It was an instant connection when I met Anitha: Sumanth

Actor Sumanth Shailendra confesses that he was extremely choosy about the woman who will be his life partner. “I must have seen at least 300 girls in the last two years but couldn’t find the right one until I met Anitha a few months ago. There was an instant connection,” he says. 

Sumanth and Anitha are all set to tie the knot on December 12 in an elaborate ceremony at Bangalore Palace. 

“I have found the perfect life partner in Anitha. She is someone who fits the traditional ways of my household and is modern in her thinking. Such a perfect balance is hard to come by,” says Sumanth. 

The pre-wedding festivities in Sumanth’s house kickstart on December 10 with a ‘haldi’ ceremony.  

“It will be followed by a ‘haldi’ party where we have invited about 250 people. They will come dressed in white. This will be accompanied by a lavish vegetarian buffet,” says Sumanth. The mehendi and sangeet will be held on the same evening.

“We have taken permission and blocked the entire stretch in front of our house. We will have a bar set up on the side and there will also be a DJ. The dinner menu will have an array of vegetarian dishes,” he adds.

On December 11, Sumanth and Anitha will head to Bangalore Palace after the ‘vara’ pooja. “I will be going in a baraat from the gates of Bangalore Palace. Usually in a baraat, the bridegroom comes on a horse but here we have tweaked that a little. Instead of going alone, I thought I would take my bride along with me. We will be arriving in a decorated 1930 open top Rolls-Royce. This car has been specially modified for the wedding,” informs Sumanth.

A special band from Punjab has been flown in for the baraat. “We want our wedding to be a fun-filled affair. The baraat is for those who love to sing and dance along with us,” adds Sumanth.          

The couple have chosen a velvet royal blue theme for the reception on December 11 at Bangalore Palace, ahead of the wedding on December 12. “Our outfits for the reception have been designed by Sabyasachi. It took him three months to make our outfits. We have decided to go with the traditional outfits on the wedding day,” says Sumanth.

How many people are expected for the wedding? “We have sent out 6,000 invites. I am sure there will be more people coming in because families have gotten bigger and friend’s circle has grown since my sister’s wedding a couple of years ago,” says Sumanth.

The guests who are expected to arrive for the wedding are Parth Samthaan, Vinay Rajkumar, Vijay Raghavendra, Vikas, Lovely Prem, Disha Patani, Puneeth and Shivarajkumar.