Darshana Banik and Saurav Das on discovering the many shades of love post their marriage

Darshana: I really didn’t realise how fast time flew. We didn’t have a long courtship and it was only after marriage that we started understanding and discovering each other’s habits. This has been a beautiful journey of friendship and discovery, spending time with each other, holidaying, and watching shows together.

Saurav: It has been magical to say the least. I had no idea that married life could be so beautiful. This is the best thing that can happen to a person’s life and I want it to stay like that. It’s no bed of roses and involves responsibility but the two years have been dreamy and let’s see what’s in store.

Darshana: I think we both have become more responsible.

Saurav: No, it isn’t the same. The language of love changes and responsibility and pampering become important besides how much time you are devoting to each other. We are all hustling and busy prioritising work. We have to balance that and how one does that is crucial.

Darshana: Saurav is very clean and takes all responsibilities of running a home since he has stayed independent for many years, which I never did. He can manage everything single-handedly. The only bad thing about him, if I put it that way, is that when he does something, be it work or even playing cricket, he gets so engrossed and involved in it that the other person might feel left out.

Saurav: Initially, I thought Darshana was always like the happy-go-lucky person that she is, but eventually I realised that she too is a human and has her fair share of sadness and depression, to which I was not exposed during courtship. Now I understand and appreciate it and ensure we don’t go into a negative zone during our lows. I have learnt that she can also have a bad day and she needs to discuss that and I lend my patient ears. I don’t think she has any bad habits except that she is very particular about keeping things in place, which I, at times, forget to do. Also, she overthinks.

Darshana: We worked in 2015 for three days on a small project before we did Olpo Holeo Sotti, but we hardly talked then. After Olpo Holeo Sotti, we kept bumping into each other at various occasions and then started keeping in touch on social media, which gradually led to us seeing each other.

Saurav: We recently shot for Debaloy Bhattacharya’s next film, Gorkir Maa. Our only criterion is that the director should not choose us because we can be a good package deal but because the script and the story demand us. That’s precisely the reason why we do not suggest each other for any projects.

Darshana: Yes, the script and character matter the most before we say yes to a project together.

Darshana: I love passionate love stories. There may be separation in the story or a tragic ending or a happy ending with a gala wedding, but it has to be a really nice one. I love Imtiaz Ali’s love stories and the dreamy Aditya Chopra films or the raw love stories, basically any love story with honesty.

Saurav: I love films like Ishaqzaade and would love to do films like that. I don’t like mushy love films. Though many perceive Montu Pilot as violent content, I feel it’s a love story where romance starts from a point where there should have been no love in the first place. I love such love stories that are full of challenges and obstacles. I like Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films on love.

Darshana: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Titanic, Roman Holiday, and Pretty Woman. I love classic old school love stories where the ending doesn’t matter but love brews slowly and steadily.

Darshana: Anurag Basu, Imtiaz Ali, and Mani Ratnam. In Bengali, I love Rituparno Ghosh.

Darshana: Love is friendship, support, and trust. And communication is key to a healthy relationship.

Saurav: Love is choosing to care and act with respect.

Darshana: Holiday somewhere exotic and nice, a beach during full moon night, with the sound of the sea, nice weather, cool breeze, Japanese food, with light romantic music in the background. We were supposed to do this in Bali, but it was raining heavily there. I want to do it at some point in life.

Saurav: For me, it’s spending our time together at home or a quiet dinner in open terrace at one of our favourite diners in Salt Lake.

Darshana: Loyalty is consistency for me. I cannot come to terms with cheating, be it mental or physical. Maybe with time, I can forgive but I will never forget.

Saurav: The definition of loyalty and fidelity is both physical and mental for me.

Darshana: I have never tried them. I am a bit old school.

Saurav: I too have never tried them. I found love organically and never needed that, and never downloaded any of those apps even when I was single. I am against dating apps for sure.

Darshana: When I have a heartbreak, I disconnect immediately after clarifying misunderstandings. I don’t believe in mud-slinging and prefer to stay alone for a couple of days to deal with feelings and accept the truth before I get busy with work. I believe one should go for holidays, meet friends and pamper oneself and exercise well. You should channelise the frustrations positively and it definitely gets better with time.

Saurav: It takes a lot of time for me to get over a heartbreak and I do give myself a lot of time. I don’t believe in rebound.

Darshana: There are no plans. We might be working, but we can go for a short trip to the mountains on the weekend if we work on that day. Or we might go out for a quiet dinner and a movie night.

Darshana: There’s Anshuman Pratyush’s new film, a Hindi film called Aryabhatt Ka Zero, a Bhojpuri film, Debaloy Bhattacharya’s Gorkir Maa and Abhirup Ghosh’s next with Abir Chatterjee, Priyanka Sarkar and Bibriti Chatterjee. I will also be seen in a different role in a film called Care of Journey with Bonny Sengupta.

Saurav: I have been very choosy of late and there’s only Gorkir Maa and Montu Pilot Season 3. Besides, I am all set to realise my childhood dream of forming a music band. I have just joined hands with EPR Iyer and another friend and we just shot our first song, Valkyrie’s video. The single will be released this Valentine’s Day and I am thrilled about this new musical journey, too.