Kanishka Soni created buzz when she announced to the world that she married herself. Sologamy was the chosen way for her, after she claims, her life experiences left her scarred to get into a relationship with any man.

The Diya Aur Baati Hum actor, born and brought up in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), says she belongs to a conservative family. “My mother taught me that good girls don’t use abusive language, don’t drink... In the Indian society, rules are different for boys and girls. She also said that once a girl gets married to a guy, she has to make it work anyhow,” she shares.

And Soni did find such a guy, who was also an actor, but now in jail, she adds. Refusing to name him as “he will get free publicity because of this”, she says they were dating from May 2010 till November 2011. “While he never abused me sexually, he subjected me to physical and mental abuse. He threatened that if I ever left him, he would harm me and my family. He also took away my passport. I could only get it back after I tricked him into giving it,” the actor recalls.

It took her five years to get out of that “mess”, and in the meanwhile, she was propositioned by many directors and producers, she alleges. “Once I met this legendary actor, and said my mother was a huge fan of him. He replied, ‘Tumhari maa ke saath main kya karunga?’,” reveals a shocked Soni.

Another guy she met cheated on her and emotionally blackmailed her into ending the relationship. “One of his girlfriends called me after we broke it off, and said that after ending things with me, he hung up and laughed. I was completely broken once again, and decided that enough is enough. I didn’t need any man to complete me, and started wearing sindoor on my head and a mangalsutra, making it clear that I am not interested anymore in men,” she asserts.

Ever since the announcement, she has been getting hate comments online. “They (people who are criticising her decision) are mean to me because I said I don’t need a man for sexual satisfaction. But it’s my life, so my decision,” says the actor, who has moved to the US to try her luck in Hollywood.