New Delhi, Nov 15: A public announcement, two weddings and a long tease later, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh released the first pictures as husband and wife on Thursday.
The marriage, one of the most awaited events in Bollywood calendar, was an intensely private and synchronised affair at scenic Lake Como's Villa del Balbianello in Italy. The couple honoured their South Indian and North Indian origins with twin nuptials.
Both Deepika and Ranveer shared the photographs simultaneously on their respective social media accounts.
In the South Indian style wedding, Ranveer can be seen wearing a cream-white and golden kurta-dhoti, while Deepika looked gorgeous in what appears to be a maroon Kanjeevaram sari. The couple is seen sharing a hearty laugh in the picture.
In the second picture, the couple twinned in red and gold outfits. Deepika wore a dupatta that had the blessing 'Sada Saubhagyavati Bhava' inscribed on it in gold letters. This picture has the couple engaged in a deep conversation.
Deepika's favourite couturier Sabyasachi designed the outfits for both the couple. The bride, for once, managed to force Ranveer to mellow down from his quirky, flamboyant style.
Media, both national and international, was stationed outside the venue but could only manage a series of grainy images and videos, mostly of the guests and family members, doing little to quench the thirst of the stars' fans.
Though the wedding date announcement was made public in October, the wedding itself was one of the most secretive celebrity nuptials in Bollywood as even guests, who were ensconced in resorts tucked high above the lake ringed by mountains, were asked to keep the phone camera away.
Singer Harshdeep Kaur, who reportedly performed at the sangeet ceremony Tuesday, had to take down a picture from social media, that showed her standing near the lake with her husband.
The couple were sheltered from the prying camera eyes of the paparazzi during the ceremony with the help of black umbrellas, which the guests carried with them. They also flanked Deepika and Ranveer as the rituals were underway, with the media guessing that the wedding was over only through cheers and fireworks.
Like everything, the theme was also colour-coordinated - gold and cream, followed by red and gold on day two.
The wedding date Thursday also marks the fifth anniversary release of their first film together - "Ram Leela" - on whose sets their love story is said to have taken off. The couple has been in a relationship for six years.
Deepika and Ranveer will host a reception each in Bengaluru and Mumbai on November 21 and 28, respectively.
"Such a stunning, gorgeous and beautiful couple. Nazar utar lo. Badhai ho. Love you both. Here is to a lifetime of love and joy, filmmaker Karan Johar tweeted Wednesday, later admitting that he too was eagerly waiting for the pictures.
The actors, who have also worked together in Bajirao Mastani and Padmavat , were photographed at the Mumbai airport leaving for Italy on November 10 in a blaze of camera flashes and they will reportedly stay there till November 17.
On November 10, Ranveer's stylist Nitasha Gaurav posted teasers of the pre-wedding rituals on Twitter.
No pictures but it was love personified to see them together today. Couldn't stop my tears, but these were tears of happiness and so I hope they never do. #DeepVeerKiShaadi #ranveerkishaadi #foreverlove, she wrote on the microblogging site.
Next big wedding in Bollywood is that of Priyanka Chopra, who is reportedly set to tie the knot with American singer Nick Jonas in December.
Actor Anushka Sharma, who married Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli last year, was one of the firsts to congratulate the married couple.
"Wishing you both a world of happiness and beautiful journey together. May the love and respect you have in each other grow leaps and bounds. And welcome to the club," she wrote on Twitter.
"Lots of love and congratulations my RV and Dips," wrote Parineeti, who made her debut with Ranveer's film.
Bipasha Basu tweeted, "Love a great love story. So happy to see this beautiful couple together forever. Congratulations."
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Srinagar (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday questioned the safety of nuclear weapons in the hands of Pakistan, and said they should be taken under monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Interacting with troops here in his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since Operation Sindoor, he said the operation has made it clear to terror outfits and their masters in Pakistan that they should not consider themselves safe anywhere.
"I want to raise question before whole world: are nuclear weapons safe in hands of Pakistan, a rogue and irresponsible nation," he said.
Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be taken under monitoring of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he demanded.
IAEA is a global nuclear watchdog.
The defence minister is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the overall security situation, especially along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border.
Top military officials will brief the defence minister on various aspects of the prevailing security situation, officials said.
The defence minister will review the overall situation as well as combat readiness of the frontline troops at the Indian Army's XV Corps in Srinagar.
India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure early on May 7 following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10.
The Pakistani actions were strongly responded to by the Indian side. The Indian military targeted eight Pakistani air bases with missiles and other long-range weapons on May 10 in retaliation for Pakistan's attempts to strikes 26 military facilities.
The hostilities ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions following talks between the Director Generals of Military Operations of both sides on the afternoon of May 10.