Veteran actress Rohini has broken her silence on how her marriage to the late actor Raghuvaran cost her seven years of her film career. In a recent interview with Galatta Tamil, she said Raghuvaran never supported her acting career and expected her to give it up after they married.
Rohini and Raghuvaran married in 1996. Their union was a topic of discussion in the Tamil film industry. The couple had a son, Rishi Varan, born in 1998. They separated in 2004 after eight years together. Raghuvaran died on March 19, 2008, in Chennai at the age of 49.
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The demand to stop acting
Rohini said Raghuvaran wanted her to be a housewife after their marriage. He never supported her career and did not want her to continue working in films. She said his attitude came from his own family background. No women in Raghuvaran’s family worked outside the home. He held the belief that his wife should remain under his protection and not pursue a professional life.
Seven years away from films
Because of this pressure, Rohini stayed away from films for approximately seven years after the marriage. She said breaking free from that environment took a great deal of time and effort. She fought her way back into the industry after years of absence. After returning, she went on to direct films as well.
52 years in the industry
Rohini pointed out that she has been a part of the film industry for 52 years. She started as a child artist at the age of five. Her first appearance was in the 1975 Telugu film ‘Yasodha Krishna’.
The actress has acted in over 130 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema. She received a National Film Award Special Mention and the Andhra Pradesh Nandi Special Jury Award for her performance in the 1995 film ‘Stri’.
Frustration of being ‘Raghuvaran’s wife’
Rohini expressed frustration at being identified primarily as Raghuvaran’s wife, including on social media. She said she spent only seven years of her life with him.
Rpointed out that her entire body of work, spanning over five decades, should not be reduced to that one association. She said she has spoken enough about that period of her life and asked to be asked about her work and her career as an individual.
Rohini as a filmmaker and writer
After returning to the industry, Rohini expanded beyond acting. She directed the 2014 Tamil film ‘Appaavin Meesai’, for which she also served as co-writer. She has written scripts for Tamil television serials since 1996. In 2005, she adapted the Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel ‘Verukku Neer’ into a telefilm. She also directed a documentary titled ‘Silent Hues’ in 2008, focused on child artists in the film industry.
Raghuvaran’s career
Raghuvaran was one of Tamil cinema’s most prominent villain actors. He appeared in over 200 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. He graduated from the Adyar Film Institute in Chennai.
Raghuvaran was popular for his distinctive voice and screen presence. Despite his success on screen, his personal life was marked by substance dependency. He visited his son Rishi just ten days before his death in 2008.