Actor Vijay Deverakonda has explained why he asked his wife, actor Rashmika Mandanna, to raise the subject of marriage 100 times before he agreed to take the next step in their relationship. Speaking during their first joint appearance on Koffee With Karan, Vijay said he wanted to be certain that marriage was not an impulsive decision.The actor also spoke about his earlier disbelief in love, how his feelings for Rashmika deepened and why past hurt made him cautious.
Vijay later proposed to her during their wedding celebrations because he did not want her to miss that experience.A promo for the episode had drawn mixed reactions on social media after Vijay revealed that he had asked Rashmika to speak to him about marriage 100 times. The full conversation offered more context to his request.Host Karan Johar began by asking Vijay, “Someone this stunning comes into your life, was there a proposal?” Rashmika recalled first suggesting marriage while they were sitting at an airport.
She told Vijay, “Let’s get married,” and he replied, “Okay, you ask me 100 times.”Surprised by the revelation, Karan asked Rashmika, “You asked him a hundred times?” She responded, “I asked him for an entire year.” Vijay said his response came from a desire to ensure that they did not rush into such an important decision. Earlier approach to love and relationshipsReflecting on his earlier approach to relationships, Vijay said, “If you look at my past interviews, I always talked about love with disrespect and disbelief.
Like, I don’t believe in this concept, which was immature of me And I was also very clouded by my ambition. For many years, for me, if something was not serving the purpose of career, money and growth, it felt like you were distracting me from my purpose, and I needed to cut it off.”He said his feelings for Rashmika gradually grew from fondness into the realisation that he needed her in his life.'My meals feel better, i sleep incredibly well'“I was like, I need her around because my day feels better.
My meals feel better when we are sharing them. I sleep incredibly well when she is with me.
Then I realised I want to be married to this woman, I want to be with her,” he said.Explaining his remark about being asked 100 times, Vijay said, “I am not an ass***e.” Rashmika said she never questioned or doubted his request because she understood where it came from.“I am a person who would put the relationship through every obstacle there is to see it survive. Because there was one time she asked me, ‘Are you testing me?’ I felt really guilty then.
I was testing myself. I was testing the relationship.
When she asked me to get married, I was like, it cannot be an emotional impulse, like I am suddenly feeling a surge of love for you, so let’s get married,” Vijay said.He added, “For me, it was like, let’s see if we feel this continuously through days when you are happy or upset, when I want to give my career everything, and through days when you feel you want to quit and be home. We have all those days in our life.
I was like, through all of it, if marriage still feels so important, then we should do it.”Vijay described himself as a very “sensitive guy” beneath his rough exterior. He said he had been hurt immensely and that the resulting fear made him protective of himself.“Which unfortunately she had to deal with, and now it’s beautiful,” he added.Vijay also revealed that he eventually proposed to Rashmika during their sangeet.
He said he had wanted to propose in Italy in December, before their wedding in February, but could not find the right ring.The couple also addressed speculation about a ring Vijay had given Rashmika before their wedding. They clarified that it was not her engagement ring and showed their actual rings during the programme.More about the coupleVijay and Rashmika first worked together in the 2018 Telugu hit Geetha Govindam, followed by Dear Comrade in 2019.
Their on-screen chemistry prompted years of speculation about their relationship, though they largely kept their personal lives private.They married in Udaipur on February 26, 2026, with ceremonies honouring their Telugu and Kodava traditions.The couple later reunited on screen in Ranabaali, a period action drama directed by Rahul Sankrityan. Vijay plays the titular character, while Rashmika portrays his wife, Jayamma.
Released in theatres on 16 October 2026, the film marked their first on-screen pairing since their wedding.- Ends