Days after the court rejected Aarti Ravi's plea seeking Rs 40 lakh as interim monthly maintenance and instead directed actor Ravi Mohan to pay Rs 3 lakh per month, Aarti's mother has responded to the controversy, saying the widely discussed Rs 40 lakh figure has been taken out of context.

The development comes months after Ravi Mohan announced that he would take a break from acting until his divorce proceedings with Aarti Ravi were concluded. During a press meet in May, the actor had alleged that he was being prevented from meeting his children, said he had spent over Rs 50 lakh on their education, and claimed he had left his marital home with nothing. He had also appealed for privacy amid the ongoing legal battle.

Addressing the media on Saturday, Aarti's mother said the court order has been misrepresented in public discourse. "People are saying Aarti asked for Rs 40 lakh and the court gave only Rs 3 lakh. That's simply not true. The Rs 40 lakh was never a personal maintenance demand. It included the children's school fees, tuition and extracurricular expenses. The media has highlighted just one figure without explaining what it actually covered."

She added that the court had directed Ravi Mohan to bear the children's educational expenses, including their annual school fees, apart from the monthly maintenance awarded to Aarti and the children.

Responding to Ravi Mohan's earlier claim that he had not been allowed to meet his sons, she denied the allegation and said the family had actively sought visitation through legal channels. "We have never said that he shouldn't see the children. In fact, Aarti herself filed a visitation petition last year because she wanted the children to have a relationship with their father."

According to her, the recent court order directs Ravi Mohan, Aarti and their two sons to meet regularly every month. "The biggest relief for us is that the court has ordered regular meetings. For the last two years, we wanted the children to meet their father and resolve these issues. Now, the court has made that possible."

She further claimed that the children were reluctant to attend earlier meetings because they were expected to take place in the presence of a healer. "The children were uncomfortable because the meetings were to happen in the presence of a healer. That is why they were hesitant—not because we stopped them."

Expressing hope that the situation would improve, she added: "No mother wants to separate children from their father. Starting this month, I hope the family can finally begin to heal." The divorce proceedings between Ravi Mohan and Aarti Ravi remain pending before the court.