Fan letters, love, marriage, and divorce: Sangeetha and Vijay’s 27-year-long relationship timeline

What could come as a major relief for Tamil Nadu CM Vijay, his wife, Sangeetha, has withdrawn her divorce plea. Vijay’s estranged relationship with his wife took a shocking turn when she filed a divorce petition before the Chengalpattu court under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, in February, accusing him of cheating.

This came as a major blow to Vijay as it happened while he was campaigning for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. On Friday, Sangeetha attended the proceedings via video conference and subsequently submitted her reasons for withdrawing the case.

With this latest twist in the case, here is a look at the couple’s relationship timeline.

Sangeetha Sornalingam’s shocking divorce petition

Vijay’s wife, Sangeetha Sornalingam, has mostly stayed away from the spotlight. However, in February, when Vijay was dominating headlines during the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, she grabbed attention after filing for divorce to end their decades-long marriage. In the petition, she allegedly accused him of having an extramarital relationship with an actress.

While the case brought her into the headlines, Sangeetha largely stayed away from the media and did not comment publicly on the matter.

Vijay and Sangeetha Sornalingam’s marriage

Sangeetha Sornalingam married Vijay in 1999 after their brief romance in the 1990s. The couple has largely kept their relationship away from the spotlight over the past 27 years. They have two children: son Jason Sanjay and daughter Divya Saasha.

Sangeetha was a Vijay fan

The beginning of their love story reportedly started with admiration from a fan. Sangeetha Sornalingam, a Sri Lankan Tamil and the daughter of a Sri Lankan Tamil industrialist, was raised in the UK. She was reportedly a big fan of Vijay following the success of his film Poove Unakkaga.

Picture of Vijay and Sangeetha Sornalingam’s Photograph: (X)

From a fan to his wife

In the mid-1990s, Sangeetha visited Chennai from London to meet Vijay and congratulate him on the success of his film.

She also reportedly wrote many letters to Vijay while studying in London and the two developed a friendship which turned into love. What began as fan admiration soon developed into friendship and eventually love.

It has been reported that Vijay was impressed by Sangeetha and invited her to his home, where he introduced her to his parents. After the meeting went well and his parents approved of her, Vijay reportedly proposed to Sangeetha and asked if she would marry him.

Picture of Vijay and Sangeetha Sornalingam’s Photograph: (X)

An intercultural union

After their relationship received approval from both families, the couple developed a mutual understanding and decided to take their relationship forward. Despite coming from different religious backgrounds, with Vijay being Christian and Sangeetha being Hindu, they chose to solemnise their marriage through a traditional Hindu ceremony and a Christian wedding. On August 25, 1999, they tied the knot in Chennai in a grand wedding attended by close friends and family.

Parenthood

Following their marriage, Vijay and Sangeetha welcomed two children. Their son, Jason Sanjay, was born on August 26, 2000, and has since made his debut as a director. Their daughter, Divya Saasha, was born in 2005 and has largely stayed out of the limelight. Sanjay had appeared with his father in his 2009 film Vettaikaaran, and his daughter shared the screen in the 2016 film Theri.

Sangeetha’s life away from the media glare

As Vijay rose to stardom and delivered back-to-back hits, his wife, Sangeetha, maintained a distance from public life and focused on their family.

However, rumours of a rift in their relationship began circulating in 2023 after Sangeetha was reportedly absent from several key events related to Vijay’s projects, including the trailer launch of Varisu.

Who is Sangeetha Sornalingam ?

Sangeetha, a Sri Lankan Tamil, is the daughter of London-based businessman Sornalingam, and had moved to London a few years back. She reportedly has assets worth more than Rs 400 crore and has been handling her family’s business.