On Monday, actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu put all speculation about her relationship to rest by sharing her wedding photos with filmmaker Raj Nidimoru, one half of the acclaimed director duo Raj & DK, confirming their intimate ceremony at the Ling Bhairavi Temple inside the Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore.

The actor posted a series of images on Instagram in the afternoon, offering the first official glimpse of the wedding that took place earlier that morning. In the photos, Samantha is seen wearing a red Banarasi saree by designer Arpita Mehta, while Raj opted for a kurta pyjama with jacket by Tarun Tahiliani.

Sources tell HT City that the ceremony was “attended by around 30 close friends and family members,” in keeping with the spiritual, low-key setting of the venue. The source also adds that the actor “has been staying at Isha Foundation for three days”.

The announcement comes after a night of intense online buzz, fuelled partly by a cryptic Instagram Story shared by Raj’s ex-wife, Sshyamali De, who wrote, “Desperate people do desperate things.” The timing sent rumours spiralling, especially since the couple had maintained silence.

Speculation about Samantha and Raj’s relationship had been building through 2024, strengthened by their work together on projects under the Raj & DK banner and the actor’s increasingly candid social-media posts with him. Neither had publicly acknowledged the relationship until Monday’s announcement.

This marks Samantha’s second marriage; she previously wed actor Naga Chaitanya in 2017 before their separation in 2021. Raj reportedly finalised his divorce in 2022. HTC

Abhilasha Bhandari of Abhilasha Pret Jewellery decodes: “Samantha wore a beautiful diamond ring featuring the rare and exquisite portrait cut — a very thin, flat diamond with a large top surface and almost no depth. This historic cut was originally used in Mughal-era jewellery to cover miniature paintings and royal portraits, which is how it earned the name portrait cut.” Interestingly, she has been wearing the ring since February!