Ram Gopal Varma, Urmila had a secret temple wedding? Journalist reveals why they reportedly split

Did Ram Gopal Varma and Urmila Matondkar secretly marry before their rumoured relationship came to an end? A decades-old claim has resurfaced after veteran Bollywood journalist Jyoti Venkatesh alleged that actor Chiranjeevi once told him the filmmaker and actor had tied the knot in a temple in Andhra Pradesh. Venkatesh also shared what he claimed was the reason the pair eventually went their separate ways.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan on YouTube, Venkatesh recalled meeting Chiranjeevi on the sets of Gentleman. According to the journalist, the actor asked him why he had never reported on Ram Gopal Varma's alleged marriage to Urmila despite regularly covering developments from the film industry.

Surprised by the claim, Venkatesh said he asked Chiranjeevi how he could be certain. The journalist alleged that Chiranjeevi responded by saying the ceremony had taken place at a temple in Andhra Pradesh and even shared the phone number of the priest who had allegedly officiated the wedding.

Instead of publishing the story immediately, Venkatesh claimed he decided to verify the information with Urmila herself. According to him, the actor broke down during the conversation.

"How can you write about me like that? You have known me since I entered the industry," Venkatesh recalled her as saying.

The journalist added that he also reached out to Ram Gopal Varma for his response, but the filmmaker declined to comment on the allegation.

Why did Ram Gopal Varma and Urmila reportedly part ways?

While recounting the episode, Venkatesh also shared what he claimed led to the end of the rumoured relationship.

According to the veteran journalist, Urmila wanted the relationship to be formalised through a legal marriage, while Varma was unwilling to take that step. He claimed the difference in their expectations eventually led to their separation.

Neither Ram Gopal Varma nor Urmila Matondkar has publicly confirmed Venkatesh's claims.

Their on-screen chemistry fuelled years of speculation

Ram Gopal Varma and Urmila Matondkar worked together on several successful films from the 1990s into the early 2000s, including Rangeela, Daud, Satya and Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. Their repeated collaborations sparked years of speculation that their relationship had extended beyond work.

At the time, several media reports also suggested the rumoured relationship had strained Varma's equation with his then-wife, Ratna Varma. However, neither Varma nor Urmila publicly acknowledged being in a relationship.