Sonakshi Sinha & Zaheer Iqbal LOVE LIFE & LAUGHTER

In an exclusive shoot, seemingly straight out of a grand Sanjay Leela Bhansali set, the newlyweds share their heartwarming proposal, keeping their relationship under wraps for years and the best memories they've created together so far.

- TANISHA BHATTACHARYA

On the last Monday before Fall, we made our way down a narrow lane in the heart of Girgaon, Mumbai, to reach Ferreira House, an old Portuguese bungalow. When we stepped in, the usual hustle and bustle of a cover shoot was in full swing. This is where we caught our first glimpse of our cover stars, Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal. We found a corner and observed from a distance, waiting for the lovely couple to finish primping and preening for the camera.

After the shoot, Sonakshi quickly changed into a comfy tee and jeans, and Iqbal joined her. We found a quiet spot on the terrace, tucked away in the two-centuries-old village of Khotachiwadi. We quickly discovered that the two were unlike any other star couple we had encountered. Their laid-back, down-to-earth demeanour made us shed that little sliver of nervousness we felt earlier.

As we sat cross-legged across each other, the glow on Sonakshi’s face was unmissable; it was as though the two had just tied the knot. Even more endearing was their deep friendship. They fought, argued and cackled the way one would with their best friend—a fact that both reiterate: “I knew I was marrying my best friend.”

They give themselves credit for having kept their relationship a secret and relatively hiccup-free for seven years. But at the bottom of it all, they are glad to be able to share their love with the world now. Zaheer is quick to joke that we’ll find everything about their “love story” on the internet, but we insist there are more questions to be answered.

In this exclusive conversation with Brides Today, the newlyweds share the last conversation they had before their wedding, how they balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and how theirs was the kind of a love story they had always envisioned for themselves.