Life seemed to have taken a fairy tale like turn for Bobby Darling, now known as Pakhi Sharma, when she tied the knot with Bhopal-based businessman Ramnik Sharma in 2016. The actress underwent a sex-change surgery in November 2015 in Bangkok and settled down with her Mr Right in February the following year. To the world, it looked like Bobby had finally found her happily ever after. But as they say, appearances are often deceptive. If Bobby is to be believed, the one year that she spent with her husband and his family has been nothing short of a nightmare.

After fleeing from her marital home in Bhopal to the safety of her maayka in Delhi, Bobby has now filed an FIR with the Delhi Police against her husband, accusing him of domestic violence and unnatural sex. She has also pressed charges of dowry harassment against Ramnik, his mother and brother.

Bobby revealed her traumatic experience to BT, exclusively. “Ramnik would beat me up after getting drunk and accuse me of having extramarital affairs with every second man. He also usurped my property and money. He made me give him co-ownership of my flat in Mumbai, and did the same when we bought our penthouse in Bhopal. He also bought a SUV using my money immediately after the marriage. Now, I am left with nothing. He had paid the building's security guards to keep an eye on me, and they would inform him of all my moves. He kept a tab on who I spoke with and where I went. Tired of the constant bickering, I suggested that we get divorced with mutual consent, but on the condition that I would get my property and the car back. However, he didn't agree to it. He would, in fact, beat me to because will in his name. I want my property back so that I can sell it off and move back to Mumbai,“ she says.

Bobby adds, “I have faced a lot of domestic violence. I still can't move my left hand freely and limp while walking. My speech is also slurred. I would cry like a child and pee in my clothes while pleading with him to stop hitting me.“

Ask her why she always presented a rosy picture of her marriage to the media and she replies, “All my calls were answered on the loudspeaker and he would always be around. So, I had no option of speaking the truth.“

Unable to face the torture anymore, Bobby finally fled from Bhopal. “Ramnik had gone out to get his phone repaired and I seized the opportunity. I booked a cab and told the cabbie to give the wrong address to the building's security guards. Had they realised the cab had come to fetch me, they would have informed Ramnik. I packed my belongings and important documents in two suitcases and fled to the airport. Fearing that he would come for me, I spent eight hours in the airport washroom. I also switched off my phone so that my whereabouts couldn't be traced,“ she says.

So, why didn't she file a police complaint against him in Bhopal? “He has contacts in the police and had threatened me of dire consequences if I approached the cops. He would also threaten me of harming my family. He also blocked my family members on my phone so that we couldn't contact each other. He would keep taunting me about not being able to give him a child.“

All Bobby wants now is her money and a divorce. “I have been called by the Bhopal police to register the FIR with them, so that they can start the legal proceedings. I have hired a lawyer and will ensure that I get justice,“ she sums up.

Bobby's lawyer Meera Kaura Patel tells us, “This case is unique and challenging as a member from LGBT community has knocked on the doors of the legal system as a woman, after changing his gender.“

BOBBY WANTS ME ARRESTED SO THAT SHE CAN HAVE ALL MY PROPERTY: RAMNIK SHARMA
On the other hand, when we contacted Ramnik, he had a different story to tell. He said, “Bobby is lying blatantly. She is the one who fled with my property papers, money and gold, and I have filed an FIR against her. She was after my money. I have never hit her. In fact, I went against my entire family to marry her. She lied to me that she'll be able to conceive, but after learning that she won't be able to, I requested her to either try IVF or adopt a baby. But she didn't want to take the responsibility of raising a child. Also, she landed in the hospital because of the side-effect of her medicines, which she would pop to enhance her body. Her blood pressure would always be high and she suffered a paralytic attack because of it. I have never called her brother; he had refused to have anything to do with her and had also warned me against her, which I didn't pay heed to. She is not a bechari to take domestic abuse lying low. Why didn't she ever bring it up with the media or anyone close to her? I have proofs for all my claims. She wants me arrested so that she can have all my property. The Mumbai flat she is talking about is mine and so is the Bhopal penthouse, which I bought for her as she was not willing to stay with my mother.“

After being left heart broken following the failure of her relationships, Bobby Darling finally settled down with Bhopal-based road contractor Ramnik Sharma. The former Bigg Boss participant, who has also featured in films like Hasee Toh Phasee (2012), Kya Kool Hai Hum (2005) and Page 3 (2005), got married on February 8 this year, but kept it under wraps. Now Bobby has decided to speak about it. “My life changed drastically in the past few months. I got to know about Ramnik on a social networking website and we exchanged numbers. One thing led to another and here we are as spouses. I didn't talk about my marriage as my husband was not comfortable with the idea of being in the media glare. After a few heartbreaks, I took a gamble with Ramnik. He happened to be the first guy in my life to ask me for marriage in the beginning itself. He is honest and family-oriented. I am very happy with my decision.“

However, marriage wasn't a cakewalk for Bobby as a lot went into it before she tied the knot. She not only changed her name to Pakhi Sharma, but also underwent a sex reassignment surgery in Bangkok. “I underwent the surgery before marriage at the insistence of my husband. I got a certificate from my surgeon. It was a painful process and Ramnik stood by me like a rock,“ she reveals, adding, “We got married in Arya Samaj Mandir and then got it legally registered in Bhopal. We went to Singapore for our honeymoon in March and spent some quality time together.“

On the work front, she played gay characters in 18 different projects when she was 23. However, she is now averse to the idea of playing a homosexual character. Last seen in Sasural Simar Ka, Bobby says, “I have transformed into a woman completely, so why should I play something that I am not? I now wish to play a heroine or bhabhi and don't mind participating in reality shows.“