A red-carpet ritual becomes a flashpoint
At almost every big event, the cameras wait for it—the brief kiss that has become the couple’s signature. For Shriya Saran and her Russian entrepreneur husband Andrei Koscheev, that small moment has turned into a bigger debate about public affection, privacy, and celebrity culture in India. The pair, who married in India in 2018, often share a quick kiss in front of the paparazzi. What began as a personal gesture has now drawn both applause and trolling, and lately, a swirl of divorce rumors.
The latest spark came at a special screening of Drishyam 2. Shriya, in a red saree, and Andrei, in a sky blue suit, paused for photos. They kissed. Within hours, social feeds lit up. Comments ranged from light teasing to outright moral policing: "They kiss every time in front of the camera, kiss at home," and "Why do they have to kiss in public every time?" It wasn’t the first time they’d heard it. It won’t be the last.
Shriya’s response has stayed steady. She says it’s the trolls’ job to drop negativity—and her job to not pick it up. Andrei, she explains, sees kissing during her special moments as normal and beautiful. To him, there’s nothing scandalous about it. The actress says he genuinely doesn’t understand why anyone would be upset by a simple show of affection.
The backstory is simpler than the noise suggests. Shriya says the “tradition” started at a premiere where she felt unwell and jittery. Andrei drove in from Thane to support her. He kissed her to calm her nerves. People around them—photographers included—found the moment sweet and asked for one more. That nudge from the crowd turned a private comfort into a public ritual. Since then, when they walk a carpet together, they often repeat it.
She adds a boundary: love in public is fine as long as it doesn’t make others uncomfortable. If a small gesture adds joy to someone’s day, why not? The 41-year-old star says she doesn’t doomscroll, doesn’t reply, and won’t let online snark set the rules for her marriage.
Still, the backlash keeps looping back, and recently it’s been bundled with speculation about their relationship. Some reports claim the marriage is under strain. The chatter points to the most sensitive corner of their life—family dynamics. The rumor mill says the pressure may be linked to Andrei’s daughter from a previous marriage in Russia. There’s also been chatter that he skipped a few appearances where the couple is usually seen together, which only fed the whispers.
Here’s what’s clear: none of this has been confirmed by either of them. No statement. No admission. No denial either. Just silence and the same line from Shriya—she won’t let social media dictate how she lives or loves. That hasn’t stopped the speculation, but it does set a tone. Until the couple says otherwise, the rest is noise.
Rumors, reality, and the culture clash around PDA
Why does a kiss on a red carpet stir this much heat? Part of it is the gap between cultures. Andrei is Russian, and public affection there doesn’t carry the same charge it often does in India. Here, even in 2025, a quick peck from popular actors can be framed as a provocation. The memory of past flashpoints still shapes reactions. Think back to 2007, when Richard Gere kissed Shilpa Shetty on stage at a public event in Delhi—protests, police complaints, and national debate followed. The gap between private norms and public expectations remains wide.
Then there’s the business of celebrity. Red carpets aren’t just walkways; they’re content factories. Paparazzi thrive on mini-moments—handholds, hugs, blown kisses, anything that pops in a thumbnail. Shriya’s own story confirms this: the first time she and Andrei kissed at an event, photographers asked for an encore. That’s the cycle now. One moment becomes a ritual. The ritual becomes a hook. The hook becomes a headline. And every headline brings with it love from fans and judgment from trolls.
Shriya’s stance—calm, consistent, and unapologetic—pushes against that storm a little. She’s not trying to start a movement. But she is drawing a line for herself: ordinary affection shouldn’t be treated as a scandal. She believes the gesture doesn’t harm anyone and sometimes even lifts the mood. She keeps it simple—do what feels right, ignore the rest.
The divorce rumors test that line. The chatter is fueled by three things: the visible pattern of PDA, the occasional absence of Andrei at events, and the mention—by unnamed sources—of tension tied to his daughter from a previous marriage. None of that proves anything on its own. In the celebrity rumor economy, unverified details often combine into a neat-sounding story. It spreads fast because it fits a familiar arc: public affection, backlash, then breakup talk. But the middle steps rarely match real life.
What do we know for sure? The couple married in India in 2018. They’ve made a habit of kissing at public events. The Drishyam 2 screening triggered another wave of comments. Shriya has said she ignores trolls and sees the kiss as normal. And there are unverified reports about strain related to family dynamics from Andrei’s past, alongside observations that he wasn’t present at some events with her. That’s the confirmed-and-context pile. Everything else is speculation.
There’s also a practical lens here. For actors, public image is part of the job. The same moment that can bring criticism can also humanize a star and build a loyal following. The kiss gives each red carpet a narrative. It says: we’re here together, we’re not hiding, we’re not stage-managing everything. Being real, though, has its cost. It makes you an easy target for those who want to moralize the personal lives of public figures.
Zoom out and the controversy looks like a mirror for a bigger shift. Younger audiences consume celebrity content in seconds. They’re used to warmth on camera, and many don’t blink at a peck. At the same time, a vocal group still polices how love should look in public. That clash shows up every time a couple hugs on a carpet, laughs too loudly in an interview, or posts a goofy video at home. Shriya and Andrei simply happen to be the couple in focus right now.
Shriya’s own comments point to a healthier coping strategy than most. She doesn’t engage in online sparring, doesn’t post replies to critics, and doesn’t frame her PDA as a grand statement. She explains the origin, stays consistent, and moves on. That steady tone has helped her ride out earlier waves of trolling. It may help again if the rumor cycle keeps spinning.
If you chart the story, the beats are straightforward:
- 2018: Marriage in India, with Andrei bringing a different cultural comfort with public affection.
- Early event premieres: A nervous night, a comforting kiss, and a crowd that asked for a repeat.
- Multiple red carpets: The kiss becomes a familiar moment; cameras and headlines follow.
- Drishyam 2 screening: Another kiss, another social media flare-up, more trolling.
- Now: Unverified divorce rumors, with reports hinting at strain related to Andrei’s daughter from a prior marriage, and talk of him missing certain appearances.
In the end, the only people who can define the state of a marriage are the two inside it. Until they speak, what’s public is just what you see: a couple that sometimes kisses on the carpet, an actress who refuses to be shamed for it, and an internet that reacts in familiar patterns. The rest is guesswork, and Shriya is choosing not to play that game.
As for the PDA itself, it’s worth remembering how it started: not as a stunt, not as a strategy, but as comfort on a rough night. That origin makes the whole conversation feel different. Strip away the noise, and you’re left with a very simple picture—two people, a crowded premiere, and one small moment that made the evening easier. Everything after that has been about how the world chose to see it.
For now, that’s where the story sits: a ritual kiss under bright lights, a split screen of cheers and jeers, and a rumor mill waiting for a clear answer that may never come. If the couple keeps doing what they’ve always done—show up, share a moment, and ignore the pile-on—the heat will likely cycle through again. And just as likely, they’ll let it pass.
Write a comment