Just-engaged and much in love, Arjun Kanungo and Carla Dennis on COVID-19 sealing their decision to marry, and oscillating between a big and small wedding
Arjun Kanungo popped the question soon after a trip to Dubai in November, and the two got engaged to be married
In August, musician Arjun Kanungo and his long-time girlfriend, South African model Carla Dennis, tested positive for COVID-19. All Kanungo experienced by way of symptoms was a consistent headache for a few days. Dennis, who had a slightly more acute infection, was hospitalised with breathing difficulty. It was at face value, one of the most challenging times the couple had faced. Ironically, it brought them closer, they say. "Long before the lockdown, I had decided I was going to ask Carla to marry me. But life took a toss when the pandemic broke, and worse, both of us contracted the infection. Carla was quite sick, and it was unsettling for me because it was the first time that I had seen her fall seriously ill," remembers the singer with the dreamy voice who got famous with the single, Baaki baatein peene baad.
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Dennis adds, "I think if you live with someone through a pandemic, locked up, and have to spend all your waking hours together, it's a good opportunity to sense if the relationship is going to work. We have always offered each other a lot of space, so when we realised how comfortable we were even in the absence of it, we knew this would work. I had a lot of fun through this time. But when I got sick, I realised that Arjun is very paternal, that he can look after me!" Kanungo, who doesn't agree
with the image, thinks her statement "will spoil my reputation"; Dennis argues, "but he has never had a bad boy image anyway".
Carla Dennis and Arjun Kanungo
It isn't surprising then that Kanungo popped the question soon after a trip to Dubai in November, and the two got engaged to be married, although they are yet to figure the logistics of the real wedding, which these days is tricky business. Dennis says, "We are figuring out if we want a big wedding, or a small one—it's wait and watch."
It's been an interesting journey for the couple since Kanungo admits that when he met Dennis five years ago, he said he never wanted to be married. In fact, his new song, Waada hai, mirrors the transition and tells the story of a man who doesn't see value in marriage, but changes his mind along the way. "That's always been me—the guy who didn't want to get married. I felt it was impractical; laying too much importance on a piece of paper. I had told her, let's see where this goes—if your end goal is marriage, then I am not the right person." Dennis, who sits close to Kanungo during the interview, her arm entwined in his, says, "I thought I would rather date him all my life, rather than be married to someone else." "That she accepted me for who I was, was a big motivator," Kanungo thinks.
Dennis, who comes from a traditional Christian family, says watching Waada hai was an emotional experience. "I had been secretive [about my decision to say, yes], so when she saw the song, she said, 'Why did you show this to me?' But the ring was ready, and the tickets to Dubai were in. So, it all went well," he smiles.
While the wedding plans need sorting out, Kanungo also finds himself busy preparing to make his acting debut in Salman Khan-starrer, Radhe. "It was a learning experience, it was so collaborative. Being on set, wasn't all about me [unlike in a music video]. It was a different feeling. The sitting around on set and waiting though, wasn't nice. But the rest of it, I am so excited for. I don't like talking about my projects much, but I know people are going to see a very different side of me with this one."
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