Mumbai: The police have arrested a member of a con gang who they said had cheated several Bollywood personalities of lakhs by promising to upload their movies on OTT platforms and taking large sums from them by showing them fake letters of service providers. Actor Vivek Oberoi and producer Gaurang Doshi are among those cheated by the gang, said the police.

The cyber crime cell of the north region on Thursday arrested Rajat Kumar Mourya (29) from his residence in Jogeshwari. The police said more people were now likely to come up with complaints.

The complainant in the case is film producer Maan Singh, who was producing movies and wanted to release these on an OTT platform to cater to the increased online demand after Coronavirus struck. Singh met Mourya through a common friend, Karansingh Chouhan, who said that Mourya had good contacts with officials of OTT platforms. Mourya said he could release Singh’s upcoming movies on OTT platforms, for which he would have to give him Rs 10 lakhs per movie.

Mourya showed various certificates purportedly from OTT platforms for past releases that he had facilitated. Singh decided to give him the contract for his movies. In January 2021, Mourya initially took Rs. 2.5 lakhs as token amount. He also sent Singh a WhatsApp message in which there was a letter of intent from Panorama studios mentioning the willingness of the studio to buy one of Singh’s movies for Rs. 4 crores.

“Mourya also said he had given Rs 1.5 lakhs to an official of Panorama Studios and took the said amount [from Singh],” an officer said.

Two days later, Mourya sent a letter of intent from another company saying the OTT platform had agreed to buy two other movies, for which Singh needed to pay Rs 1.50 lakhs. Singh paid through net-banking. Mourya introduced Singh to more people saying they were from direction, production, creative and technician teams and took another Rs 1.50 lakhs from him.

Singh went to Manali to shoot the movie ‘MD’. Mourya, who accompanied Singh, told him not to sign actors Rahul Dev and Divya Dutta as Disney+ Hotstar had suggested he choose other actors. He also suggested taking on Akshata Suluja, a writer, to rework ‘MD’ and make it better, for which he charged Rs 5.50 lakhs. Suluja asked Singh to take Sanjay Kapoor and Anupria Goenka, and Mourya took another Rs. 15 lakhs from Singh.

When Singh didn’t receive any response from Hotstar, Suluja and Mourya introduced Singh to their “partners”, Sanjay Shah and Radhika, saying they would help find another OTT platform if Singh released more funds.

Finally, Singh realised he had spent Rs 48 lakhs and received nothing in return. He registered an FIR.

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The cyber cell of the Mumbai police (North region) has arrested a 29-year-old who, along with three others, was running a racket of duping people in the Bollywood on the pretext of securing deals with OTT platforms, police said.

The cyber police arrested Rajat Mourya on the complaint of film producer Maan Singh, who was duped to the tune of Rs. 48 lakhs between December 2020 and June 2022. He was looking forward to a deal with OTT platforms for his two films — MD Platinum and Alpaviram.

According to the complaint, Singh met Mourya through a common friend, who said the latter has contacts in many OTT platforms. Mourya showed him some of his WhatsApp messages with “Hotstar officials” to win his confidence, promised him a deal for his upcoming movies, and asked for Rs. 10 lakhs. To convince him further, Mourya sent Singh his certificates, which were later found to be forged, and took a payment of Rs 2.50 lakhs.

Among the “proofs” of his “contacts” Mourya shared with Singh was a letter of intent from Panorama Studios, stating that they agreed to proceed with Singh’s movie for Rs. 4 crores, police said. Based on this fake letter, Rajat got Rs 1.50 lakh more from Singh “to make payments to Panorama officials”. Two days later, Mourya sent Singh another letter of intent from another OTT platform and took Rs 1.50 lakh, states the remand application.

During the shoots of MD Platinum, Mourya accompanied Singh and told him not to cast actors Rahul Dev and Divya Dutta, as Hotstar has suggested other actors for the film. “Mourya also suggested he hire writer Akshata Saluja, who will rewrite the film to make it much better for platforms like Hotstar, and took Rs 5.5 lakhs more from Singh,” reads the remand application.

“Later, Akshata suggested that Singh take Sanjay Kapoor and Anupria Goenka, and Mourya took Rs 15 lakhs more from him,” it added.  “When Singh didn’t receive any response from Hotstar, Akshata and Mourya introduced him to their partners Sanjay Shah and Radhika, claiming that they will find another OTT platform for his film,” an officer said. 

BOMBAY TIMES (September 2, 2019)

Producer Gaurang Doshi, who has backed films like Aankhen (2002), is all set to end his long hiatus. He has now joined hands with His Highness Sheikh Theyab Bin Khalifa Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, for three of his upcoming projects. These films include Aankhen Returns — directed by Anees Bazmee — and is slated to be an Eid or Diwali release next year; director Neerraj Pathak (left) Happy Anniversary, which is slated to release early next year, and Indians In Danger, directed by Abbas-Mustan.

