As the Muchhal family’s reputation lies in tatters, should Palak remove her brother’s name from the Palak–Palash Charitable Foundation?
By Mayur Lookhar
Palat… tera yeh dhyan kidhar hai, yeh tera hero idhar hai. For some inexplicable reason, this song from the Varun Dhawan film Main Tera Hero (2014) springs to mind while thinking of the entire Smriti Mandhana–Palash Muchhal wedding postponement/cancellation saga. As always, real is different from reel. The context in which this song fits this sad situation would be something like this: Palash Muchhal cheats on Smriti by flirting and getting cosy with a little-known choreographer, Mary D’Costa, and is caught by Smriti’s father. And there’s Shrinivas Mandhana telling his daughter, “Smriti, palat. tera dhyan kidhar hai, dekh tera Palash idhar hai.”
The above would be our witty input to the meme fest; the best comment, though, came from one netizen who said that at least Smriti was spared the belt treatment once meted out to former cricketer Dinesh Karthik, whose first wife left him for fellow cricketer Murali Vijay. Mind you, all that is floating on social media is gossip, with no official confirmation from the Mandhana family, except that Shrinivas Mandhana fell ill and the wedding was postponed. Palash’s sister, popular singer Palak Muchhal, echoed the same and urged everyone to refrain from speculation. However, if this is truly the case, why has Smriti removed all posts about the marriage, and about Palash, from her social media? Interestingly, Indian cricketers like Radha Yadav have also unfollowed Palash. All this only adds to the rumour mill that something went terribly wrong in Sangli.
A reliable source from the sports fraternity told us that it was Shrinivas Mandhana, not Smriti, who caught Palash allegedly getting cosy with the so-called wedding choreographer Mary D’Costa – a shock that supposedly triggered his heart attack. Brutally exposed, Palash is said to have fled the spot. Later, claims surfaced that he had been admitted to a hospital, and his mother reportedly said he cried for four hours. Clearly, none of these theatrics are winning Palash or his family any sympathy.
The alleged leaked flirtatious chats between Palash and this girl Mary have only added fuel to the fire. How did these chats surface? Were they fake? If genuine, how did they enter the public domain? Was Palash so embarrassed that he left his phone at the wedding venue?
The Muchhal reputation now lies in tatters, and given how Bollywood is the favourite whipping post of trolls, this alleged infidelity has only given more ammunition to the boycott-Bollywood brigade. How could a nondescript composer like Palash, whose only real claim to fame was being India’s best batter’s boyfriend and the sibling of a popular playback singer, do something like this to the Queen of Cricket? Buzz has it that the Mandhanas were never fully comfortable with Palash, but gave in to their daughter’s wishes because she was madly in love with him. It is rumoured that on the day of their engagement, Palash was spotted kissing another woman. Palash isn’t the most handsome man, and hardly anyone knows his music, so how did this nobody win the heart of India’s most loved female cricketer?
All that is immaterial, but one thing is certain, Palash Muchhal has become the butt of all jokes in the country. And once again, Bollywood is bearing the brunt of an individual’s alleged misstep. Before we generalise, let’s remember the many successful cricket-Bollywood unions like Tiger Pataudi–Sharmila Tagore and Virat Kohli–Anushka Sharma. And for every Tiger Pataudi or Virat Kohli, there is also a Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammad Azharuddin, or Hardik Pandya.
If guilty, no one can condone what Palash has done. But among the troll army, there are people who have backed convicted rapists like Asaram and Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, and even those who garlanded the men convicted of raping Bilkis Bano and murdering her family when they were released on bail a few years ago. That’s a separate issue altogether, but for now, the Muchhals will have a tough time showing their faces.
This is a feast for gossip-mongers, but the more worrying question for Palak Muchhal is whether her brother’s alleged indiscretion will impact the Palak–Palash Charitable Foundation, which has been at the forefront of raising funds for a world-record 3,800 heart surgeries for the poor. Palak’s husband, Mithoon, one of Bollywood’s top composers, has also lent his name to the social cause after marrying her. Doesn’t this affect Mithoon and Palak’s image as well? Would doctors, hospitals, and members of the medical fraternity still want to be associated with the Palak–Palash Charitable Foundation? And more importantly, would corporates, that back such campaigns and shows, reconsider their support for Palak and Palash’s social initiative? Let’s hope they aren’t thinking on those lines, because the health and well-being of needy, impoverished patients is more important than the personal lives of Palash, Palak, or anyone from the Foundation.
Well, don’t rule out Palak and her PR machinery attempting to douse the flames by putting out stories of benevolence, perhaps highlighting how the foundation is now facilitating a world-record 4,000 heart surgeries. Unfortunately, Palak Muchhal has helped heal countless hearts, but couldn’t fix her brother Palash’s unfaithful one. For the time being, it may be wise for Palak to remove her brother’s name from the Palak–Palash Charitable Foundation and completely distance herself from him in all social and professional initiatives.
As for cricket fans, they can only hope that Shrinivas Mandhana recovers swiftly, and that Smriti Mandhana emerges stronger from this personal setback and channels the hurt into excelling on the cricket field.
Watch video story below.
By
