Singer Sukriti Kakar has officially announced her engagement to Mumbai-based entrepreneur Shoumik Shetty after keeping their five-year relationship largely away from the public spotlight.
The couple got engaged in Tuscany on July 31, with Sukriti revealing that their decision to maintain privacy throughout their relationship was intentional. For the singer, the relationship was never a secret from her family or closest friends; instead, she wanted to protect something personal from unnecessary public attention.
“When we got into this, and we were starting to pursue it, we were very clear that we hold this relationship with a lot of pride. And when the right time comes, which is, of course, now, after all of these years, that would be the right announcement,” Sukriti said.
Why Sukriti Kakar kept her relationship private
Sukriti explained that keeping her relationship away from social media did not mean hiding it from the people who mattered most to her.
Her family and close friends knew about Shoumik, but the couple preferred to keep their personal lives separate from their professional careers.
“We like keeping it private and it’s permanent. People say that all the time, but it is actually true. It holds a lot of meaning. And I believe in nazar a lot,” Sukriti said.
The singer also said both she and Shoumik were deeply focused on their respective careers and did not want their relationship to become a distraction.
“We are very focused on our work. So anything that would take away from our work isn’t something that we would want earlier on. But now it’s just something that we really want to give it all the grace,” she added.
How Sukriti and Shoumik first met
The couple were introduced by a mutual friend around five years ago. Their relationship began in Mumbai, with Soho House becoming an unexpected part of their story.
Sukriti recalled that the two eventually met there after their initial introduction. The location carries an amusing connection for her family because her twin sister, playback singer Prakriti Kakar, also met her husband at the same place.
“Soho House has done a lot of good things for her,” Sukriti joked, while Shoumik added that they were “definitely twinning” even then.
Shoumik also remembers seeing Sukriti perform before they became a couple. He watched her perform at a members-only event at Julie’s in Mumbai and was immediately impressed.
“I was blown away by the performance, that much for sure,” he recalled.
He said Sukriti’s personality also stood out to him, describing her as feminine, bubbly and someone who naturally attracted people around her.
Sukriti says Shoumik supports her career
For Sukriti, one of the most important aspects of their relationship has been Shoumik’s ability to understand her professional life without attempting to change it.
“What’s really important is having somebody who understands your work and lets you be you,” she said.
The singer added that Shoumik has consistently supported her ideas and allowed her to maintain the lifestyle and career she wanted.
Her sisters have also played an important role in the relationship. Sukriti described her bond with twin sister Prakriti as exceptionally close and made it clear to Shoumik from the beginning that becoming part of her life also meant becoming part of the family dynamic.
“I always told Shoumik, it’s always going to be a package deal,” Sukriti said.
Her sisters also put Shoumik through some playful tests, including showing him childhood photographs of the twins and asking him to identify Sukriti. His ability to tell them apart apparently helped him earn their approval.
Shoumik planned the Tuscany proposal in secret
While the couple had managed to keep their relationship private, Shoumik also went to considerable lengths to ensure Sukriti did not discover his proposal plans.
He sought approval from her parents and sisters before finalising the proposal.
“I did a full round of approval taking from each of them, from her father, from her mother, the sisters. There’s a whole hierarchy with all of them,” Shoumik recalled.
The biggest challenge was keeping the proposal itself a secret.
Sukriti said the entire trip was initially a mystery to her. She did not know where they were travelling, and Shoumik deliberately kept giving her misleading clues.
She eventually worked out that they were heading to Tuscany after Shoumik lost a bag in Florence and an address was needed to have it delivered.
Sukriti and Shoumik plan a two-culture wedding
The couple are expected to get married next year and are considering a destination wedding, although they are not rushing into the planning process.
“There’s no rush. We’re going to take our own time, get into the head space of planning because me and him both are proper planners,” Sukriti said.
She also noted that this will be the final wedding among her sisters, making the occasion particularly meaningful for the family.
When it comes to her bridal look, Sukriti revealed that she has traditionally imagined herself as a bride dressed in red, although she remains open to how the final wedding styling develops.
The wedding will also bring together their different cultural backgrounds. Shoumik is South Indian, while Sukriti comes from a Punjabi family, leading the singer to describe the celebration as a real-life version of the cultural mix seen in 2 States.
“Our wedding will be like the one from 2 States. He’s South Indian, I am Punjabi. So, it’s like a mix of cultures,” Sukriti said.
With the engagement now official, Sukriti and Shoumik are preparing for the next chapter of their relationship while continuing to keep the wedding plans largely on their own terms.
