Madhavan’s love and respect for his wife Sarita Birje proves why he is known as the ‘green forest’ of Bollywood.
The old-school romantic charm is not something new, but it actually started back in 1991, when he met his now wife, Sarita.
R Madhavan has time and again spoken about his unbreakable bond with Sarita in various interviews.
ALSO READ | Madhavan calls wife Sarita a ‘protective giant’ in birthday post, says she’s a child at heart: ‘Just stunned and grateful that…’R Madhavan and Sarita Birje R Madhavan and Sarita BirjeMadhavan often drops adorable anniversary posts for his wife Sarita Birje on social media.
Well, Happy Birthday Maddy – our green flag!
Apart from playing a romantic hero in Rang De Basanti, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, and Tanu Weds Manu, R Madhavan is also a green flag in real life. The actor, who is ringing in his 56th birthday today, is internet’s favourite romantic fellow, Maddy. Madhavan’s love and respect for his wife Sarita Birje proves why he is known as the ‘green forest’ of Bollywood. Even after 27 years of marriage, he often opens up about how a thank-you dinner with his partner, turned into a relationship of a lifetime.
The old-school romantic charm is not something new, but it actually started back in 1991, when he met his now wife, Sarita. She was aspiring to be an air hostess back then, and attended Madhavan’s personality development classes in Kolhapur. The actor maintained his distance as he was Sarita’s teacher at the time. Their romance started after she finished the training, became an airhostess and invited him for a dinner to thank him.
‘We have great respect for each other’
The Shaitaan actor is a true believer of an ‘equal’ relationship. R Madhavan has time and again spoken about his unbreakable bond with Sarita in various interviews. During a podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia earlier, he revealed why their marriage has worked despite him being in the showbiz. “We fight as much as any couple. We have a great respect for each other. For Sarita, I am not just a national star or an actor so that she has to feel privileged to be the wife of. She’s an equal partner with the guy who fell in love with her and respects her. And I lose no opportunity to make her feel how lucky I am,” he shared.
The couple tied the knot with each other in 1999, after dating for eight years. After 6 years of marriage, they welcomed their son Vedaant in 2005. He is now making a career in swimming and has won a number of medals for India.
ALSO READ | Madhavan calls wife Sarita a ‘protective giant’ in birthday post, says she’s a child at heart: ‘Just stunned and grateful that…’
R Madhavan and Sarita Birje R Madhavan and Sarita Birje
Madhavan often drops adorable anniversary posts for his wife Sarita Birje on social media. In 2025, on their wedding anniversary, the actor wrote, “To the woman who has given me everything I have ever wanted… In 26 years of marriage and 33 years of knowing each other, there is not one moment I would want to change or live any other way. You have given me so much that I don’t know what else to wish for. I am the one who is most blessed. Happy anniversary, my love.”
‘I want to be a better man for you every day’
In another post in 2024, he had wished his better half on her birthday. He wrote, “You know, I can never get enough of this my love. So grateful to be able to do that every year on your birthday as well. You just make me feel like I want to be a better man every day Happily. You know, I say that all the time, but it never gets old .HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEYYYYY.”
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R Madhavan and Sarita Birje R Madhavan and Sarita Birje
Sarita and Madhavan extended their personal relationship into a professional collaboration, as she turned a costume designer for many of his films, including the 2009 Tamil romantic comedy Guru En Aalu. In anther interview, the RHTDM star had revealed taking his wife to shoots after receiving marital advice from director Mani Ratnam. “He said many couples test their relationships fatally when there is no need to. I realised that there were many temptations — being in outdoor shoots in the company of beautiful women. I took Sarita everywhere I went. This way, she was around when I got introduced to actresses. I was never lonely during my outstation schedules. When Sarita sees me in a romantic scene, she knows the sentiments behind it are not real,” he expressed.
The actor has also opened up about the goofy, yet supportive bits of his marriage with Sarita. During a conversation with Unfiltered Entertainment, R Madhavan shared, “My wife says you’ll never be able to get out of work — you do Tamil comedy, Tamil action, OTT, Hindi action, English OTT. I am surprised you are at home. During COVID in 2020, she kicked me out of the house and told me, ‘Go out, do some work, earn money.’”
He credited his wife for noticing his state of mind, which made him take a break. She observed how his attitude towards work had changed. “One day, my wife asked me, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ She said that you are going to work like you want to come back from it. That actually made a lot of sense,” he said.
Well, Happy Birthday Maddy – our green flag!
