Sharing a pink and blue pastel ecard with doodles of baby onesies, booties, lollipops, and tiny balloons on it, Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have confirmed to the world what their fans have been speculating for weeks — they are expecting their first child together. The star couple took to social media on Thursday, February 29, to announce that the baby is expected to arrive by September 2024.
The news was met with an outpouring of love and wishes from friends, fans, and well-wishers, with the post on Instagram garnering nearly 14 lakh likes within an hour of being shared online. Fellow Bollywood stars were also quick to shower the couple with well wishes, with actors including Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Richa Chadha, Radhika Madan, and Patralekha sending their love to the soon-to-be parents.
In an interview with Vogue Singapore in January, Deepika had spoken about the importance of providing the right kind of upbringing for children, and wanting to start a family with Ranveer. “When I meet the people I have grown up with — my aunts, uncles, family friends — they always mention how I haven’t changed one bit. That says a lot about our upbringing,” she had said. “In this industry, it’s easy to get carried away by fame and money. But no one treats me like a celebrity at home. I am a daughter and a sister first. I don’t want that to change. My family keeps me grounded and Ranveer and I hope to inculcate the same values in our children,” she added.
When asked if she and Ranveer planned to have kids, Deepika said, “Absolutely. Ranveer and I love children. We look forward to the day when we will start our own family.”
Deepika’s recent appearance at the 2024 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards had also sent the rumour mill to an overdrive, with netizens speculating that the actor appeared to be hiding her pregnancy.
Ranveer and Deepika have worked together in films such as Goliyon Ki Raas-Leela: Ram Leela (2013), Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018), and 83 (2021). The couple has also frequently made cameo appearances in each other’s movies. They got married in 2018 in an intimate ceremony in Italy’s Lake Como.
With inputs from IANS