In November last year, we had reported about TV actor Rohan Rai starting life afresh two years after the tragic demise of his girlfriend of seven years and fiancée, celebrity manager Disha Salian. Her death in June 2020 caused a stir resulting in several conspiracy theories. However, after investigations, the Mumbai Police said that she died by suicide.

Rohan has given love another chance and is in a relationship with his Piyaa Albela co-actor, Sheen Dass. The couple is set to take the plunge on April 22 in Kashmir, where Sheen’s parents were born. Pre-wedding rituals, including haldi and mehendi, will be performed a day prior.

Talking about tying the knot in Kashmir, Rohan says, “Sheen’s family gets quite emotional whenever they talk about Kashmir, so we wanted to build some beautiful memories there. The wedding will be a two-day intimate ceremony. Besides our families, a few close industry friends have been invited.”

The former co-actors were barely in touch after their show Piyaa Albela wrapped up in August 2018. Sheen reconnected with Rohan after Disha’s untimely demise. Rohan recalls, “We were cordial during the shoot and became close friends when I was going through a rough patch personally.”

Sheen adds, “What happened was very unfortunate. When we started talking, it would break my heart to see him go through all that. I was concerned for him as a friend. Now that we are getting married, I tell everyone I am marrying a friend. One day, I told him that I was meeting marriage prospects and he should also give marriage a serious thought. That’s when he asked me if I would consider spending a year to understand each other and see if we could spend our lives together. The best thing about our relationship is that we are compatible, and he is emotionally available.”

Rohan admits he feared getting into a relationship initially, but love happens when you are least expecting it. He says, “It would be difficult not to remember Disha when I would revisit places where we hung out. I didn’t want to get into a relationship on the rebound. Falling in love with Sheen was an organic process.”

With time, they realised that they had a lot in common — like their taste in music, the idea of spirituality and family values. Rohan adds, “I was grieving when Sheen and I started talking. While I had to do a lot of explaining with people, only a handful assured me that this, too, shall pass, and Sheen was one of them. She never lost trust in me. I could tell her anything; she was my anchor.”

Sheen says, “Neither of us proposed to each other officially. We just knew our friendship had blossomed into something more.”

Rohan has vowed to take care of Disha’s family and shares a close bond with her mother. While talking about his emotional attachment to them, Sheen says, “I respect his feelings and don’t want him to be any other way. Even if you are in a relationship or marriage, the person has a life of his own. I don’t intend to replace Disha, but make my place in his life. Healing is a gradual process and I want him to take as much time as he needs to overcome his pain.”

Rohan was subjected to massive social media backlash after Disha’s death. Do they fear negativity online about their marriage? “There can be. Even if there is, we will deal with it as one unit. We can only hope there is none. We look forward to embarking on a new journey together,” they reply.