Gulf Today Report
Bollywood actor and director Farhan Akhtar is set to marry his girlfriend of nearly four years, Shibani Dandekar on Feb.21.
Farhan’s father, the renowned lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, confirmed the big news in a chat with the Bombay Times. “Yes, the wedding is taking place. Rest, shaadi ki jo taiyyariyan hain [the wedding preparation] that is being taken care of by the wedding planners.”
According to him, the couple’s wedding will be a ‘fairly simple affair’ and will take place at Javed’s family home in Khandala.
He added that due to the COVID-19 situation, the event is set to be an intimate one with close friends and family. “Taking the situation into consideration it is obvious that we cannot host anything on a large scale. So, we are only calling a few people,” he said. As revealed in the initial announcement of the wedding, he emphasised that it will be a simple affair and that even the invites haven’t been sent out yet.
Farhan Akhtar with his family. Instagram photo
Javed expressed fondness for his to-be daughter-in-law, Shibani. When asked about her, he said, “She is a very nice girl. All of us like her very much.” He highlighted that the most important thing is that Farhan and she get along very well.
Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar pose for a photograph during an event. Instagram photo
According to Pinkvilla, the couple plan to tie the knot in a court marriage and a day or two later, celebrate their union with family and close friends at Javed and Shabana Azmi’s Khandala farmhouse, Sukoon.
“Farhan and Shibani always wanted an intimate wedding and are really excited about their big day. The party will be a small affair with only people from their inner circle in attendance. It will all be about food, music, laughter and celebration,” their sources revealed.
Farhan and Shibani began dating in 2018 and within a few months, the duo made their relationship Instagram official. Ever since then, they’ve been updating fans and friends with their relationship milestones online. The couple has also been living together for a while now in Mumbai.
Last year, when the rumours of their wedding made headlines, Shibani released an official statement to put them to rest. However, she shared that living together during the lockdown made them closer “much quicker” than they would have otherwise.
"We already do so much together, in terms of, we work out together, we watch content together, we would play with our dogs together, and then he would go off and work, and I would go off and work. So we had a great balance, that way. And we have a lot of interests that are similar. We both like our time apart as well. We had a great set-up going on, actually,” she continued.
The actor was previously married to celebrity hairstylist Adhuna Bhabani, with whom he has two daughters — Shakya and Akira.