A reception in Gonda was a must: Actor Saurabh Pandey

After getting married in Mumbai and hosting a grand reception for friends and family in Delhi, actor Saurabh Pandey, who tied the knot with actress Zara Soni Barring on November 28, came back to his roots in UP. "My dad was born and brought up in this very small village Kinki in Gonda. It was from here that my dad started his life. And I have been coming to the village quite often.In fact, I have attended quite a lot of weddings in our village. So it was mandatory for me to host a grand wedding reception here for my relatives. I feel that kabhi bhi apne roots ko nahi bhoolna nahi chahiye. Agar main apne real roots, jo ki UP ke iss gaon mein hai, unko hi bhool jata toh the celebrations would have been incomplete," shares Saurabh, who has appeared in serials like 'Tere Mere Sapne', 'Razia Sultan' and 'Suryaputra Karn'. Actress Bharati Achrekar, who played Saurabh's baa or dadi in his first serial, was also present for the celebrations in Gonda. "Coincidentally, she was in Bahraich for some wedding when I called her for my wedding. So out of all the events she chose to come for my wedding reception in Gonda. She always wanted to meet my dadi, and she could when she came for my reception," he says.
Zara and Saurabh performing Rudrabhishek at a Shiv temple in Saurabh's native village in Gonda district of UP (BCCL)
The celebrations were quite grand and hectic for Saurabh and Zara. "The reception was held on December 5 here in the village.They started on a religious note as Zara and I did a two-and-a-half hours Rudrabhishek puja and then fed the Brahmans. Soon after that, we got ready for the reception which started at around 5 in the evening and continued till the wee hours. Around 8,500 people of the village were invited for our reception which took place at an inter-college which is run by my family The school kids too were a part of our celebrations. The interesting part about the celebrations was that next to our stage there was another stage set for a Ram-Leela performance. We loved the concept and so did the villagers."
Zara and Saurabh received a grand welcome in Saurabh’s native village (BCCL)
For Zara, who has her roots in Punjab and has been brought up in Canada, it was an altogether difference experience. "Everything was so grand about this reception. Being from Punjab, I have seen weddings in Punjab ke pind (village), but this experience was completely different. The while village came to bless us and got clicked with us," says Zara, who was also applied aalta by the village women before the puja.
Saurabh and Bharti Achrekar with his dadi at his village and Zara and Saurabh at their wedding reception in their village in Gonda, UP (BCCL)
Saurabh and Zara first met each other in 2008 and the first meeting wasn't a pleasant one, recalls Saurabh. "We were in the same acting institute in Mumbai in 2005. And we used to fight a lot. So things were not that great between us then. But we met again in 2008 at some place and got back in touch. I invited her for my birthday and then as they say, rest is history. I proposed to her one fine day, that too through an SMS, which she replied to in the affirmative," recalls Saurabh.