It was during one of this class when he met his student, and future wife Sarita Birje. Back in 1991, in Kolhapur, Sarita Birje joined R Madhavan's personality developement as she was preparing for a career in aviation.

How did R Madhavan meet his wife Sarita Birje?

After Sarits Birje got her first job, she took R Madhavan, her teacher, out for a thank-you dinner. That evening slowly made the two realise their feelings for each other, and how it went beyond a student-mentor relationship. Eight years after this dinner, R Madhavan, yet to be a superstar, married Sarita Birje in a traditional Tamil ceremony.

Did R Madhavan get married before making it big in the film industry?

R Madhavan and Sarita Birje got married in 1999, just one year before he got his breakthrough with Mani Ratnam's film Alai Payuthey. The couple has been married for 26 years now and is still going strong. Speaking about the secret to his healthy marriage, R Madhavan said that trust, personal space, and humor and humour are an integral part of their marriage.

On their 26th wedding anniversary in June, R Madhavan simply wrote for his wife, "I wouldn't change a single moment of the last 26 years."

R Madhavan and Sarita Birje are parents to their son Vedaant Madhavan, who is now an international swimmer, and was born in August 2005.