Parineeti Chopra recalls first meeting with Raghav Chadha, says she Googled his age, occupation and height after their first date; why background check is important

Indian Express

3 days ago

Actor Parineeti Chopra recently opened up about how her relationship with politician Raghav Chadha began, revealing just how quickly things escalated from a casual introduction to talk of marriage.
The couple appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show, where Parineeti recalled, 'We first met in London. We were getting an award from the British Council. He was getting an award for excellence in governance and politics, and I was getting one in entertainment. Both my younger brothers are huge fans of him and asked me to say hi to him. By chance, he was just sitting right behind me. When I went to tell him hi, I just casually told him we should meet sometime once back in Delhi, and he just invited me to breakfast the next day.' Raghav quipped, 'Main ne mauke pe chauka maara (I took full advantage of the situation).'
Parineeti added, 'I thought things were getting serious, so I took five people along with me. He also had two organisers with him, so we were around 12 to 15 people at that table. Later, he took my number and we started talking. Right from our first meeting, we spoke about getting married. He had fallen in love at first sight. And when I met him, I thought I would get married to him, till then I knew nothing about him.'
Raghav shared with a laugh, 'She often shares that after that meeting, she checked on Google what my age was and if I was married. She even googled what the duties of a Member of Parliament are.' Parineeti admitted, 'Another important question I googled was what was his height? Because I always liked tall men. He was taller than me, so I was like, he was perfect. We did the roka in the next 3-4 months after that, and waited for the rains to get over to get married.'
Psychologist Anjali Gursahaney tells indianexpress.com, 'In today's digital age, it's natural to look someone up after a promising first meeting, just like Parineeti Chopra did with Raghav Chadha. This kind of fact-checking can be helpful when done mindfully. It allows you to verify basic details for safety, get a sense of their public life or work, and potentially find shared interests. However, it can also become a trap.'
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She continued, 'When you rely too much on online information, you risk creating a digital version of the person in your head that may not match who they actually are in real life. Profiles, articles, or images lack nuance and context, and this can lead to premature judgements. The key is to use this information as a light reference, not a substitute for conversation.'
Feeling clarity early on can sometimes be a sign of genuine alignment, especially when two people are emotionally mature and have similar life goals. Gursahaney notes, however, that it can just as easily be mistaken for infatuation, which often brings a sense of urgency, idealisation, and emotional high.
'The real test is not how deep the early feelings are but how they evolve in ordinary, unfiltered circumstances. Feeling excited about someone is lovely, but it becomes meaningful when it's grounded in lived experience, not just imagination,' suggests the expert.