‘Airlift’, ‘Sneham’ actor Lena reveals she is married to Gaganyaan astronaut, says…

Malayalam actor Lena, known for her roles in films like Airlift and Sneham, on Tuesday announced that she is married to Indian Air Force Fighter Pilot Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair. Her announcement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi named the four astronauts undergoing training for Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday bestowed the astronaut wings upon four Indian astronauts who will be going for the Gaganyaan mission. The selected astronauts are Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajith Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

While sharing a photograph of her and Nair posing with the ISRO chairman Dr S Somanath, Lena said Group Captain Nair being awarded the astronaut wings is “a historic moment of pride for our country, our state of Kerala and me personally.”

“Today, 27th February, 2024, our Prime Minister Modi ji awarded the first Indian Astronaut Wings to Indian Air Force Fighter Pilot, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishan Nair. It is a historic moment of pride for our country, our state of Kerala and me personally,”  she said on Instagram.

She said she was waiting for this announcement to tell the world that she married Nair through an arranged marriage on January 17.  She also noted that she could not reveal the same to maintain confidentiality.

“In order to maintain the officially required confidentiality, I was waiting for this announcement to let you know that I got married to Prasanth on 17 January, 2024 in a traditional ceremony through an arranged marriage,” she said.

Born on August 26, 1976, Group Captain Nair was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on December 19, 1998. Since then, he has around 3,000 hours of flying experience across Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, and MiG-29 among others. He has also commanded a premier Su-30 Squadron due to his expertise as a Category A Flying Instructor and Test Pilot.

Lena, on the other hand, is working predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil film industries. She has worked in more than 100 movies in Malayalam cinema along with films in English, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. She has also featured in award-winning television shows in Malayalam. Some of Lena’s films are Airlift (2016), Sneham (1998), Koottu (2004), Big B (2007), De Ingottu Nokkiye (2008), God’s Own Country (2014), and Black Coffee (2021).