Soundarya Rajinikanth talks about her parents being her ‘rock’ when she went through divorce; the ‘changing’ male-domination at home

While promoting her recent web series #Love, Soundarya Rajinikanth spoke about her parents, Rajinikanth and Latha, her divorce and more.

Producer Soundarya Rajinikanth got candid about her idea of love and equality in relationships while promoting her recent Netflix web series #Love. On Nayandeep Rakshit’s YouTube channel, she spoke about her divorce from Ashwin Ramkumar, her second marriage to Vishagan Vanangamudi, and how her parents, Rajinikanth and Latha, have been her rock through it all. Soundarya also admitted having grown up in a male-dominated household, stating that it was changing now.

Soundarya spoke candidly about how Rajinikanth and Latha have also grown in their relationship.

Soundarya Rajinikanth on changing male-dominated household

Talking about equality in relationships, Soundarya stated that her generation mostly grew up in male-dominated households, and hers was no different. “To be honest, we grew up in a generation where it was probably male-dominated at home. That’s the truth. But it’s changing. It’s changing with my parents now, not earlier. As you grow older, the concept of companionship and love also changes,” she said.

The producer reasoned that her idea of love had changed from 20 to 40, and the same held true for her parents. She also stated that, as a parent, she has learnt not to ‘blame’ her parents for anything, as she understands that they grew up as she did. However, for her and her husband, Vishagan, Soundarya maintained that it was an equal household, with the couple promising to meet each other halfway.

On parents being Soundarya’s rock during her divorce

Soundarya also credited her parents for supporting her through everything in her life. “For a girl, the first man in her life is her father. And the first friend she has is her mother. And that gets stronger as children grow up. In my difficult times, my parents stood like a rock. I couldn’t have done it without them. When my first marriage failed, it did not make me stop believing in the institution of marriage. It was just a wrong relationship. So when I came out of that, I took my time to heal, but I couldn’t wait to be back in that institution. Because I believe in it. I’m very happy to be married again,” she said.

The producer also mentioned that when a woman leaves a bad marriage and gets divorced, it’s not a big deal for the man to remarry, but the woman gets judged if she wants to. Soundarya said that a lot more is expected of women because they are ‘multitaskers’ and the ‘opposite gender takes that for granted’.

Soundarya married businessman Ashwin in 2010, and their son, Ved, was born in 2015. The couple separated in 2016 and were granted a divorce in 2017. In 2019, the producer married businessman Vishagan. Their son, Veer, was born in 2022.