Suhas Yellapantula (BOMBAY TIMES; May 22, 2020)

Actor Rana Daggubati and girlfriend Miheeka Bajaj kick-started their wedding festivities with a traditional roka ceremony on Wednesday. The ceremony took place at Rana’s grandfather D Ramanaidu’s memorial at Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad. Says D Suresh Babu, Rana’s father, “It was not a formal engagement ceremony. It was an intimate gathering with just immediate family present. Roka is a tradition from the girl’s side to make the alliance official. It was a beautiful ceremony and both families are extremely happy.”

Rana opted for a crisp white cotton shirt and lungi set, keeping things understated at the roka and letting his to-be-bride Miheeka shine in her salmon pink and red pattu sari paired with an intricately embroidered plum-coloured blouse. Miheeka’s mother, Bunty Bajaj, shares, “We come from a Marwari family and roka is a part of our tradition. We started the day with a small Ganpati puja at our residence and then we had the roka ceremony, where we applied tilak to the groom, and the families exchanged sweets. This was the first function to kick off the wedding festivities, so we’re all very excited. We also discussed the wedding dates and are in the process of finalising a date soon.”

Meanwhile, even as pictures of the couple took the internet by storm, the Daggubati and Bajaj families inform that more formal ceremonies are likely to follow. “We’ve not yet decided whether to have a formal engagement ceremony or to directly have a wedding directly and reception. There will be formal functions soon and we will share the details once they’re finalised,” Suresh Babu adds.