When Bobby Deol's wife Tanya met her in-laws Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur for the FIRST time: 'I was all of 19–really quite nervous'

Time of India

14-05-2025

Bobby Deol and Tanya's romance began at a Mumbai cafe. Bobby pursued Tanya, eventually winning her over. Their connection deepened through late-night conversations. He proposed spontaneously, and she accepted. Tanya met Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur, receiving a warm welcome. Six months later, they had a grand wedding. Bobby considers Tanya his life and everything.
Bobby Deol
has been happily married to Tanya since 1996, and their real-life love story is nothing short of a Bollywood romance. It all began when Bobby first spotted Tanya at a popular Mumbai café. Fate brought them together a few more times, and Bobby, completely smitten, decided to pursue her. From making phone calls to playfully losing card games just to win her attention, he did it all. The actor eventually confessed his love and proposed while dropping her home one day. Tanya once shared in an interview that she was just 19 when she met Bobby's parents—Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur—and already knew he was the one.
A Love Story That Started at a Café
In a past conversation with designers
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
, Tanya recalled how her love story with Bobby began. She revealed that Bobby first noticed her at Trattoria, where she was dining with her brother and mutual friends. Although they crossed paths a few more times afterward, Tanya didn't initially acknowledge him, as she didn't know who he was and didn't think much of it at the time.
Following their unexpected encounters at the café, Bobby and Tanya met again at Chunky Panday's Diwali party. Bobby joined her at the card table and kept losing but jokingly avoided paying, suggesting a meal instead. Tanya found his approach amusing and a bit odd. Later, he called her late at night, catching her off guard while she was asleep. Still unaware of who it was, she simply told him she'd call back the next day.
Since Bobby had called her landline late at night, Tanya was left puzzled about who it was. The next day, she asked all her friends if any of them had called, but none had. Bobby, meanwhile, assumed she was too snooty to respond. Determined, he called again a week later—this time at a more reasonable hour. That call turned into a conversation that lasted nearly eight hours, marking the true beginning of their love story.
Their late-night conversations continued for a week, and during that time, Tanya realized she had fallen in love with the movie star. Their relationship felt like a fairytale—without traditional dates, they simply attended parties together. One night, as Bobby dropped her home, he spontaneously proposed at her doorstep, sealing the beginning of their romantic journey.
Tanya first shared the news with her mother, as her father was out of town. When her mom met Bobby, the connection was instant—they clicked within minutes and interacted as if they had known each other for years.
Meeting the
Deol Family
Tanya also recalled meeting Bobby Deol's parents, veteran actor
Dharmendra
and his wife
Prakash Kaur
, for the first time. She was just 19 at the time and understandably nervous, but dressed modestly in a salwar-kameez. However, her nerves were quickly eased as they welcomed her warmly and made her feel instantly at home.
A Grand Wedding and New Beginnings
Six months after their fairytale romance began,
Bobby Deol and Tanya
tied the knot in a grand wedding celebration attended by nearly 10,000 guests. What started as an intimate affair between the two quickly turned into a full-blown family affair, with the couple playfully admitting they were eventually sidelined in the planning chaos.
In an interview with SCREEN, Bobby Deol opened up about his love story with Tanya, saying, "She's my woman, my life, everything. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I met her, chased her... she was from South Bombay and didn't pay me any attention, but I kept pursuing her. Deep down, I knew she would fall for me. And she did. After two months, we decided to get married, and by then, my parents were eager for me to tie the knot."