It’s retro music, Konkani dishes and live chats for Amrita Rao and her RJ-husband
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 3, 2020)

Amrita Rao has always been shy about discussing her personal life. But the 21-day Coronavirus lockdown seems to have changed that. Recently, the actress went live on Instagram with RJ-husband Anmol for the first time to interact with fans. To her surprise, one of the participants wanted their daughter to be christened by the couple. “It was a goosebumps-inducing moment for me. Luckily, I came up with the name Devika which coincidentally, started with the same alphabet that the father had in mind,” she shares. Was it a name she’d been keeping for her own daughter? “Let’s think of that when I have one, for which we’d like to wait a bit,” she laughs.

Meanwhile, she’s taken on a new role, a chef in real life. “I still can’t believe I’m making aloo-bhindi fry, daal, pulao and Konkani dishes daily. I am on call with my mom all the time, exchanging recipes and shocking my hubby,” she chuckles.

The couple start their day with retro songs by Hemant Kumar, Talat Mahmood and Asha Bhosle. “Anmol plays the saxophone while I am cooking,” she informs, adding that sharing household chores has brought them closer at the time of ‘zero touching’ which, she believes, should continue even after 21 days.

Recently, Amrita’s Vivah leading man, Shahid Kapoor, during a Q&A session on the ’gram, described her as a “special co-star”. Returning the compliment, she acknowledges that fans beseech her to reunite with her reel-life Prem. “I’m touched, it would be wonderful to work with Shahid again and relive that magical bond,” she avers.

For now, the actress wants to explore Marathi cinema and is gearing up for a digital debut. “I was also in talks for a Hindi film, Satsang, but that has been delayed following the coronavirus outbreak,” says the actress, who has always been very choosy, turning down ‘filler’ films. “I have to be careful because I don’t have a godfather in the industry to back me. And since I come from a financially secure family background, I can decline some offers,” Amrita concludes.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; February 14, 2019)

Amrita Rao had a huge surprise in store for her yesterday. Her husband RJ Anmol gifted her a big diamond ring on the eve of Valentine’s Day. The actress, who was seen in last month’s release, Thackeray, is planning to present him something equally special. “Usually, I give him the ‘regular’ gifts like a nice watch or something, but this time I’m thinking something different,” she says.

Quiz her why did they ring in the celebrations a day earlier and Amrita replies, “I had to fly to Delhi for a prior work commitment today morning. If I would have been in town, then Anmol would have probably taken a day off from work. But we don’t mix our personal and professional lives, so we decided to commemorate it in advance.” The couple, who will complete three years of marriage on May 15, ended the day with dinner at a suburban five-star.

Interestingly, Anmol got his sister, who lives in Europe, to call his wife and find out what kind of a ring would the latter prefer. While this is the biggest diamond ring he has gifted her, Amrita tells us, “All his gifts are unique. He puts in a lot of thought and effort in gifting, and it’s not just for Valentine’s Day only. Last year, he captured all our moments together in an animation video. We had no photographs, so it was a huge surprise for me to see that he remembered everything so vividly,” she recalls.

The actress also reveals that she has been celebrating the day since 2011, after she met Anmol a year before and he is a ‘hardcore romantic’. Another thing that impressed the petite beauty was that though he was cool and contemporary, he also respected family values and traditions. “He’s a perfect blend of Sooraj Barjatya’s Prem and Aditya Chopra’s Raj,” she signs off.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; February 13, 2019)

Little did Amrita Rao know that co-hosting a show with a radio jockey would change her life. It was in 2010 that she met RJ Anmol, who anchored a retro-based Bollywood show on radio. With time, they became friends and gradually, their relationship took a serious turn. He proposed to her — first on air and then, in his car near Juhu beach. The actress had always wanted her first relationship to last forever, and her wish was granted, when, after dating for about six years, the couple got married in May 2016. For the first time, Amrita, who recently returned to the big screen with Thackeray, decided to take BT through her romantic journey. Excerpts:

As an artiste, you never allowed people into your private space. Be it your relationship or your marriage, you have never spoken about where and how it all began...
I am a huge retro fan, and I had proposed that Anmol and I do a Kishore Kumar show together. That’s when we first met and soon, we realised that we had a common love for old songs. It wasn’t love at first sight for us, but that evening, the first chord was struck. Gradually, we became friends. His positive aura attracted me, but I didn’t realise it for a very long time. We shared a rare comfort with each other. Both of us loved exploring the old-world charm of Mumbai, going on drives and walking in the quaint bylanes near Flora Fountain.

