"They told us, ‘If you want to get married, do it now'."
Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha recalled how their planned wedding descended into chaos after the sudden announcement of the Covid-19 lockdown forced them into a last-minute court marriage.
The couple first met on the sets of Fukrey in 2013 before marrying seven years later.
Speaking on Shekhar Suman’s YouTube show Shekhar Tonite, Ali recalled how their carefully organised wedding plans unravelled within hours after courts warned them about the impending nationwide shutdown.
He said: “When we decided to get married, Covid was just beginning to spread. For a court marriage, you have to register a month in advance, and the notice is put up publicly. A journalist got hold of it, and reports about our marriage started circulating.”
The couple had intentionally selected a date that allowed both families to attend the ceremony. However, everything changed after they received an urgent call from the court.
Ali continued: “The court informed us that a lockdown would begin the next day and everything would shut down.
“They told us, ‘If you want to get married, do it now’.
“We were completely thrown off. Our witnesses lived far away, and we were scrambling to arrange everything at the last minute.”
Friends were urgently called in to act as witnesses, while another acquaintance arrived with a camera to document the occasion. Meanwhile, Ali’s assistant rushed to find him suitable wedding attire before the ceremony began.
Ali said: “My assistant felt bad for me because I had nothing appropriate to wear. He somehow managed to get me a kurta, and that’s how we got married.”
The couple had initially hoped to hold a more traditional ceremony with close relatives shortly afterwards. However, those plans were delayed following the death of Ali’s mother.
In 2022, the pair eventually celebrated their marriage with lavish festivities across Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai, attended by friends, relatives and members of the film industry.
Reflecting on his relationship with Richa, Ali also admitted he admired her long before they became romantically involved:
“I was her fan before I became her friend.
“I followed the democratic way of entering a relationship, and I cherish that journey.”
Previously discussing their interfaith marriage, Richa said:
“We got married under the Special Marriage Act, the family court is right around the corner. And it was super peaceful. And I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary.
“It happens in society, which is why there is a very big act for it. Of course, I feel like media really makes these kinds of things; it’s actually terrible and is very corrosive for society.”
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