Actor Lena, married to Gaganyaan astronaut, says she knows ‘nothing about the mission’

Actor Lena with husband Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair

In a surprise announcement earlier this week, Malayalam actor Lena revealed that she is married to Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts of the Gaganyaan mission. In an exclusive interview with News18, she has now opened up about how she met and married Captain Nair, the confidential nature of his job, what she knows about India’s upcoming maiden spaceflight mission and more.

Lena said she and Nair got married in an intimate ceremony that was attended only by immediate family. She could not disclose the news to her fans earlier because of Nair’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission, which requires confidentiality.

“I had to keep a huge secret because of the confidentiality of the programme and his name was not supposed to be disclosed,” she said. “Me being a celebrity, it was a huge pressure to keep this secret. I am glad now that finally it’s out in the open.”

Lena and Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair tied the knot on January 17. “We had a very small wedding, only our parents could attend. Prashant’s brothers and sister, my sister couldn’t attend . It was a sacrifice we had to make due to the confidential nature of Prashant’s job but I am really honoured,” she explained.

How they met

An astronaut and an actor make for an unlikely pairing. Lena explained that they met because of an interview she gave at the end of August last year.

During the interview, she spoke about her spiritual side and her interest in Vedic studies. “Prashant Saw this interview on YouTube and he said ‘yeah I have seen her as an actress but this is someone I vibe with spiritually and intellectually,’” Lena said. “He got Interested. He got his parents to get my number through friends. He got my number. Gradually we spoke and then our parents got talking and then the wedding was arranged,” the actor told News18.

“I have been single for 12 years and never thought I would get married again. One reason is spirituality which I have delved into very deeply. I never thought I would vibe with someone spiritually because that’s a very delicate balance,” she said.

But Lena found her match in Nair, who is also interested in Vedic literature and meditation. “We have such lovely conversations about spirituality and we meditate together,” she said.

“In just a short time of being together, we feel that we are the male and female version of one soul,” Lena said. But despite their bond, there are some things the couple can’t share with each other.

On being an astronaut’s wife

“I know nothing about the Gaganyaan mission actually, because of the confidentiality protocol. He doesn't speak about it at home because of the confidentiality,” Lena confessed.

“I can tell you about my husband Prashant and as a person. I cannot tell you anything about the astronaut Prashant or the fighter pilot because I don’t know much about it and because of the confidentiality, they have very strict protocol,” she added.

But Lena shared some more details of the rigorous training that her husband and other IAF pilots chosen for the mission are undergoing.

“As far as the training goes, I know it is very rigorous training on every level – their physical health , mental health, emotional health. They are being literally being shaped into superhumans. I think they need superhuman resilience, capacity and grit to be able to withstand whatever is required to be of them in outer space,” she said.