Meet the parent
Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest arm candy, Erin Heatherton, was just introduced to Mrs DiCaprio, a privilege Leo’s earlier girlfriends — including supermodels like Giselle Bundchen and Bar Refaeli — never had. It marks a significant change, not only in Leo’s life, but also towards the way we perceive such milestones in the times of online dating and social networking. When it comes to finding out how serious a man is about a relationship, “meeting momma” is still the standard to judge things with. We spoke to some funny men to understand just why big mommas play…well, such a big role.
For stand-up comedian Tanmay Bhat, it’s about putting across one simple message: “I guess it’s a guy’s way of saying, ‘This woman nags me enough, now you please don’t start’.”
While Bhat is still happily unmarried, Sorabh Pant isn’t. Unmarried, that is. The comedian-turned-author introduced his now-wife to his mother, and thought the introduction wasn’t a big deal at all. “In fact, she was my wingman, who helped me sneak out!” he says.
Sorabh believes it is the ultimate stage before you take the big leap, simply because it is unavoidable and given the sentimental quotient of Indian moms, best kept that way. “Indian moms tend to get extra-emotional when it comes to their son’s marriage, and that shows in their speech. They go off on an emotional rant, bringing up stories about your bed-wetting days — something you wouldn’t want to share with anybody other than the one you’re marrying!” he adds on a rather ironic note.
Ashish Shakya couldn’t agree more. The comic artist and columnist believes there is no way of escaping the mothers or as he puts it, “CBI on steroids”. “Indian moms are like the CBI — they interrogate you about where you’re going, with whom you’re going, and a million other things. And when you have a girlfriend, it multiplies — as if they’re on steroids,” he says, adding, “I can’t subject all my girlfriends to that and so it’s best saved for the one I marry.”
Why is it only the mothers who need to be introduced to the girl though? Sorabh says it’s because fathers don’t always paint the best picture. “Most Indian dads, on a holiday, would sit in their ganjis, sipping endless cups of tea — not the best time for your girlfriend to say like father like son,” he chuckles.
For Papa CJ, however, it was a different story. While introducing his girlfriend to his mother was a smooth ride, the reverse didn’t exactly go as planned for this stand-up comic. “They say a girl grows up to be exactly like her mother. So I met my girl’s mom before deciding on whether to propose to her or not. Two years down the line, my marriage is in trouble because I can’t get over my attraction to my mom-in-law,” he says.
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