'Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli's wedding was a covert operation almost, nobody had any hint,' says Karan Johar as he opened up on the impact it had on people and the trend it started

Years before intimate destination weddings became the gold standard across India, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli managed something few thought possible. The couple got married in Italy in December 2017, with total secrecy no leaks, no media frenzy, and no advance rumours. The wedding caught fans and the industry completely off guard, and eight years later, it is still seen as the moment that reshaped how high-profile Indian weddings are planned and perceived.

Revisiting the extraordinary confidentiality around the event on Karan Johar, Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda, celebrity wedding planner Devika Narain spoke about just how meticulously the celebrations were executed. In this interview for a wedding wear brand, Johar himself likened it to a secret mission, recalling how the nation woke up to wedding photos without any clue that such a ceremony was even underway.




Speaking about the wedding’s lasting influence, Karan said, “The texture and DNA of weddings, especially destination weddings, has changed. I would give absolute credit to the Anushka-Virat wedding. I remember the whole country woke up to this wedding no one knew was happening. It was a covert operation almost. There wasn’t even a single hint that something like this was going to happen. From her wedding walk to this location, and just them, everybody fell in love."

Explaining what truly defined the wedding’s scale, Devika Narain clarified that the complexity lay not in extravagance but in managing logistics. She noted that the ceremony changed perspectives because it showed couples they were no longer bound by traditional formats.

“Logistics is pretty much it," she said. “Why that wedding changed the gambit was because people realised they could do whatever they wanted at weddings."

Narain went on to say that the couple’s choices sparked a generational shift in wedding planning. Until that point, many couples felt compelled to follow family expectations and long-standing customs. Anushka and Virat’s wedding, she explained, subtly empowered others to make their own decisions.

“I think that was the biggest change because before that, people were just listening to their parents about how things happen at weddings," she explained. “People started thinking that they did it in their own way, can we also do whatever we want?"

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli were married on December 11, 2017, after dating for four years. Since then, they have become parents to two children, daughter Vamika, born in 2021, and son Akaay, born in 2024. The family now largely resides in London, choosing a quieter life away from constant public scrutiny to ensure a more balanced upbringing for their children.

Even after all these years, their wedding continues to be referenced, not as a symbol of excess, but as an example of restraint, clarity, and the confidence to celebrate love entirely on their own terms.
Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”