Baby Doll singer Kanika Kapoor announced her separation from husband Gautam Hathiramani on Tuesday through an Instagram post. Married for 4 years, Kanika has known Gautam for 15 years. Calling him a go-to-person, Kanika said she was sceptical if Gautam would accept her as she's a divorced woman with three children. The singer even asked Gautam 'twice' for marriage before he finally proposed to her in 2021, a year before their wedding.
"Gautam has been a strong support system as a friend, and I realised this over the years, which is why I was actually the one who asked him to marry me! Well, not once, but twice (laughs!). The first time I asked him was in 2014 after Baby Doll released. However, he just rolled his eyes because he thought I was joking. Then I asked him again in 2020, and that is when he understood that I was serious about it. That's when our love story began," Kanika told The Times Of India in an interview just a few days after her wedding.
Kanika attributed her 'happiness' to Gautam for accepting her past gracefuly.
"Gautam accepts me for who I am... a mother, an artiste, a daughter and a friend. He proposed a year ago, and I was surprised as I wasn't sure whether we would ever get married. It was because of my own doubts. The fact that I am divorced with three children, I wasn't sure whether I would be accepted by him and his family. But I was wrong," she shared in the same interview.
Kanika was earlier married to businessman Raj Chandok, with whom she shares three children - daughters Aayana and Samara, and son Yuvraaj.
Kanika married Raj in 1998, when she was just 18 years old. Following their marriage, she moved to London, where she lived for many years and raised her children.
They called it quits in 2012. Kanika returned to India to pursue her career in music.
Kanika married Gautam in May 2022 in a lavish yet intimate ceremony held in London. Kanika's children particiapted in her wedding to Gautam.
"It was quite an emotional moment for me when my son walked me to the mandap and when my daughters were beside me while taking the pheras. I could see it in their eyes that they all were so happy for me. They even danced at the sangeet on my songs," Kanika said recalling the moment.
Kanika Kapoor rose to fame with her breakthrough song Baby Doll from Sunny Leone's film Ragini MMS 2 in 2014. Composed by Meet Bros, the song became an instant hit, establishing her as a popular singer. Her hitlist includes Lovely, from Happy New Year, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan from Roy, Desi Look from Ek Paheli Leela, Nachan Farrate from All Is Well, to name a few.
