Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are one of the most adored celebrity couples. But while their love story is something we all have been obsessing over for a long time, there’s another cricketer whose love life is nothing short of a Bollywood movie. Any guesses who?
Well, it is none other than ace cricket Sourav Ganguly. Back in the day, Sourav dada was one of the most successful Indian test captains and also established himself as an incredible batsman. But while dada is hardly seen talking about his personal life, his filmy love story is definitely one for the books. Scroll down to know more about it and we bet you won’t stop smiling!
Sourav & Dona’s Love Saga
Sourav and his wife, Dona Ganguly, who is an Odissi dancer, had known each other since their childhood days in Kolkata. However, their love story began after they both grew up.
Did you know Sourav had a crush on Dona while growing up? He used to play football and used to take a shortcut so that he can pass by Dona’s house in the hope of catching her glimpse. In an interview, Sourav even once revealed, “While playing football, while going somewhere. I could see her, maybe way too much.” How adorbs!
This continued for a while. But one day while Sourav was playing badminton his shuttercock landed in the Dona’s housing compound. Dona, who also happened to have a crush on Sourav saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation. These small interactions soon bloomed into love and they both fell head over heels for each other. Eventually, the cricketer asked Dona out on a date and took her to a Chinese restaurant, Mandarin, in Kolkata.
But this is where things get interesting! Sourav and Dona started dating but kept it a secret from their families. Can you guess why? Well, it turns out that both their families were not on good terms and held old grudges against each other. Later when they told their parents about their relationship, they strongly refused to get them married and disapproved of their union.
Soon after this, in 1996, Sourav went on to play his first international match at the Lord’s Test Match in England, where he scored a century and created history. But Sourav was adamant about marrying Dona after his return and hatched a plan.
First Sourav decided to elop with Dona and formally get married at a marriage registrar’s office without letting their families know about it. However, Sourav’s newfound fame would have made it difficult to do something so dramatic. The couple eventually got married at a friend’s place with only a handful of people knowing about it.
After keeping it a secret for a while, the two finally decided to let their families know. They, however, strongly opposed their marriage. But of course, their families had to finally bow down and accept their union.
On Feb 1, 1997, the couple got married in an official ceremony, in the presence of their friends and family.
Now, Sourva and Dona have been happily married for 27 years and also have a 22-year-old daughter, Sana.
Well, his love story definitely deserves a movie of its own. Hope filmmakers are taking notes!
Featured Image: Instagram
