This February love is in the air! This special day is all about showing love and appreciation to those closest to us. The season of love is all about creating a memory for your special one. Valentine’s Day is a day of love and an opportunity for people to show their appreciation for each other. We scoured around for the most perfect couple and we don’t think we could have found someone more perfect for each other – Meet Actor Prem Jacob and actress Swaswika who have been dating for many years. Their on-screen chemistry that got ignited during the shoot of Manampole Mangalyam, led them to being real-life couple as well when they started dating. They recently tied the knot in January 2024. The couple shed light on their journey and how they have found the right formula to strike a balance.
SWASWIKA
Swaswika, a popular actress who has acted in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films, blushes at the sight of her newly wedded husband as she gets candid on their love life…
How did you both meet?
We met during the shoot of our Television serial together, became friends and then fell in love. We just got married.
What’s your most unforgettable Valentine’s Day surprise?
He was shooting in Mumbai once and took effort to Kerala to meet me on Valentine’s Day. He went to Hyderabad from Mumbai to buy some beautiful pearl neck pieces for me and then surprised me on Valentine’s Day and that made me really happy.
Your idea of love?
There should always be mutual respect for each other and we should always support and cherish each other. There should be peace in a relationship.
Which factor holds you both together as a couple?
Our commitment for each other. Prem values our relationship a lot and wants our relationship to get bigger.
What is the most romantic thing you have done for him?
I like to surprise him with small gits. I also write small quotes and poems for him. During our marriage also when I was entering, I wrote a few lines to him that were read out. He found it romantic too.
Some personality traits of his that you find strange?
He takes things calmly whereas I want to rush on things. I want to do everything perfectly. I almost live in a fantasy world and want everything to be very filmy. He is more practical and brings me back to reality. I always dream of movie like settings even in real life, but he keeps me grounded and tells me how to be more real.
Tell us the first thing you noticed about him?
He is very calm and composed. He always respects everyone. He makes sure that everyone around him is comfortable. He has good patience levels. He also gets angry sometimes, but that’s very rare. He is very cool most of the times.
Any memorable gift from him?
I love all the moments spent with him. He has bought many gifts for me and the time spent with him has been the most memorable and I hope it continues to be the same.
How do you support each other in times of stress?
I talk a lot and get tensed. He’s a good listener. He always helps me whenever I get tensed. Whenever he is not in a good mood I try and motivate him to push himself. We support each other a lot.
What are the things you love doing together?
We love to travel together and explore a lot of good food joints. When we are both together I always want to hold his hand. Even while I’m eating or driving or watching a movie or walking, I just love to hold his hand in mine.
What are the nicknames for each other?
Baby, Hubbybuu.
Which place have you both always wanted to travel to as a couple?
I think Turkey.
What does marriage mean to you?
I always wanted a man who cares and loves me immensely. Not just like any kind of boyfriend or friend but like a real man. My man – who will be the father of my children and will be the one who will stand for me in any situation. I firmly believe that a husband and wife relationship is the biggest relationship this is the only relationship I want to work on and keep making it stronger and stronger with lots of love, trust, respect and commitment. Being a married woman to the love of my life now has filled me joy, love and pride.
What have been some of the biggest highlights of your career so far?
Winning the Kerala State award in 2020. I also worked with legendary directors and actors like Joshy Padamadan sir, Kamal Haasan sir, Mohan Lal sir, Mammootty sir and so many other big stars.
What are the current projects you’re working on?
I’ve finished shoot for a Tamil film called Lubber Pandhu which is going to release soon in February 2024. Another of my Telugu movie shoots is currently on and I’m also simultaneously shooting for a Malayalam movie Vivekanandan Viralanu.
PREM JACOB is the alpha male who makes his girl feel like a queen.
How did you first meet? Tell us the first thing you noticed about him/her?
I met her first at the serial set, when we were paired against each other. It was on the sets of Manampole Mangalyam. She had just won the Kerala State award. I had huge respect for her as an actor as she is a very effortless actor. That’s when we first met and I observed how she acts. She helped me to calm down while acting and that was very helpful. I started noticing the many nuances and skills she had as an actor and really admired it all. We became very good friends and slowly after a couple of months love bloomed. We started talking to each other and things started turning romantic and then we decided to get married.
