Rakhi Sawant may have been the runaway bride in her swayamvar, but Star Plus’ Perfect Bride lived up to its promise as it happily got Rumpa Roy and Hitesh Chauhan married in a televised event. While Rumpa is a Bengali settled in Gurgaon, Hitesh is a Punjabi from Chandigarh. TellyChakkar spoke to the pretty bride on what made her say ‘I do’. Excerpts from an interview: Congratulations! What made you participate in a show hunting for a groom? Thanks! It feels great to find my love and get married to him on television. I am 25 and I had been thinking of getting married; I had even posted my profile on one of the matrimonial web sites. The producers saw my profile there and contacted me for an audition. Initially, I was not sure about the show’s format, but after the producers explained the concept, I agreed to do it. For me, this was never a show, it was a forum to choose my perfect groom and get married and that is what I did. Perfect Bride was a very honest show. The cameras trailed you 24/7. How did that feel? I am not from the entertainment industry and had no idea about cameras and camera angles. When I first went inside the house, it was odd to see cameras everywhere but gradually, I got used to it and started being myself. I never played it up in front of the camera. Frankly, I don’t think I had the dancing or singing abilities to play up to the camera. Whatever I did came to me naturally. What made you select Hitesh? There were a number of controversies surrounding him and his mother… (Smiles) I know what you mean. He was interested in another girl and wanted to marry her, but that did not happen. With him, it’s what-you-see-what-you-get and that’s what I liked about him. Of late, we had bonded very well and we developed a strong liking for each other. That is when I decided he was right for me. Who according to you is a perfect bride? Mental maturity is extremely important to become a good bride. The willingness to take on responsibilities, cross hurdles that come up in the way of executing a task, adjusting whenever required and doing it all through love in my opinion is what makes a perfect bride. Your mother-in-law played a very active role in the show. Do you plan to impress her now that you have won her heart? In our society, a mother-in-law plays a very important role. In fact,it is the involvement of the mothers-in-law that made me interested in this show. Her blessings are important for any good marital relationship. I don’t think trying to impress someone works. So I will be my normal self with her and everyone else in the family. How do you plan to handle the transformation from participants to a real-life couple? It’s important to remember we are not a celebrity couple. Yes, we are part of the Star Parivaar now, but otherwise we have to lead a normal life. Perfect Bride has made us famous and a platform to do well in our individual careers. We need to build on that. Before this show, I worked in a leading export house as a fashion designer. I can rejoin them or find a new job. Hitesh is a lawyer and needs to establish his career now. In short, we need to get back to our normal lives as soon as possible.