Maniesh Paul shares his love story, remembers when he was jobless and ‘Sanyukta took care of everything’

Actor-comedian Maniesh Paul has opened up about the strong pillar of support that his wife, Sanyukta, has been in his life. Maniesh and Sanyukta were childhood friends and got married in 2007 and now have two kids, Yuvann and Saisha.

Maniesh also revealed that in 2008, he was “jobless”, just two years after getting his first full-time job as a radio jockey. Maniesh told Humans of Bombay, “My first memory of Sanyukta was at this fancy dress competition in the 3rd grade–she’d dressed up as Mother Teresa and I, as Raj Kapoor. We’d known each other since nursery, but we hadn’t interacted–she was studious & I hated studying. But when I started taking tuition from her Mom, we bonded. I’d convince her to do all my homework; Sanyukta would happily do it. She was also the first one to know about my break ups!”

Remembering the time when he realised he loved her, Maniesh further said, “In 11th grade, once, when she & I were at the theatre, I got a call asking if I could host an event; I used to anchor part-time. I just left her there & ran to work. I thought she’d be mad, but she said, ‘It’s totally fine.’ That’s when I realised I had feelings for her. So, a few weeks later, I told her, ‘I like you.’ 3 days later, we were official! From then on, I’d go to Sanyukta’s house to meet her under the pretext of studying. Her dad would tease me in Bengali, ‘Roz roz aa jata hai (he comes everyday)!’ After 12th, we went to different colleges. Still, we’d meet once a day.”

Maniesh also talked about his struggling days in Mumbai, adding that Sanyukta continued to be his support system. “I remember telling her, ‘I want to be an actor.’ She said, ‘If you really want to be an actor, you should move to Bombay.’ So a week later, I moved here. While I struggled, Sanyukta backed me. Finally, in 2006, I got a full-time job as an RJ. So, I told Sanyukta, ‘Let’s get married!’ We had a big fat Punjabi-Bengali wedding.”

“After moving in with me, Sanyukta took up a job as a teacher; I was juggling my job & a few anchoring assignments. We barely got any time together, but she never complained… not once. Then in 2008, I was jobless for a year–I didn’t even have the money to pay the house rent. But, Sanyukta took care of everything. She’d say, ‘Be patient–you’ll get a great opportunity soon.’ And a year later, it did; I bagged a TV serial. Things started picking up–I went on to do reality shows & award nights. In 2011, we had a daughter & in 2016, a son. Finally I’m in a place where I can take time out for Sanyukta & my kids. And it’s a rule that I don’t talk about work on the dinner table.

“Sometimes, I wonder how I got so lucky? Without Sanyukta, I’d probably still be wondering what to do with my life. Or worse–failed my 10th grade! I am where I am only because of her.”

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Maniesh has been a host for several reality shows, including singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and dance reality show Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa. He has also worked on films such as Tees Maar Khan, Tere Bin Laden 2, Mickey Virus and ABCD Any Body Can Dance. He will next be seen in Jug Jug Jeeyo which features Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Neetu Kapoor and Anil Kapoor, among others.