What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Recently, the former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi created a flutter when he publicly announced he’s dating the former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. The former cricket administrator, known for his in-your-face flamboyance, posted a slew of pictures of him enjoying vacations at exotic locales with Ms. Sen.
The announcement elicited a volley of jeremiads from the netizens as they sailed into the couple. Some of them even dubbed Ms. Sen “a gold digger” who has fallen for the old man for the proverbial pelf. The 46-year-old actress, known for her unmistakable spunk, took to Twitter and slammed the naysayers in style for intruding in her personal life, calling her names, and assigning lurid motives to her choice of man.
The New Indian looks at five such instances when couples attracted attention for the unconventional nature of their relationship:
1) Milind Soman and Ankita Konwar: When the dashy model-cum-actor Soman walked down the aisle with his girlfriend Ankita in 2018, he was 52-year-old while his partner was 26. Their relationship raised eyebrows with the couple a bout of trolling from a section of people. The couple met in 2013 following the tragic death of Ankita’s boyfriend.
She was in a state of shock and was smarting from the loss at that time. Ankita and Soman dated for five years before they decided to tie the knot in 2013. After copping flak, Ankita maturely stated, “Anything that’s not common in a society, people usually like to talk about it. It’s not just limited to India. We as a species tend to get weird about the unknown. Sometimes, we are not conscious enough to distinguish between the utility and waste of that skill. I have always done what makes me happy.”
2) Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia: In 1973, Dimple became the sweetheart of the nation after the release of Raj Kapoor’s ‘Bobby’ – which was her debut film. The 16-year-old was swamped with a torrent of offers from top-flight directors. But she sent shockwaves in the industry when she decided to get married to the then reigning superstar Rajesh Khanna who was riding the crest of popularity.
So enamored she was with Khanna that Dimple even acceded to Rajesh’s demand of leaving the film industry. So, a 16-year-old girl gave up a seemingly lucrative career and got hitched to the 31-year-old Khanna. However, their marital life didn’t turn out to be a fairytale and the couple divorced other in 1982. After separating from her husband, Dimple made a comeback in Bollywood and featured in many big-budget films such as ‘Arjun’, ‘Saagar’, ‘Janbaaz’, and ‘Bees Saal Baad’, to name a few.
3) Shane Warne and Liz Hurley: During his lifetime, Warne made as many headlines for his fabulous cricketing feats as he did for his sexual escapades. Due to his legion of illicit dalliances, his then-wife Simone Callahan called off the marriage in 2005. The couple got married in 1995.
Following the divorce, Warne started dating the actress Liz Hurley in 2010 after they met at the races. In July 2010, the tongues started wagging when they were clicked kissing each other passionately in public. In the tradition of his larger-than-life persona, Warne proposed to Hurley on a yacht in 2011 and they got engaged. But the romance soon fizzled out as they opted to split in 2013.
“When we were together, we both had a great time. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. It wasn’t something that she or I did wrong, it just fizzled out. We’re still great friends, we still stay in touch,” Warne said after the break-up. Shockingly, the legendary cricketer passed away in 2022 due to a fatal cardiac arrest.
4) Arjun Rampal and Gabriella Demetriades: The handsome Arjun Rampal took the wedding vows in 1998 with a fellow model Mehr Jesia much before he had made his Bollywood debut. The marriage lasted for 20 years and the couple went their separate ways in 2018.
Rampal then hitched his bandwagon with the South African model and fashion designer Gabriella Demetriades. Both of them are in a live-in relationship at present and the 15-year age difference hasn’t been a barrier. However, the couple has no plans of getting married anytime soon. Arjun recently asserted that they do not need a ‘piece of paper’ to validate their relationship.
5) Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu: In the 1950s, the roaring affair of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala kept the press busy. However, sadly, their relationship didn’t culminate in marriage due to various reasons. The ace actor was not only sought after by the producers and directors, but also by the leading ladies of the time.
But the 44-year-old Kumar chose the 22-year-old Saira Banu to be his wife as they entered into a marital relationship in 1966. The Cassandras prophesied doom for their marriage due to the major gap between their respective ages but the couple, despite a few hiccups, proved everyone wrong. They faithfully stayed with each other till Dilip ‘Sahab’ died in 2021 at the age of 98.