Apart from films, Gaurang is also entering the digital arena with an OTT platform. He has also announced a Hollywood project, which will be co-produced by Brazilian filmmaker Raphael Bittencourt. The shooting of the Hollywood project, which is likely to release early next year, has been completed. Raphael conveyed his excitement over working with Gaurang. He further added that he is looking forward to the association and achieving many mutually beneficial milestones.

The announcements and the launch, which took place recently at Abu Dhabi, was graced by the royal family, along with several filmmakers and business heads. Sultan Saeed Rashed Saeed Alalawl (right), a member of the royal family, attended the event. While His Highness Sheikh Theyab Bin Khalifa Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan is investing in Gaurang’s ventures, the Bollywood producer is also partnering with business and entertainment entrepreneur Munir Awan. That’s not all; he is also being backed by the Abu Dhabi government’s National Council of Media for the shoot of his upcoming web-series and movies in the country. Gaurang, who has produced movies like Aankhen, Deewaar: Let’s Bring Our Heroes Home (2004) and Bawandar (2000), holds four Limca Records for his movies. He inherited the art of filmmaking from his late father, Vinod Doshi, who has backed movies like Sachaa Jhutha (1970) and Nastik (1983), and presented hits like Dil (1990) and Beta (1992), under the banner of VR Pictures. Now, with his newly launched banner, Gaurang Doshi Productions, Gaurang aims to offer more unconventional content to the audience.

The producer is all praise for Amitabh Bachchan, who has featured in his movies. He says, “I’m one of those few individuals who can proudly share their experience of working with a true legend. I cherish the honour of working with him on multiple projects in the past, and am looking forward to many more. He is my beloved godfather, and my real inspiration, who has blessed me with his wisdom. I’m excited to have him on board for Aankhen Returns, and there are many more to come. My projects are incomplete without him.”

Talking about returning to making films, Gaurang says, “It is good to be back after facing many hurdles that were uncalled for. This proves the fact that true talent never dies. No matter how hard the road is, or how determined your haters are to bring you down, with relentless passion and determination, one can achieve success.”

Film expected to kick off in May-June 2019 and will be shot in London and Georgia
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 8, 2018)

The sequel to Aankhen will roll by mid-2019. Directed by Anees Bazmee, it will revolve around three blind men. Amitabh Bachchan is the only one from the original heist thriller to be retained. “Mr Bachchan is on board and for the rest of the cast we are looking for younger actors and are currently in talks with some but can’t divulge any other names yet,” informs Tarun Agarwal who is producing the film with Sunil Lulla.

Gaurang Doshi who had produced the 2002 film had announced Aankhen 2 in August 2016 with Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Arshad Warsi. The leading ladies were Ileana D’cruz and Regina Cassandra who would be making her Bollywood debut with the film. Soon after, Rajtaru Studio owned by Tarun moved court questioning how Gaurang could make the Aankhen sequel when they had bought the rights to the franchise from him years ago. The case has been embroiled in legal issues since the past few years.

While Tarun is not willing to discuss the case, he informed that they will be shooting the film either from May-July or June-August. “We will be filming in London and Georgia. The casino, as required in the story, has already been booked in Georgia. For the rest of the locations, we are scouting in the UK,” he adds.

The original film which had featured Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Paresh Rawal and Sushmita Sen, had the Big B playing Vijay Singh Rajput, a bank manager who is sacked for assaulting an employee. He decides to avenge the humiliation by training three blind men to rob the bank. 

Flora Saini relives her troubled two-year relationship with producer Gaurang Doshi
As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 10, 2018)

After my film, Love in Nepal, released in 2004, (producer) Gaurang Doshi offered me a special appearance song in his film. I turned it down because I wanted a proper role. He didn’t go away, instead he confessed he had fallen in love with me and wanted to marry me. But he wanted me to leave the industry and my family for him. I gave in. He left his Pedder Road home and shifted into my Andheri apartment. We started living together in 2006.

I had no idea then that he was married. When I found out he lied to me about his divorce and when I confronted him, he started to get violent. I was physically, mentally and emotionally abused by my boyfriend. I didn’t know what to do. When I tried reaching out to my family, he threatened to get my parents killed. So, though they lived in Mumbai, I was scared to go back home. A year later, on Valentine’s Day, I ended up with a fractured jaw and had to get myself admitted to the hospital because I had no one by my side.

This man was someone I loved, and he ensured that I didn’t get any work after I spoke up about the incident. Only Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan) supported me. She walked out of Gaurang’s film, Happy Birthday, saying she would not work with a woman-beater. I went back down South and signed a Kannada film, CID Eesha. I returned to the Hindi film industry with Begum Jaan, and recently I played the title role in Stree (the Dinesh Vijan horror-comedy which featured Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead with Flora as the ghost).

