8 years after Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli married in Italy, filmmaker Karan Johar recalls how the entirely secret ceremony reshaped destination weddings in India by prioritising privacy, personal choice, and thoughtful planning over spectacle.
Karan Johar recalls Anushka and Virat secret Italy wedding.
Mumbai: In December 2017, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli surprised the nation by announcing their marriage through photographs. At a time when celebrity weddings were marked by weeks of speculation and constant media attention, their decision to marry in complete secrecy stood out. Years later, the wedding is still remembered as a defining moment that altered how high profile Indian weddings are planned and perceived.
Filmmaker Karan Johar recently revisited the event while speaking on a talk show alongside actor Pulkit Samrat, actor Kriti Kharbanda, and wedding planner Devika Narain. Johar described the ceremony as an operation carried out with remarkable precision, noting that there were no leaks, no rumours, and no public clues. The country, he recalled, simply woke up one morning to wedding images that no one knew were coming.
The absence of even a single hint was what impressed Johar the most. He reflected on how everything from the bride walk to the remote location remained undisclosed until the official announcement. According to him, people across the country instantly connected with the simplicity and intimacy of the ceremony. The wedding, he said, changed the very texture and structure of destination weddings in India.
Wedding planner Devika Narain explained that the defining challenge of the event was not luxury or grandeur but logistics. Coordinating travel, accommodation, security, and guest movement without drawing attention required careful planning and discipline. She noted that the wedding demonstrated that cost and complexity are often shaped more by logistical decisions than by lavish spending.
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Narain pointed out that the wedding had a lasting influence because it showed couples that they were no longer bound by inherited wedding templates. Until then, many weddings followed predictable formats driven by tradition and social expectation. Anushka and Virat quietly proved that couples could create a celebration aligned entirely with their personal values.
According to Narain, the wedding sparked a generational shift in mindset. Couples began questioning whether they needed to follow family prescribed formats or if they could design ceremonies that reflected their own identities. The couple approach gave others the confidence to choose privacy, smaller guest lists, and meaningful locations over large scale public celebrations.
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Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli were married on December 11, 2017, after dating for four years. Since then, they have built a family together, welcoming daughter Vamika in 2021 and son Akaay in 2024. In recent years, the couple has chosen to live largely in London, keeping a distance from constant public attention in order to offer their children a more balanced upbringing.
Even after eight years, their wedding continues to be cited as a benchmark in modern Indian weddings. It is remembered not for extravagance but for its clarity of intent, emotional authenticity, and disciplined privacy. The ceremony remains a powerful example of how confidence and restraint can leave a deeper impact than spectacle.
