Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; January 3, 2018)

The year that went by witnessed several celebrity break-ups. One marriage that fell apart was that of television actors Juhi Parmar and Sachin Shroff, who tied the knot in 2009. After living separately for about a year, the estranged couple filed for divorce on December 20.

Talking exclusively to BT, Juhi says, “We have sought divorce by mutual consent and our daughter Samairra’s custody is going to be with me. I was very clear right from the start that I will be her sole custodian. Our marriage didn’t work from the beginning. Incompatibility drew us apart; we could never be on the same page. Our backgrounds, mindsets, outlook and expectations from life were completely different. We tried our best, but our differences were irrevocable.”

She adds, “I have not asked for any alimony because I am capable of taking care of myself. I just told Sachin to contribute towards child support so that we can secure Samairra’s future; as parents, it’s our collective responsibility."

Juhi says that she didn’t want her five-year-old daughter Samairra to get affected by her parents’ troubled marriage. “We decided that it was best to part ways, because a harmonious atmosphere is a must for a child. She is too young to understand what’s happening in our lives. However, Sachin’s absence isn’t a new thing for Samairra as we have been separated many times. There have been times when Sachin has not been home and she is used to not seeing him around. However, she does ask about him at times,” she says.

The actress is upset about the rumours doing the rounds that the marriage reached its nadir because of her foul temper. She says, “I do not have a foul temper. I’m just a transparent person who calls a spade a spade and I’m proud of being an honest and fearless person in today’s times. People are writing loosely, assuming that it’s the reason for our divorce. It is my request to all of them to stop judging. What happens between two people, only they will know. A marriage — successful or failed — involves two people and not one. It is easy to blame it on one person based on hearsay and jump to conclusions. I don’t want people to write baseless rumours because when my daughter grows up and reads these stories, she will be hurt. I also read somewhere that the reason for this marriage falling through is distance, as I started living in Umergaon for the shoot of my show. Isn’t that a trivial reason for a marriage to end? We started living separately even before I shifted to Umergaon. I stepped out of my house to work because I have to run my home and take care of my daughter.”

It was work that kept Juhi going during the trying times. The actress, who is currently seen on Karmphal Data Shani, says, “The show has given me the strength to cope with this phase. It kept me busy and gave me a break from the atmosphere at home. My career is my focus today; I am working for my daughter and not for name or fame. I am trying to strike a balance between working and spending quality time with her. My parents have been a great support. They moved to Mumbai from Jaipur for me.”

With one failed marriage, is she averse to love and tying the knot again? “I am a hopeless romantic and I trust people very easily, which has never worked in my favour. I am hopeful that only good things will come my way from now on, and that includes love, too. When you get married, you never expect it to fall apart. I have grown up seeing the beautiful relationship my parents share and I have always believed that marriages happen only once. But all my beliefs shattered during the course of my own marriage. My experience has taught me a lot. Now, I don’t have any expectations; I take each day as it comes,” she signs off.

Despite repeated attempts, Sachin remained unavailable for comment.