The flight with Nivin Pauly

The flight was ready for take off. The door was sealed shut.

The front row seats were still empty.

The person across the aisle asked the air-hostess if he could take the unoccupied window seat in the front row. She agreed with a big smile. The front row in any flight has greater leg space & is a paid seat. 

My husband and I were super tired flying from Dublin to Dubai to Mumbai after our holiday in Scotland & Ireland. Our flight into Cochin from Dubai had been cancelled due to excessive rains in Kerala. This was an expensive additional flight. The first into Kochi. We did not want to spend anymore booking seats.

Obviously, when that person made his move; I followed suit and secured the middle and aisle on the front row for Harish & I.

When I sat down, I peered at the person near the window.

I knew him…

“Aren’t you Siva, my cousin’s, classmate?”

He nodded his head with a vague smile and quickly got the most quizzical expression on his face…

I am sure Nivin Pauly, the new-gen Malayalam actor, has never been asked such a question before!

“Ah! You might not know Siva. Your wife and he were closer than he was to you in FISAT…”

He must have thought I was a nut-case…

I do not disagree with him.

I can run-off my mouth before my brain processes information. 

“Why are you wearing that cap inside the flight? So that no one recognises you? Won’t it affect your hair line?”

I was firing questions at torrential speed. 

Harish started fidgeting in the middle seat. 

“Yeah, you are right”, Nivin murmured.

I wanted to ask, to which question he had answered.

But I realised I must keep quiet if I cannot ask sane questions. I made a vague attempt.

“Did your flight also get cancelled due to the rain?”

He nodded.

“Tired?”

Another nod.

“Us too.”

Harish, Nivin & I slept.

After waking up from the nap, the men had a brief conversation about our trip and his movies. Very brief given Harish’s inability to make any small talk. I sat listening to the small exchange and large silence. 

Just before landing, Nivin shot this selfie for us.

Thus ended our interaction with THE Nivin Pauly, whose birthday it is today.

#Happybirthday, @Nivinpauly

#throwback August 2019.