The year 2020 will long be remembered by couples across the world as the year when a virus put love on the back seat. The joy of togetherness became but a memory and the thrill of travel, a distant dream as Corona locked twosomes in. For eight months they waited and wondered if life would ever be normal again, yearning for the simple pleasures of a late-night stroll, candlelit dinner, and a dip in the ocean. For a while, it seemed they were lost to us forever, but as the weeks limped by, for many in solitary confinement, the fear of illness was overpowered by the need to live. And this Diwali, as light shone through the darkness, many of B-town’s love birds flew out of their nests to make some Insta magic.

Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani left together but preferred to post solo from the same destination. But his family and their own heart and flame emojis gave them away. Ah well, you can choose to stay mum while wearing your hearts on sexy beachwear, but the world would know and smile.

Farhan Akhtar also headed the Maldives way, with daughter Akira and partner Shibani Dandekar, and his wonder at being one with the sea was there for all to see. His ladylove was more monochromatic in her introspections. “We rise, we heal, we overcome,” she pronounced, and one can imagine him strumming the guitar.

Newlyweds Kajal Aggarwal and Gautam Kitchlu also chose to spend their honeymoon in the South Asian island country. Holding hands with her man in the deep sea, the bride quoted Charbel Tadros, “The universe is an ocean upon which we are the waves. While some decide to surf, others venture to dive.” Instead of diving into the blues, Neha Kakkar and Rohanpreet Singh imprinted hearts on the Jumeirah beach in Dubai.

After gracing the red carpet at the El Gauna Film Festival in Egypt and a tour of the pyramids, Richa Chadha returned to box up her old life as she readied for a new chapter with Ali Fazal. Guess now they will set a new date for the wedding that has already been long delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Cheers to new beginnings!

With mom Neetu bringing in Diwali in Chandigarh with JugJugg Jeeyo co-stars Anil Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, and Anil’s wife Sunita, Ranbir Kapoor chose to celebrate his at home with staff and steady date Alia Bhatt. The fashionista went ethnic to compliment RK’s kurtapyjama look, while back in London, sister Shaheen cuddled up in woolies and tried to hide her “lockdown chin”. When will the bells chime for these two?

It was party time for Ananya Panday. Gorgeous in red, she stepped out to step into co-star Siddhant Chaturvedi’s home for a Diwali bash. And the papz went wild as Ishaan Khatter, recognisable even with the mask, joined her to pose for them. Since the Khaali Peeli promotions have long ended and Ishaan does not feature in her next, them cruising together has the angoorvine buzzing. Brother Shahid Kapoor had all he needed in his better half Mira who joined him in Dehradun to warm up a rainy winter evening.

After being separated by Corona for weeks—remember they contracted the virus simultaneously?—Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora can’t wait to spend as much time together as is possible. When he took off to Dharamshala to shoot for Bhoot Police, with Saif Ali Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez, she also packed a bag and followed bestie Kareena Kapoor to the hills of Himachal, so they could bring in Diwali together by a bonfire. Meanwhile, Saif, Kareena and li’l Taimur presented a happy family picture, singing the birthday song for a friend.

Less than a week ago, Avika Gor opened her heart to the world, saying she had found the love of her life in Milind Chandwani and that she was his forever. However, the Balika Vadhu was quick to add that there were no plans of getting married anytime soon. Shrugging off the “log kya kahenge” misgivings and her habit of overthinking, she said she’s ready to live in the moment and bask in this heady experience. And so, Avika brought in a lovevaali Deepavali, goofing around with actress Tajaswi Madivada, her husband and child, and of course Milind, while Zaid Darbar and Gauahar Khan were in perfect sync as they grooved to Yo Yo Honey Singh’s “Care Ni Karda”. The video had Gauahar revealing that Zaid “pyaar mein gir giya” and her fiancé self-censoring the rest with a snip of his fingers and a “Cut it!” Aaoooo!