'Ponniyin Selvan' star Jayam Ravi announces separation from wife Aarti after 15 years of marriage 

Jayam Ravi with Aarti and two sons Pic/Instagram

"Ponniyin Selvan" star Jayam Ravi on Monday announced that he is proceeding with the dissolution of his marriage with Aarti, his wife of 15 years, due to "personal reasons".

Ravi, a prominent face in Tamil cinema, shot to pan-India fame with Mani Ratnam's two-part period saga "Ponniyin Selvan". He essayed the role of the titular character, Prince Arulmozhi Varman, who would later go on to become the Chola emperor, Rajaraja I.

Aarti, who is the daughter of noted television producer Sujatha Vijayakumar, and Ravi got married in 2009 and have two sons.

In a post on X, the 43-year-old actor said the decision was not taken in haste.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must share a deeply personal update with all of you. After much thought, reflections and discussions, I have taken the difficult decision to proceed with the dissolution of my marriage with Aarti. This decision was not made out of haste and it stems from personal reasons that I believe are in the best interests of everyone involved," the actor said in a post.

Ravi said he decided to share the news with his fans as he has always strived to be "as transparent and honest" with fans and media as much as possible. The actor requested privacy, urging them to not participate in rumours and allegations.

"...I hereby kindly request all of you to respect our privacy as well as that of our family members during this difficult time and appeal to all of you to refrain from making any assumptions, rumors, or allegations in this regard and let the matter remain private (sic)," he posted.

The actor, son of veteran film editor A Mohan, is known for films such as "Jayam", "Daas", "Mazhai", "Bommarillu", "Peranmai", "Romeo Juliet", "Bhoomi" and "Siren".