Actor Suhasini Mulay, known for her memorable performances in films like ‘Lagaan’, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, among many more found love when she least expected it. After spending decades refusing to settle for anything less than a truly equal partnership, she finally married for the first time at the age of 60. Her life partner turned out to be renowned scientist Atul Gurtu, whom she met through an unlikely platform, Facebook. Suhasini opened up on how she found love at the age of 60 and married for the first time then.“I married for the first time at the age of 60. Until then, I hadn’t found the right match. My husband is a very well-known scientist. When he talks about science, I don’t understand a thing, but he is a wonderful human being,” she said in an interview with Suhana Safar.The story began when a co-actor encouraged her to join Facebook, mainly to stay connected and explore professional opportunities. What she didn’t anticipate was that the platform would eventually introduce her to her future husband.Recalling their first interaction during a conversation on actor Sulekha Talwalkar’s YouTube channel, Suhasini said, “I saw Atul’s profile and thought, ‘Physicists are on Facebook too?’ He was working on the Large Hadron Collider. Since I have always been interested in science, I sent him a message asking, ‘What is LHC?'” What started as a casual exchange soon turned into regular email conversations. During those interactions, Atul subtly indicated that he was looking for a life partner. “He never directly proposed anything, but he hinted at it. When I realised he was looking for someone, I laughed to myself. I thought, ‘When I couldn’t find the right person in 60 years, how am I suddenly going to find him now?'”Given the number of fake profiles online, Suhasini remained cautious. She sought advice from a close friend when Atul asked for her phone number.“My friend told me that at this age, the options only become fewer. Don’t shut the door before you’ve even opened it. If you don’t like him, you can always move on. There’s no harm in trying. When Atul asked for my number, I told him, ‘Good girls don’t give their phone numbers to strangers.’ On the internet, it’s not about who you meet; it’s about what you meet. People create fake profiles all the time.”Determined to verify his identity, she cross-checked the information on his Facebook profile with details from the organisation where he worked. Everything matched. Even then, she remained careful about meeting him in person. Their first meeting, which had been planned earlier, finally happened around Diwali. Suhasini admitted she deliberately arrived late.“I wanted to make sure he actually looked like the person in the photographs before meeting him.” Once they met, things moved surprisingly fast. The pair spent hours talking and quickly realised they shared a strong connection. “We met at the end of November and spoke extensively. By January 16, we were married. Once we had made the decision, there was no point waiting.”When Suhasini informed her mother that she had finally found someone, the news came as a shock. “She called back again just to confirm what she had heard. Eventually, she told her daughter, ‘You’ve found an intelligent man,'” Suhasini recalled.What impressed her mother even more was Atul’s answer when she asked him why he wanted to get married at 60. “He said, ‘Suhasini has lived alone all her life and can continue to do so. I can continue to live alone as well. But I want to give happiness a chance. If it doesn’t work out, we will simply admit we made a mistake.'” Their marriage registration also came with a humorous moment that the couple still laughs about. “When we went to register our marriage, the official assumed I had come to collect an old marriage certificate.“The official then looked at the couple and asked, “You and uncle?” leaving both of them in splits. Reflecting on the criticism she faced for marrying at 60, Suhasini pointed out that people had judged her just as much when she chose not to marry in her younger years.“When you’re a celebrity, people think they have the right to judge every decision you make. When I was 26, my mother asked if I wanted to get married. I said no. She respected my decision but warned me that I was choosing a difficult path.”Suhasini has been married to Atul for the last 15 years.
