Actors Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal first met on the sets of Fukrey in 2013 and eventually tied the knot seven years later. But their wedding story turned out to be far more dramatic than either of them had imagined. What was supposed to be a simple registered marriage became a last-minute affair triggered by the sudden onset of the COVID-19 lockdown. Speaking on Shekhar Suman’s YouTube show Shekhar Tonite, Ali Fazal recalled the chaotic circumstances surrounding their interfaith wedding.“When we decided to get married, COVID was just beginning to spread. For a court marriage, you have to register a month in advance, and the notice is put up publicly. A journalist got hold of it, and reports about our marriage started circulating,” he said. Ali revealed that the couple had carefully planned a date so their families could attend. However, before the scheduled ceremony, they received an unexpected call from the court.ALSO READ |Actor Ajith’s mother dies at 85; Kamal Haasan pays tributeCourt said if you want to get married, do it now“The court informed us that a lockdown would begin the next day and everything would shut down. They told us, ‘If you want to get married, do it now.’ We were completely thrown off. Our witnesses lived far away, and we were scrambling to arrange everything at the last minute,” he recalled.One friend was called while he was out with his girlfriend, and the couple insisted that both of them come over to serve as witnesses. Another friend was summoned with a camera. Meanwhile, Ali’s assistant hurriedly arranged a kurta for him.“My assistant felt bad for me because I had nothing appropriate to wear. He somehow managed to get me a kurta, and that’s how we got married,” Ali said with a laugh. Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal. (Photo: Richa Chadha/Instagram)Wedding ceremony was after Ali Fazal’s mother diedThe couple had initially hoped to host a larger celebration soon after, but tragedy struck when Ali lost his mother.Story continues below this ad“We were planning a simple wedding ceremony in April or May with my mother present. Unfortunately, she passed away, and those plans had to be postponed. We eventually pushed everything by a year,” he shared. Later, in 2022, the couple celebrated their union with a grand wedding spread across Delhi, Lucknow, and Mumbai, with multiple festivities attended by family, friends, and members of the film fraternity.Reflecting on his relationship with Richa, Ali said, “I was her fan before I became her friend. I followed the democratic way of entering a relationship, and I cherish that journey.”‘Got married under the Special Marriage Act’In an earlier chat with News 18, Richa spoke about their interfaith union and said, “We got married under the Special Marriage Act, the family court is right around the corner. And it was super peaceful. And I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary. It happens in society, which is why there is a very big act for it. Of course, I feel like media really makes these kinds of things, it’s actually terrible and is very corrosive for society.” Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal. (Photo: Richa Chadha/Instagram)Ali Fazal-Richa Chadha love storyRicha, meanwhile, previously revealed how she first noticed Ali during the promotions of Fukrey. Speaking to Bharti TV, she recalled, “Someone called Ali on stage to dance, and he danced so badly that I found him adorable. The best part was that he knew he was dancing badly and was laughing at himself. After that, I texted him saying, ‘Hi, how are you?'”Story continues below this adAli admitted that he already had a soft corner for Richa by then. “I liked her and was curious about her. I wasn’t predicting a future together, but I definitely wanted to know her better,” he said.In the same interview, Richa revealed that Ali had made a surprising prediction years before they started dating. Ali shared, “After watching Gangs of Wasseypur, I told my nana (grandfather) that one day I would marry her. I was a huge fan of her performance. I had never seen anything like it before.”