‘Men can marry many times, but women can’t?’: When Pawan Kalyan’s ex Renu spoke about criticism
As much as his film and political career, Telugu star and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s personal life has also made big headlines, most recently with his separation from his third wife, Anna Lezhneva. The duo called it quits after 13 years of marriage. They have a daughter and a son together.
Pawan Kalyan tied the knot with Anna, a Russian citizen, in 2013, just about a year after his divorce from actor-director Renu Desai. The couple married in 2009 and divorced in 2012, having a son and a daughter together. Although they have maintained a cordial relationship since their separation, Renu has repeatedly said she faces unnecessary heat and trolling because of her past marriage. She has also opened up about the constant attempts to reduce her identity to the tag of “Pawan Kalyan’s ex-wife.”
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Nevertheless, she has often spoken fondly about Pawan and their former relationship. In a 2017 interview with ABN Telugu, Renu even said that she believes she came the closest to understanding him fully. She also maintained that he is “not a bad person.”
‘I came the closest to understanding him’
When the interviewer pointed out that many people say they find it very difficult to understand Pawan, she replied, “I think even he wouldn’t deny that I came the closest to understanding him. I wasn’t just his wife but his co-worker as well. When you are with someone 24/7, it’s a complete life. Besides, we were friends. We were never like the typical husband and wife. We were always very good friends, and hence, he used to share more with me.”
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As the conversation progressed, Renu reacted to a post she shared on Facebook after receiving backlash for saying in another television interview that she might remarry one day. About five years after her divorce from Pawan, she shared that one of her health scares at that time made her consider having a companion again. However, she stated that she was single at the moment.
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Renu Desai on remarriage and trolling
Pawan’s fans took offence at this, despite their star’s marriage to Anna immediately after his divorce from Renu, and criticised the actor-director, claiming she would lose their respect if she married again. Renu, nevertheless, did not let the matter slide and shared a strongly worded post on social media, denouncing the double standards of some people, though she did not directly name Pawan or his fans.
Commencing the post by mentioning that it is not about her personally, she wrote in Telugu, “In our society, a man can do anything and can marry any number of times, but it is a sin for a woman to even think about another relationship. Should a woman live alone for life with regret?”
In the same ABN Telugu interview, she doubled down, saying she would remarry one day. “Until last year, my mind was completely shut off: no marriage, no love. Even now, I don’t care much for love. I mean, I don’t expect the stereotypical romance. But I do need a companion.”
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Chiranjeevi during the launch of his younger brother Pawan Kalyan’s movie Badri. The film’s heroines, Renu Desai and Ameesha Patel, are also seen. (Express archive photo)
However, Renu Desai never went ahead with it and remains publicly single even now.
In a recent interview with the Visual Talks Podcast, she maintained that she still hasn’t managed to escape being defined as Pawan’s ex-wife. Renu even compared her situation to the exile of Rama, stating, “It’s been 14 years. Even Lord Ram was in exile, but for only 14 years. When will my exile end?”
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Pawan Kalyan on his three marriages
Pawan Kalyan has previously spoken about his failed marriages. In a chat with Nandamuri Balakrishna on his show Unstoppable with NBK in 2023, Pawan Kalyan said, “My first marriage (with Nandini) was very conventional. It was arranged by elders. But not everything works out in a relationship. So, couples separate. Even the second time (with Renu Desai), whether a difference of opinion or something… maybe there was no consensus… it was a different set of circumstances. But when these people, I mean they keep harping on three weddings… I didn’t marry all the three at the same time. Neither do I live with all the three together. It didn’t work out for me with one person, I had to marry another. Also, it didn’t happen out of desire or infatuation, they just happened. It only involves pain.”
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Who is Renu Desai?
Before her foray into Tollywood, Renu Desai was a model in Mumbai, competed in Femina Miss India, appeared in over 30 commercials, and featured in the music video “Breathless.” She made her debut in director Puri Jagannadh’s Badri (2000), where she starred opposite Pawan. She played his heroine again in Johnny (2003), which was directed by the star himself.
Although her acting career didn’t soar, she still worked as a costume designer on some of Pawan’s subsequent movies.
Following their divorce, she directed and produced the Marathi film Ishq Wala Love (2014). Renu made her comeback as an actor in the Ravi Teja-headlined Tiger Nageswara Rao (2023).
Disclaimer: This article offers an editorial recount of publicly shared statements and social media responses regarding past personal relationships and public commentary. It is published for general entertainment and informational purposes only and does not constitute advice or definitive guidance.
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