Shrenu Parikh Mhatre is currently playing Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiv, in the TV serial Gatha Shiv Parivar Ki — Ganesh Kartikey. Shrenu is married in real life to Akshay Mhatre. Their marriage is near perfect and seems to be blessed by God.
Q. How did you first meet your husband Akshay Mhatre?
A. We met on the sets of the TV show Ghar Ek Mandir in Jaipur. It was during the post-Covid days.
Q. What was your initial reaction when you met him?
A. We were in a professional set-up. He seemed extremely sweet and caring, a co-star. We gradually became friends, and then I fell for him.
Q. Who played Cupid?
A. I think time played Cupid in our case. There was also a lot of help from many of the actors on the set — mostly from Archana Mittal, who played my mom-in-law in the show, and from Ankit, who played the villain.
Q. What proved to be the ice-breaker between the two of you?
A. The ice-breaker was one Scrabble game we played post pack-up. We all lived together in Zee Studios, and Akshay loves board games, so we played Scrabble when we packed up early for once.
Q. Which qualities of his were you attracted to?
A. His simplicity and his calm demeanour. He was liked by everyone on set, and that attracted me the most. I learned this quality from him — that respect is a two-way street; if you give love and respect to everyone, you receive it too.
Q. Who took the initiative to get to know each other better?
A. Akshay is very shy, and his way of expressing is different, so I had to take the initiative.
Q. Who fixed the first date? And where did you guys go?
A. He fixed our first date. We lied to everyone on set and went to Shikar Baug, a lovely place in Jaipur! He then planned a trip to Pushkar as his gift to me.
Q. Is he a gift person?
A. He is! I am not. He loves to surprise me in several ways — be it flowers, my favourite objects, or our favourite food delicacies.
Q. Who said ‘I love you’ first?
A. I!
Shrenu Parikh Mhatre and Akshay |
Q. How long did you date each other before you both decided to marry?
A. One and a half years. But we started dating knowing that we were looking for marriage.
Q. Who proposed marriage?
A. He did. One day, in our early days, he just randomly said, “I can’t wait to be married to you.” I wasn’t even thinking about marriage then.
Q. Was there any kind of opposition when you both decided to marry?
A. Nope, none, as both the families met each other and they loved us respectively.
Q. How has your relationship changed from being girlfriend-boyfriend to being husband and wife?
A. Oh, a lot. When we were dating, there were fewer responsibilities, fewer expectations, fewer dreams. Now, we have grown up in our relationship.
Q. Any lifestyle changes after marriage?
A. Yes. Both of us have become much more home-ground now! We like to stay at home and eat home-cooked food. He loves to try new dishes, and so do I! We occasionally cook for each other.
Shrenu Parikh Mhatre and Akshay |
Q. Who apologises after a fight first?
A. He does — both before marriage and even now! He cannot stay upset or let me be upset for long; he has to sort out the fight.
Q. Do you believe one must not sleep over a fight?
A. Yes! Both of us do! We try to resolve our fight and then retire to bed.
Q. Do you’ll take career advice from each other?
A. Yes, both of us take each other’s advice very seriously.
Q. Who is more possessive?
A. I am.
Q. Who is more short-tempered?
A. I am.
Q. Who is the spendthrift?
A. He is.
Q. Who is a cleanliness freak?
A. He is.
Q. What is your definition of love?
A. Love, for me, is standing by that person who’s not perfect but is still your lifeline, and you cannot do without him.
