One look at their pictures and it’s hard not to recognise that these two actors beautifully complement each other with their presence. But once you strike a conversation with this couple, you will also realise that they complement each other wonderfully enotionally and mentally too. Ahead of Valentine’s Day, we had a candid chat with Kannada actor Prajwal Devaraj and his actress-danseuse wife Ragini Prajwal, who opened up about their journey as a couple, how love has evolved for them over a span of 20 years and more. On the work front, Prajwal has films like Rakshasa, Karavali and Cheetah in his kitty, while Ragini has Shanabhogara Magalu releasing in theatres. Here’s more from the duo…..
- Firstly, how did the two of you meet?
Prajwal: We actually met at a dance class. Ragini has been dancing since the age of four. I was in the 9th grade and she was in the 6th grade when we met. - What was your first impression of each other?
Prajwal: As soon as I saw her, I knew that she was going to be my wife!
Ragini: I didn’t look the way I look now, so I give him credit for falling for me! (laughs). - Who admitted their feelings first?
Prajwal: I did.
Ragini: But he didn’t admit it to me. He admitted it to all our friends.
Prajwal: I told everyone in dance class about it. I didn’t have the courage to tell her. Our courtship went on for four years and then we started dating when I was 18 and she was 15. - Do you have any memorable experiences from your dating days?
Ragini: We’ve been together for 20 years now. The first trip that we did to Mangalore when we were kids is very memorable. We were flirting with each other without even knowing that we were flirting. That’s when we knew that something was there between us.
Prajwal: That’s when she slept on my shoulder in the bus. - How did the marriage proposal happen and when did it happen?
Prajwal: This is a funny story. It was Mother’s Day and we had taken both our families for a champagne brunch.
Ragini and I were at the cooking station and when we got back, our families announced that we would be getting married! So there was no official proposal that happened. - How has your relationship evolved over the years?
Ragini: Despite so many years having passed, our friendship is still intact. We don’t have a list of things that we have to do for each other or any rules that we need to be like this for each other. Things have not changed even after marriage. It still feels like we’re dating. The effort that we both put in into the relationship is the same. - What’s the best thing about marriage?
Ragini: The best thing about marriage is that I get to be with him every day of my life.
Prajwal: It’s good to come back home to somebody who is your safe zone and who you can talk to given our hectic lives. It’s always nice to come back to her. - Describe each other in three words.
Prajwal: My love, life and happiness.
Ragini: Best friend, patient and romantic. - What are your partner’s best traits?
Prajwal: She is like a Duracell bunny. She is always working and she fabulously manages everything – from dance to her fitness studio. She does a hundred things in a day with the same energy and happiness.
Ragini: He’s always been calm through ups and downs. He has the patience to understand the situation rather than play the blame game. - What’s the most annoying thing about your partner?
Prajwal: It’s probably that I’m always calm! (laughs) I don’t think there’s anything annoying about her.
Ragini: You can be frank and say it’s my excessive phone usage!
Prajwal: Ragini is also an influencer, so she has a lot to do on the phone. Sometimes, I feel like taking away her phone.
Ragini: His silence, no matter what the situation is, he’s always calm and silent, which can also be a good trait at times. - What are the fun things that you two do as a couple?
Prajwal: We still dance together.
Ragini: We do a lot together. There are things we do with each other and for each other. For instance, if he likes to play a sport, I do that with him. He likes video games, so when he’s playing, I sit with him. Also, I like watching Big Boss, so he tolerates it for me! We work out together, travel a lot and also go on drives. - What are some of your favourite travel destinations?
Ragini: Himachal is one of our favourite travel destinations. In fact, we just visited it for New Year. We absolutely loved it as we both are nature lovers. In fact, I am the one with the bucket list and Prajwal fulfills it for me. That’s why I call him the romantic one who puts in a lot of effort for each trip that we go on and makes sure that it’s great. After the trip, I realised that we don’t have to go outside India to enjoy a vacation and there are so many places that we can explore in India itself. There are places like Kashmir and there are a lot of places in the North East that we want to explore. - Who is the first to apologise after a fight?
Ragini: We both do. But I’m the loud one and he’s the quiet one. My apologies are loud and his are silent. After a fight, we both take our time to be in silence and then we discuss how to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. - What relationship advice do you have for younger couples?
Prajwal: You have to make an effort every day to impress her. What happens when you start living with each other is that you become relaxed ‘cos you take things for granted. Look good for her, stay hygienic and put in effort every day to keep the spark alive.
Ragini: Post Covid, a lot of us don’t have patience. It’s like an Instagram reel where you want to finish off things in 30 seconds. I see so many people saying ‘it’s not working out with my partner, so I’m going my way’. I think not giving up is also a trait that people should understand. Today, the level of patience or compromise is so little that they’re okay with having a life alone. We need to understand that it’s important to have a partner and know how to value them. If you think that things are going haywire, then you need to sit down with them and say that you want to make this work.