Best remembered as Janhvi Oberoi in Ishqbaaaz and last seen in Naagin 3, Mreenal Deshraj seems to have gained a renewed perspective towards love. Till about a few years ago, the actress, who considered herself unlucky in matters of the heart following five failed relationships, has now fallen head-over-heels with Ashim Matthan (he is in the health and wellness industry). The two met at a common friend’s house party in September 2021 and hit it off instantly. Mreenal tells us, “It would hands down be the best evening of my life (smiles). There was a spark right off the bat as soon as we locked eyes at the party. We felt a strong pull as soon as we saw each other. Soon, we started chatting with each other and before we knew it; four hours had flown by. I think the world around us just disappeared. Ashim gets extra points for making the first move because I was waiting for our host to introduce us when he walked up to me and introduced himself.”
Ashim’s integrity and sense of humour bowled the actress over. She says, “Right from the connection to attraction, our core values, hobbies, his love and care for me…everything felt just right. It seems that I’ve fallen in love for the first time and it is a wonderful feeling. This is what I had been seeking all my life. Earlier, I was under the impression that I knew what love was, but when I met Ashim, I realised that I was quite naïve in that space. I’ve been open and honest about my understanding of an ideal partner, my past relationships, and how I have been unsuccessful in love before. But just when I had given up on finding love, I met Ashim. Safe to say that love caught me unawares when I stopped hunting for it (smiles). My idea of love is very simple – partners can be poles apart but their values must match and that’s what sustains love and earns respect.”
And the 10-year age gap has only further cemented their relationship. Mreenal says, “Ashim isn’t mentally 34 and I’m not mentally 43. So, we’re somewhere in between and that’s where we connect. Most people worry about age differences because of the assumption that the older half of the couple will slow down in life because of aging. While that is true, there are trendsetters in all age groups and that makes me think that everything is a state of mind. You won’t slow down if you don’t want to slow down.”
Now that she has found her soul mate, the two are looking forward to taking the plunge soon. In fact, the couple got engaged in Mumbai recently. An elated Mreenal shares, “Yes, we are engaged. Ashim swept me off my feet with the proposal when we were in Goa last week. It was a wonderful surprise because we had talked about getting married but I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon. On June 9, we exchanged rings in the presence of his family in Mumbai following which we went to Nagpur to seek my parents’ blessings. It’s been a whirlwind of fantastic surprises and I’m really excited about experiencing all of life’s adventures with someone so amazing.”
Talking about the big day, she says, “Marriage is the next step. A relationship is one thing but once the marriage is on the table, two families get involved. We will tie the knot soon and are currently working on the dates.”
