Who: Singer-actress Pavithera Renuka Michele, 33, who also holds a full-time job as a primary school art teacher, recently tied the knot with her actor husband James Kumar, 40. The couple registered their marriage in November 2022, but held a proper Indian wedding only in August 2023. All their preparations in the run-up to the big day were documented in the Mediacorp reality series Vasanthathil Kalyanam, which is available on mewatch.
James, who is known for playing Arjun in the long-form Channel 5 series Tanglin (2015 to 2018), recently starred in the Malay drama Operandi Gerhana, while Pavithera can be seen in the Indian series Ayya Veedu (2023). All three series can be streamed on mewatch.
The newlyweds are in the midst of renovating their nuptial home – a four-room resale HDB flat in Woodlands.
“I have a full-time job as an art teacher, so on weekdays, I’m usually out of the house for work by the time my husband wakes up. This means weekends are the only times we have for lazy mornings, when we can think about what we want to do.
Prior to the wedding, our weekends were packed with wedding-related errands. We were always meeting vendors or purchasing something for the wedding. Now, the focus has changed to things related to our new home.
We want a lot of natural elements in the flat, so we’re going for wood fixtures and furniture. The aesthetic will be something like a modern, industrial art studio that we’ll spruce up with colours, paintings and pictures. We’d like the space to change its look from time to time, so we’re looking for furniture pieces instead of anything built-in or fixed.
We’re shopping at a variety of places for our furniture, and we are into thrifting. There’s actually a big selection of furniture on Carousell, which I didn’t realise before I started looking for things for the flat.
We also love the second-hand furniture store Hock Siong in MacPherson. We’re always looking through its Instagram page to see what is available. There was a dining table we loved, but by the time we reached out, it had been sold.
I’m very excited about the flat, and I’m hoping to paint something for it. I’ll feel the space out after all the renovations are done – probably in January – to see what feels right, but I’m definitely leaving one or two walls empty as a blank canvas.
Aside from the renovation works, my husband and I value our ‘me time’.
He takes his morning walks while listening to music, while I clean up my space and do my morning workouts, which mostly involve lifting weights. It’s something that absolutely sets me in a positive mood for the day. It’s a luxury to work out in the mornings on weekends, instead of the evenings on weekdays, since my weekdays start early.
I lost my beloved grandmother in 2023. Her passing has made me embrace time with my loved ones more than I used to. So, sometimes I take a break from hustling my weekends away to slow things down and enjoy quality time with my family.
With my husband, we spend our time shopping for groceries and cooking meals together. I am his personal sous chef who helps him prep the ingredients while he makes the dishes.
I used to think I could cook before I met James, but now I’m like: ‘What was I doing?’ Because James is a really good cook who’s great at making anything and everything. I love his pastas and he makes the best aglio olio, to which he usually adds some seafood.
His chicken curry is also extremely delicious. My late grandmother made the best curry I’ve ever had and so far, his is the only one that matches her standard.”