I have been fighting for justice since 2007. Back then, no one stood by me, but today, women who are speaking up, are getting support, not just from other women but from men too. I’m working on a series being produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani and there are pamphlets all over the set stating it’s a safe workspace for women, encouraging us to speak up if we are harassed. That’s the reason I decided to open up about my ordeal. I’m still trying to heal. I’ve realised that it’s not worth leaving your parents for any man, neither your financial independence. But I have not been able to move on.

Every time a man asks me out, I’m reminded of the incident. It’s impossible to fall in love again. I don’t want to get married either. I don’t want any man coming close to me because I’m scared it will happen again. I’m a mess. I hope by speaking up again, I can help save a life.


(Gaurang Doshi remained unavailable for comment)

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; December 23, 2016)

Producer Gaurang Doshi sets the record straight
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 17, 2016)

Producer Gaurang Doshi has been slapped with a Contempt of Court order; cast members served notices
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 9, 2016)


Gaurang Doshi has been slapped with a Contempt of Court order while legal notices have been sent to director Anees Bazmee and actors Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor. "Rajturu Studios bought the remake rights of Aankhen in 2013 from Doshi (who'd produced the 2002 original). Vipul Shah was to return as the director but he got busy with other projects and we decided to put the project on hold for a year. In 2015, the script for the sequel was finalised but we learnt that Doshi had started casting for his own version of Aankhen," informs Rajeev Rajtaru, Owner of Rajtaru Studios who moved court on August 4, 2016.

Doshi's lawyer Chirag Mody informed the court during the first hearing on August 9 that his client had nothing to do with Aankhen 2. The case was adjourned till August 19 since Doshi maintained that he wasn't making any film. "But on August 17, he launched Aankhen 2 with the entire cast in attendance. Doshi had lied in court under oath and directly disobeyed the court's orders," Rajtaru argues.

At the August 19 hearing, the court made that no promotions, online or offline, or no work related to the film were to be shared with the media and the industry. "But on August 23, new posters released on social media and interview calls made to the media. He also printed full-page ads in two trade magazines," Rajtaru informs.

Justice SJ Kathawala of the Bombay High Court observed that Doshi has "repeatedly made false statements before the court, misled the court and interfered with administration of justice. He should be held under contempt of court."

At the August 19 hearing, Senior Advocate Kadam showed up instead of Mody, who had dropped out, and claimed he was under the impression that it was a fresh hearing and hence, would require more time to research the earlier submissions. When the case was re-opened on August 22, yet another lawyer, Rishikesh Soni, turned up. Rajturu points out, Doshi has changed four lawyers in the last one month.

The next hearing is scheduled for September 14 and if work on Aankhen 2 is not stopped, an arrest warrant awaits Doshi. "We're also moving court with the Copyright Infringement Act and awaiting a response from Anees Bazmee, Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor on the legal notices," Rajtaru adds.

Doshi, when contacted, told Mirror, "The matter is sub judice and all rights of the film have been purchased by me and belong to me via registered deed."

Ileana D’Cruz says she hasn’t signed Aankhen 2, producer claims she had verbally committed to take up film
Shilpi Sampad (MID-DAY; August 20, 2016)

A day after the cast of Aankhen 2 was announced, Ileana D’Cruz has slammed the makers for announcing her name when she had turned down the film. A unit member, however, claims that the actress had verbally committed to be part of the project starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Arshad Warsi and South actress Regina Cassandra.

Ileana tells hitlist, “I have not signed Aankhen 2. My name was announced without permission. I have the highest regards for Mr Bachchan and [director] Anees Bazmee, and have clarified my stand to them.” At the film’s launch on Wednesday evening, producer Gaurang Doshi and Big B had reportedly confirmed that Ileana is part of the film.

Doshi says, “Mr Bachchan is the face of my franchise and I don’t want to stoke any controversy. Fact is Ileana had, in principle, agreed to do the film. Now, if she doesn’t wish to take it up, that’s okay. I wish her all the best.”

The sequel to the 2002 heist thriller is set to go on floors next month and will clash with Golmaal 4 on Diwali 2017.

Producer Gaurang Doshi responds to threats of a legal notice from Ileana D'Cruz who says she isn't the heroine of Aankhen 2
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 20, 2016)



The sequel to the 2002 of the heist thriller Aankhen was launched on Wednesday.

Amitabh Bachchan, Arshad Warsi and Bollywood's latest South import, Regina Cassandra, who makes her Bollywood debut with the Anees Bazmee-directorial, interacted with the audience.

