“God has given us a sigh of relief,” exclaims actor Zarina Wahab, about her son, actor Sooraj Pancholi’s acquittal in the Jiah Khan suicide case of 2013.

“Kehte hain na, bhagwaan ke ghar der hai, andher nahin. This is an excellent illustration of it,” she says, adding, “Sooraj can think peacefully now and will soon start afresh. He will definitely do something better in life and in his career.”

The last 10 years, she admits, have been exhausting, with her son going in and out of court for trial and hearings. But, the actor says she had no expectations from anyone during this time period.

“We never begged for assistance. Na kuch maanga humne, na kisi ke aage haath phailaaye. Sirf upar waale se dua maangte the aur upar wale ne humari sunn li. He took his own time, par insaaf toh mila,” she shares.

Wahab is quick to add that a lot has happened in the past decade. Not only did Sooraj face a setback in his career, the family lived in anxiety. “Bahut saari cheezein hui in 10 saalon mein, jo hona nahin [chahiye] tha. But, what can we do now... We can’t change what has happened. Das saal nikal gaye, par lagta hai ki jaise sab kal ki baat hai,” she recalls.

While the verdict has come as a relief for her family, Jiah’s mother, Rabiya Khan, has said she will continue to fight and seek justice for her late daughter. Ask Wahab her take on Rabya’s statement and she says, “If she wants to continue fighting, let her do it. She also knows what the truth is. Maloom hone ke baad bhi woh aisa kar rahi hai toh it’s her personal lookout. I don’t have anything to add to that.”