In a significant development, Sangeetha, wife of Tamil superstar and TVK leader Vijay, filed a divorce petition in the Chengalpattu Women’s Court on February 24. The court accepted his plea and transferred the case to the Family Welfare Committee.
The couple had been living apart for the past two years, although neither Vijay nor Sangeetha had publicly acknowledged the rift. Their prolonged silence had fueled persistent speculation among fans and the media, but both parties had chosen to keep their personal lives strictly private.
In her petition, Sangeetha allegedly accused Vijay of having an extramarital affair with an actress and filed for divorce on those grounds.
Who is Sangeetha?
Sangeetha is of Sri Lankan Tamil origin and was raised in the United Kingdom, where her family had settled as part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. By her own account, she was a devoted fan of Vijay long before the two met. During one of her visits to Chennai, she was introduced to the actor and what started as an admiration meeting eventually turned into a relationship.
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The two got married in 1999, which was attended by all the top politicians and Tamil film stars of the time. Sangeetha largely stayed away from the film industry after her marriage. The couple has two children together: Jason Sanjay, 25, and daughter Divya Saasha, 20.
A star at a crossroads
The timing of the divorce filing is noteworthy. Vijay, who recently made a high-profile political entry by launching his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, is at one of the most crucial junctures in his career and public life.
Having announced his transition from film to full-time politics, the actor-turned-politician is currently going through the initial and critical phase of building his political identity.
Neither Vijay’s team nor Sangeetha have issued any official statement on the matter at the time of going to press.
