Shalmali reveals why she kept her relationship with Farhan Shaikh private

Singer, composer and lyricist Shalmali tied the knot with boyfriend, Farhan Shaikh, a sound engineer, in November last year. The news came as a surprise to many as she refrained from sharing anything related to her personal life on social media prior to the wedding. Ask her about it and she says, “I don’t feel the need to be vocal about my private life. People already know a lot more our lives than what we should be opening up about thanks to social media.”

Talking about how she has been reassessing her habits surrounding social media, the Beech Beech Mein (Jab Harry Met Sejal; 2017) and Manva Likes To Fly (Tumhari Sulu; 2017) singer says, “I’ve substantially drawn myself away from social media ever since I got married.”

Shalmali agrees that social media has its own perks but it comes with share of cons. “Being a public figure makes your life an open book. It wasn’t like that before the advent of social media. It’s fantastic that it helps us further our careers and gives our skills and talent a platform by means of creating opportunities. But other than that, I would like to keep my private life private and have only my family and closest friends know about it,” she elaborates.

So, what has changed post marriage? “My husband and I’ve been living together for the longest time even before marriage. Nothing has changed drastically in the way we lead our lives but the idea of being married to a person I’ve loved for a long time is a happy and fulfilling feeling,” Shalmali shares.

One of the highlights of the New Year for 31-year-old was going on a forest safari with Shaikh. She plans on celebrating her birthday (on January 2) in the lap of nature too. “Farhan and I love forests and being in the mountains. We’re going to a safari in Satpura near Bhopal. We’ll have no phone connection or internet or WiFi. I’m very excited about that,” she ends.