Brahmāstra actress Alia Bhatt recently opened up on how she and Ranbir Kapoor lived together for a while before getting married. While most celebrities are cautious about opening up on doing things that conservative sections of society might deem scandalous, Alia was honest in discussing the benefits of live-in relationships.
What Alia Bhatt said about live-in relationships
Image credit: Instagram.com/aliaabhatt
In a conversation with Filmfare, Alia gave live-in relationships glowing reviews, saying,
“I think it’s great. You get used to each other, you get comfortable, you build so many memories without the pressure and that baggage or like ‘shaadi karni hai (we need to get married)’. To each his own.”
Alia’s example proves that there are benefits to living together
Image credit: Maddock Films, AA Films, Jio Studios
It’s really important to have this conversation about the benefits of a live-in relationship before getting married, because we have grown up in a society which only focuses on the cons of living together, not the pros. So, here are some reasons why living together and getting to know each other’s routines and lifestyles more intimately is a good idea, well before making a legal commitment to them.
You learn so much about someone’s lifestyle by living with them
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When you go on a date with someone or meet them once or twice, there is no way of knowing what they do at home for the remaining hours of the day. Do they smoke? Do they drink? What are their food habits like? Are they neat? How much do they spend on a weekly basis? Do they pay their bills on time?
A person can be dishonest about disclosing a lot of information, but when you live with them for a year or so, the truth comes out.
Do they help with chores and housework? Only living with them will tell
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Whether you’re a man or woman, nobody today wants a partner who doesn’t share the load of household work. A potential partner can claim to be the type to help around the house, but not actually do it in practice. A live-in relationship really reveals if they actually do the dishes, load the washing machine, or cook.
Even if neither of you are inclined towards doing chores yourself, you get to know if you’re on the same page about splitting expenses, hiring domestic staff, and overseeing the maintenance of your home.
The taboo against physical intimacy also needs to be re-examined
Image credit: Instagram.com/aliaabhatt, photo: The House On The Clouds
There is this old wives’ tale about how women should not be in live-in relationships before marriage, because once a man is physically intimate with you, he won’t want you anymore. We’d beg to differ; if this is the case, isn’t it better to break up with a man who has such fickle, shallow interests?
Image credit: Maddock Films, Eros International, Illuminati Films
Not only that, but it’s also important to be in sync in terms of one’s physical needs. Living together gives you an idea about what your sex life will look like in the long run. A two-day weekend staycation cannot be an accurate representation of that.
Living together is actually a great way to test the waters without the pressure of a binding legal agreement. If two people really want to be together, marriage can always happen afterwards. Till then, being practical and knowing what you’re getting into, makes a lot of sense. Perhaps Alia and Ranbir’s example will show a lot of other couples that this system needs to be normalised!
Lead image credit: Instagram.com/aliaabhatt
