Actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar got candid about her parents’ divorce on The Rayane Show podcast with her stepsister, Rayane R Mithun. Talking about how she initially blamed Rayane’s mother, Radhika, for her father, Sarathkumar’s separation, the actor stated that it’s only after therapy and maturity that she learnt how to let go of her anger.
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar was angry at dad
Varalaxmi’s parents, Sarathkumar and Chaya Devi, married in 1981 and divorced in 2000. In 2001, Sarathkumar married actor Radhika. Talking about forgiving her father, Varalaxmi said, “I think I forgave him a long time back, and I think that’s what I learnt when I went into therapy. Sometimes, two people just don’t work together. For me, dad is dad. He’s my biological father, and I have to respect him; then there was childhood love. Then there was anger due to mum and him separating. There was some more anger when he remarried. But eventually, it settled down. I think they both, for themselves, made a better decision because I think they are happier people because of those decisions.”
On initially blaming Radhika for the divorce
Varalaxmi admitted that she initially blamed Radhika for her parents’ divorce, but learnt later on that she wasn’t the reason for it. “You are tuned to think, oh, she came and broke their marriage. She’s not the reason that my parents broke up. People say, how can you be so affectionate towards them? Because she’s not the reason they broke up. The marriage was already having problems when aunty entered. Initially, aunty and I were not in the greatest of terms. Because I blamed her for my parents’ separation. But as you grow up, you realise everyone is allowed to have their own choices. Now, I share a lovely relationship with aunty, and she shares a lovely relationship with my mum,” she said.
For the unversed, Sarathkumar and Radhika had Varalaxmi and Pooja before they divorced. Radhika was in a relationship with actor-director Pratap Pothen in 1985, but they separated in 1986. In 1990, she married a British national named Richard Hardy, but they divorced in 1992. They had one daughter, Rayane, who is now married to cricketer Abhimanyu Mithun. After their marriage, Sarathkumar and Radhika had a son, Rahul, who was born in 2004.