It’s said that marriage changes the course of a relationship. From being a girlfriend to being a wife, the transition must have been drastic...
Luckily, our temperament and likes are very similar. We are naturally compatible, so nothing has changed between us. It started off with us being friends and that is intact even today. When we started living with each other, he had told me that it would be different, and we have to ensure that we never become disrespectful of each other or take each other for granted. Once a mirror is cracked, you can’t mend it, and we didn’t want that. That’s what worked in our favour; we’re always on the same page. We’ve also never let our professional and personal lives cross paths. Keeping them apart makes it all peaceful and happy.

Must say, an actress falling in love with an RJ is indeed an interesting story, and he even proposed to you on air. Pretty much a scene out of a movie, isn’t it?
Yes, he did. He first texted me, saying that I shouldn’t miss the next track on his show. It was my favourite song — Gum hai kisike pyaar mein (Rampur Ka Lakshman) — following which he proposed. I was shocked and when I called him back, we both laughed over it. But deep down, he had expressed what he felt, in the most bold and beautiful manner. In my head, even at that time, he was still my friend who I loved hanging out with. Eventually, he proposed to me again, near Juhu beach. This time, he said, ‘I think we must give this a chance, maybe you are not recognising things.’ I told him, ‘This is the first time I getting into any relationship and it will be serious from this point onwards.’ We’ve never looked back after that. He’s the first and the only man I committed to in a relationship. I had always wished for it to be this way, because I was not the kind of person who would try and test relationships with different people. For me, it was always going to be one relationship for eternity. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other and our families. Gradually, it all came together. My parents loved him in the first 10 minutes of meeting him. His mother once told me, ‘Beta, when we saw Vivah, I had told Anmol, bahu ho to aisi ho. I had never thought ki bahu wohi hogi.’ And then, about six years later, we got married.

Like most Indian couples, are you also facing questions about expanding your family?
Not yet because so far, a lot of people didn’t even know that I was married. Now, the questions may start popping. I have never done something because of any pressure. Anmol is very fond of kids and wants to have a kid, too. We haven’t really made any plans in that direction, yet.

You decided to step out of limelight when you were doing well, professionally. Was there ever a point when you felt that you could have steered the course of your career differently?
Nope! Things are perfect the way they are. Yes, I could have done a lot of films had I compromised on my comfort. I was never comfortable getting intimate on screen or kissing. I could have pinched myself and done it, but I chose to sit back and say ‘no’. Marrying someone not from the industry really helped. We successfully kept everything away from public glare and there couldn’t have been a better time for us to take the plunge. Working in this industry has a lot of pressures, especially for outsiders. Second chances are rare and people pull you down at the first opportunity. I thank God that I have someone, who gives me a new perspective on everything and absorb only the positives in every circumstance.

Roshni K Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; May 15, 2016)

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; February 4, 2015)

Rumour mill has it that Amrita Rao has secretly tied the knot with her beau RJ Anmol. The actress, who is fiercely protective about her personal life, married Anmol in a private ceremony in Mumbai.

Says a source, “They tied the knot a few months ago and have been living in their own pad at Vakola, close to where Anmol’s family stays. Amrita earlier lived in with her folks in Versova.”

Anmol’s name was earlier synonymous with a Bollywood music radio station, but he does a show for a sports channel now.

Amrita was last seen in films like Singh Saab The Great and Satyagraha (both in 2013). Adds the source, “She has been conducting professional meetings at her new Vakola home. After her sister Preetika Rao featured in the TV show Beintehaa, she too is keen on exploring television since her Bollywood career isn’t booming at the moment.”

In the past there was buzz about the actress’s engagement when she was spotted with a ring. Rumours got stronger as she was seen at a private nursing home in Santa Cruz where Anmol was admitted when he was ailing.

Amrita remained unavailable for comment.