Kritika Kamra reflects on avoiding societal pressure, maintaining her independence, and her husband Gaurav Kapur’s emotional reaction. (Source: Instagram/Kritika Kamra)Actor Kritika Kamra is entering a new phase of life, both professionally and personally. Fresh off tying the knot with longtime partner Gaurav Kapur, she is also gearing up for the release of her upcoming show Matka King. The couple chose an intimate ceremony at their Mumbai home last year, surrounded by close friends and family.In a candid conversation, Kritika spoke about staying grounded despite her evolving life circumstances. “I come from a small town in Madhya Pradesh. So I’m very aware of my privilege. My parents still live there. So there is a part of me that very much belongs to a really small part of the country, and even though you know my living standards are different now and I’m travelling abroad, there is a part of me very connected to my roots,” she said. Her reflections highlight the tension many people feel between where they come from and where they eventually find themselves.Kritika also opened up about marrying at 37, a choice that stands in contrast to the timelines many of her peers followed. “I’ve recently got married, while most of my friends got married, maybe 15 years back, because they felt that pressure, but I did not have that in my life. In that sense, I’ve been lucky to have parents who never stopped me from doing anything right,” she shared. For her, the experience of marriage hasn’t dramatically altered her sense of self. “I feel the same so far. Sometimes I have to wake up and remind myself I have a husband now. It feels the same. And that’s how it should be. One of the things about marrying late in life is that you’re very sure when you do it, and you do it your way. All my decisions are independent. So is the case with Gaurav.”The couple’s decision to marry in Mumbai, rather than opt for a destination wedding, was equally personal. “Both of us started working very young and left our hometowns, and we made a life in Mumbai, so we wanted to get married only here,” she explained, adding, “We didn’t want a destination wedding. We wanted to do it at home. Luckily, we had space for people. That itself is a big deal in this city. This is where we found ourselves. We found each other. So it’s just it was perfect.” The emphasis on familiarity and shared history reflects a deeper emotional connection to place and partnership.One moment from the wedding that stood out was Gaurav’s visible emotional reaction. Recalling it, Kritika said, “I was in disbelief. I did not expect that at all. I’ve never seen him like that, that vulnerable. I’ve seen him vulnerable, but I didn’t think he would be that way. I was getting ready inside. I was absolutely unaware of what was happening outside. I came out to see this guy just so emotional, and tears in everybody’s eyes when I walked into the room. I was just in disbelief.” She added that even he was surprised by his reaction, given his experience handling high-pressure live events.What are the psychological and emotional differences between marrying later in life versus earlier?Psychologist Rasshi Gurnani tells indianexpress.com, “Individuals who marry later often have a more consolidated sense of identity, which in psychology is linked to higher ego strength and self-concept clarity. They are typically more accustomed to autonomy, having spent years making independent decisions about career, lifestyle, and relationships. This can lead to more intentional partner selection and clearer communication, but it can also mean a stronger attachment to personal routines and boundaries, which sometimes requires conscious adjustment within a partnership.”In contrast, she says, those who marry earlier may still be in identity formation phases, making relationships more fluid but occasionally more influenced by external validation or evolving expectations. Decision-making in later marriages tends to be more cognitive and value-driven rather than impulsive or socially conditioned, often resulting in partnerships that are less about completion and more about compatibility.Story continues below this adHow can individuals navigate societal pressure while making choices that align with their own readiness and values?Gurnani mentions that navigating societal timelines requires a shift from external validation to an internal locus of control. Many individuals experience what is known as “social clock anxiety,” where culturally prescribed milestones create pressure and perceived inadequacy if not met on time. The key to managing this lies in cognitive reframing and boundary-setting. Individuals benefit from recognising that readiness is not age-dependent but psychologically dependent on emotional availability, relational maturity, and life alignment.“Practising self-differentiation, a concept from family systems theory, allows a person to maintain their sense of self while still being connected to others, including family expectations. It becomes important to consciously disengage from comparison-based thinking and instead anchor decisions in personal values, long-term goals, and emotional preparedness. This reduces the likelihood of entering relationships out of urgency or fear, which often leads to dissatisfaction,” concludes Gurnani.