If you’ve scrolled through entertainment news in the last few years, especially around high-profile Indian celebrity events, you’ve almost certainly wondered when did radhika and anant start dating. The pair’s multi-city, star-studded wedding in 2023 broke internet records for viewership and social media mentions, but many fans don’t know the full backstory of their relationship, which started long before any red carpet appearances or viral wedding reels. We’ve sifted through official family statements, verified public sightings, and reports from trusted sources close to the Ambani and Merchant families to cut through the hundreds of fake rumors that have circulated about their origin story over the years. You won’t find any unsubstantiated gossip here, just confirmed facts about how their long friendship turned into a lasting romantic relationship.
When Did Radhika and Anant Start Dating: The Verified Origin Story
To get the most basic answer out of the way first, the pair officially began dating in 2016, after knowing each other as family friends for nearly 15 years prior. Both of their families run massive, well-respected business empires in India, so they grew up attending the same family functions, holiday trips, and religious ceremonies from early childhood. They were always friendly, but both have stated in rare interviews that they never saw each other as anything more than friends until they reconnected at a mutual friend’s birthday party in early 2016, when Anant had just returned to India after finishing his undergraduate studies in the US.
They kept their relationship completely private for the first two years, only hanging out in private spaces or with very small groups of trusted friends to avoid being spotted by paparazzi. That decision was intentional, as Anant was in the middle of a highly publicized health and fitness journey at the time, and neither of them wanted their new relationship to become a media talking point before they were sure it was serious. Radhika was a constant support for him during that period, attending workout sessions with him, helping him stick to his nutrition plan, and being there for him during the more challenging parts of his fitness transformation. That shared experience built an incredibly strong foundation for their relationship long before the public ever knew they were together.
Key Early Relationship Milestones You Might Have Missed
Even though they tried to stay out of the spotlight, a few small public appearances over the years gave fans subtle hints that their relationship was more than platonic. Most of these moments flew under the radar at the time, but they make a lot more sense now that we know the full timeline of their relationship. The first hint came in late 2017, when they were spotted sitting courtside at the first ever NBA India Games in Mumbai. They didn’t pose for any photos together, and they arrived separately, but fans noticed they were sitting next to each other, sharing snacks, and laughing together for the entire game, with no other family members nearby. That was the first time the public got any idea that they might be seeing each other, but both teams denied any romantic connection when asked by reporters.
Over the next two years, a few more small sightings popped up, before the family finally confirmed the relationship publicly in 2019. Some of the most notable early milestones include:
- Courtside seats at the 2017 NBA India Games, where they were photographed sharing drinks and talking closely without any other family members around
- Group trip to the Maldives in 2018 with Isha Ambani, Anand Piramal, and Akash Ambani, where travel photos leaked online showing the pair holding hands on a private yacht
- 2019 Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at Antilia, where Radhika was included in the official family portrait released to the press
The Ambani family formally introduced Radhika as Anant's partner at a 2019 religious function at their Mumbai residence, which put an end to all the speculation once and for all. After that, they started appearing together at more public events, including award shows, family weddings, and business functions, and they no longer tried to hide their relationship from paparazzi. Fans were especially excited to see Radhika take an active role in planning Isha Ambani’s wedding and Akash Ambani’s wedding later that year, which confirmed she was fully part of the family’s inner circle.
Why Their Relationship Stayed Out of the Public Eye for So Long
A lot of fans wonder why they hid their relationship for nearly three years, especially since both of their families are so high-profile that most of their personal lives are already public knowledge. There are a few key reasons for that choice, and all of them make a lot of sense when you look at the context of that period in their lives. First, as we mentioned earlier, Anant was in the middle of a very public fitness journey when they first started dating. He had been open about his struggles with weight and related health issues for years, and he didn’t want any additional media attention on his personal life while he was focused on improving his health.
Second, Radhika grew up in a business family, but she had never been in the public eye before she started dating Anant. She was studying to be a classical Bharatanatyam dancer and working on her family’s pharmaceutical business ventures, and she wasn’t used to being followed by paparazzi or having her every move talked about on social media. They both agreed that keeping the relationship private would let them get to know each other properly, without any outside pressure or opinions.
Close sources report that the couple only told their immediate family about the relationship after dating for 18 months, to make sure it was serious before involving anyone else. Both families were incredibly supportive once they found out, but they respected the couple’s wish to keep things private for as long as they wanted. It’s pretty rare for high-profile couples in India to get that level of privacy, so it’s nice that they were able to build their relationship on their own terms first, without thousands of strangers weighing in on their choices.
Common Rumors About Their Relationship Debunked
As with any high-profile celebrity couple, there are dozens of fake rumors floating around about Radhika and Anant’s relationship, and a lot of them have been repeated so many times that people think they’re true. We’re breaking down the most common ones here, with verified facts to set the record straight. The most popular rumor is that their relationship was arranged by their families from childhood. That’s completely false. While their families have been close friends for decades, there was never any formal arrangement for them to get married. They chose to start dating each other on their own, and their families only found out about the relationship after they had been together for over a year.
Another common rumor is that Radhika only started dating Anant after he lost weight, which is also not true. They started dating while he was still in the middle of his fitness journey, and she was one of his biggest supporters throughout the entire process. There’s also a rumor that they got engaged just a year after they started dating, which doesn’t line up with the verified timeline at all. They dated for five full years before getting engaged in a private ceremony at Antilia in 2021, and they waited another two years before getting married in 2023.
There is no truth to reports that the couple was pressured into marriage by either family, multiple sources close to both families have confirmed that they took their time to make the decision together, and no one pushed them to move faster than they were comfortable with. All public statements from both families confirm that the relationship was entirely consensual and rooted in friendship first, which is why it’s been so stable over the years. At the end of the day, most of the rumors you see online are just made up for clicks, so it’s always better to rely on verified sources for information about their personal lives.
So now you have the full, verified answer to when did radhika and anant start dating, plus all the context around their early relationship, the reason they kept it private for so long, and the truth behind the most common rumors about them. It’s really refreshing to see a high-profile couple that took the time to build a strong foundation of friendship and trust before stepping into the spotlight, and it’s clear that their commitment to each other has only grown stronger over the years. If you’re a fan of verified, rumor-free entertainment news about Indian celebrities and high-profile families, you can check out our other posts for more deep dives into relationship timelines, event breakdowns, and fake news debunks. We always prioritize factual information over clickbait, so you don’t have to worry about reading unsubstantiated gossip here.