Pawan Kalyan and wife Anna Konidala announce separation after 13 years

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan and his wife, Anna Konidala, have announced that they are separating after 13 years of marriage.

The couple shared a joint statement late on Monday night on Kalyan's Instagram page. They said they had taken the decision with "mutual understanding and respect".

What did they say?

"Though our marriage has come to an end, we remain good friends and devoted parents to our wonderful children," the statement read. It added that the children's happiness and well-being will always remain their shared priority.

The couple also asked people for "understanding, kindness, and respect for our privacy" during what they called a personal transition. They thanked everyone who stood by them through the years.

Who are they?

Anna, who was born in Russia, married Kalyan in September 2013 in a private ceremony in Hyderabad. It was his third marriage. They have two children, a daughter named Polena Anjana Pawanova and a son named Mark Shankar Pawanovich.

Kalyan was first married to Nandini in 1997, and they separated in 1999. He then married actor Renu Desai in 2009. They have a daughter and a son, and that marriage ended in divorce in 2012.

The wider picture

Kalyan is the younger brother of actors Chiranjeevi and Nagendra Babu. He made his acting debut in 1996 with Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi.

He entered politics in 2008 with the youth wing of the Praja Rajyam Party, which his brother Chiranjeevi had founded. In March 2014 he started his own party, the Jana Sena Party.

In 2019 the party won just one seat, and Kalyan lost both constituencies he contested. In 2024 he helped bring the Jana Sena Party, the TDP and the BJP together in an alliance. It won by a landslide, and Jana Sena won every seat it contested. Kalyan was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister in June 2024.

What's next?

The statement did not give any further details about the separation, and the couple has asked for privacy. For now, the message is simple: the marriage is over, but the two say their focus remains on their children.