Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna have spent eight years moving from co-stars to husband and wife, but they are clear about one thing: none of it had to become public content.
In a promotional podcast with Shubhankar Mishra, the couple discussed why they kept their relationship private until after they married in Udaipur on February 26, 2026.
Not a game of hide-and-seek
Vijay traced the arc simply: a colleague became a friend, the friendship slowly became a relationship, and then Rashmika became his wife. But he rejected the idea that their silence was a game.
“Yeh koi chhupa-chhupi ka game nahi tha” — “This was no hide-and-seek game.”
“Mera life, mera life hai,” he added, explaining that he simply never felt the need to announce his relationship. He saw it as personal and owed no one an explanation.
Rashmika’s line: not for entertainment
Rashmika was even more direct. “Our relationship isn’t for entertainment. Our relationship is for us,” she said. The things worth protecting, she added, don’t need to be discussed outside.
The way their equation grew makes the boundary clear:
- Colleague: Vijay says he has known Rashmika for eight years.
- Friend: The working equation became friendship.
- Partners: Gradually, the friendship became a relationship.
- Husband and wife: They married on February 26, 2026 in Udaipur.
The moment Vijay knew
Vijay said the shift from friendship to relationship happened around a year before the wedding, when he felt a new dependency. Shooting with Rashmika became more enjoyable, and even workouts felt lighter because they share the same trainer. Eating alone made him wish she were there to share the meal.
“Over the last one year, I realised I was missing her in bits of life and everything feels better when you have this special person with you,” he said. Then he thought, “shaadi kar lete hain.”
Why this matters
At a moment when every celebrity milestone can be turned into engagement, Vijay and Rashmika are drawing a different line: stardom is for films, but the relationship is for them. For fans who have followed them since Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade, it is a reminder that not every private detail needs an audience.
The conversation also sets up their latest screen reunion as they promote Ranabaali, giving the film’s pre-Dussehra run an immediate emotional hook.
What’s next: Ranabaali
The couple return to screens in Ranabaali, directed by Rahul Sankrityan. It is their third film together and their first after marriage. The film releases on October 16, 2026, in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, just ahead of Dussehra.
Source: The Times of India
