Kushal Tandon, who was last seen in Beyhadh on the small screen, recently walked the ramp for Bombay Times Fashion Week. In an exclusive chat, we spoke to the actor about his ex girlfriend Gauahar Khan’s upcoming nuptials, his upcoming assignments and when he plans to tie the knot himself. Excerpts:

Not at all. I was doing other assignments. Also, Beyhadh is a franchise and it is normal to take different lead actors for a new season. I have no problems with that and I liked working with the makers.

Yes, I am in touch with her and I am happy that she is getting married. God bless her. If she invites me to her wedding, I would love to go. But, I think I will be shooting that time, so I am not sure if I will be able to attend the wedding or not.

I don’t know! When is the right time to get married, I will. As of now, I have no idea where my better half is. I just hope that whenever I find her, she should have a good heart.

Year 2020 has seen some of the biggest names from showbiz tie the knot — Neha Kakkar-Rohanpreet Singh, Kajal Aggarwal-Gautam Kitchlu and Shaheer Sheikh-Ruchikaa Kapoor among others. The latest to join the bandwagon are actress Gauahar Khan and choreographer Zaid Darbar (music composer Ismail Darbar’s son). In an exclusive interview with ETimes TV, the couple spoke about their relationship. Excerpts...

Gauahar Khan: We have known each other not for a very long time. I think when the feeling is right and you know, you are meant to be together then nothing else matters, whether it is a time frame that you have known each other for or any of the other norms that people go by. When I got to know him, I realised that if it was to become forever, it wouldn’t take much time.

Zaid Darbar: She is exactly like me. Everything was organic and it was straight from the heart.

Gauahar: We met in July 2020. Within a few months, he proposed to me (laughs!).

Gauahar: We both have had our share of experiences, we have had our own course of learning in life. For me, as long as our families know what we are doing and what we feel, that’s what matters. We are happy and we are not thinking about how much time we have spent together or since how long we have known each other or anything like that. We are just ecstatic about knowing each other and excited about what the future holds for us.

Zaid: It is a big commitment I know and not just marriage, even relationship is a big commitment because you are involving families, time and emotions. We both have seen a lot of things in life and it’s not that we have got into it without thinking. According to me, when I stop thinking much about something and it is going on naturally, I feel that is what Allah wants.

Gauahar: Actually, I have no jitters at all with anything to do with Zaid, because he makes me feel like everything is going to be fine and taken care of. He is my best friend, my resolver of every issue. It’s not like it is all hunkydory, we have our share of arguments, how we deal with it is the best part. The way he makes me feel I know that even if the wedding was going to be tomorrow, I would not be nervous.

Zaid: And I know I wouldn’t be nervous of getting things together, because she manages everything so well. I know she will handle everything. Initially, I thought I am the only one who can manage things at one go, then Allah sent her in my life and made me realise that no, you have a partner who is better than you. My family simply adores her. She has proved how good she is in both her professional and personal life. I am proud of my Gauahar.

Gauahar: Honestly, I have always told my family and friends before meeting Zaid that I am yet to meet the male version of me. I feel I have the capacity to love, find a balance and take responsibility and I used to always think yaar mere jaisa koi ladka bana hai kya. Finally, I met Zaid who is younger than me, but more mature than me or experienced to handle situations in a calmer way.

Zaid: It is the same for me. She completes me.

Gauahar: Let me clear this, the age difference that has come out is wrong. He is few years younger to me, but not 12 years. Judging and passing comments that the age gap can act as a barrier in a relationship is easy, but Zaid and I have a similar kind of understanding and maturity. So, age should not matter.

Zaid: We both are mature. There are a few things which she makes me understand. We both balance each other.

Gauahar: Everyone is excited with our coming together. Our families get along very well with each other.

Zaid: Yes, everyone is very happy. We had to tell Dad to control the excitement (laughs!). He is so happy.

After months of speculation, actor Gauahar Khan and Zaid Darbar announced their engagement last month. The couple will tie the knot on December 25.

The bride-to-be reveals that over a month of knowing him well, they got engaged. “I felt this is my kind of human being. I knew we would have a great friendship. We didn’t have a courtship. I met him, we hit it off and marriage was not on his mind. It was in a flow and after meeting me, in literally over a month, he proposed. There were no second thoughts,” she gushes about Zaid, son of music director Ismail Darbar.

Khan reveals that when her dad was hospitalised and she was in Pune taking care of him, she met Zaid only three times in six weeks. “I had to go to Pune right after he proposed and I got to know him better over the phone. I had a deeper understanding of life during the Coronavirus pandemic. What got further emphasized is that time with family and loved ones matters the most. To meet a man who believed the same, made me think he is my kind of person,” says Khan, adding she is unfazed that she is seven years older to Zaid. “I can be a goofball with him and also find the maturity and balance in the relationship,” she says.