How Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma turned into Virushka sensation

Sharmila Tagore once famously said that she “could happily go watch a film with Tiger Pataudi, without 20 cameras chasing them". Anushka Sharma though would sadly have to make do with a private screening, even for the simple pleasure of watching a film with her beau, and that too wouldn’t save her from being papped. 

Although the lensmen are not always to be blamed because on dull days, Virat Kohli’s adorable posts about his then would-be wife were enough to keep the gossip rags busy. 

Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi came together decades before Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli. Cricket married cinema here as well, albeit in much simpler times.

But now that it has finally happened, we might want to take a minute and reflect upon what exactly was it about these nuptials that had us agog. 

He is the much-in-form captain of the Indian cricket team, and she a celebrated actor who has the nation in awe with her recent body of work. Together they give us a giddy mix of cricket and cinema.

And this coming together of the two undisputed forces that govern the nation's pulse undoubtedly piqued people's interests. The enigma that comes with a star was pushing fans and hence us scribes to peep into this power couple's very private rendezvous.

Let me talk about things from my perspective as a mediaperson first. To me, it's about the famous "3Cs formula" that has always worked wonders for Indian news television - cricket, cinema and crime.

Of course, there's nothing criminal in here, unless we want to brand our “prying eyes” as one. Now that’s just me adding the 4th "C" - chuckle - to the list.

It’s an unsaid norm in our country that if you are a celebrity, especially from the field of cricket or films, you are owned by the Republic of India, whether you like it or not.

So the new sensation called “Virushka” had a rather difficult task ahead of their secret Italian wedding in finding ways to shake off their fame, at least for some time.

When Virat requested for a break from his duties as captain in December, rumour mills had already started working overtime to churn out stories. And with Anushka leaving for a family "vacay" that same time, the media had finally caught on that the wedding was but a few days away.

And Virat Kohli, like the true successor to MSD, was actually going the Mahi way, to get married.

But full marks to this actor-cricketer jodi, as they held on to the intrigue rather well, and soon after they had exchanged their vows, came the flurry of videos and pictures from the so-called family affair that is still making the internet a beautiful place.

Well, what can we say, even though they ran away for a private "wedding in the vineyards", they would still want to keep their fan clubs alive and buzzing with the buildup and later a blitzkrieg from Borgo Finocchieto, Tuscany - an Italian job quite well done.

Today, in the name of easy access and the proximity with the stars (read social media), fans are unapologetic in the ownership they claim to have on every little bit of their favourite star’s life. But don’t these stars lap it up too?

In the case of Virushka, however, is the wedding an "anticlimax" in their very buzzing virtual world? Or would they continue to remain as interesting as man and wife, as they were as boyfriend and girlfriend  - “alleged” - for the longest time?

Also read: Why Virushka makes us happy