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Viraf Patell ties knot in court, will give wedding fund for Covid relief
Actor Viraf Patell and his fiancé Saloni Khanna had planned an elaborate wedding but changed their plans due to the pandemic. So, the couple tied the knot in a simple ceremony at the Bandra court on May 6.
The Naamkarann actor reveals they were planning their wedding right before the lockdown last year and kept waiting for things to ease out. “We were looking at May for the wedding but then the second wave took us by surprise. As it kicked in stronger, we decided to go ahead with the deed and eliminated all that we had planned. Eventually, it was stripped down to a point where we had to ask even our respective parents and families to not turn up and stay safe as they hadn’t taken their second jab.” Two of their close friends, Aarti and Nitin Mirani, who recently recovered from Covid, and another friend, Saket Sethi, who had been vaccinated, were present as witnesses.
He admits both their families were disappointed at not being able to attend. “But they eventually agreed it was wiser to stay at home and blessed us to go ahead. Perhaps, they realised that life must go on and we have our lives in front of us to celebrate. They realised the wedding doesn’t really matter, the marriage does,” he shares.
Patell was also grateful to his neighbour Rasna, who filled in for his mother and helped usher in the newly-wed couple with the traditional Parsi ritual of Aachoo Michoo. “I had to lift Saloni and enter the house and then we took our vows. We shared a meal with our witnesses and were on video calls with friends and family. The phone had gone a bit crazy but then, you don’t get married often. It was simple, pure and special,” he says.
The couple plans to donate their wedding funds to help those battling Covid. “I got married in ₹150 flat! We paid ₹100 as fee to the marriage registrar, and ₹50 for the photocopies. Saloni and I weren’t looking at a big fat Indian wedding, but whatever we’ve saved we will use to support as many Covid battles as we can. This will hopefully give our wedding and togetherness more meaning,” he concludes.
It’s really disappointing,” says Kishwer M Rai on Tannaz Irani getting replaced on TV show Apna Time Bhi Aayega, after she expressed reservations about going to Goa for a shoot. “…these guys always want to blame actors and have one sided contracts !!! Majority of the people in Goa are covid positive .. so yes you have full rights to ask questions.. you and your family 1st always, atleast this is what the pandemic has taught me!!! (sic),” she commented on Irani’s post on social media.
“You get angry when you read something like that. You can always have a conversation with the actor. It has become a trend in TV where they just replace you and you get to know from some other person, ‘Arrey aapka toh replacement ho gaya’,” rues the actor.
Talking about the importance of open communication, she says, “When we get something better, we don’t just leave... When I got an offer for Bigg Boss, I was doing Brahmarakshas. I spoke to the production and tried to explain that it’s a very big opportunity for me. That’s how it’s supposed to be done; they should work like that too.”
“Jab aisi cheezein hoti hain, you feel ki itne saal humne yahan kaam kiya, what have we got in return? Itni toh courtesy honi chahiye ki baat karke solve kar sakein,” the 40-year-old points out.
Using the saved money for Covid battles will give our wedding, togetherness more meaning. VIRAF PATELL,
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