Film Fare

INTERVIEW
Hitched
Neha!
NEHA DHUPIA HAS MARRIED BEST FRIEND ANGAD BEDI AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
OF THE BEST PHASE OF HER LIFE, WRITES ASHWINI DESHMUKH
On a warm summer morning, when Neha Dhupia announced that she had tied the knot with ‘best friend’
and actor Angad Bedi, the internet went through a meltdown. The bride in baby pink was all things
euphoric and dreamy. Marriage sure is a beautiful breakthrough in Neha’s life. Years ago, she burst on
to the glam scene as a beauty pageant winner much like some of her peers. But unlike them, she went on
to carve a career, which relied more on her sass and spunk both as an actor and host. Hers has been an
organic evolution. From being body-shamed for not adhering to Bollywood’s anorexic template, she’s come
into her feisty own. Over to Neha, who believes being sexy lies in the mind and not in the matter…
PHOTOGRAPHS: VIJIT GUPTA | HAIR & MAKE-UP: ELTON FERNANDEZ | STYLING: ANISHA JAIN | LOCATION: JW MARRIOTT, SAHAR
YOUR MARRIAGE WAS
A WELL-KEPT SECRET. WHY?
(Laughs) When I checked
my phone after putting
up the Instagram post
announcing my marriage,
I had around 600 messages
that read, ‘What the f**k!’
instead of congratulations.
Yes, it was a surprise to a
lot of people. But Angad
(Bedi) was clear from the
beginning. He said, ‘You’re
not someone with whom I
want to be in a boyfriendgirlfriend
relationship. So,
either we turn this into
marriage or we continue
being just friends’. I don’t
believe it was hush-hush
or secret as much as it
was private. Both of us are
private people. I hope we
can maintain that. It’s going
to be hard. But I’m going to
try and protect my personal
life as much as I can. By
that I don’t mean dissing
completely what’s in the
public eye. We just wish
to control the amount of
information we want to let
out about our private lives.
WHAT ARE YOUR
EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS
JOURNEY?
I’ve no expectations. Angad
and I’ve been friends for
long and have shared an
amazing friendship. I hope
the second half of my life is
as good as the first half. I’m
looking forward to sharing
my good-bad moments, my
ups and my downs with
him. It feels comforting to
have him in my life. It’s
great to come back to the
man I love. It’s nice to see
him open the door when
I come back.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE
ANGAD AS A LIFE PARTNER?
I’ve always been paranoid
about committing. I’ve been
a commitment phobic. But
when Angad suggested
marriage, it didn’t seem
With husband Angad Bedi
I’VE BEEN COMMITMENT PHOBIC. BUT WHEN ANGAD (BEDI) SUGGESTED
MARRIAGE, IT SEEMED LIKE A NATURAL PROGRESSION… HE’S BEEN
SUCH A GOOD FRIEND… IT’S GREAT TO COME BACK TO THE MAN I LOVE.
IT’S NICE TO SEE HIM OPEN THE DOOR WHEN I COME HOME