Karan Johar calls Anushka Sharma–Virat Kohli wedding a “covert operation” that changed Indian destination weddings : Bollywood News

Filmmaker Karan Johar recently looked back at one of Bollywood’s most talked-about celebrity weddings and described it as a “covert operation” that reshaped how high-profile Indian couples plan destination ceremonies. Johar was speaking about the 2017 Italy wedding of actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli, which he says played a key role in altering perceptions around privacy and personal choice in wedding planning.

Karan Johar calls Anushka Sharma–Virat Kohli wedding a “covert operation” that changed Indian destination weddings

Karan Johar calls Anushka Sharma–Virat Kohli wedding a “covert operation” that changed Indian destination weddingsSharma and Kohli tied the knot on December 11, 2017, in a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. At the time, the couple stunned fans and the entertainment industry by keeping every detail under wraps — no leaks, no rumours, and no advance media coverage. The news of their marriage broke only after they posted official wedding photos on social media, a moment Johar recalls vividly.

“The texture and DNA of weddings, especially destination weddings, have changed,” Johar said during a conversation that included the couple’s wedding planner Devika Narain. “I would give absolute credit to the Anushka-Virat wedding. The whole country woke up to this wedding; no one knew it was happening. It was a covert operation. From her wedding walk to the location, everybody fell in love.”

Wedding planner Devika Narain also highlighted that the event’s true impact came from its emphasis on personal choice rather than extravagant spectacle. She noted that the logistical effort behind the scenes, including managing guest movements and keeping the ceremony confidential, made people rethink how weddings could be organised. “Why that wedding changed the gambit was because people realised they could do whatever they wanted at weddings,” Narain said.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, who began dating in 2013 before marrying in 2017, now have two children — daughter Vamika, born in 2021, and son Akaay, born in 2024. The family is based in London, where they focus on a quieter life away from constant media attention.

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