all affairs start once the guy is hitched. Confesses Srishti (name changed), who is still with her ex, “I do feel bouts of jealousy when I imagine his wife and him together but at least, he still has me by his side.”

Quips Kakkar, “It’s easy to get rid of a married man... Just tell him you will tell his wife and he will be gone before you know it.” ( indiatimes.com )