A six year-long love story will culminate with a wedding on Wednesday when actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh tie the knot in a dreamy Lake Como setting in Italy amid a tight circle of family and friends.
The actors, adored for their on-screen chemistry in movies such as Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani, as much as for their off-screen romance, left to Italy for the wedding revelry last week.
There are only about 40 guests who have been invited for the celebrations, and fans of the couple on social media have been pining to get a glimpse of the pre-wedding galas.
But due to strict security instructions, mobile phones have not been allowed outside people’s rooms, those in the know report.
They are in Northern Italy’s Lombardy region, an upscale resort area known for its spectacular scenery.
Padukone and Singh exchanged rings on Monday evening, and a more ‘desi’ touch to the celebrations came in with the ‘mehendi’ function on Tuesday afternoon, followed by a music-filled ‘sangeet’ the same evening.
For the mehendi, Padukone wore a Sabyasachi Mukherjee creation and the couple was colour coordinated. Singer Harshdeep Kaur, along with Sanjoy Das, Bobby Pathak and Firoz Khan performed at the ceremony.
“We have reached Milan for a very special occasion of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. I am performing with Harshdeep Kaur along with Bobby Pathak and Firoz Khan,” Das wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Das later deleted it as the celebrations are being kept as private as possible.
Kaur, known for songs such as Heer and Dilbaro, gave a subtle hint to fans by posting a picture from a flight. She captioned it: “Off to a very special place for even more special occasion. Arrivederci?”
The picture was later deleted.
According to Singh’s stylist Nitasha, the couple is “love personified”.
“No pictures but it was love personified to see them together today. Couldn’t stop my tears, but these were tears of happiness and so I hope they never do,” she tweeted on Monday.
The wedding spans two days of ceremonies. On Wednesday, they will marry according to Konkani customs, while on the following day, they will have a traditional Anand Karaj (Sikh) ceremony.
Padukone, daughter of Indian badminton ace Prakash Padukone, is likely to wear a Sabyasachi ensemble for the Anand Karaj.
Bollywood buffs are curious what the couple will wear, and hashtags to the tune of #DeepVeer and #DeepVeerKiShaadi have been trending on social media.
Poles apart from each other in personality, Padukone and Singh’s love story began on the sets of Ram-Leela, which released in 2013. Their off-screen camaraderie gave enough hints to their fans, the media and the film fraternity that love was brewing.
But they didn’t confirm their relationship until recently. They put to rest months of speculation about their nuptials with a social media announcement in October of their wedding dates.
“We thank you for all the love you have showered upon us over the years and seek your blessings as we embark on this incredible journey of love, loyalty friendship and togetherness,” they said in the announcement.
While they spoke a bit about their likes and dislikes about each other at a summit in the capital in October, it is only on Koffee With Karan that Padukone was a little more open about her relationship with Singh.
After their very private wedding ceremonies, the couple will have a reception each in Bengaluru and Mumbai on November 21 and 28, respectively.
They have urged their guests to direct gifts in the form of a donation to Padukone’s The Live Love Laugh Foundation, which works towards spreading awareness on mental health.
