Prashanth, 32, was the most eligible bachelor in the Tamil film industry. But now, he has crushed many a teenybopper heart by announcing his engagement.

Interestingly, an actor who has been married off by the media to many actresses has finally settled for an arranged marriage.

Proposals came not in tens or hundreds, but in thousands when Prashanth's parents started looking for a 'homely girl' for their only son. There were more than 40,000 proposals from all around the world, Thiagarajan, Prashanth's proud father, told the media.

"We wanted a homely girl who can take care of the family like my wife does," said Thiagarajan, an actor-producer-director who kept his wife and daughter away from tinsel world all these years. Only son Prashanth joined the industry, at age 17.

It was Prashanth's mother who pinned down the girl, who is from Chennai. Grihalakshmi, 26, is the only daughter of Dhanasekharan, an industrialist and exporter. Her uncle is a famous surgeon from Chennai, Dr Rangabhashyam.

Prashanth shot to prominence with Shankar's Jeans in which he was paired opposite Aishwarya Rai [Images]. His next release will be Police, a remake of Khakkee.

The Prashanth-Grihalakshmi wedding will take place in a couple of months.

Text: Shobha Warrier