Raveena Tandon was surprised by Anil Thadani’s marriage proposal on Diwali

Raveena Tandon celebrates her birthday on October 26 which coincided with Diwali in 2003. That was also the year that Raveena got the biggest birthday-cum-Diwali surprise.

Anil Thadani, who is now her husband, had proposed to her in front of their parents after she performed the Diwali aarti.

Anil and Raveena tied the knot on February 22, 2004, in a lavish wedding ceremony in Udaipur. The two are parents to daughter Rasha and son Ranbir. Raveena also has two adopted daughters: Chhaya and Pooja and is already a grandmother to their kids.

Talking about how Anil had planned his proposal on Diwali, Raveena had told Hindustan Times in an interview, “In 2003, it fell on my birthday. With the help of my parents, Anil (Thadani, her husband) planned a wonderful surprise for me.

Everyone at home, except for me, knew that Anil had already taken my parents’ blessings, and informed his parents as well, of his intention to propose to me that evening. So, after the Lakshmi Puja, and the aarti, I saw Anil’s parents walk in.

That surprised me a bit, but before I could figure anything out, he went down on one knee. As both sets of parents watched, he asked me to be his wife. I was so happy that I burst into tears. That was definitely my best birthday and Diwali.”

Raveena had also shared how she, along with her cousins, would make a Raavan effigy and burn it on Diwali as a kid. “When I was small, all of us kids would get together in our compound to play Ram Leela. I have introduced my children to the same tradition. Every year during Diwali, we make a Ravan outside our house. It’s like a total arts and crafts session.

All the kids get together to make the Ravan effigy and on Diwali night, other kids come over with their parents and we burn the effigy of Ravan,” she had.