Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt on the joy of moving into their new Mumbai mansion in Dubai

Dubai: Dubai got a dose of unfiltered Bollywood warmth as power couple Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt settled into the city like it was an emotional homecoming.

Fresh from moving into their new mansion in Mumbai, the couple arrived radiant and relaxed, speaking from a deeply personal place.

“Coming to Dubai feels like a homecoming ... This visit comes from a very personal space as we have just moved into our new home in Mumbai,” Alia said, thanking the Sajwani family of Damac for “all the warmth and affection” shown to them.

If the star-studded event, the launch of Damac Island II at Coca Cola Arena, needed an icebreaker, Ranbir Kapoor — famously off social media — provided a golden one. The room erupted when it emerged that he secretly runs a private Instagram account.

The clincher? He only has two reels, both featuring him playing with his daughter Raha. He has zero followers, he doesn’t even let Alia follow him, and he manually shows her the clips instead.

“Once Alia follows me, then it’ll be out that I have an Instagram account,” he joked. The revelation became the perfect segue into a playful “Caption This” segment featuring adorable baby photos of both stars. Ranbir melted instantly at Alia’s childhood pictures, calling her “the cutest” and insisting, “I always love her baby pictures.”

A photo of Alia with a white sheet mask had him turning into a poet.

“Alia is so beautiful that even this mask doesn’t need any creams or anything,” he said, adding that her skin “always looks amazing, she’s always glowing, and she’s just so gorgeous.”

The audience responded with a collective, satisfied “aww.” Ranbir, usually guarded in public settings, was strikingly affectionate — openly lovey-dovey, visibly besotted, and surprisingly playful.

The couple then shifted gears for a Bollywood masterclass. Ranbir demonstrated poses and even threw in in an improvised scenario: “What if the love of your life is running off to Abu Dhabi? How would you react?” Ranbir coached the audience through dramatic expressions, slow-motion gait and dialogue.

What emerged through the evening was a portrait of two megastars at ease — grounded, glowing, grateful, and fully themselves. Dubai didn’t just host Ranbir and Alia; it embraced them. And from the way they spoke, the feeling was mutual.