Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal’s Unscripted Love Story: Laughter, Travel and Life After Marriage

Tanzania was the original plan. Then Ebola got in the way. So Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal looked East instead—and ended up in Phuket for their second anniversary. “Since we hadn't been there together, we said, let's go,” says Sonakshi with a grin. It's that kind of spontaneity—easy, unforced, full of laughter—that best defines this couple.

The post-holiday glow is real, but there’s another source of radiance—this one from within. It's there in the easy, honest camaraderie between them, sprinkled with friendly jibes, evident from the moment they walk in for the Manifest cover shoot at Fairmont Mumbai. They’re here at 11 am sharp—punctuality matters to Sonakshi, a trait she credits to her mother, the actress Poonam Sinha. “I definitely get that from her,” she says.

As they make their way into the first setup, the couple cuts a striking figure—Sonakshi particularly so, in a fitted evening gown paired with black onyx earrings with emerald and polki diamonds set in 14k gold from P.C. Totuka & Sons.

There's an ease between them that the camera instantly catches. If you had to sum up the last two years in a single word, what would it be? His reply is instant: “Breezy.” Hers: “For me, it would be adventurous.” “Yes,” he quips, “She's the one who jumped off a plane!” She adds, “I think people really tend to scare you about how your life is going to change after marriage—that things will be very different. But the beauty of it for us, at least, is that things haven't changed at all. We still enjoy spending as much time with each other, doing things like exploring places, and it still feels like I'm his girlfriend and he's my boyfriend.”

Two Paths, One Team

They make space for that closeness despite full, independent careers. Sonakshi has honed her acting prowess through gripping roles—a sub-inspector investigating a string of killings in Dahaad, a fiery courtesan Fareedan Jahan in Heeramandi, and a sharp public prosecutor in her recent series, System. Zaheer has carved his own path with romantic dramas and comedies—Notebook among the most loved—alongside his role as director and partner in his family’s construction and business ventures. 

Is it easy for them to juggle home and work fronts? “I think when you take everything in your stride, it doesn't feel like work,” she says, “it just becomes part of your life. That’s how I make it work.” He adds, “I enjoy it as I use the positives that I learned from two different industries—entertainment and business—and apply them to each other. It helps to have a strong team, and I’m good at delegation. Moreover, for me, family has always been the most important thing.” It's this quality that Sonakshi finds most endearing. “There’s never been a time when Zaheer has not been there for me or has let work get in the way of our time together,” she says. “That means so much to me”.

Family First

Their circle of warmth extends to family, whom the couple adores. For Sonakshi, born into Hindi cinema royalty, lessons from her celebrity parents, Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Sinha, stay close to her heart. Of her father, she says, “What I've learned from him is how to pivot, to not be so attached to something. He was at his peak, one of the biggest stars, and he left it all for a far harder profession—politics. That's admirable, to follow your heart on your own terms. From my mother, I've learned a lot of my work ethic and how to carry myself in this profession.”

Between hectic shoots and meetings, their beautiful home is where they unwind. Understandably so—they spent time poring over plans and interiors, zeroing in on the place when they got engaged. “We had a good two to three years to do up our home,” says Zaheer. “In that time, we travelled a lot, got inspired by hotels and cities, and took a lot of pictures. By the time we started, we knew exactly what we wanted—the vision was ready in our heads, which is why the house turned out so beautiful.” 

She agrees, “There's a saying that if you can design a house with your partner, your relationship is successful—so I think we did quite well, coming to terms with each other's likes and dislikes. It made the whole process a lot more enjoyable.”

Building a Home for Two

Their home has a special corner for jewellery—fittingly so, since Sonakshi is known for her standout choices in fine jewels. She wore heirloom pieces at her wedding and elaborates: “I wore my mother's jewellery and sari for my court signing, and my mother-in-law's gold kangans and the set that she gave me for my reception. So I had a part of both my mothers with me on my big day, and I think that's a great way to honour them.”

Sonakshi curates her look beautifully when it comes to adornment. As she and Zaheer head into the second shot at The Hedonist at Fairmont Mumbai, she looks stunning in a deep-red jacket with pants, paired with a neckpiece that stands out—a tourmaline choker with a nine-carat rose-cut diamond set in antique finish from P.C. Totuka & Sons. That leads us to our next question. Diamonds or pearls—which is she? 

