One of the most prolific actors of his generation, Paresh Rawal likes to keep his personal life with wifey, Swaroop Sampat low-key. Let us take a look at their one-of-a-kind love story!
Paresh Rawal is one such name in Bollywood, whose powerful acting chops need no extra fame since it speaks for itself. Right after his debut and after that, in every successive film of his, Paresh has made sure to raise the bar of his acting a notch higher every time. However, unlike his praise-worthy acting career, he has always kept his personal life in a dignified space away from the limelight. For the unversed, the actor is married to former Miss India and yesteryear theatre actress, Swaroop Sampat.
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In their young college days, Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat were ardent lovers of theatre and acting. Therefore destiny conspired them to meet one another at the stage performance itself. The event was an inter-college play, and Swaroop was simply smitten by the power-packed performance of Paresh on stage. Moreover, after the performance, she also ventured out to meet and congratulate Paresh backstage. In an interview many years later, Swaroop opened up on that memorable day when she saw Paresh for the first time and mentioned:
“I saw him in a play, it was an intercollegiate play, and he was awesome. I mean to see Paresh Rawal on stage is something else. The intercollegiate competition was on, I was in another college, and this play comes on and Paresh is there. It was filled with violence and bad language. When the play got over, the whole audience was just sitting like that, because they don’t know what hit them. And then, everybody just got up and walked out.”
Well, it was love at first sight for Paresh as well, who was entirely in love with Swaroop dressed in a pink saree, the minute he stepped into the auditorium. So much so was the extent of Paresh’s love for Swaroop that he straight up declared that if he were to marry, she would be the only one. In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Paresh recalled the moment he laid his eyes on his ladylove and mentioned how his friends had forbidden him not to go after her since she happened to be the daughter of Paresh’s boss, under whom he was working at that time. In his words:
"I was kind of yeh ladki meri wife banegi. My friend Mahendra Joshi was with me. He told me, tujhe pata hai tu jis company mein kaam kar raha hai us boss ki beti hai. Toh maine bola, kisi ki bhi beti ho, behen ho, ma ho, main iske saath shaadi karunga.”
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The duo, after that, often met each other, and their friendship quickly transpired into companionship and love. They dated each other for twelve years and never lost hope of being anything less than committed. However, it was one notable incident that won Swaroop’s heart all the more than before. At this time, her father had willingly encouraged her to enlist for the Miss India pageant, something she was not particularly eager to do. However, when she relayed the same to Paresh, she was astounded to hear him say that he would wait to take her to the pageant venue, no matter what. This bit of a promise of undying support overwhelmed Swaroop completely, such that she became a part of it and later won the historical title of Miss India in 1979.
With such quirky relationship, Paresh Rawal finally decided to pop the most important question to his lady love, Swaroop Sampat. Much like his first-ever thoughts on seeing Swaroop, this time too, he made sure his proposal was as straightforward as ever. He went up to Swaroop and declared his wish to marry her without hearing any delay demands. Nevertheless, after twelve years of their proposal, the couple took the marital plunge. In an interview, Paresh recalled his proposal and said:
“After 2-3 months, I told her, 'I want to marry you but don't tell me 'let's get to know each other, let's grow together'. Marte dum tak koi kisiko nahi jaan sakta. Toh mere saath woh futile exercise mat. Commit yourself. “
With so many years of courtship, the couple's marriage was extraordinary and unique. The duo married in 1987 in a hush-hush ceremony, with nearly nobody except their family knew about it. But, one particularly unique thing about their marriage was that their wedding vows were taken uniquely under the shade of big old trees, and there was no fire lit or mandap set up. Swaroop Sampat had once recalled her wedding in an interview and mentioned:
“I thoroughly enjoyed my wedding. It took place in the Lakshmi Narayan temple compound in Mumbai. We had around 9 pundits chanting shlokas for us and an elaborate vidhi. Unlike most brides, I enjoyed the food too. My family was witnessing a daughter’s wedding after 129 years and so I had instructed them not to be emotional.”
Paresh and Swaroop’s marital life continues to be as blissful and fun-loving as it had been on their first meeting ever. Moreover, the couple is now proud parents to their sons, Anirudh and Aditya, who have taken professions in the creative field like their parents. Fast forward to today, even after 40 years of marital bliss, the couple has strived to stay beside each other no matter what, sailing through all the highs and lows.
We love this sweet and simple love story of Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat! What about you? Let us know!
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