Actor Ravi Mohan's Rs 40 lakh maintenance claim disputed by wife Aarti's mother

The divorce dispute between actor Ravi Mohan and Aarti Ravi has come into focus again after Aarti’s mother and producer Sujatha Vijayakumar responded to discussions around the interim maintenance order issued by the Chennai Family Welfare Court. Speaking to the media, Sujatha rejected claims that Aarti had sought Rs 40 lakh a month as maintenance for herself.Sujatha said the figure was being linked to debts and expenses that, according to her, arose because of Ravi Mohan. She accused the actor of leaving the family in debt and said the amount being discussed covered several financial commitments, including the children’s education and other needs. Hours after her remarks, Ravi Mohan shared a cryptic post on Instagram.According to Sujatha, the family’s financial strain had affected spending on the children, including school fees, food and tuition. She also said the family had received bank notices over unpaid dues. Addressing the press, she said, “Aarti didn’t ask for the Rs 40 lakh as monthly maintenance for herself. We have a lot of debt that was caused by him (Ravi Mohan), because of which the bank even issued a japti (seizure) notice. The children now don’t have money for school fees, food, or tuition.”She added that the children had been enrolled by Ravi Mohan in American schools and said their annual school fee was Rs 86 lakh, which the court had ordered him to pay. She also said the court had directed him to pay Rs 3 lakh a month to Aarti and Rs 1 lakh a month to each child, apart from meeting the children’s extracurricular expenses. Sujatha said Aarti had never stopped Ravi Mohan from meeting the children and had herself moved the court to enable him to see them. “Only after adding all these expenses together does the total amount become what it is. So the claim that Aarti alone asked for Rs 40 lakh is simply false,” she said.Meanwhile, Ravi Mohan posted an Instagram story that read, “Happy Friendship Day, my dearest people. Thank you for standing by me like true friends. It is unfortunate that some people continue to act in ways that amount to contempt of court." He further added, "As for me, I want to make one thing clear: the 4 of us will not ever be in the same room together as long as I am alive. Stay happy always and choose your friends wisely (sic)”. The exchange has once again drawn attention to the dispute, with Sujatha disputing the Rs 40 lakh claim and Ravi Mohan responding with a message of his own.Ravi Mohan and Aarti Ravi's divorce battle has remained in the public eye since the actor announced their separation in September 2024 after 15 years of marriage. Since then, the dispute has expanded to include disagreements over interim maintenance, the children's educational expenses and visitation rights.In its recent interim order, the Chennai Family Welfare Court granted Ravi Mohan visitation rights to meet his sons while directing him to pay interim maintenance, even as the divorce proceedings continue.- EndsPublished By: Sanjay Ponnappa CSPublished On: Aug 3, 2026 19:46 IST