Singer Sukriti Kakar kept her five-year relationship away from the public eye until she was ready to make it official. The singer took to Instagram to announce her engagement to Mumbai-based entrepreneur Shoumik Shetty. The couple, who got engaged in Tuscany on July 31, share that the decision to keep their relationship private was deliberate. “When we got into this, and we were starting to pursue it, we were very clear that we hold this relationship with a lot of pride. And when the right time comes, which is, of course, now, after all of these years, that would be the right announcement,” she tells us.
Sukriti on why they kept the relationship private?
For the singer, privacy never meant hiding the relationship from her family or closest friends. “When you hide relationships, it becomes a part of your personality. Our families and some of our closest friends always knew,” shares Sukriti, adding that she also believes in protecting things that matter from unnecessary attention. “We like keeping it private and it’s permanent. People say that all the time, but it is actually true. It holds a lot of meaning. And I believe in nazar a lot,” she says.
The couple also explains that they wanted to keep their relationship and professional lives separate, as they did not want one to take away from the other. “We are very focused on our work. So anything that would take away from our work isn’t something that we would want earlier on. But now it’s just something that we really want to give it all the grace,” Kakar says.
The couple, who were introduced by a mutual friend five years ago, first met at Soho House in Mumbai, a place that holds a sweet coincidence for Sukriti’s twin sister, playback singer Prakriti Kakar, who also met her husband there. “A few weeks later, we ended up meeting at Soho House, Mumbai, which is really crazy again,” Sukriti recalls. Shoumik adds, “Which is interestingly where her twin sister also met her husband.” Sukriti laughs, “Soho House has done a lot of good things for her,” prompting Shoumik to joke, “We were definitely twinning even then.”
Shoumik-Sukriti on their first meeting
Recalling the first time he saw Sukriti perform, Shoumik remembers watching her at a members-only event at Julie’s in Mumbai. “The first performance of hers I saw was at this place called Julie’s in Mumbai. She got me in, and her family was also there for that whole performance. I was quietly watching it with her friends from the side while her family was over there, as back then they didn’t know about us as partners,” he recalls, adding, “I was blown away by the performance, that much for sure.”
The couple say their different personalities and professions have worked in their favour, with Shoumik immediately drawn to Sukriti’s bubbly personality. “She was so feminine and bubbly, and like the life of the party. You could see that everybody was just magnetically attracted to her. And I really liked that about her,” he says.
Kakar, meanwhile, says what mattered to her was finding someone who could understand and support her career without trying to change her. “What’s really important is having somebody who understands your work and lets you be you. I love that about Shoumik because he just supports me in any crazy idea I might have. He’s never really taken anything away from the way I want to live my life and he’s very supportive in that.”
Her sisters, particularly twin sister Prakriti, have also been an important part of the relationship. Kakar says Sen knew from the beginning that being with her meant being close to her sisters too. “I always told Shoumik, it’s always going to be a package deal. So you just have to be okay with this because me and my sister are actual soulmates,” she says. And before giving him their approval, the sisters did put Sen through a few tests, including showing him childhood photographs and asking him to identify the twins. “He would always know which one I am. And I’m like, okay, maybe he’s doing it right,” Kakar laughs.
Shoumik on keeping the proposal hidden from Sukriti
While the couple kept their relationship under wraps, their proposal was kept equally private. Sen shares how he spent months planning it and sought approval from Kakar’s parents and sisters before proposing in Tuscany. “I did a full round of approval taking from each of them, from her father, from her mother, the sisters. There’s a whole hierarchy with all of them. So I got all the approvals and then finally, after that, got their blessing on the plans for the proposal,” he says, adding that keeping it a surprise from Sukriti was the biggest challenge. Kakar, who admits she likes knowing everything and being in control, had little idea about what Sen was planning.
“The entire trip was a surprise. I had no idea where I was travelling. I didn’t know we were going to Italy or where we were going and he kept confusing me,” she recalls. She adds that she eventually worked out they were heading to Tuscany only after Sen lost a bag in Florence and they had to share an address for it to be couriered.
Sukriti-Shoumik share their wedding plans
The wedding is likely to take place next year, with the couple leaning towards a destination celebration. However, they are in no hurry to finalise the details. “There’s no rush. We’re going to take our own time, get into the head space of planning because me and him both are proper planners,” Kakar says. “This is the last wedding in my family because I’m the last sister yet to be married. So I feel like we’ll take some time and plan and hopefully do something beautiful.”
With the wedding still some time away, Sukriti says she has always imagined herself as a red bride, though she is keeping an open mind about how the final look will come together. “I mean, honestly, I’ve always wanted to be a red bride. It’s just something that I have always seen for myself,” she says. The couple’s wedding will also bring together their different cultural backgrounds. “Our wedding will be like the one from 2 States. He’s South Indian, I am Punjabi. So, it’s like a mix of cultures. His mom is also so deep rooted in all the South Indian cultures. So, I don’t know what it’s gonna be, but I think we’re very excited.”