5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 10, 2026 04:38 PM IST
In a recent podcast appearance, actor Priyanka Chopra recalled her roka ceremony with Nick Jonas, sharing how the event felt both personal and symbolic. Speaking on Mythical Kitchen, she described how the ceremony came together. “At our roka, even I didn’t know it was going to be such a thing, but my mom, you know, my daughter’s getting married and doesn’t have a dad, really wanted to make it special. So we had four pandits (Indian priests) sitting and chanting, I walked down, and my mum had changed the hall downstairs, all the couches were moved, and there was low seating and a havan kund in the middle, for a fire ceremony. The whole feeling was as if I was walking into a new life. It didn’t hit me when he put the ring on my finger, but when we walked hand in hand, I was like, ‘Oh, things are shifting, this is different. I am choosing my family’.”
She also shared that Nick quickly won over her relatives during the ceremony. “After the ceremony was over, which Nick did perfectly. Much to the joy of my aunties, they were like, ‘oh he’s saying swaha, oh wow, he can play the dholak’, they loved him. It was great. So we went back upstairs just to change and come back to lunch. He held my hand, and he said, ‘I feel like we are on our third or fourth lifetime.’ Because in Indian weddings, we walk around the fire seven times, you’re making a promise for seven lifetimes. And when he said that to me, I thought about it for a second and I asked, ‘Why did you say that?’ He said, ‘Because it’s so familiar, it feels like home, but I want to experience so much of it together.’ I mean, how are you not gonna marry that man?”
In another conversation with Variety, Priyanka also reflected on the scrutiny their relationship faced early on. “I don’t know what it was about us that rubbed people the wrong way. I think there was the intercultural nature of it – different countries, different religions, age gap.” She added that the attention was difficult at first. “It was very hurtful. And we both, instead of looking out, just sort of looked at each other, and we were like, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ So it’s like water off a duck’s back now.”
Nick has also said he was certain about the relationship from the very beginning. On the On Purpose with Jay Shetty, he said, “That night when I saw her walk in, she was wearing blue jeans and a white top, black leather jacket, and I was just like I’m going to marry this woman. I knew it right away.” He added, “I told her I loved her right after the second or third date. It was literally 2.5 months after that we were engaged, and three months after that we were married.” Recalling their wedding day, he said, “I was not nervous on the wedding day. I was nervous I was going to be sweating because it was hot, and I thought I would look crazy. I think when she walked down the stairs, I felt this overwhelming sense of peace like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.”
Why do rituals and symbolic milestones make commitment feel more real?
Counselling psychologist Athul Raj tells indianexpress.com, “It’s often in these small ceremonies that love becomes tangible. In India, rituals like a roka or engagement are more than tradition– they are psychological anchors. I’ve noticed that couples frequently describe a shift in perception after these moments: love transforms from an abstract feeling into a shared reality.”
He adds that rituals create memory, emotion, and intention in one package, signalling to both partners—and often their families—that the bond is serious. “Psychologically, humans need symbols to give permanence to fleeting emotions. These milestones don’t just mark time; they solidify commitment, deepen trust, and make the relationship feel irrevocable.”
What explains the strong sense of certainty about a partner so early on, and how reliable is that feeling in the long run?
That immediate “knowing” comes from deep emotional resonance and rapid attachment. Raj mentions that when values align, humour clicks, or life visions match, the brain interprets this as a profound signal — dopamine and oxytocin amplify the certainty. In my experience, this intuitive recognition is real, but it isn’t always infallible.
“Early certainty must meet observation, dialogue, and shared experiences. Couples who combine instinct with conscious effort– handling conflict, testing compatibility, and learning together–often translate that spark into an enduring partnership. It’s intuition married to effort that predicts longevity, not just the early rush of feeling,” concludes Raj.
