Leading Tamil actor Arun Vijay's new film Mission: Chapter 1 – Achcham Enbadhu Illaiye is out in theatres now and has been getting a strong feedback from audiences and critics. In light of Mission: Chapter 1's release, Galatta Media organized a fans festival for the popular star recently, which also saw his wife Aarathi grace the special occasion where the couple recalled the incidents at their first meeting before their marriage. Declaring that she's Arun Vijay's biggest fan, Aarathi said, "After our families fixed the date for us to meet for the first time, I didn't eat or sleep for two days. I was extremely fluttering because he's a star and a hero, and I'm just an ordinary next-door girl. Our marriage then happened in quick succession, and here we are 17 years later."
Arun Vijay chimed in about Aarathi saying, "My family showed me her photo and they were trying to convince me a lot. I then told them that I'll meet her alone first at some bookstore and I didn't want their family there. But, nearly 15 people in my family showed up and were giving me a feeling like I've given my confirmation for the marriage. I hadn't spoken to her and I don't know what it is at that point. I didn't think it would be right to say no after seeing her with my family. So, I was watching her from a distance and thought that we'll have a chat first. I got tensed up when the moment arrived since this is real life even though I was a part of such scenarios in cinema."
Arun Vijay continued, "When I reached the place, I saw her father and he greeted me with a bouquet addressing me as his son-in-law leaving me speechless at that moment. My mother was walking in the front and I was talking to her father. I then glanced over to the other side and saw her standing at a distance. When I entered the room, there were around 20 people from her family sitting around a big roundtable. Although it was a bit awkward for me, they were all having a good time. I saw her and she smiled back. I gave my elder sister a signal about talking her alone and she immediately informed our families about it."
Speaking about his first interaction with Aarathi, Arun Vijay stated, "My father-in-law told us that we could take the table next to them and I decided to break the ice between us by asking her the size of her heels since I couldn't see how tall she was because she was dressed in a saree. This is something that should never be asked, but I did since I was quite anxious. She responded by showing her feet and told me to look at them myself. I understood in her reply that she's a bold and interesting person. And, then we started talking and I was thinking about continuing the conversation after going back home. That's when she gave me a look and I understood that she wanted me to give a reply about what I thought about her. And, as I was leaving with my family, I addressed her father as my father-in-law, and that's how I gave my nod to our marriage. I got her number and memorized it even though I'm weak with numbers. The day we met was in fact her father's birthday and I used that as a reason to speak to her by wishing him. So, I called him a few minutes before midnight to wish him happy birthday and she then took the phone left. And, we then spoke and here we are today."
Watch Arun Vijay and Aarathi recall their first meeting in the video below:
