In a chat with BT, Aaliya opens up on why she finally decided to end their marriage of 10 years
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; May 19, 2020)

On Monday, Aaliya Siddiqui’s lawyer Abhay Sahai informed BT that a legal notice has been sent to actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui on behalf of his wife, who is seeking divorce and maintenance.

Aaliya, a budding film producer, told BT, “There are a lot of things that I don’t want to bring in the public domain as of now, but our problems started soon after we got married over a decade ago. Two months of lockdown gave me a lot of time to introspect. Self-respect is extremely important in a marriage. Woh meri khatam ho chuki thi, I didn’t have that. I was made to feel like a nobody, I always felt alone. His brother Shamas was also an issue. I have gone back to my original name, Anjana Kishor Pandey. I don’t want to be reminded that I am using someone’s identity for my benefit.”

She added, “I want to go with the flow. I haven’t thought much about the future, but I don’t want this marriage anymore. There are no chances of reconciliation.” Aaliya hopes to get the sole custody of her two children. She said, “I have raised them and I want their custody.”

Aaliya’s lawyer Abhay told BT, “We sent the legal notice to Nawazuddin on May 7, 2020, via email and WhatsApp, as we couldn’t send it through post due to the Coronavirus lockdown. Our client, Mrs Siddiqui, has also sent him the notice, but he hasn’t responded till date. The notice claims maintenance and divorce. I would not like to get into the contents of the notice, as the allegations are serious and sensitive to the Siddiqui family.”

We also reached out to Nawazuddin, who didn’t wish to comment at this time.