Pawan Kalyan and his wife Anna Lezhneva have announced their separation after 13 years of marriage, ending one of Telugu cinema’s most closely watched unions. The actor and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and his third wife confirmed the decision in a joint statement shared on Monday night, 9 November, saying they had decided to part ways with mutual understanding and respect.
“After sharing a significant part of our lives together, we have decided to part ways with mutual understanding and respect,” the statement read. “Though our marriage has come to an end, we remain good friends and devoted parents to our wonderful children. Their happiness and well-being will always remain our shared priority.” The statement was signed “Pawan Kalyan Konidala & Anna Konidala”, using the family name Anna has taken.
A 13-year marriage that began on a film set
Kalyan and Lezhneva met in 2011 while working on the Telugu film Teen Maar, in which the Russian model and actress appeared. After dating for around two years, they married on 30 September 2013 in Hyderabad in a private ceremony registered under the Special Marriage Act. The couple have two children together, daughter Polena Anjana Pawanova and son Mark Shankar Pawanovich.
The announcement marks the end of Kalyan’s third marriage. He was previously married to Nandini, with that marriage ending in divorce, and later to actor Renu Desai, with whom he has two children, Akira Nandan and Aadhya. Kalyan has spoken openly about his earlier marriages in the past, including on Nandamuri Balakrishna’s chat show Unstoppable with NBK in 2023, where he discussed the pain of divorce.
What happens next — and what is not confirmed
The joint statement gave no reason for the separation, and neither Kalyan nor Lezhneva has publicly discussed what led to the decision. Some reports say a mutual-consent divorce petition has already been filed in a Family Court, with sources close to the family telling the Hindustan Times that legal proceedings are under way, but the couple’s own statement did not mention court proceedings, custody arrangements or any legal timeline, and Kalyan has not personally addressed the reported petition on his social media accounts.
One development that followed the announcement quickly was Lezhneva deactivating her Instagram account, according to reports published on Tuesday morning. Fans across the Telugu film industry reacted with surprise to the news, with many noting that the couple had kept their private life largely out of the public eye. For now, the facts are the statement and the 13 years behind it: a marriage that began on a film set in 2011, produced two children, and has now ended, by the couple’s own account, mutually and respectfully.
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Sources: Bollywood Hungama (10 Nov 2026); Pinkvilla (10 Nov 2026); Telangana Tribune (10 Nov 2026).
