Why Bollywood stars marry non-stars
Sonam Kapoor is of many actresses to find partners from outside the movie business
Actress Sonam Kapoor recently married Anand Ahuja, a businessman who is firmly outside the film industry. There are many in tinsel town who do so. But why do actors seek life partners outside of entertainment?
Take actress Preity Zinta, who used to say she would never marry anyone from the film industry because it was like eating at the place where you do your morning chores, to put it politely.
Zinta finally married an American, Gene Goodenough, who had nothing to do with the film industry and had not seen a single film of hers. Perhaps the distance from stardom helps provide perspective to a marriage?
Add to that another rule — never marry a fan. We all know what happened to Mukesh Aggarwal. Rekha’s short-lived marriage to the besotted industrialist came to a horrific end when he hung himself with her dupatta.
No wonder Madhuri Dixit Nene chose to marry an Indian doctor in the US who, too, had not seen any of her films. It’s not as if Dr Sriram Nene didn’t know who she was. You would have to be much more than an NRI (non-resident Indian) to be ignorant of her star status.
Actress Asin married away from her place of work after she was shown the marital exit door by Akshay Kumar who introduced her to his friend Vickey Oberoi. Oberoi was rich and wealthy and had nothing to do with the film industry. Asin is now happily married with a baby to look after.
Several actresses from the earlier eras also chose to marry outside the work place.
Waheeda Rehman had resolved she would never marry a co-star. Her long association with filmmaker-actor Guru Dutt was fodder for gossip, but she maintains to this day that she never wanted to marry anyone from within the film industry. Vyjayanthimala also married outside the entertainment industry and remains successfully wedded to this day.
Sharmila Tagore, who was one of the most sought-after screen icons in the 1960s and 70s, says there could be no hard and fast rules about love and marriage. She married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a former captain of the Indian cricket team.
“I was not married to someone from within the film industry. But it wasn’t a conscious decision to not marry [an actor]. My son and daughter are married to actors. And they are doing fine. It’s all matter of personal choice,” she said, referring to Saif and Soha Ali Khan, who are married to actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kunal Khemu, respectively.
There are those who chose not to marry rather than marry a co-star. Rehman’s friend Asha Parekh, a top actress in the 1960s, never entertained the thought of marrying one of her costars. “My co-stars were all my buddies. I couldn’t dream of marrying any of them. They all treated me like one of them. There was no romantic suggestion at all. I never got to meet men outside the industry to be able to marry anyone,” Parekh has said.
With so many marriages among people from the film industry falling apart, one would think marrying outside would be a wise move.
It always helps to have a healthy contact with the world outside the film industry.