Actor Priya Banerjee and actor Prateik Babbar, who now goes by the name Prateik Smita Patil, tied the knot in an intimate ceremony on Valentine’s Day. In their first interview since the wedding, the couple opens up about their special day.

“Our wedding was exactly as we had dreamt — intimate, special and filled with the people we love the most. What made it even more meaningful was getting married at Rock Cliff, Prateik’s mother’s house. She (late actor Smita Patil) had bought it for him with the hope of raising him there, but unfortunately, she couldn’t. We believe it was her gift to us, her way of ensuring we got married in that home, and so we did,” says Priya.

While the couple has always been open about their relationship, their sudden wedding took fans by surprise. Prateik, taking a philosophical turn, says, “It feels like I’ve done this a thousand times before. It’s like another lifetime, another universe. I feel like I marry her in every lifetime, and this is just one of many more to come.”

The decision to marry on February 14 wasn’t just about Valentine’s Day. Priya explains, “What better day to celebrate love? But more importantly, my parents were visiting, and Prateik wanted to make it official. So, we gathered our closest family, kept it intimate and did the pheras. It felt perfect.”

For Priya, the most special part of the wedding was the presence of their closest family. “His two aunts and my parents were there to celebrate with us. These are the people we love the most, and getting married in his mum’s house made us feel her presence. We didn’t want a lavish event with hundreds of guests or a spectacle for the world. It was about us and the people who love us.”

Addressing the speculation about Prateik’s father, actor-politician Raj Babbar, and other family members being absent, Priya clarifies, “No one was missing from our wedding or celebrations. I don’t know why there are rumours suggesting otherwise. Our families were there — my parents, his aunts who raised him, and everyone who truly matters. We were surrounded by love, and that’s all that counts.”