Mumbai: Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda have opened up about their relationship, explaining why they chose to keep their personal life away from public attention before getting married in February 2026.
The couple, who had known each other for around eight years before their wedding, discussed their journey from colleagues to friends and eventually husband and wife during a recent appearance on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast.
Their relationship had long been the subject of public speculation, but Rashmika and Vijay said they never deliberately attempted to create a mystery around their personal lives. Instead, they simply did not believe they needed to publicly discuss a relationship that they considered deeply personal.
The couple also spoke about how their friendship gradually developed into a romantic relationship and how they eventually realised that life felt more enjoyable when they were together.
Vijay says relationship was never a secret game
During the podcast, the host asked Rashmika and Vijay how they had managed to keep their relationship private for eight years.
Vijay clarified that the couple had not actually been in a relationship for the entire eight-year period. They had known each other for that long, with their equation developing gradually over time.
The actor described Rashmika as someone who initially entered his life as a colleague before becoming a close friend and eventually his wife.
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“She was my colleague who turned into my friend. Gradually, our friendship blossomed into a relationship, and finally, she became my wife,” Vijay said.
He also rejected the idea that the couple had deliberately played a “hide-and-seek” game with the public.
According to Vijay, there was simply no reason for him to announce his relationship or provide regular updates about his personal life.
“But we never played a game of hide-and-seek. It’s just that I never felt the need to share it publicly with anyone. It’s my life, and I did not need to broadcast it,” he said.
His comments offered an insight into why the couple maintained a relatively low profile despite being two of the most recognisable names in the South Indian film industry.
Rashmika says their relationship was for them
Rashmika also explained that she did not view her relationship with Vijay as something that needed to be made available for public consumption.
The actor said their relationship was personal and that the couple chose to protect aspects of their life that mattered to them.
“Our relationship is for us. The things we want to protect in life, we keep private,” Rashmika said.
Her comments reflected the couple’s approach to maintaining a boundary between their professional lives and their personal relationship.
Both actors have substantial public profiles, with their films, appearances and social media activity regularly attracting attention. Keeping their relationship private therefore allowed them to retain a degree of control over an important part of their lives.
The couple’s decision also meant that many details about their relationship remained unclear to the public until they eventually confirmed their marriage.
Vijay recalls realising he needed Rashmika
Vijay revealed that his understanding of their relationship changed significantly during the year before their marriage.
He said he began to realise that he was emotionally dependent on Rashmika and that ordinary activities became more enjoyable when she was around.
The realisation did not come from a single dramatic moment, according to Vijay. Instead, he noticed the difference in how he experienced everyday situations when Rashmika was with him.
He said working with her, training with her or simply spending time with her felt better than doing the same things alone or with someone else.
The actor even recalled thinking about her while eating alone.
“When I used to eat alone, I used to feel that if Rashmika was here to share it with, it would have been better, more enjoyable,” he said.
Over time, Vijay said he recognised that he was missing Rashmika in different parts of his life.
“Over the last year, I realised that I was missing her in bits of my life, and everything felt better with her,” he said.
That realisation eventually led him towards the decision to get married.
“Then I thought, ‘Let’s get married,’” Vijay said.
Rashmika says they felt more complete together
Rashmika offered her own perspective on how their relationship developed.
She said that after knowing Vijay for around three to four years, she began to understand that the two had developed a particularly strong bond.
According to Rashmika, their connection was not built around a single declaration or dramatic turning point. Instead, it developed naturally through the years they spent knowing and understanding each other.
“We seemed more complete with each other,” she said.
Her description also helps explain why the couple’s timeline has remained somewhat difficult to define.
Unlike relationships where a couple can point to a specific moment when they started dating, Rashmika and Vijay described their journey as a gradual progression.
They first became colleagues, then friends, and eventually recognised that their bond had become something deeper.
There was no traditional proposal
One of the more unusual aspects of their relationship, according to the couple, was the absence of a conventional proposal.
Rashmika and Vijay said they never formally professed their love to each other in the way many couples might.
There was also no specific proposal that marked the beginning of their commitment.
Instead, their relationship evolved naturally as they spent more time together and became increasingly important to each other.
The lack of a clearly defined beginning means even the couple’s own recollection of the timeline is somewhat fluid.
They knew each other for several years before deciding to marry, but neither described a single moment as the exact point at which their friendship became a relationship.
Their account suggests that their relationship developed through everyday experiences rather than a carefully planned transition from friendship to romance.
From co-stars to husband and wife
Rashmika and Vijay first worked together professionally before their friendship deepened.
Their transition from colleagues to friends became an important foundation for their eventual relationship.
As they spent more time together, they discovered that they enjoyed sharing experiences and found greater happiness in each other’s company.
Vijay’s comments about missing Rashmika during ordinary activities suggest that their relationship became intertwined with everyday life rather than remaining limited to their professional world.
Rashmika similarly described their bond as one that made them feel more complete.
The couple eventually decided to marry, bringing their long-developing relationship into a new phase.
Their February 2026 wedding drew huge attention
When Rashmika and Vijay married in February 2026, their wedding became a major topic of discussion among their fans.
The couple had kept many details of their relationship away from public view, making the wedding particularly significant for their followers.
Interest extended beyond the ceremony itself to the venue, fashion choices, celebrations and photographs shared around the occasion.
Their decision to maintain privacy before marriage, however, did not prevent public interest in their relationship. Instead, it meant that much of their personal journey remained known primarily to the two of them.
Their latest podcast appearance has now offered fans a glimpse into how they viewed that journey.
A relationship that developed naturally
The couple’s account of their relationship presents a story that was less about a formal beginning and more about gradual emotional closeness.
Vijay described how Rashmika moved from being his colleague to his friend and then his wife. Rashmika spoke about the sense of completeness they developed after years of knowing one another.
Neither described a dramatic proposal or a clearly defined moment when they declared their love.
Instead, they said they gradually fell deeper in love and eventually decided that marriage was the natural next step.
Their explanation also sheds light on why they did not publicly discuss their relationship earlier.
For Rashmika and Vijay, keeping their personal life private was not about hiding something from their fans. It was about preserving something they considered to belong to them.
As they continue their professional commitments and promote Ranabaali, their podcast conversation has given audiences a rare look at the personal journey behind one of the most closely followed celebrity couples in the South Indian film industry.