Chennai: National Award-winning actor Keerthy Suresh has opened up about the challenges she and her husband, Antony Thattil, faced before getting married after dating for 15 years. In a recent conversation with Curly Tales, the actor revealed that her family initially had reservations about their relationship because of their different religious backgrounds.
Keerthy also shared an amusing memory of how her mother, veteran actor Menaka, discovered the relationship by reading her personal diary during her college days. The actor said she had documented details about her relationship in the diary but stopped writing altogether after her mother found out.
The revelations offer a glimpse into the couple’s long relationship, which began before Keerthy entered the film industry. The two first met through mutual friends in December 2009 and started dating in January 2010. They eventually married in Goa on December 12, 2024, after keeping their relationship largely private for several years.
Keerthy Suresh’s mother discovered relationship through diary
During the interview, Keerthy recalled that she began dating Antony shortly after completing her Class 12 education. At the time, she was still in college and used to write regularly in a personal diary.
According to the actor, the diary contained details about her relationship. Her mother came across it while reading through her personal notes and discovered that Keerthy was dating someone.
Keerthy said her mother defended her decision to read the diary by pointing out that she was her parent. The incident, however, had an unexpected effect on the actor’s writing habit.
“I started dating my husband way back. To be exact, I started dating him right after I completed my 12th grade. When I was in college, my mother read my diary. It had everything (about our relationship). She was like, ‘I’m your mother; I can read your diary,'” she recalled.
The actor said she stopped maintaining a diary after the incident, despite having enjoyed writing. She also expressed a wish to recover the old diary, although she admitted that she did not know where it was.
“I used to love writing, but I don’t even know where the diary is now. I really wish I could get it back. But I have a feeling that my mom burned it,” she added.
The anecdote offered a lighter moment in the interview while revealing how her family first came to know about the relationship.
Family had reservations about interfaith relationship
Keerthy also spoke about the initial difficulties she faced while convincing her family to accept her relationship with Antony. Since he is Christian and she comes from a different religious background, the relationship reportedly faced resistance at home.
The actor said the process of gaining her family’s acceptance took time. She did not describe the disagreement as a brief misunderstanding, but acknowledged that there were problems that she had to address before the relationship could move forward.
“We met in December 2009, and we started dating in January 2010. In 2024, we got married. Since he’s a Christian, there obviously were problems at home that I had to face. It took a while for me to convince [my family],” she said.
Her account highlights the challenges the couple experienced during their long relationship, particularly while navigating differences in religious backgrounds and family expectations.
Keerthy also pointed out that Antony had known her before she became an actor. That aspect of their relationship was particularly meaningful to her, as they had shared a significant part of their lives before her career brought public attention.
“He had seen me before I became an actor. That’s the best part. We kind of grew up together,” she said.
Their relationship therefore began well before Keerthy became a recognised name in Indian cinema. Over the years, the couple maintained a low public profile despite her growing popularity.
Antony was anxious about attention after wedding announcement
Keerthy also spoke about how Antony reacted when news of their wedding became public. According to the actor, he was particularly stressed about the attention that would come with being associated with a well-known film personality.
She said Antony was not accustomed to photographers and public attention. His anxiety became noticeable after the wedding was announced, when he repeatedly asked whether paparazzi were nearby.
“He was very stressed once the wedding was announced. He was always like, ‘Are there paps here?'” Keerthy recalled.
The actor’s comments offered a glimpse into the difference between their professional lives. While Keerthy has spent years working in the entertainment industry and dealing with public appearances, Antony has maintained a relatively private life.
She also revealed that Antony runs his own business, importing window furnishings. His professional work is separate from the film industry, and he has generally stayed away from the public attention associated with his wife’s career.
The contrast between their careers has been one of the aspects Keerthy has discussed while reflecting on their relationship.
Keerthy Suresh and Antony Thattil married in Goa
After dating for 15 years, Keerthy and Antony married on December 12, 2024, in Goa. Their wedding ceremonies brought together Tamil Brahmin and Malayali Christian traditions, reflecting the different cultural and religious backgrounds of the couple.
The celebrations were attended by close friends and family members. The couple had largely kept their relationship away from public attention before announcing their wedding.
In a 2025 conversation with Galatta India, Keerthy spoke about the emotional significance of finally getting married after being together for so many years.
She described the occasion as an emotional moment for both of them, explaining that they had wanted the wedding for a long time.
“Literally it’s a dream… I can’t even say it was a dream because we’ve had nightmares of eloping. So I don’t know if I can even call it a dream. But my heart was full, and it was a very emotional moment for us because we always wanted this,” she said.
Her comments suggested that the wedding carried special meaning because of the time and effort involved in reaching that stage of their relationship. The couple had navigated family concerns, maintained their relationship privately and eventually brought their families together for the celebrations.
The combination of Tamil Brahmin and Malayali Christian customs also reflected the coming together of their respective traditions during the wedding.
Keerthy Suresh’s recent work
On the professional front, Keerthy was most recently seen in the Netflix series Akka, directed by Dharmaraj Shetty. The series also featured actor Radhika Apte.
Keerthy has worked across several Indian film industries and received the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance as actor Savitri in the Telugu biographical film Mahanati.
While her recent interview focused largely on her personal life, her recollections have also attracted attention because she rarely speaks in detail about the early years of her relationship.
Her account of the diary incident, her family’s initial reservations and Antony’s discomfort with public attention provides a more personal look at a relationship that began long before she became a prominent actor.
After 15 years together, the couple married in December 2024, marking the culmination of a relationship that had remained largely private throughout Keerthy’s rise in the film industry.