It's not only Sonam Kapoor who has chosen to marry outside the film industry.Why do many actresses marry, and marry successfully, outside the entertainment industry?
Look at my one-time friend Preity Zinta. We were very close at one time and would often discuss her marriage plans. Preity would say she would never marry anyone from the film industry because it was like eating at the place where you do your morning chores. I am putting it politely to avoid embarrassment.
But you get the point? Preity finally married an American who had nothing to do with the film industry and had not a single film of hers. This distance from a Bollywood actress' stardom always helps give perspective to a marriage.
Rule no 1: Never marry a fan. We all remember what happened to poor Mukesh Aggarwal. Rekha's short-lived marriage with the besotted Aggarwal came to a horrific end when he ended his life by hanging himself with her dupatta.
No wonder Madhuri Dixit chose to marry an Indian doctor in the US who had not seen any of her films. It's not as if Dr Sriram Nene didn't know who Madhuri Dixit was. You would have to be much more than an NRI to be ignorant of her star status in India. Maybe belonging to a different planet would do it.
Asin is another actress who married away from her place of work. She was shown the marital exit-door by none other than Akshay Kumar, who introduced her to his buddy builder Vickey Oberoi. Mr Oberoi was rich and wealthy and he had nothing to do with the film industry. Asin is now happily married with a baby to look after.
I don't know if Anand Ahuja was educated in the career nuances of Sonam Kapoor. Has he watched her masterpieces like Anees Bazmi's Thank You and Sooraj Barjatya's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo? Or did he fall in love with the girl rather than the glitter and glamour? It always helps to have a healthy contact with the world outside the film industry.
So many marriages among people from the film industry are falling apart because both the parties are from the same workplace and they know exactly what goes on during outdoor location shooting.
A very prominent star-wife once confided in me that she was aware of her husband's extra-marital activities. "Does he really think I don't know what he is up when I am not around at those long outdoors? I am okay with it. Because once he is home he thinks of only me and the children."
Actresses prefer non-actors as husbands because they don't want to be reminded of all their (the husband's and their own) affairs. To that extent, Sonam Kapoor couldn't have chosen better.
(Subhash K Jha is a film critic and movie expert)
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)