Fresh claims about a reported secret marriage between filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and actor Urmila Matondkar have revived speculation about their much-discussed relationship in the 1990s.
According to NDTV, veteran Bollywood journalist Jyoti Venkatesh made the claim during a conversation with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel. Venkatesh said actor Chiranjeevi once told him about an alleged marriage between Varma and Urmila while they were working on Gentleman.
Venkatesh recalled Chiranjeevi asking why he had never written about Varma’s alleged marriage to Urmila. When the journalist asked for proof, Chiranjeevi allegedly told him that the couple had married at a temple in Andhra Pradesh and even provided the priest’s phone number.
Before publishing the claim, Venkatesh said he contacted Urmila for confirmation. According to him, the actor began crying and questioned how he could write such a story about her. Venkatesh also said he approached Varma for a comment, but the filmmaker declined to respond.
Venkatesh further claimed that Urmila wanted a legal marriage, while Varma was not ready to take that step, eventually leading to their separation.
The pair worked extensively together from the 1990s to the early 2000s, collaborating on Rangeela, Daud, Satya and Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. Their professional association also fuelled relationship rumours, with reports at the time claiming their equation had strained Varma’s marriage to Ratna Varma.
Varma later wrote about his fascination with Urmila in his autobiography, Guns & Thighs: The Story of My Life. He dedicated a chapter titled “Women in My Life” to her and said her beauty mesmerised him. He also linked that fascination to his decision to cast her as the lead in Rangeela.
