Some say that success attracts success. No wonder then that several celebrities are choosing to be with a partner who’s on an equal footing with them. The biggest A-listers are now dating or are married to other big A-listers — Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, The Weeknd and Selena Gomez, Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, David and Victoria Beckham, George and Amal Clooney, Beyoncé and Jay Z, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Ram Charan and Upasana Kamineni — the list goes on. Not only do such couples look attractive and manage to turn heads every time they are seen together, but they also complement each other really well.
Ram Charan Tej and Upasana
Fans can’t stop gushing over actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s relationship. Says Samantha about her relationship with her fiancé, “I don’t know if I’d call it being equals, but we are similar on many levels, from discipline to punctuality to the lifestyle we share. We workout together and do a lot of things both of us like. Also, being in the same profession, we understand each other’s challenges.”
Mahender Rathod (Joint Commissioner of police) and Kalpana Nayak
Actress Anushka Sharma and Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli also make for a handsome couple whenever they make joint appearances. Virat, too, recently opened up about how his girlfriend is an integral part of his life.
“Couples on an equal footing enhance and teach each other many things. However, it’s easier when each of them is successful in different fields, like Virat and Anushka. That way, their work won’t clash and create problems. They can give each other more space in the relationship. Successful couples from the same field may have insecurity issues. However, couples like Chaitanya and Sam, Saif and Kareena, are from the film industry and still very understanding,” says Harpreet Kaur Khandhari, a well-known relationship expert.
Vasundhra, Income-Tax Commissioner, Anjani Kumar, ADGP Law & Order with their son
When quizzed about people calling her and Chaitanya the happening couple of Tollywood, Samantha laughs it off and says, “Frankly, no public scrutiny or titles would make a difference to us because our relationship has an extreme sense of normalcy.”
Kareena and Saif Ali Khan
Richa Khetawat, relationship counsellor, agrees and says, “Whether a couple is successful or not, it all boils down to commitment and making equal effort to make the relationship work. However, if both of them happen to be very successful, diversity in their fields is always good.”
Talking about her husband-actor Ram Charan, CSR head at Apollo Hospitals Group, Upasana Kamineni says, “Very few men are secure enough to handle an equally successful woman. Charan does that beautifully. Our mantra is not to bring work back home and not to get too involved in each other’s work space.”
Samantha points out that having individual identities is also important. “We respect each other’s achievements and abilities. Neither Chaitanya nor his family wants me to be just a wife or a daughter-in-law. They have been encouraging in every sense.”
Kalpana Nayak, IG Law & Order, who is married to IPS Dr Mahender Rathod, Joint Commissioner of police, says, “A relationship is always wonderful with an equal partner — but it should be complementary and not competitive! With us, there’s better understanding of the demands of the job, leading to greater willingness to adjust. There’s also a need to project a unified image as a couple — the same core values and attitude, while at the same time highlighting the individuality of each person, with different strengths, aptitudes and preferences. There are problems — separation for years, mismatched schedules, last-minute alterations in plans, ego-issues, etc. The worst is when kids are concerned, as often one parent is absent, if not both. Understanding each other’s priorities, helping each other out, and expressing love and respect will go a long way in smoothening out any rough patches.”
In the similar line of work is Anjani Kumar, ADGP Law & Order, who is married to Vasundhra, Income-Tax Commissioner. He, too, talks about the challenges that come with both the equals bearing such responsibility. He says, “The demanding nature of jobs at times take a toll on family life. Striking a balance is difficult but one has to do it. We have to take a middle path. The responsibilities of homemaking is collective and a big one. No amount of time is enough for a working couple.
— With inputs from Swati Sharma and Pranita Jonnalagedda
