Rajeev Khandelwal says he finds happiness in being 'slave' of wife, says no space for ego between them

MUMBAI: Actor and host Rajeev Khandelwal offered a heartfelt glimpse into his marriage with wife Manjiri, revealing that he happily embraces "slavery" in love for her by doing little things that bring her joy.

Stressing that love should always be placed superior to ego, Rajeev also shared how the couple navigates disagreements and why he never believes in wasting time holding grudges.

During an interaction with contestants on Tum Ho Naa, Ghar Ki Superstar, one contestant asked him, "Ki aap Manjiri se darte hain ya nahi darte?" (Are you scared of Manjiri or not?)

Rajeev replied, "Main Manjiri se, nahi, matlab aisa nahi darta hoon ki khauf mein jeeta hoon. Main pyaar karta hoon. Pyaar karte hain, unse darte bhi hain." (I'm not scared of Manjiri in the sense that I live in fear. I love her. And when you love someone, you also have a certain fear of them)

The contestant then asked, "Toh aap kya-kya karte hain Manjiri ma'am ke liye, yeh bataiye." (So tell us, what all do you do for Manjiri ma'am?)

Responding with his trademark humour, Rajeev said, "Aap in short yeh kehna chahti hain ki main kaise gulami karta hoon. Meri gulami shuru hoti hai unki ek cup chai se. Uske baad agar woh ghar pe hain toh unka nashta main unke liye banata hoon. Lunch woh tay karti hain ki kya khaana khayenge hum log. Uske baad shaam ki chai, unko chai peena achha lagta hai, mere haath ki bahut pasand hai. Shaam ko unke liye chai banata hoon. Uske baad woh bed pe baithti hain aur bolti hain, 'Yeh leke aa mere liye, ab mera mann kar raha hai, makhane leke aa. Tujhe maloom nahi pad raha time kya hua hai mera? 5:30 baje ya 6:00 baje hum saath mein hote hain kahin par bhai, toh aise karna hota hai. Tujhe pata hai woh mere munching ka time hai.'" (In short, you're asking how I practise 'slavery' in love. My 'slavery' begins with making her a cup of tea. If she's at home, I make breakfast for her. She decides what we're going to have for lunch. Then comes the evening tea, she loves tea, especially the one I make, so I make that for her too. After that, she'll be sitting on the bed and say, 'Go get this for me… I'm craving some makhanas. Can't you tell what time it is? Around 5:30 or 6:00, wherever we are together, this is what has to happen. You know it's my snacking time.')

Reflecting on why he enjoys doing these little things for the woman he loves, Rajeev further shared, "Maine ek cheez yeh sikhi hai, jitna give in karte jaaoge na, utna woh suck in karte jaayenge. Jab aap ek system bana lete ho, uske baad jab woh yeh karti hai aur main nahi deta hoon, toh bolti hai, 'Rajeev, bhool gaya tu?' Maine bola, 'Nahi nahi, main leke aata hoon.' Toh ji haan, itni si gulami karta hoon main. Baaki toh woh bahut pyaari hai. I think jab pyaar milta hai aapko, toh woh pyaar lautane ka mann karta hai. Hum gulam nahi hain, par woh gulami karne mein maza jo aata hai, jo sukoon milta hai, khushi milti hai. Duniya mein ek hi insaan ki ghulami karne mein yeh feeling hogi, inko mujhe woh hai Manjiri."

(I have learned one thing, the more you give in, the more they'll pull you in. Once you create a routine and one day you don't do it, she'll say, 'Rajeev, did you forget?' And I'll say, 'No, no, I'll get it.' So yes, that's the little bit of 'slavery' I do. Otherwise, she's a wonderful person. I think when you receive love, you naturally want to give that love back. We're not really slaves, but there's a certain joy, peace and happiness in this 'slavery' done out of love. If there's one person in this world for whom I would happily embrace this feeling of 'slavery,' it's Manjiri)

The conversation then shifted to how the couple handles disagreements, with another contestant asking, "Aapke ghar mein jab tu-tu-main-main hoti hai toh kaun kisko manata hai?" (When there's a disagreement at your home, who usually makes the first move to patch things up?)

Rajeev answered, "Toh humare mein jab tu-tu-main-main hoti hai tab dono ke dono chup ho jate hai pehle, dono wait kar rahe hote hai kon shuru karega woh yaha se aake dekhti hai mai waha se aake dekhta hoon phir hum chup hojate hai, phir i think kabhi-kabhi baarabar ka maamla hota hai, jab usko pata hai waqai woh galat hai, woh aake chup kara deti hai, chal side mein hoja main kar deti hoon, baith ke haath pakad liya."

(So, whenever we have a little argument, both of us go completely quiet at first. We're both waiting to see who'll make the first move. She looks at me from over there, and I look at her from over here, but neither of us says anything. I think it's pretty equal between us. Sometimes, when she knows she's genuinely in the wrong, she'll come over, quietly tell me to move aside, say, 'Come on, I'll handle it,' and then she'll sit beside me and hold my hand)

The contestant further teased him, asking, "Koi gift-vift ka mamlaa nahi?" (So, no exchanging gifts to make up?)

To this, Rajeev replied, "Thankfully, waha jaata nahi hai maamla; bas yeh jaaroor hota hai ki jab mujhe mananna hota hai toh main yeh sochta hu ki actually main, yeh adha ghanta hogaya humne baat nahi ki, zindagi ka time toh nikalta ja raha hai, 1 ghanta, 2 ghanta tuje iske sath mein rehna hai ya nahi rehna? Mujhe rehna hai iske sath mein, acha lagta hai sath mein rehna? Bohot accha lagta hai sath mein rehna aur mujhe lagta hai main woh samay na barbaad karu, jaake paata lena wapas usko, usmein apni ego kah beech mein laa ki zarurat hai. Toh main aise karke fatafat."

(Thankfully, it never gets to that. What usually happens is that when it's my turn to make peace, I think to myself, 'We've already gone half an hour without talking. Life keeps moving on. An hour, two hours... Do you want to spend your life with this person or not?' I do want to spend my life with her. I genuinely love being with her. So I feel there's no point wasting that precious time. I'd rather just go to her, make up, and win her back. There's no need to let my ego come in the way. So I just do it right away.

For the same, Rajeev Khandelwal and Manjiri Kamtikar dated privately for around two years before tying the knot on February 7, 2011, in an intimate Arya Samaj ceremony at Khimsar Fort near Jodhpur. It was a very intimate ceremony attended only by close family and friends.