Bollywood’s reel stars speak of finding real love

With a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and producer, Anil Kapoor has carved a space in the film industry with over a hundred Hindi-language films, as well as international films, including Slumdog Millionaire and web series. Anil has been married to his wife Sunita for 37 years and the couple have three kids. He says, "It’s about two people who choose to love each other every day and are ready to put in the work to make it last. It’s about mutual respect and understanding even in the face of hardships and troubled times. It’s a life long commitment to not give up on the bad days. Plus, in my case, Sunita is amazing, so I definitely got lucky there."

The younger son of Bollywood’s mega star Dharmendra, Bobby Deol has tasted onscreen success both in films and on digital platforms. Bobby is married to Tanya Ahuja for 25 years now and they have two sons – Aryaman Deol and Dharam Deol. Bobby says, "The secret to a successful marriage is to accept imperfections because nothing in life is perfect. ‘Accept and do not expect’ should be the mantra for every couple, especially the younger generation, which is quick to make decisions without any patience. It is important to give your partner support when needed and it is equally important to give them space as and when required. While it is nice to do some special couple things together, be it working out or planning each other’s day… it is important to ensure that your partner retains her individuality, and vice versa."

Pallavi Joshi is a multilingual actress who started her career in front of the camera as a kid and went on to work not only in several Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam and Kannada films, but in some of Indian television’s most iconic serials as well. It was in the early nineties, when Pallavi by chance met filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri at a rock concert. The couple married in 1997 and have two kids. "I think what really worked for us was the fact that we both understand the value of space. And though we work together now, we are never in each other’s way. We both give each other ample psychological and emotional space. We are both fiercely independent and appreciate that quality in each other. Every couple have their own unique way of coping with a marriage. We have managed to carve our own way. So while I believe that there is no real recipe for a happy and successful marriage, the only secret ingredient according to me is that both as a couple should find their own path to make a marriage work. Never follow another successful couple’s advice. Because what works for them may never work for you."

After having found success in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Punjabi films, Sonu Sood is now grabbing headlines for his philanthropic work. Sonu met his wife Sonali when both of them were in college in Nagpur. They have been married for almost 25 years and have two sons. Sonu believes that it is important to unwind with your family after a long day at work. "You need to listen to them and not just talk about your daily routines that you do on the set. I think it’s very important to make your spouse understand how important he or she is."