EXCLUSIVE! Thappad Actor Ankur Rathee Opens Up On His Engagement To Anuja Joshi In A Dreamy Set-Up After A 7 Year Courtship

Just a few days ago, Actors Anuja Joshi and Ankur Rathee got engaged following Ankur’s dramatic proposal involving a 4500km drive from California to Maryland to win his lady love. The actors have been in a committed relation for seven years and now decided to take the big leap. They both announced this milestone with a classic proposal moment picture on social media.

When asked about the surprise proposal, Ankur said, “I always knew that I was going to pop the question in 2020. The pandemic definitely threw a wrench in my plans, but where there’s a will there’s a way. Flying was too risky so I had the absurd idea of driving across the USA to surprise Anuja and my wildly supportive family enthusiastically agreed to join me. However, with any activity these days there’s a risk of exposing oneself to the virus. After creating an itinerary of small towns with very low number of cases per capita, researching hotels that followed all CDC guidelines, and speaking with Anuja’s father about their family’s comfort and risk tolerance, the four of us embarked on the almost 4500km drive from San Diego, California to Potomac, Maryland. It was the road trip of a lifetime and the ultimate family bonding experience. 4 days later we arrived and executed a plan that Anuja’s twin, Aneesha Joshi, and I had been hatching weeks prior. We lured Anuja to a hidden little gem in the woods at sunset and gave her one hell of a surprise. I kept it exactly how I knew she’d want: intimate, quiet, and with our loved ones. After she said yes, one by one our family members and a few dear friends also made their way into the woods with candles in their hands. We were surrounded by love and light.”

Anuja, who is still bubbling with joy, spoke about how she met Ankur , “We met as co-stars on a short film in New York City. It was a tribute to 100 years of Hindi Cinema and was directed by Siddhi Sundar (NYU) and Raashi Desai (SVA). We spent the majority of the shoot schedule together, and loved every minute of getting to know each other, doing what we both are so passionate about. At the time we were young college students who had aspirations of working in the entertainment industry as full-time professional actors. One baby step in front of the other, followed by some gigantic leaps and hurdles, and here we are.