Mouni Roy Was Missing Husband Suraj Nambiar, So She Posted This

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; February 14, 2023)

Mouni Roy and her husband, Dubai-based businessman Suraj Nambiar, were dating for three years before they decided to take the plunge and tie the knot. The couple exchanged wedding vows last year on January 27. Mouni and Suraj, who come from completely different worlds, in an exclusive interview with Bombay Times on Valentine’s Day, for the first time, talk about how their romance blossomed and what it is that makes their marriage special. Read on…

After three years of courtship and one year of marriage, has the essence of Valentine’s Day changed for both of you? Can you recall any special moments spent on this day?
MOUNI: For the first few years, Valentine’s Day was all about surprising each other with gifts. Now, it is about spending more time with each other. Though, I must say getting gifts for Suraj is quite a task as he doesn’t like any presents and constantly gets them exchanged. So, it is best I ask him to choose and pick things for himself. We celebrated our first Valentine's Day just a month and a half after we started dating. He gifted me something precious at an open-air theatre where they played one of my favourite classic movies.

Both of you come from completely different worlds and when you met, you were living in different places (Mouni was in Mumbai, while Suraj lived in Dubai). How did this relationship unfold?
SURAJ: Having lived out of India for over 12 years, I wasn’t aware that Mouni was an actress. We met at a New Year’s bash in 2018 in Dubai. I went to the bar to get my drink and saw this bunch of girls and that’s where we exchanged a few glances.
MOUNI: I was in Dubai with nine couples, who were my friends. I was the only single one, so my best friend said that she would help me find someone at the party, and there she found him. That evening we didn’t talk much, but later I ended up going to Dubai frequently and we kept meeting; that’s how it all started.

When it came to taking the relationship to the next level and talking about marriage, who made the first move? How sure were both of you about taking the plunge?
SURAJ: For a long time, I was against the idea of getting married. However, having experienced it for a year, I must say it is quite peaceful, and I would recommend it. Mouni was quite clear that she wanted to get married very early on. After a couple of years of dating, she clearly said it was either this way (getting married) or the highway. I just kept buying time. Then one day, she gave me an ultimatum, and I realized that if I didn’t marry her, I would lose her. That’s when I realized we should get married as I knew that my life would be better with her.
MOUNI: What works for us is the fact that we both are very occupied in our professional lives. So, the moments we get to spend with each other, we make the most of them. There’s a conscious effort to utilize this time positively. We have grown a lot in this relationship. It has been quite a journey. We have had our fair share of arguments. But today, we are at a stage where we can be with each other without complaining, and just be ourselves and be happy.
SURAJ: I also had a lot of apprehension about partially moving to Mumbai. I thought it would be tough, but I saw Mouni putting in a lot of effort to make me feel comfortable here. Now, her friends are my friends and vice versa. It’s been a journey of growth. We’ve always enjoyed doing things together, soon we are partnering over work, too.

For someone who comes from a completely different field, Suraj, how does it feel to be married to a celebrity and deal with all the media attention?
SURAJ: In the early phase of our relationship, Mouni and I met in Dubai and places abroad. So, it wasn’t like she was constantly surrounded by fans and paps. It was only during my initial visits to Mumbai that I saw fans asking for her selfies and paps waiting to click her… that’s when it really hit me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted everything that came with it (dating an actor). I realized that being married to Mouni would mean that I would have to live in the public eye. It’s part of the deal, and with time, I am getting used to it.

In this day and age, where relationships and marriages fail to stand the test of time, you have managed to stay together despite the constant travelling between Mumbai and Dubai. How do you manage that?
SURAJ: It’s all about prioritizing. One person can’t have all the qualities. So, you have to ask yourself what are the three qualities that you absolutely need in a partner and then find that person. This is the longest relationship I have been in, and a big part of that is because I let go of a lot of unnecessary expectations (from my partner).
MOUNI: At the beginning of a relationship, you will never know if the person is right for you. All you can do is, give them a lot of love and respect. Also, give the person space, and like Suraj said, don’t have unnecessary expectations. If you treat your relationship with respect every single day, you will see it flourish, and the rest, of course, is destiny.