Nishi Tiwari (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 15, 2019)

Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar, who spent most of 2018 playing hide-and-seek vis-à-vis their relationship status, making it Insta-official only towards the year-end, seem all set to make it legal.

While at a press conference recently, the 45-year-old actor-filmmaker was quoted as saying that he is looking forward to the release of his next film, the Shonali Bose-directed The Sky Is Pink and has a “special announcement” to make, but at a later, more appropriate occasion.

In a classic case of a picture speaking a thousand words, this coincides with Farhan and Shibani, 38, making f quent appearances on each other’s social media. On the sidelines of their online inte actions, which have gradually moved on from innocuous hints at a romance to fullblown I-Love-Yous, the couple ushered in the New Year together with friends and family. Shibani hung out with her beau’s pet, Jim, over the first weekend of 2019, while the following one saw the couple at a pool party with a bunch of their close friends.

On Sunday, Farhan shared an image of them in a pool, with Shibani propped up on his arms. “As long as I have you/ As long as you are/I’ll never be lost… Shine on beautiful star, Shibani Dandekar, love you loads,” he wrote. Last week, the model-actress marked Farhan’s birthday on January 9 by flaunting his “coolest tattoo” of a tiny dolphin. “Happy birthday my sweet grumps, love you loads,” she shared, appending the post with a series of celebratory emojis.

This, coupled with reports that the duo is currently on the lookout for wedding planners, caterers and a March/April date for D-Day, indicates that it’s only a matter of time before the “special announcement” that Farhan promised will be in the public domain.