Valentine's Day| When Zaid Darbar proposed Gauahar Khan in just one month of meeting with a game of dumb charades

In our Valentine's Day special series Love Unscripted, Gauahar Khan and Zaid Darbar reminisce their awkward first meeting and their amazing proposal story

As traditional in family values that actor-couple Gauahar Khan and Zaid Darbar are, there love story is as far away from usual. It started with Zaid Darbar sliding into the DMs of his now-wife Gauahar Khan on Instagram, and today, they are happily married and proud parents to son Zehaan.

Gauahar Khan and Zaid Darbar(Photo: Instagram)

“I knew if I start a conversation, it will go to another level as I was looking for something more permanent. I had just come out of a weird relationship and was not looking to date anymore. And I actually took three days to message her,” Zaid reveals, while Gauahar adds, “For the first 20 days of knowing each other, we didn’t even meet as I was in Pune. And then in the next 10 days, he proposed. We started talking on July 17, and he proposed on August 23. In one month, he proposed marriage to me. So, where was the time to think?”

However, the proud wife adds that even though it happened so quick, she never doubted her decision. “It was surreal that not even for one second after saying yes did I wonder what did I do? Maybe it was divine intervention,” she says, while narrating her proposal story. “It was my birthday and he had planned a surprise at home with both our families. It was decided that we would play dumb charades. We’d be on the same team, and he will be given the movie title Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. He got feverish because of the whole anticipation and even had to take medicine,” she shares.

The actor adds, “As soon as I guessed the name, suddenly the song Mujhse Shaadi Karogi started playing. I thought people were teasing me so I shut my eyes feeling embarassed. As soon as I opened them, he was on his knees with the ring. And I said yes.” While the romance was palpable in this story, Zaid has another memory that he cherishes, their first meeting. “She refused to sit in my car. She said, ‘I am not sitting with you in your car’,” he laughs.

Adding to it, Gauahar shares, “I was just thinking what kind of a woman would he think I am if I am ready to sit in his car on our first meeting. So, I said that if you want to see me, you come in your car, I’ll come in mine. And he was like ‘you can’t go back to Pune without meeting me’. So, I told him if he wanted to see me, he will have to come at the ATM as I had to use the ATM.” She blushes remebering her first impression of Zaid: “His window rolled down and I saw his smile and thought ‘cute’. I like very short hair on guys, and he had that exact hairstyle, otherwise his Instagram pictures were horrendous. His hair colour was orange at that time.”

Zaid’s first words to Gauahar were even more amazing. “We were in a parking lot, and as she put her legs out of the car, the first thing I said to her was, ‘Wow, you have such long legs’. Pyaar to mujhe tab hi ho gaya tha,” he gushes, adding, “A lot happened with me during my childhood, which made me quite mature since I was a child. I don’t like to show that but I understand what my next step should be. And with Gauahar, I knew that she is the one, there is no one after her.” Ask him why he wants Gauahar to be his forever valentine and he gives the most apt answer: “Nikaah hua hai, aur kya?”