Marriages often begin in uncertain circumstances. There’s the thrill of starting a new journey with your partner and is also a fear of the unknown. Amidst all the excitement, nervousness, fear and joy -- the individuals fall in love and spend their life together. Dr Rajasekhar’s love story with Jeevitha started in a fairy tale fashion and their bond grew stronger during tough times. This beautiful couple celebrate 25 years of marriage this July, and the both of them are still very much in love.
How it all began
While it was not love at first sight, Dr Rajasekhar and Jeevitha would meet regularly while shooting for films and gradually got to know one another. Even though they got married in 1991, Dr Rajasekhar and Jeevitha were together from 1987.
“In 1985, we acted together in a movie called Talambralu. I would speak only Madrasi Telugu and I did not know authentic Andhra Telugu. So I would often struggle with dialogues while shooting for the movie. So I would often take two to three takes for each scene. Jeevitha on the other hand, was born and brought up in Andhra Pradesh and speaks, reads and writes Telugu fluently. She would do all her scenes in one take. Everybody used to clap for every dialogue she used to deliver, but when I spoke, people used to laugh at my Telugu. So I would be jealous of her,” shares Dr Rajasekhar.
Admitting that there was this competitive streak between them, Dr Rajesakhar points out that slowly grew fond of each other.
“When she was shooting, I would sit and hope that she would also give two takes for a scene, but she would always complete it in the first. So a pair who were like rat and cat slowly fell in love,” he recalls, with a laugh.
Facing Opposition
Though the both of them were deeply in love, getting married to each other was not a very easy task as their parents were against the marriage. “I belong to the Kamma community, while she is a Kapu. So my parents were completely against our alliance. After finishing my MBBS and before joining films, my mother said that I could only enter films if I agree to marry a woman of their choice and not get involved in any of this ‘love’ business. But it so happened that I fell in love,” the actor reveals.
The accident which changed them forever
With parents not approving their marriage and both of them very much in love with each other, everybody seemed to be at loggerheads. Things changed when Dr Rajasekhar met with a major accident in November 1989 and was hospitalised for a month.
“I hurt myself badly and the situation was serious. When my parents heard the news, they immediately rushed from Chennai to come and see me but by then I had undergone a couple of surgeries. All this time Jeevitha was there with me. I was in the hospital for a month and Jeevitha was there throughout - she never left my side. Even after I was discharged, she directly came to my home. After seeing the love and affection with which she took care of me, my parents agreed to our marriage,” shares the 54-year-old.
Opposites attract
In the words of Dr Rajasekhar, both him and Jeevitha are as different as chalk and cheese. The secret of their marriage, they say, is that they are different, but complement each other. “I am impatient and hort-tempered, while she is patient, thoughtful and affectionate. Over the course of our marriage, I learned a lot from Jeevitha. I mellowed down a lot and became much more patient,” says Dr Rajasekhar, who is popularly referred to as the Angry Young Man.
“If today people accept us as a good couple, 90 per cent of the credit must go to Jeevitha and only 10 per cent to me. Even professionally, she is the boss and is the decisionmaker. So I have become very dependent on her,” he laughs.
Like all couples, they two have their differences from time to time, but Rajasekhar credits Jeevitha for not allowing anything to go out of proportion.
“I fight, but she doesn’t. So if it is one-sided, it cannot last long. Sometimes I may lose my temper and shout, but she does not react. Sometimes, even if it’s not her fault, she apologises. So we don’t have any fights as such,” he points out.
The journey continues
Dr Rajasekhar and Jeevitha will celebrate 25 years of marriage in July. They have two daughters -- Sivani and Sivatmika.
“The elder one is doing her first year MBBS and the younger one is in Class X. Even I’m currently pursuing alternative medicine so she treats us like three kids,” the actor chuckles. Imparting advice to the younger generation, Rajasekhar says that it’s okay for different people to marry each other.
“There are different kinds of people in this world. We all can’t be the same way. If like-minded people marry each other, they are likely to have problems, since they don’t broaden their horizons. So it’s always better when two diverse personalities get married to each other,” he adds, with a smile.