Crazy, stupid, love

Amit Ranjan, model

I love the drama that comes with romance. Love at its most intense is an intoxicating emotion, making us do crazy things without actually realising how crazy they are at that moment. I remember this one Valentine’s Day when my girlfriend and I had actually had a big fight and she was flying out somewhere on that day itself. She had checked in at the airport and what happened next was exactly like it happens in the movies — I convinced the security to let me in, made my way straight to her and finally managed to pacify her. I guess when you’re in love, you’ll do whatever it takes to keep things together with your loved one!

Shamin Mannan, actress I once surprised my Valentine in one of the craziest and wildest ways possible. I blindfolded him and took him to the airport without giving him a hint of what’s going to happen, and when I actually opened his blindfold, his face was filled with shock, happiness, confusion, excitement and anxiousness. Then I took him off to Goa, which (the destination) he didn’t even know until we landed there. It was super fun. My crazy day didn’t end there. After all those surprises he turned the table on me with a scuba diving session.

Tanuj Virwani, actor When I was in college, I really liked this girl who liked me as well but I was waiting for a nice opportunity to ask her out. But instead of taking her somewhere outside, I decided to entertain her with a specially crafted ‘wine and dine’ experience at one of my friend’s terrace. I handpicked everything from the menu to the things to decorate it with and got everything ready, even cooked food for her, decorated the terrace with balloons, bought wine, etc.—you name it and I went all out there. So after preparing everything, I went to pick her up and when I reached there with her I see that the terrace was empty. I went into a state of shock and disbelief until the moment I saw that my Valentine had gotten down on one knee and asked me out instead! She took me downstairs where she had arranged a surprise party for me! Oh man, it was the sweetest thing ever!

Samir Kochhar, actor While Radhika and I find Valentine’s Day extremely overrated, we do have some lovely memorable moments that have been special. On one occasion, I had flown down from Delhi just to fill the house with lilies and surprise her. I believe to celebrate love, those small moments, handmade somethings and even holding hands make it so special!

Manjeet Ral, musician Ours was a typical high school and old school romance. Nindy (Kaur, who he is married to for more a decade) came to watch me perform at one of my most landmark shows in my heydays and somehow we got chatting and exchanged e-mails. It was her very first concert and I think she brought a lot of good luck along. I think we wrote to each other every single day thereafter but we couldn’t meet or chat over the phone. Our connect was music and that’s what got us together and has kept us together till date. The craziest thing I’ve done for love is actually the ballsy proposal. On the eve of Valentine’s Day, I “stole” my organisers’ rental car and drove 13 hours from the outskirts to the city after a crazy show in London, stopping only for gas. I left without a word at 3 a.m., after emailing a lengthy note to my manager that I wouldn’t be accompanying the band to the next gig that week because I just had to leave to conquer a big milestone. Around 6 a.m., the “where the hell are you!” texts and calls came rolling in, but I turned off my phone. In the aftermath of all this, my manager had to make up a fake trip to the rental car company to explain the miles, as one of the conditions of the rental was that it was to be used only in-state. It was 14th of February and I knew she was the one and I had to go down on my knee and pop the big question but I was nervous like a wreck. We decided to meet by the lake and mind you, this was our second meeting in person so the mushiness was hard to ignore. I blindfolded her from behind and waltzed with her as I hummed “Lady In Red”. I was about to get intimate and the perfect M&B moment went for a toss when I got hauled up by an elderly conservative gentleman. Nindy went all red in the face and officially introduced me to her father. We all drove back in pin drop silence to her pad and a five-hour marathon Q&A session ensued with more than 10 family members. So, it finally ended up like a big fat Punjabi affair that night as we exchanged rings but we did manage to pop the champagne bottle and share that under the stars and kiss on the rooftop. Everytime we celebrate our wedding anniversary, Nindy wonders how she agreed to marry me so quick. Love can make us crazy, do ridiculous things, but I regret none of it.