Actor Sheela Rajkumar Announces Separation From Husband Thambi Chozhan

Actor Sheela Rajkumar, also a Bharatnatyam dancer, has announced her separation from her husband-actor Thambi Chozhan. She announced the news in an X post on Saturday morning. The short post, originally written in Tamil loosely translates to, “I leave the marriage relationship, thanks and love @ChozhanV”. The reason behind the couple’s separation is unclear. However, judging by Rajkumar’s post, it appears to be an amicable and mutual decision. The couple got married in 2014 despite the opposition from their family.

In a 2019 interview with Film Companion, Rajkumar recalled her first meeting with Thambi Chozhan and said, “Somewhere in 2013 or 2014, I got the chance to star in a tele-film directed by Thambi Chozhan. It was never released, but I found my life partner in Chozhan, an acting coach.”

A look at Rajkumar’s filmography suggests that soon after her marriage, her career blossomed. The 31-year-old actor always maintained that her marriage never came in the way of her career. In the above-mentioned interview, she said, “I’m proud of what marriage did for me. And, I believe there is a time for everything in life. Seeing me, if someone is encouraged to enter the industry after marriage, I’ll be very happy. Imagine if Chezian sir had wondered if he should cast me because I am married, I would not have been part of To Let. Sometimes, you have to chase your dream.”

Rajkumar is most known for the critically successful film, To Let, in which she played the lead role. It was screened at numerous film festivals in 2017 and 2018 and was theatrically released on 21 February 2019. To Let also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.

In 2018 and 2019, she appeared in the thriller film Asuravadham and comedy-drama Namma Veettu Pillai. She also got a small but significant role in the critically and commercially successful Malayalam drama film Kumbalangi Nights which was released in February 2019.

Next year, she played the lead role in Tamil action drama film Draupathi which courted controversy for its regressive portrayal of caste politics. A year later, she appeared in a prominent role in the Tamil political anti-caste satire film Mandela, which was much appreciated.

In a 2021 interview with The New Indian Express, Sheela Rajkumar said that she was unaware of Draupathi’s caste politics and simply followed the director’s orders. She explained, “I did whatever the script and the director demanded from me for the role. Unlike in theatre, where everything is in the control of an actor, cinema is not the medium for individual expression. As an actor, I cannot always be right. Perhaps the people who criticise me for choosing one film, will end up applauding other films I do—like Mandela.”

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