How I Met My Partner: Supriya Shukla Says, 'My Husband Fell In Love With Me At First Sight'

Actor Supriya Shukla is currently working in a TV show Uff Yeh Love Hai Mushkil, but in real life, it has been an easy-peasy marriage for her. One of the prerequisites of a good marriage is that the husband and wife don’t stoop down to insulting each other. And Supriya takes pride in the fact that Haril has never done that. She says, “Haril knows how to make me smile. He is my best friend.” Since she got married at an early age, she says, “I have grown up with him and seen life with him, and want to live life with him till I am alive.”

Q. When and how did you meet your husband Haril?

A. My husband fell in love with me at first sight. It was on February 15, 1994; we celebrate it till now. I was at a meeting for a show on Doordarshan Metro Channel. The show had different stories written by Nirgunji, and my husband was the head of that project.

Q. Was it a love or an arranged marriage?

A. It was a love marriage. His family agreed easily. My parents took a while because I was only 21, but eventually, they agreed too, and the match was arranged.

Q. What was your initial reaction when you met him?

A. He was a thorough professional, a man of few words, but had vibes of a good human being.

Q. Which quality of his were you attracted to?

A. His honesty, caring nature, and his work ethics.

Q. After the first meeting, when did you see him again?

A. I was staying in Delhi, but the shoot was in Allahabad. We would drive in a shooting van to the location, which was an hour away, every day. The other actors and the DOP would take their seats, but no one would sit next to me. Haril was always the last to come, so he would sit next to me. We made very little conversation.

Q. Who said “I love you” first?

A. He said “I love you” to me when we were coming back from Allahabad to Delhi. In the train, he asked me if he could sit for a while next to me, and then he plainly said, “I love you and want to marry you.”

Q. How long did you date?

A. We just did not date. I had got admission in Stanford and was leaving the very next month to do a project. But God wanted me to be an actor.

Q. Who proposed marriage?

A. He proposed in February, and I said, “I love you too.” Once I cancelled my Stanford plan, he would land up every day at my place — like every day.

Q. Would you’ll fight during your courtship days?

A. Honestly, we did not fight. We got engaged in June and were married by December 1994.

Q. Who apologizes after a fight?

A. Haril is an excellent human being. He is temperamental sometimes, but he doesn’t hesitate in saying sorry when he is in the wrong.

Q. What is one of his many endearing qualities?

A. He cooks for us and, without any hesitation, serves my friends, parents, and siblings. And I reciprocate. He respects me.

Q. How do you’ll accommodate each other?

A. I took a back seat when my girls were small. And when my first film Parineeta happened and work began pouring in, he took a back seat and became my strength.

Q. What is the one promise you made to each other?

A. We had promised each other that our children would have our full attention, and at least one of the parents would always be there around them to keep a watch on their friends, school and school activities, music, and dance classes. Together, we achieved what we had promised each other.

Q. Have you ever slept over a fight?

A. We have a guru mantra — never sleep over a fight. When in the fighting mode, just ask yourself one question: “Can I stay without this person?” If the answer is yes, then there is no point in continuing with the marriage. And if the answer is no, then what is the point in fighting?

Q. What is your definition of love?

A. Respecting and caring for each other.