'Ranbir has had many girlfriends before this'

The matchmaker, make-up expert Dorris Godambe

Senior make-up artiste Dorris Godambe introduced the couple to each other on the phone and the rest is history. However, Dorris attributes it to destiny.

"I had no intentions of hooking them up," she explains. "But while I was working for Om Shanti Om and Saawariya, I used to update them on my experiences on the film set. Also, I consider Ranbir as my son because he resembles my son Suraj, and I have this habit of talking about him to everyone I know. That's how I started telling Deepika about Ranbir."

Similarly, she started sharing her impressions of Deepika with Ranbir. Gradually, he got curious and then there came a time when they knew almost everything about each other. "Eventually, I made them talk to each other on the phone, and even before I realised it, they had started going out together," says Dorris, who is yet to accompany the couple on any of their dates.

Exuding motherly pride, she adds, "They keep asking me for lunch and dinner but I'm too pressed for time. They make a good pair and I hope they stay together forever. My blessings are always with them!"

The boy's mother, veteran actress Neetu Singh

Ranbir doesn't discuss his girlfriends with mommy Neetu Singh, but like all good mothers, Neetu sensed his relationship with Deepika. She says: "He never tells me. I always come to know about it. He has had many [girlfriends] before this."

Her first reaction when she bumped into Deepika at a suburban Chinese restaurant in Mumbai was: "Okay, she is his girlfriend."

They had just exchanged greetings then and even now the star mother and former actress never gets in the way of the young couple. She explains: "I don't interact with her much. I keep my distance with people. When the right time comes, I will." Saying so, her seal of approval definitely matters for 25-year-old Ranbir. She says: "He has not asked me yet."

Earlier, Ranbir used to consult his mother before picking gifts for his girlfriends, but no longer. "He is a big guy now," she says. She further recounts Ranbir's teenage days when he used to steal shirts and tops from Neetu's wardrobe and gift it to his girlfriends. "My new shirts used to go missing, and then one day, his girlfriend came home wearing one of my new shirts."

The girl's father, badminton champion Prakash Padukone

Deepika's father and former badminton champion Prakash Padukone is all praise for her daughter's boyfriend of five months, Ranbir Kapoor. "Having seen Ranbir in his first movie, I think he is very talented and has the potential to be one of the leading stars in future," he says.

Daddy Padukone is happy that his daughter keeps him in the loop about her professional and personal life. "Deepika keeps us informed about everything. We, as parents, advise her from time to time. We also realise that she is a mature and understanding girl and is aware of her own responsibilities."

Is Ranbir the right choice for her? "We are happy if Deepika is happy, whoever her eligible man is going to be," says her father. Does he see Deepika settling down with Ranbir in a long-term commitment? "Too early to say [anything]. It is up to them to decide. At present, their respective careers should be their focus." 

In the picture: A still from Bachna Ae Haseeno