In their first no-holds-barred interview since they married last year, AAP MP Raghav Chadha and film star Parineeti Chopra revealed how they first met in London, struck friendship in Punjab and finally married at a glittering wedding in Udaipur.
The celebrity couple told Rajat Sharma in ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ show (to be telecast tonight at 10 pm on India TV) how they had to leave their security staff and clandestinely meet at several places including gurudwaras, and they had once met at a friend’s village home, before they decided to tie the knot.
Parineeti also revealed how, when she was working as an intern in Yash Raj Films, actor Ranveer Singh noticed her doing some dancing steps to the tune of ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’. He asked her if she wanted to be an actor, and later Aditya Chopra signed a three-film deal with her, starting with “Ladies vs Ricky Bahl”.
Raghav Chadha quipped in to mention that the name of Parineeti’s character in that film was Dimple Chadha. Parineeti replied, “Yes, one of his brothers told me you shall one day become a member of Chadha family”.
THEIR FIRST MEETING
Parineeti described how she first met Raghav Chadha in London during an award ceremony. “I had gone there to accept an Outstanding Achiever Award in Entertainment, and he (Raghav) had come to accept an award in Politics and Governance.
“I did not know Raghav. My brothers were big fans of him. My brother Shivang told me to meet him. I told the organizers I wanted to meet Raghav. Raghav was sitting behind me. I went up to him. I said, ‘Hello, I am Parieneeti, my brothers are big fans of you’. He replied, ‘How sweet”. He said, ‘we will catch up’. I said, sure, we’ll meet in Mumbai. Raghav replied: Why not meet here tomorrow? I was stunned.”
Raghav Chadha quipped: “Nek kaam me deri kaisi?” (Why should I delay a good work)
Parineeta Chopra : “I agreed. The next morning, I went with three of my managers. He too had come with the organizers. Some 10 to 12 persons were at the table. It was not a date. An entire platoon was present. I said to myself, what is happening? Now, from here begins a filmy story. Both of us talked about the whole world. I told him I used to do meditation and scuba diving. One hour passed. Suddenly, he said, he was hungry, stood up, and brought a plate full of food. I thought, normally people remain reticent when they meet for the first time. They do not expose themselves. I said to myself, Yaar, this is the right man for me.”
(Maine kaha okay. Agli subah 3 managers main saath leke gayi, Woh bhi organizers ke saath aaya. Kul 10-12 log table par they. Aise nahin lagta tha koi date hai. Puri paltan thee, saath me. Ye kya ho raha hai? Ab filmy kahani shuru hui. Hum poori duniya ki bateen kar rahe they, Maine unko bataya, main meditation, scuba diving karti hoon.Ek ghanta beet gaya. Suddenly isko bhook lagi, Ekdam se utha, gaya, aur plate me poora khana bhar ke wapas aa gaya. Maina socha, pehli baar miley hain, Normally, first meeting me hum apne aap ko expose nahin karte, Maine kaha, Yaar, yeh to bada sahi banda hai.)
Parineeti said: “And now the filmi moment began. He brought his plate of food and started eating. I was just watching him. A bell rang in my mind. I said to myself, I am going to marry this man. Now comes a twist in the story. I did not know anything about him. He looked handsom, our food interests matched. The moment the meeting ended, I rushed upstairs to my room and started Googling – Who is Raghav Chadha? Is Raghav Chadha married? I also put the ‘main’ question – What is Raghav Chadha’s age? All the answers I got were correct. I also knew from Google that he was a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha. ..Anyway guys, I googled a lot. And then I said to myself (in PUnjabi) Byah Toh Main Inaali Karangi.”
(Ab filmi moment shuru hua. Yeh plate leke aaya aur khana shuru. Main isko dekh rahi thi. Mere mind me ek ghanti baji. Maine kaha, ‘I am going to marry this man’. Kahani me twist thi. Mujhe iske bare me kuch pata nahi tha. Dekhne me itna handsome hai. Khane peene ka interest match ho gaya tha tab tak. Yeh meeting khatm hui. Main apne kamre me gayi aur Googling shuru ki – Who is Raghav Chadha? Is Raghav Chadha married? Phir ‘main’ question, What is Raghav Chadha’s age? Saare answers correct aaye. Pata chala, Yeh Member of Parliament hai, Rajya Sabha. Yeh maine Google karke sikha theek se…Anyway guys, main bahut Googling ki, Toh maine socha, Byah toh Main Inaali Karangi. )
Rajat Sharma: Raghav, did you know who was Parineeti Chopra and about her movies?
