Raqesh Vashisth and Ridhi Dogra shot to fame with their telly serial, Maryada- Lekin Kab Tak. They played the lead couple, as Priya and Aditya, and soon their fans started shipping them together. When they first met for the shoot of the Yash Raj series, Seven, at the Globus Mall, Mumbai, they had no idea that they will take vows to spend the rest of their lives together.
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She was attracted by his way of talking while he got hooked on her beautiful and transparent eyes, in the first meeting. According to them, they first became friends and even after marriage, they still are each other's best friends.
They assert that their love story is different than the rest as they are "best friends who decided to get married". They both have a lot of things in common.
According to Raqesh:
"Ridhi and I share the same zodiac Virgo; we get along truly very well. There are various similarities in our likes and dislikes, the connection between us is outstanding. She is amazing, and I am blessed to have her in my life."
Ridhi and Raqesh are very similar in being very different from others.
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Ridhi explains their journey from friends to more, as:
"Ours was the classic case of 'we were meant to be together', both of us individually didn't want to get married. Everyone had given up on me and him in our families. When we met on Maryada we ourselves felt an instant ease and comfort with each other. Our first scene was an intimate scene on a bed, and we broke the bed! We laughed it off and became really good friends, more like buddies. Even the proposal was a conversation, it just seemed like it's happening to us and we are flowing with it. We really believe god wanted us to be together. He's got some plan for us.”
It was on May 29, 2011 that the couple decided to tie the knot. It was a well thought out decision, and a fast one too, as they decided to get married straight away without any engagement ceremony.
Raqesh explains:
“We are great buddies off-screen; I think friendship is the basic foundation of our relationship. Initially, there was no courtship happening, it’s slowly when I realised it. I used to talk about Ridhi with my sister, she said you are of a marriageable age and you have to get married someday so why don’t you talk to Ridhi. I said are you mad or what? But then I understood she was right. We took a step ahead and finally we got married when we thought it was the right time to take to the next step of life. It was a straight wedding without engagement."
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Though the couple jumped straight to the wedding, they made sure that it was a lavish affair. On getting married, the couple described their feelings beautifully.
Raqesh gushed:
“Yes, Ridhi and I are getting married and we both are completely excited about it. It's been a while since we are together and we get along so well. We are great friends and finally we thought it’s time to take to the next phase of life."
And, Ridhi exclaimed:
“I am feeling on top of the world at the moment and this is the most beautiful part of my life. Raqesh was the one who said let's get married and marrying your best friend who you can connect with feels really great."
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This gorgeous couple has been married for more than four years now and is going steady.
And when you are married to your best friend, things become easy. When asked about the best thing about being married, Ridhi exclaimed:
"I have a friend in him for life! He is really a fantastic partner. The best thing for me individually is that he wants me to evolve, grow and have an independent identity of my own. He pushes me to broaden my horizon as a person and open myself up to life beyond acting and tap my true potential. Also, he is so creative and intrinsically talented that the atmosphere at home is filled with possibilities and inspirations."
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Ridhi, who has learnt dance from Shaimak Davar, participated in the dance reality show, Nach Baliye 6 with her spouse Raqesh. They dazzled the stage with their sizzling performances, but unfortunately, they had to leave the show following Raqesh's knee injury. They were favoured by the judges as well as their fans. They are remembered till today for their effortless performances.
Ridhi and Raqesh are nowadays busy endorsing Raqesh's brand of paintings.
Explaining her husband’s hobby, Ridhi said:
“A lot of friends who collect art and have an insight into the art world have been telling Raqesh to take this hobby seriously, and see potential in him as an artist. When you have such a gifted talent you must showcase it. And to ensure that we do the right things, make the right moves and go through the right process it was important to get involved into all aspects."
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Since they both are actors with busy and extremely jam-packed schedules, they hardly get to spend time with each other.
But, that has not ended their love affair. As Ridhi puts it:
“Hectic schedules can never ruin me from having a good time. I work hard because I love it and then I make sure I end it well too. The perfect way to end a gruelling day at work is to spend time with your best friend. And quality doesn't mean quantity! For me the key is to make most of the time you get rather than cribbing for the time you didn't! That's also the only way to keep your sanity in check through the erratic work hours we have in our profession.”
And Raqesh too, echoed her feelings and said:
“We enjoy our time to the fullest whenever we get time, instead of complaining. The basic advantage is that we are working together, so after pack up we sometimes hang out with friends or go out for dinner if not in the mood to eat home cooked food (Smiles). So, after a hectic day we certainly have great time with each other and thus it doesn’t matter whether we are spending hours together or few minutes.”
Some time back Ridhi and Raqesh declared that they would never have children. Ridhi said:
“Fortunately, we both have very understanding parents and families. They definitely want us to have children and we know that if we ever have one they'll be elated and will make the world’s best grandparents but they let us be and respect our space and thoughts. Like you know it is because of practical reasons, we'll have to leave the city to raise a child in the ideal surrounding. I see parents running and running because they have children. And what kind of world are children coming into anyway. So we thought maybe we'll adopt a child and give him a better future.”
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And for all the ladies out there, Ridhi has just one advice on whether they should get married or not. She said:
“If you find someone you are sure you can live with for the rest of your life, go ahead and get married. But marriage is not a necessity anymore. Women are as competent if not more, than men to run a great life, have a rocking lifestyle and have a career to die for, you can adopt, live in. Our world is changing and where there are cons to it there are pros too. It's an extremely personal choice. Some people are marriage material, some are not. Some realise after they get married they should be single, some realise at 50 they are ready for marriage. Your instinct and personality, your wants and needs are the only things that should make marriage justified or not.”
Ridhi and Raqesh, who are enjoying their lives with their two cats and a labrador, are happy in their own space. They are extremely private people which is one of the reasons that they turned down the offer to be a part of Bigg Boss. They love and understand each other deeply and we wish them the best for their life ahead.
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