Time of our lives

Newlyweds Sobhita Dhulipala and Naga Chaitanya Akkineni are finding joy in life's quieter rhythms—one moment, one meal, and one holiday at a time. By VAISHNAVI NAYEL TALAWADEKAR. Photographed by NISHANTH RADHAKRISHNAN.

- Styled by DANIEL FRANKLIN

BEFORE SOBHITA DHULIPALA and Naga Chaitanya Akkineni exchanged vows in December last year, they hadn't discussed how they would achieve work-life balance. After all, they were embarking on a new chapter together, one that they both hoped would be filled with love, adventure, travel and joy. The rest was all confetti. Turns out, that conversation wasn't necessary. Balancing their schedules has never been a problem for the couple, as Dhulipala explains when we speak over Zoom—he's at home in Hyderabad, she's shooting for an upcoming film in Chennai. “In Mumbai, my schedule was always chock-a-block. I had so many dreams when I started out at 21, and I was able to tick a lot of those boxes,” Dhulipala reflects. But the past couple of years have been a watershed. With six releases in the past two years—including Ponniyin Selvan II (2023), The Night Manager (2023) and her Hollywood debut Monkey Man (2024)—she found herself drained. “I've taken a step back to reassess my choices,” she says.

Akkineni, who was last seen in