Raghav Chadha: Yes, I knew about her. When she agreed to meet the next morning, I decided, why not. Let me hit a Mauke Pe Chauka. ..The series of meetings then began. When she returned to India, she came to Punjab for shooting. I was already working in Punjab. We have our government there. We met a lot and gradually the silsila continued.”
(Mujhe bilkul pata tha. Inhone jab kaha subah miltey hain, toh maine bhi kaha, mil liya jaye, Mauke Pe Chauka Maara Jaye. ..Uske baad mulaqaton ka silsila shuru hua, Jab Bharat wapis aayin, to seedha Punjab aayin shooting ke liye, jahan main kaam kar raha tha, hamari sarkar wahan hai . Phir hum wahan khoob mila karte they, aur phir dheerey dheery silsila chal pada)
Rajat Sharma: Were you meeting clandestinely or openly?
Raghav Chadha: “At first we met clandestinely. At first, we met secretly. I told my colleagues, I have to go to meet somebody. We met at 8.30 in the night. She completed her shooting, told her security staff to go, and came alone in the car. Then we went to a farm to sit alone.”
(Pahle toh chhup chhup ke milte they. Sabse pahle they bahut chhup ke miley, Mere saath jitne log they, maine unse kaha mujhe akele kisise milne jana hai, Maine socha, raat ko sadhe 8 baje kahan akele me ja rahe hain milne. Inki shooting khatm hui thi. Inhone bhi apni security walon ko bola aap log jayiye, Yeh akele gaadi me aayi, phir hum kisi khet khalihan me aaram se baithey.)
Parineeti : Khet Khalihan? (Farm ?)
Raghav Chadha : Mere jaankar ka ek garden tha. (One of my acquaintances had a garden)
Parineeti: Apni soch ko pause karo, apni soch ko rewind karo, khet me nahin, Kisi ka ghar tha, uske garden me hum miley. (Pause your thoughts, slightly rewind. It was somebody’s home, in whose garden we met)
Raghav Chadha : Phir hum milte rahe. Ek baar Chamkaur Sahib gurdwara gaye, mattha tekney. (Then we continued to meet. Once we met at Chamkaur Sahib Gurudwara and offered prayers)
The celebrity couple also replied to questions about their glittering wedding in Udaipur. Raghav Chadha clarified that it was a five-star and not a seven-star hotel in Udaipur where 40 to 50 rooms were booked for guests and where the wedding took place. “None of the rooms cost Rs 10 lakhs as is being alleged”, Chadha said.
Parineeti said, “Style Paise Se Nahin, Taste Se Aati Hai”. Raghav Chadha said, his maternal uncle (mama) was a faswhion designer who desgned all his clothes.
KEJRIWAL
Asked why he was absent for 71 days when the then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested and sent to jail, Raghav Chadha replied: “Let me tell you the truth. The fact is, I had a lecture scheduled at London School of Economics in the first week of March. Then I had to undergo preventive eye surgery to fix some retina spots…After I recovered, I returned and spent the month of May campaigning for our party in Delhi and Punjab…. By levelling false allegation against me, people were trying to end my 13-year-old political journey …I can only say, ‘Do not strive to make your presence felt, Make your absence felt’.”
PUNJAB REMOTE CONTROL
On Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that RC means Remote Control and RC means Raghav Chadha, and that he was running Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s government in Punjab through “remote control”, Chadha replied: “I agree Punjab is run by remote control but that remote control is in the hands of the people. The people change the channels whenever they want, and at present this channel (AAP) will continue, God willing. My party has entrusted me the work of helping my big brother Bhagwant Mann Ji as his adviser, and I am discharging my responsibility. With Bhagwant Mann Ji, I have a “pyaara rishta” (nice bonding). ..He was my first friend, when he joined Aam Aadmi Party in 2014.”
On Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema describing him as Punjab’s Super CM, Raghav Chadha smiled and said: “I am Super Sewadar of Punjab, not a Super CM.
