There is talk again of Prabhas getting married. The issue hotted up again recently, and certainly not from Prabhas’s quarters. A colleague and co-star of Prabhas informs me, “His family is putting a lot of pressure on Prabhas to take the plunge. So far, he has desisted. But now Prabhas is softening. He has told the family to look for a girl.”
Prabhas had once told this writer, “I don’t know why my marriage is such a national issue. It will happen when it will happen. I am in no hurry.”
Whether it annoys him or not, Prabhas’s marriage IS a national, until he finally takes the plunge.
This writer spoke to a close friend of Prabhas about the ‘national issue’.
And the friend said, “Everybody knows he has a woman in his life (Anushka Shetty). They have been together for more than fifteen years. But they cannot marry as his family doesn’t approve of her. He can never go against their will. Prabhas’ family has been pressuring him for years to go for an arranged marriage. The pressure is now building. Prabhas’ family feels if he doesn’t do it now (get married) he may never do so.”
It is a poignant predicament, akin to the one faced by Ashok Kumar and Suchitra Sen in Asit Sen’s vintage classic Mamta, where they remain soulmates without marriage due to societal pressure.
Prabhas needs to take a stand, if not for his own sake, then Ms Shetty. This impasse is not fair to her.
“Prabhas isn’t getting any younger (he is now 45). He should make up his mind whether he wants to abide by his family’s wishes or do what his heart tells him,” says the friend.