Wedding bells ringing again

Masaba Gupta and Madhu Mantena gear up for their extended wedding celebrations

Shaandaar producer Madhu Mantena and fashion designer Masaba Gupta, who quietly tied the knot on June 3, are planning extended wedding celebrations in three parts — on November 21, 22 and in December. And the December wedding will be held in Hyderabad, Madhu’s hometown. An emotional Madhu says, “My heart is in Hyderabad. I want all my friends and relatives there to be part of the joy of our togetherness.” But why three weddings? Madhu says that these were not three separate weddings, but an extension of one ongoing wedding ceremony from June to December. “We wanted to live together as a couple but not as an unmarried couple. So we underwent a simple wedding ceremony.” “Marrying Masaba in three instalments is not enough. I can marry her any number of times. She has brought so much stability into my life,” he says.

November 21 and 22 will see a function at the ITC Maratha and Reliance Studios. There will be a sangeet ceremony and then a proper wedding. Madhu says the June 3 wedding was just a formality. “Both Masaba and I love all wedding rituals and we want to go through them all one by one with our friends and relatives in attendance.” The couple seems to be so much in love with each other. “The quality I like the best about Masaba is her straightforwardness. She is blunt and forthright, but not rude or insensitive. She understands me instinctively and accepts me with my weaknesses.” What also attracted Madhu to Masaba was her talent and simplicity. “I’ve a weakness for creative people. The minute I met Masaba, I knew she was the one with whom I want to spend the rest of my life. She is a skilled artist and is simple to the core.”

The happiness is glowing on his face. “Every night I go to sleep with a smile and I wake up smiling the next morning. When I see her next to me, I’ve a reason to smile the whole day,” he says.

I can marry Masaba any number of

times

MADHU MANTENA