The saga involving Tamil actor, TV personality and chef Madhampatty Rangaraj, and celebrity stylist Joy Crizildaa seems to have come to an end. On Friday, the stylist penned an emotional note on social media after the Cooku With Comali judge accepted her son as his own. The controversy came to a head after a legal battle that began when Joy was pregnant with their son, Ragha. Explaining the controversy.
July 2025: The secret wedding and pregnancy reveal
Joy took to her Instagram in July 2025 to announce that she’s married to Rangaraj. Within hours, she also announced that she was pregnant with their first child and that they had married a ‘few years ago’. Given that the Mehandi Circus actor had been married to Shruthi, a legal professional, for twelve years by then, and they had two children, many were shocked by the news that Joy was 6 months pregnant. In December 2024, Shruthi denied divorce rumours by posting a family picture.
October 2025: Rangaraj appears before Women’s Commission
Things soured in two months, so much so that Joy accused Rangaraj of marrying her and getting her pregnant when he was still married to Shruthi. The Women’s Commission asked the actor to appear in person, and Shruthi accompanied him. A heavily pregnant Joy also attended. She had also sent a legal notice to Rangaraj by then, beginning legal proceedings over their relationship and unborn child. She also claimed that Shruthi was aware of their marriage.
November 2025: Rangaraj claims marriage to joy was forceful
Joy alleged to the Women’s Commission that Rangaraj had forced her to have multiple abortions. After this, a letter of recommendation was sent to the Chennai Police Commissioner and the Crimes Against Women and Children Division to take legal action against him. “The marriage took place under duress, as Joy Crizildaa threatened to release private photos and videos to defame me. Also, that marriage was forced to extort money from me,” he wrote in a statement.
November 2025: It is revealed Joy was married during wedding to Rangaraj
The Madras High Court questioned the legality of Joy and Rangaraj’s marriage. The stylist had claimed to have married the actor in December 2023, but the court found out that she was divorced from her first husband, filmmaker JJ Fredrick, only in July 2024. The court, in another case, refused to restrain Joy from using the unregistered trademark ‘Madhampatty Pakashala’ as a hashtag, in connection with his company, Madhampatty Thangavelu Hospitality Private Limited, during the dispute.
January 2026: Court agrees to Rangaraj’s DNA test request
Joy agreed to remove her posts about Rangaraj’s catering business, though the court turned down his petition to restrain her from making statements about their relationship. Joy’s counsel told the court that Rangaraj had deceived her by falsely claiming to have divorced his wife. The actor-chef’s counsel urged that a DNA test be conducted for Joy’s son, and if proven that he was the father, he would take responsibility for the child.
March 2026: DNA test reveals Rangaraj is the father
Genetic testing conducted at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital under an Advocate Commissioner confirmed that Rangaraj is the biological father of Joy’s son, Ragha. This strengthened the stylist’s case, at least regarding their child and the monthly allowances.
July 2026: Rangaraj accepts son Ragha as his own for the first time, Joy emotional
Rangaraj posts pictures with his son and publicly accepts Ragha as his own for the first time. He claims to have been fulfilling his ‘duties as a father’ towards the baby for the last six months. In an emotional note, Joy writes: “Every smile I gave the world hid a thousand tears…my son has finally received what every child deserves his rightful identity and public acknowledgment.”