Mouni Roy marries Dubai businessman Suraj Nambiar in South Indian ceremony

The Bollywood actress and the entrepreneur tied the knot in Goa with close friends and family members in attendance

Bollywood actress Mouni Roy married Suraj Nambiar, a businessman from Dubai, in a traditional South Indian ceremony in Goa. Photo: Instagram/nambiar13

Bollywood actress Mouni Roy married businessman Suraj Nambiar, who lives in the UAE, in a traditional South Indian ceremony at a Goa resort.

The couple, who met in Dubai, brought elements of their respective cultures to the ceremony on Thursday. Roy, who is from West Bengal, wore a traditional Bengali red-and-white bridal sari. Meanwhile, Nambiar, who is a Malayali from Bengaluru, wore a gold kurta paired with a silk mundu, the sarong-style menswear popular in South India.

Pictures from the wedding show the smiling couple in their traditional attire surrounded by family and friends. In one picture, Nambiar is seen putting a traditional necklace around Roy's neck as guests shower the couple with flowers.

"Married my best friend and the love of my life. Feel like the luckiest man alive," Nambiar posted on Instagram along with a series of photos.

Television personality and actress Mandira Bedi, a close friend of Roy's, also shared photos from the ceremony.

"Ecstatic to be with and thrilled for my favourite people Mr and Mrs Nambiar. Beautiful ceremony! I love you @imouniroy @nambiar13," she posted.

Arjun Bijlani, a television actor who has appeared in shows with Roy, captioned his photo "Mr and Mrs Nambiar!!".

The wedding ceremony on Thursday was held on the second day of festivities at the Hilton Goa Resort in Candolim, attended by a number of Indian TV personalities and family members. Roy and Nambiar were initially supposed to get married in Dubai, but moved the venue to be closer to family. However, the celebrations are said to be an intimate affair as gatherings remain restricted across India, amid rising coronavirus cases.

On Wednesday, the couple's friends posted photos and videos on social media from the mehendi ceremony, a pre-wedding ritual where henna is applied on the bride's hands and feet, and on the hands of the female members of the bride and groom's families. Bride-to-be Roy was dressed in a yellow lehenga with flowing tassels, by designer Payal Singhal.

The couple was filmed dancing to a number of Bollywood numbers, including the AR Rahman song Mehendi Hai Rachnewali, from the 2001 film Zubeidaa.

Bedi also shared photos from the mehendi ceremony.

"Mon, Suraj... and so it all begins. I love you both, more than you know," Bedi, a close friend of Roy's, posted.

"Just so happy !! God bless u @imouniroy," Bijlani wrote, along with pictures from the pre-wedding ceremony.

Roy, who cut her teeth as a television actress, made her debut in 2007 in the long-running show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She soon became one of the highest-paid TV stars with shows such as Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev and Naagin.

Her big-screen debut, in the Bollywood hit Gold in 2018, received wide praise. She has since appeared in a number of Bollywood films, and will soon be seen in the long-awaited fantasy film Bhahmastra, scheduled to be released in September.

Who is Suraj Nambiar?

Not a lot is known about Roy's husband, except that he was born in Bengaluru and that he's a businessman and investment banker who lives in Dubai, according to India Today.

Nambiar describes himself as an "entrepreneur" in his Instagram profile where he often posts about travel and adventure. He's believed to have met Roy in Dubai, and while the couple never made their relationship public, they were spotted together at parties and on holidays.

On Wednesday, Roy posted a photo of herself with a smiling Nambiar with the caption "Everything", her first public acknowledgement of their relationship.

The actress, who often posts pictures of her trips to Dubai, reportedly met Nambiar's parents in March last year at the home of her friend Bedi. In an interview with The National in January 2021, she said she'd spent many months in Dubai during the period of Covid-19 restrictions in 2020.

"The moment they opened the theatres here, I was one of the first to go and watch Tenet," Roy said. "Just that feeling of sitting in a theatre and watching that screen filled me with such happiness. I have been a film lover since I was a child, so I am eagerly waiting for everything to go back to the way it used to be."

See the stunning Indian palaces where Bollywood and Hollywood stars get married:

Fireworks explode in the sky over Umaid Bhawan Palace, the venue of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas's wedding. Photo: Reuters

Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur. Photo: Taj Hotels

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas at the mehendi ceremony before their wedding at Umaid Bhawan Palace. Photo: Raindrop Media via AP

Simran Kaur Mundi, former Miss India Universe, tied the knot with her Bollywood producer husband Gurickk Maan at Baradari Palace in Patiala city. Photo: Baradari Palace

Inside the 19th-century Baradari Palace. Photo: Baradari Palace

All of the hotel's suites are named after former maharajas of Patiala, and fitted with portraits of kings and queens. Photo: Baradari Palace

The palace was commissioned by the erstwhile king of Punjab, Maharaja Rajinder Singh, in 1876. Photo: Baradari Palace

It is said that Neemrana Fort Palace was the first property in Rajasthan to host a secret royal wedding in 1992, involving a chartered plane and a custom-created chapel lit up with a 1,000 candles. Photo: Neemrana Fort Palace

The Sheela Mahal room at Neemrana Fort Palace. Photo: Neemrana Fort Palace

The Chandra Mahal suite is rumoured to be actress Kate Winslet's favourite. Photo: Neemrana Fort Palace

An aerial view of the Surya Kund swimming pool at Neemrana Fort Palace. Photo: Neemrana Fort Palace

Deo Bagh is the only garden hotel in Gwalior. Photo: Deo Bagh

Deo Bagh features two 17th and 18th-century Maratha temples, two cenotaphs and a pavilion with 36 arched gateways. Photo: Deo Bagh

A suite in the Deo Bagh heritage hotel. Photo: Deo Bagh

Intimate dining at Deo Bagh. Photo: Deo Bagh

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif recently wed actor Vicky Kaushal at the Six Senses Fort Barwara. Photos: Six Senses Fort Barwara

Dining at Six Senses Fort Barwara. Photos: Six Senses Fort Barwara

A deluxe Barwara suite. Photos: Six Senses Fort Barwara

The outdoor terrace of the Barwara suite. Photos: Six Senses Fort Barwara