Newlyweds Vijay and Rashmika finally opened up about why they kept their relationship private for years, with Vijay insisting it was never about hiding their romance from the public.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleRashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda's relationship has been in the news for years. For fans, it was just a matter of waiting to see when their favourite Geetha Govindam couple would finally make it official. However, both maintained their dignified silence, even after people found out about their secret holidays and caught Vijay sneaking into restaurants through back doors for their lunch dates.
Now, after tying the knot, the fan-favourite 'ViRosh' are finally opening up about their journey from co-stars and friends to partners and, eventually, husband and wife.
Vijay and Rashmika recently arrived on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast as a married couple ahead of the release of their film Ranabali. The Arjun Reddy star addressed why neither he nor Rashmika publicly flaunted their relationship.
Vijay explains that there was never any elaborate attempt to hide their relationship, nor was their decision to stay quiet a game of hide-and-seek. For him, their relationship was simply a personal part of his life that he did not feel obligated to explain publicly. Vijay shared:
"8 saal se mujhe Rashmika [ka] parichay hai. Jo colleague thi, voh friend ban gayi, phir dheere dheere relationship mein aa gaye aur phir meri patni ban gayi. But yeh koi chupa chupi ka game nahi tha ki pakde gaye. Mujhe laga kuch bolne ki zarurat nahi hai. Mera life mera life hai. Kyun kisiko bataun?"
Rashmika also expressed a similar view about their years-long decision to keep their romance away from the spotlight. Speaking about their relationship, she said they never wanted it to become something that existed for public consumption, and it was certainly not for entertainment gossip. The Thamma actress said:
"Humara relationship entertainment ke liye nahi hai. Humara relationship humare liye hai. Joh cheezon ko hume protect karna chahiye, hume bahar nahi baat karna hai."
Vijay and Rashmika first worked together in the 2018 film Geetha Govindam, which became a fan favorite and helped fuel years of speculation about their off-screen relationship. They later reunited professionally for Dear Comrade, a movie that further cemented their status as one of South Indian cinema's most popular on-screen pairs.
Vijay also opened up about the moment he realised he was ready to take their relationship to the next level. He said that as their friendship developed into a relationship, he began noticing how much better everyday life felt when Rashmika was around.
"Jab friendship se relationship par gaye, ek saal pehle approximately, mujhe ek dependency jaisa laga," Vijay said. He explained that working with Rashmika felt more enjoyable and relaxed. Even mundane moments, such as exercising or having lunch, felt different when she was there. He eventually realized he was missing her in small moments throughout his day. In his words:
"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. Everything feels nicer. Then I thought, shaadi kar lete hai."
The couple eventually married in February 2026 in a traditional Telugu ceremony in Rajasthan, surrounded by family and close friends. They later hosted a star-studded reception in Hyderabad.
Ahead of their upcoming film, Rashmika also opened up about how Vijay helped her overcome some of the insecurities she had early in her career. She recalled being extremely underconfident when they first met and said she admired Vijay's confidence.
She shared how Vijay always pushed her to do better, saying, "Listen, you are capable of doing so much more than what you believe in." The actress admitted that she still needs those affirmations from him.
Raanabali marks the couple's first film together since getting married. The period drama, directed by Rahul Sankrityan, is scheduled to release on October 16, 2026, in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.
What do you think about Vijay and Rashmika's views on keeping their love life personal until marriage?
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