“Diamonds, definitely,” she asserts. “I like minimalistic pieces. But I also love vintage—I got a few lovely pieces from a shop in LA.” Beyond the odd piece of jewellery, Zaheer loves shoes and picks up a few pairs on holiday. That said, they're not avid shoppers. “Over the last nine years, we've never spontaneously decided to go shopping,” says Sonakshi. “I also feel there's nothing you don't get in India anymore, so if I'm travelling, I'd rather explore, see the sights, go to a museum—do fun things. I like to collect experiences more than material things, so shopping isn't something we're too big on.”

A Day in Their Life

They're settled into shared routines now, and a day as Mr and Mrs starts early. “Definitely no sleeping into the afternoon,” they say, as Zaheer adds, “She never misses her workout—two hours, every single day.” Those close to them know she loves her space. “I'm a complete homebody, and Zaheer's far more social than I am,” she says. “Sona loves going out, as long as it's her and me,” he counters. “I do prefer smaller groups,” she adds, “I don't really enjoy huge gatherings.” One thing they do enjoy together is eating out. “We don't cook, but we're both huge foodies,” enthuses Zaheer. “We have our favourite meals to order in—crabs from Gajalee, Chinese from Sheetal at 4 am. Best thing ever! Instead of stopping each other when one of us is dieting, we make sure the other eats too.” “Not we—you,” she retorts, laughing.

The Last Word: Laughter

Anyone who spends even a few minutes with the couple would find their banter effortless. “Humour is a big part of our relationship, and that's made our bond even stronger,” she admits. “I think life is much easier when you can laugh your way through it, and it hits the right note when you can make each other smile and laugh all the time.” Zaheer agrees: “I think a sense of humour is the most underrated thing in a relationship, but to me it's one of the most important. I'll quote Javed Akhtar saab here—he recently said that just as a car needs suspension, not only when the roads are smooth but also when there are potholes and rough patches, similarly, in life you need humour to help you through the tough times. So yes, it ranks number one for me.”

There's also a fair share of fights, and for Sonakshi, that's par for the course. “Every relationship should have a healthy balance of disagreements and affection, and we're no different,” she says. “People see one side of us on social media and think we're having the time of our lives, but we're a very normal couple. The healthy part is that we can agree to disagree. We have our fights, but even then, we know the love is there, that we'll return to each other, and it's going to be fine. With that feeling in your heart, you can rarely go wrong.” She adds, “We fight over the silliest things—it flares up, but we always make up pretty soon. Our fights are funny.”

Zaheer adds, “We're quite blessed, as people and as a couple—very lucky. We're in a much nicer place than most, be it family, friends, the love and support we share, the relationship she has with my parents, or the one I have with hers. Financially or otherwise, we don't really have any issues. We don't take that for granted. The saas-bahu are getting along in this house,” he grins.

Nine years on, the base of their relationship is stronger than ever. “The beauty of it is that quality time hasn't changed for us. We love spending a lot of time with each other, chilling at home, and we have a few spots we love to hang out at.”

They take each other as is. “We dated for seven years and knew everything about each other before marriage,” says Zaheer. “That's why we got married,” Sonakshi adds. “We wanted to learn to co-exist, to live in harmony and happiness.”

Bags are packed for more travel ahead. “We made a pact to explore places we've never been—new cities, new countries, new continents,” they say.

Photography: Colston Julian
Styling: Sanam Ratansi
SR&Co Manager: Jafer Ali Munshi
Senior Fashion Assistant: Yukti Sodha
Hair Stylist (Sonakshi): Sankalp Vilas Surve
Hair Stylist Assistant: Pooja Rajput
Hair Stylist (Zaheer): Tazim Shaikh
Makeup (Sonakshi): Heema Dattani
Makeup Assistant: Sanish B. Tiwari
Makeup (Zaheer): Vaibhav Utkar

Jewellery Partner: P.C. Totuka & Sons
Location: Fairmont Mumbai

Artist Management: Malvika Panjabi and Harshita Bhagat