Long before R Madhavan became a heartthrob on the big screen, he was a soft-spoken teacher helping students find confidence. One of those students ended up changing the course of his life forever. Back in 1991, in Kolhapur, a young woman named Sarita Birje enrolled in Madhavan’s personality development class. She was preparing for a career in aviation. (News18 Telugu)
After landing her first job, she invited her teacher out for a thank-you dinner. That evening sparked a connection that quietly grew into something more than just mentor and student. Eight years later, the two were married in a traditional Tamil ceremony. Sarita wasn’t a co-star or an industry insider. She was simply someone who saw the man before the fame. And Madhavan, who would go on to win hearts in both South Indian cinema and Bollywood, never forgot that. (News18 Telugu)
Their marriage in 1999 came just a year before his breakthrough in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Alai Payuthey’ (Sakhi in Telugu), which catapulted him to stardom as the charming, relatable lover boy. While fans fell in love with his on-screen romance, Madhavan was already living a quiet, steady love story behind the scenes. He often brought Sarita to film shoots, not out of insecurity, but out of a commitment to stay close despite the chaos of the film world. (News18 Telugu)
Now, 26 years later, the couple remains rock solid. Madhavan credits the longevity of their relationship to trust, personal space, and humor. He often jokes that “no man can win an argument with his wife”, and adds that Sarita handles the finances and even knows his phone password. That’s how deep the trust runs, he says. (News18 Telugu)
Their son, Vedant, has carved a name of his own in the world of competitive swimming. A national-level athlete, Vedant clinched gold at the Danish Open and silver at the Asian Age Group Championship in 2022. Madhavan, while proud, keeps his parenting grounded, saying, “Everyone’s watching you because of who your father is. So stay humble. Stay focused.” (News18 Telugu)
Even in 2025, Madhavan isn’t slowing down. With back-to-back projects like ‘Shaitaan’ (2024) and ‘Kesari Chapter 2’ (2025), he continues to evolve, choosing roles that stretch beyond his lover-boy image. And Sarita? She’s still beside him, sometimes even behind the camera, having worked as a costume designer for a few of his films. (News18 Telugu)
On their 26th wedding anniversary in June, Madhavan summed it all up in a single line, “I wouldn’t change a single moment of the last 26 years.” (News18 Telugu)
