Zaheer Iqbal reveals he 'wanted to elope' with Sonakshi Sinha: 'I got to know that wedding is not valid in India'

Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal's wedding made headlines in June. Did you know Zaheer initially wanted to 'go somewhere, get married, and come back' to India?

Sonakshi Sinha and longtime boyfriend Zaheer Iqbal had a civil marriage ceremony followed by a star-studded reception on June 23 in Mumbai. In a new interview with Galatta India, the actors spoke about choosing to marry in an intimate fashion. Zaheer said he thought of 'eloping' with Sonakshi, while the latter ‘always wanted a very intimate wedding’.

Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal married in June in Mumbai.

Zaheer-Sonakshi cancelled their foreign wedding

When asked if a small wedding was always the plan, Zaheer Iqbal said, "I wanted to elope.... just bounce to the country and go somewhere, get married, and come back; but I got to know that wedding is not valid in India... like you can't go to Las Vegas and get married, it is not allowed."

Sonakshi added, "So that plan was cancelled; and I always wanted a very intimate wedding. And he (Zaheer) is okay as long as his most important people are there, which is our friends and family that were present at the signing."

Shatrughan Sinha was a proud papa as Sonakshi held his hand through the ceremony, especially while signing the marriage certificate.

Sonakshi on marrying Zaheer

In a recent interview with HT City, Sonakshi called herself 'lucky' for being married to Zaheer. She said, “I was just thinking that nothing much has really changed in my life except that I get to live with my best friend now. And that's the most fun part... other than that, it's been normal. That's what lovely relationships do that they don't make you change who you are. So yeah, life is great. He's lovely. I am a lucky girl.”

Sonakshi and Zaheer married on June 23 in the presence of their loved ones at her residence in Mumbai. It was an intimate civil wedding, and was followed by a star-studded reception at the restaurant, Bastian, which had everyone from filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali to actor Kajol in attendance. The actors, who worked together in the 2022 film Double XL, dated for seven years before tying the knot.