Choreographer Pony Verma’s first impression of Prakash Raj was of the ‘old man in a wheelchair’ in the 2003 Telugu film Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi. After working with him on numerous films, she recalls their friendship slowly turning into love and, eventually, marriage. However, her friends and family were sceptical about her marrying the South Indian Prakash, given her Punjabi roots.
Pony Verma on marrying 12-year-older Prakash Raj
Pony and Prakash met when she was mourning her mother’s death, and he was going through a divorce from Lalitha Kumari, whom he had married in 1994. The choreographer recalled on Prema’s YouTube channel how her family reacted when she told them she wanted to marry the actor. “They had no idea about South Indians. They’re telling me, every day you’ll eat sambar, you’ll die. We eat idli sambar sometimes at a hotel; it’s good. I said, no, but I like sambar. My friends were like, why are you getting married to a man who’s 12 years older than you? A big hue and cry happened.”
Pony, however, says she’s happy about the age gap. “I think only a man like Prakash could’ve understood me and the depth of my life, where I have come from, how I think, and my struggles. I was like a wave that was going (waves hands)...Prakash came like a shore. To sit down calmly and eat- that was not a part of our life. Prakash was like, leave the spoon to the side and eat with your hand. Be comfortable. Don’t think of anything. So, this calmness Prakash has brought into my life. To sit and eat food, it’s okay; nothing is going away. No falling behind in life. Only someone, a man with experience like Prakash, could’ve handled it.”
Prakash Raj’s first marriage and son’s death
{{/usCountry}}Pony, however, says she’s happy about the age gap. “I think only a man like Prakash could’ve understood me and the depth of my life, where I have come from, how I think, and my struggles. I was like a wave that was going (waves hands)...Prakash came like a shore. To sit down calmly and eat- that was not a part of our life. Prakash was like, leave the spoon to the side and eat with your hand. Be comfortable. Don’t think of anything. So, this calmness Prakash has brought into my life. To sit and eat food, it’s okay; nothing is going away. No falling behind in life. Only someone, a man with experience like Prakash, could’ve handled it.”
Prakash Raj’s first marriage and son’s death
{{/usCountry}}Prakash married actor Lalitha Kumari in 1994, and they have two daughters, Meghana and Pooja. Their son Siddharth died in 2004 when he was five, after sustaining injuries during a fall while flying a kite. The couple divorced in 2009, and he married Pony in 2010. Their son Vedhanth was born in 2015.
At the ABP Southern Rising Summit 2024, Prakash spoke about grieving the losses in his life and said, “Pain is a very personal thing, whether it's my friend Gauri (Lankesh) or my son Siddharth. But then I just can't become selfish. I have daughters, I have a family, I have a profession, I have people. As a human being, I have a life, and I am accountable for that too.” He also added, “I would rather share my joys than my pain because it eases the personal pain, and I don't want to brood on it. Some wounds are deeper than flesh, and you need to live with that.”
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