It’s good to see Ankita Lokhande smile with abandon. The last time this writer met the actress, she was readying for the release of Manikarnika in 2019. She was dating now-husband, entrepreneur Vicky Jain, whom she married last December. At the time, she seemed introspective and spoke of a new-found respect for spirituality and mindfulness, as she was making her Bollywood debut 10 years after Pavitra Rishta, her hit television show with top producer Ekta Kapoor. She had starred in it opposite then boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput. 

Lokhande and Jain are winners of a just-concluded reality show, Smart Jodi, on which they competed with 10 couples to prove their chemistry as a real-life pair as they made their way through a variety of challenges. This time, she is at ease, almost giddy with happiness in moments. Jain, who pokes and compliments her in offhand ways, exudes a quiet confidence that comes with being in a relationship that lets you be, and grow together.