Your idea of love?
Love is when two people know and understand each other completely. We are both very comfortable with each other and are happy for each other’s success. Love is actually about knowing each other, accepting each other’s strengths and weaknesses, supporting and standing by each other, no matter what.
Which factor holds you both together as a couple?
We are both from the same industry, so that really helps. There’s no ego between us. Even though she has done more movies than me, I don’t have any ego because of that. I feel there is such a strong bond that we don’t let any kind of ego come between us. We are both very busy actors and understand that the other person is busy too and we respect that. We are both not too demanding as work is also important. We really love each other and that’s what keeps us together.
Your first heartbreak?
My first girlfriend was when I was in college. I was very young and we broke up as her family gave her a lot of pressure to get married. I was still in college so it did not happen and that made me realise that I should stand on my feet and do something before getting married. I think it happened for the good as she’s also happily married with someone now and I have become a successful actor. If I had thought of marriage then, I don’t think I would have become an actor. I would probably be shuttling between 9 to 5 jobs to earn money.
How did you propose?
I’m a very shy person. We never proposed to each other. We just knew that we are in love. We were at a party and everyone could see that we are in love and then at a party I just proposed to her. It wasn’t very dramatic.
Something romantic you have done for her?
I was travelling from Chennai to Kochi and I reached late just a few days before the wedding function. When I reached they were doing some dances and since she didn’t know I was going to be there, she was surprised to see me and found it very romantic.
Some habit of hers that you want to change?
She gets tensed very quickly and wants everything to be perfect. Even during the wedding, she was getting angry and stressed as she wanted everything to be just the way she wanted. She doesn’t want to calm down and wanted everything to go as she had planned. Although some things didn’t go as per the plan but no one around knew, as only we both knew about the wedding arrangement plans. I don’t think I can change anything, but that’s one thing I tell her – to be calm.
Any memorable gift from your partner?
We both have had very hectic schedules. We do buy gifts for each other like Amazon Echo, perfumes, clothes and the usual gifts.
What are the things you love doing together?
We both love good movies and good food. We like to explore good food places. Good food makes me happy.
What are the nicknames for each other?
I call her Ponnu which means gold. I call her by her name also.
Which place have you both always wanted to travel to as a couple?
Switzerland, because it is so picturesque. She has already gone there but now we want to travel to the Swiss Alps as a couple.
What does marriage mean to you?
Making love legal. Other than being in a legal relationship, nothing else has changed as our love remains the same. Yes, there will be more responsibilities together as a couple. We will look after each other more and help each other as a couple.
One advice/tip for those in love?
Don’t fight unnecessarily. Lot of people have misunderstandings but I feel being happy is more important. Just try and sort out the issues and solve them. Sometimes you have to bend down to keep the relationship going. It’s ok. Just do that and keep each other happy and don’t let ego take over.
What have been some of the biggest highlights of your career so far?
I started out as a project manager in an IT firm and then I was modelling and got into TV commercials and TV serials. I’m doing Tamil and Malayalam serials. Being a model was easy for me, but being an actor was not so easy. I’m enjoying the work and the process. I’m very optimistic about it and hopefully this marriage will also be lucky for me.
Your favourite Valentine’s Day memories?
Our relationship started in around 2021 when we started dating. Most of the Valentine’s Days, we have been working. Only one of the Valentine’s Day we went out to a couple of places in Kerala. Hopefully in future we will be celebrating together when there’s time. But for me it’s not just one day, but how we can celebrate each other everyday and how we can work on helping and improving each other together. Also how we can improve our relationship and spread more love and make each other happy every single day.
What are the current projects you’re working on?
I’m currently playing the lead role in a Tamil television serial called Nee Naan Kaadhal. Because of marriage I took a few days break in Kerala but I’m back in Chennai for the serial. I’ve also shot a couple of movies that are yet to be released. Hoping this year I will sign more such good projects.