Though apni Jassi remains characteristically coy about expressing her love her Man-Everyday Karan Oberoi who sings for the Band Of Boys and now also co-anchors Zee's Antakshari, is gallant enough to stand by his lady-love through her career and other individual impulses.
Says Karan, "We haven't finalized a date yet. But yes, our marriage is definitely on next year. I leave it entirely to Mona. She has Bollywood aspirations. I don't.
For me music everything. And even if the Band Of Boys is reduced to a band of one (me) I'd still continue to sing. When I did a film Kiss Kiss Ko with the Band Of Boys, the others were watching. I was just listening to myself sing."
The reason Mona has been quiet about her relationship with Karan is because her parents had issues about their friendship.
Karan and Mona's parents bonded big-time in Malaysia. "We were shooting for Jassi Jaisi...Koi Nahin. That's when her parents realized I'm not a bad sort. Jassi and I are so alike. And so are our families.
We're both from army backrounds. Our dads are retired army officers. But what really bonds us is our small-town roots. We haven't forgotten where we've come from."
Karan met Mona for the first time during the shooting of Jassi ... in Mauritius. "After that we kind of drifted apart, only to be brought together again for the serial. Thank God For Jassi ....But yes, celebrity relationships are endangered by excessive attention."
Which explains why Mona has kept mum about her man. Says Karan, "We in the entertainment business lead fish-bowl lives. But I guess we've to learn to cope with the attention. Patience and mutual understanding always helps."
Will Mona continue to work after marriage? " What she should or shouldn't do after marriage is not for me to decide. What she does with her life beyond her relationship with me is entirely prerogative. She can do as she pleases. And I stand by her in whatever she does."
Karan who met and fell in love with Mona while shooting for the historic Jassi Jaisi...Koi Nahin isn't doing any serials at the moment. "I decided to anchor Antakshari because I love music. And Zee allowed me to host it my way.
I love kids and interacting with them. Besides we've a very enthusiastic team which doesn't think the way the home medium has been lobotomized into thinking."
As for his tenure with the Band Of Boys, Karan says he has just done another music video with them. "We should be out with another album soon. In the meanwhile I'm doing a whole lot of shows."