Tying a New Knot

After a divorce from film star Kavya Madhavan, two years ago, Nishal Chandra has married Remya Nath, a Civil Services aspirant

By Shevlin Sebastian  

On May 29, 2011, Nishal Chandra had reached the lowest point of his life. He had been granted a divorce from Kavya Madhavan, one of Mollywood’s top actresses, from a court in Kochi, following a brief marriage. For months, Nishal had endured a trial by media.

There were reports which suggested that Nishal and his family had ill-treated Kavya. On the other hand, there were allegations that Kavya had remained in touch with an actor with whom she has been reportedly close for many years.

So, it was with relief that Nishal went back to Kuwait. And the last two years have been quiet for him. “I concentrated on my job as a Technical Advisor for a bank in Kuwait,” he says.

In January, this year, his life began to change once again. A relative brought a proposal. The horoscopes were checked and it matched. So, Nishal met Remya Nath, a post-graduate in microbiology, at her home in Mavelikara. “What attracted me the most was Remya’s simplicity,” he says. “And we had a heart-to-heart discussion about what we both wanted from the marriage.” At that time, Remya had just sat for the civil service examinations.

Meanwhile, Nishal has learnt a couple of lessons from his previous marriage.  

“There is a strong co-relation between one’s upbringing and how successful a marriage can be,” he says. “Also, a marriage cannot work based on one’s person’s wishes. It is an adjustment between two people who are coming from different backgrounds. What makes it successful is the desire and the will to work it out by the husband as well as the wife.”

In this second marriage, Nishal will have to do a lot of adjustments. For one, just recently, Remya cleared the initial round for the Civil Services examinations, and she aspires to make it to the Indian Administrative Service. If that happens, she will be spending long periods in India. “The easy way out for me would be to say she should give up her dreams once she gets married,” says Nishal. “But that would be unfair to Remya because she has put in a lot of hard work, sacrifice and dedication to get through. And I respect that.”

Nishal has a solution: he plans to come to India often so that he could be with Remya.

The marriage took place on May 13 on the lawns of Remya’s family’s sprawling 23-acre farmhouse in Mavelikara. Remya's father, Surendra Nath, is a businessman. There were more than 5000 people present.

Later, the couple will embark on a honeymoon. “Most probably, we will be going to Barcelona and Madrid on a 12-day trip,” says Nishal, with a laugh. “Spain is a romantic place and I am sure we will have a good time.” 

(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)