In traditional romance, the "other man" is almost always written as a homewrecker or a temporary distraction. When I set out to write The Approved Affair, I knew Girish had to be entirely different. He couldn't be a wedge driving a couple apart. Instead, he had to be a catalyst that actually brought Aarti and Aditya closer together.
Writing Girish was a unique challenge because, unlike Aditya and Aarti, I never had the chance to meet or speak with him in real life. I had to piece together his entire character, his presence, and his magnetism solely from the way Aarti and Aditya talked about him.
"He wasn't an intruder. He was an invited guest in their emotional sanctuary. Girish understood that his role wasn't to replace the husband, but to ignite a flame that warmed their entire marriage."
From Aarti's diary and our subsequent conversations, I gathered that Girish possessed a quiet, commanding confidence. He didn't need to compete with Aditya. He recognized the profound love and unbreakable bond that the couple shared, and he respected it deeply. In fact, it was Aditya who warmly referred to Girish as "their best friend." That phrase completely shattered my preconceived notions of infidelity and jealousy.
Sitting in the freezing quiet of Montreal, thousands of miles away from the intense heat of Mumbai where their story began, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what it took to be a man like Girish. It required an immense lack of ego. He had to be someone who could step into the most intimate, vulnerable space of a marriage, bring intense passion and awakening to the wife, and then step back without demanding possession.
Girish became the "third pillar" in their dynamic. His presence allowed Aarti to explore desires she had suppressed for years, while allowing Aditya to experience the radical joy of seeing his wife completely fulfilled. Writing a lover who isn't a villain forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about human connection, realizing that sometimes, love is expansive enough to include a trusted third party.
Girish remains a phantom to me, constructed entirely from the glowing admiration of a husband and the breathless confessions of a wife. But in many ways, that makes him the perfect catalyst: a figure of pure desire and respect who changed their lives forever. You can read more about how this dynamic was captured in my look at The Truth Behind the Diary.
*Note: Names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.