The other leading men, Arjun Rampal, who is in Siachen filming another project, and Anil Kapoor, who was promoting his TV show, 24, however couldn't make it. Also missing was the film's other heroine, Ileana D'Cruz, who was introduced with a video screened at the venue.

Two days later, events took an unexpected turn when Ileana took to Twitter to clarify that she had not signed Aankhen 2. The actress's manager confirmed to Mirror that she isn't doing the film.

When contacted producer Gaurang Doshi fumed, "Aankhen 2 doesn't need Ileana, we already have our four aces- Amitji, Arjun, Arshad and Anil. If we wanted to use an actor's name to promote our film, we would have said that Aankhen 2 stars Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif! Ileana is not going to get us additional distributors, exhibitors or viewers."

He went on to add that along with the film's writer, Neeraj Pathak, and Bazmee, he had met Ileana and her manager Nimisha at a suburban five-star for the first script reading in the first week of July. "Ileana had loved the film and agreed to do it. However, she mentioned that her agency takes a week to process the paperwork so we agreed to wait," Doshi reveals.

He added that a week later, the entire team met again to listen to the two songs that had been finalised. "Ileana said she'd really enjoyed the music and was ready for the muhurat shot. We informed her about the launch and she agreed to be a part of it," he informed.

He admitted to being surprised to see Ileana's manager tell the media that the actress was not in the film and was going to sue the makers since she hadn't got in touch with them at all. "We have been trying to speak to her to find out what went wrong, she doesn't seem to want to speak to us. Someone has definitely misguided her," he groused.

Next up: The makers are going to launch another blind character, Rahul, with a new promo soon. "But looks like we'll have to get a better actress on board too," Doshi sighed.

Casting was an uphill task following negotiations with several actors, including Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Katrina Kaif, Parineeti Chopra, Suniel Shetty, falling through in the six months preceding the final unveiling of the line-up.

Upala KBR (DNA; August 19, 2016)

Aankhen 2 launched with great fanfare at an event in Mumbai on Wednesday evening. Amitabh Bachchan and Arshad Warsi announced they were part of the film being directed by Anees Bazmee. Producer Gaurang Doshi announced that Rustom actress Ileana DCruz, who was absent from the event, was also part of the film. A video featuring the actress was aired at the event.

Truth is, while Ileana was offered the film, she turned it down. So the announcement was made without her knowledge or permission. And the actress is not happy about this. Says an industry insider, “For years now, people have stopped having lavish events to announce films. The only reason to have one is for the producer to rake in money. When a maker announces a film with a big star cast, he can impress investors to part with moolah. It’s just a money game, then whether the film gets made or not, the producer has got his hands on enough money.”

However, no one announces names of actors, who are not part of the film to make it seem like a viable project. Says a source, “Gaurang showed Ileana’s video at the mahurat yesterday and claimed she was doing the film. Bachchan also confirmed it. But the fact is, she is not doing the film and the announcement has made her furious. She came to know about it only after the event when people contacted the actresss to congratulate her. Now she is contemplating initiating action against Gaurang. ”

Ileana’s manager confirms. “Ileana is not doing the film.” Gaurang remained unavailable for comment.

Shilpi Sampad (MID-DAY; August 18, 2016)

The sequel to 2002 heist thriller Aankhen is set to go on floors next month with a few new entrants to the franchise.

Sources close to the project reveal that the makers have locked Diwali 2017 for release, a date already booked by Rohit Shetty for Ajay Devgn-starrer Golmaal Again. What’s more, both films star Arshad Warsi.

Producer Gaurang Doshi says, “Diwali is a big release window where two films can easily co-exist and do well. I am confident about my film; Golmaal Again should also do well.” Joining Amitabh Bachchan and Arjun Rampal in part two of Aankhen are Anil Kapoor, Arshad and Ileana D’Cruz. It will also mark the Bollywood debut of South actress, Regina Cassandra.

So far, only Big B’s name had been confirmed while names of Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif and Shahid Kapoor had been tossed around. Part one featured Akshay Kumar, Rampal and Paresh Rawal as Bachchan’s partners-in-crime along with Sushmita Sen.

BOMBAY TIMES (August 1, 2016)

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; June 29, 2016)

Rumoured couple Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani have kept rumour mills guessing about their relationship status for a while, but this piece of news might just prove that they are very much in love. An industry insider tells us that the duo, who recently shot for a romantic music video in Paris, was supposed to be part of the sequel to the 2002 thriller Aankhen, but it didn’t work out. Apparently, Tiger was taken on board while Disha was brushed aside despite being in consideration for long. This, we hear, irked the Heropanti actor and he chose to walk out of the project.

A source says, “Tiger was approached to be part of Aankhen sequel which is going on floors next month; he was to play an important character and was excited by the script. Disha was also approached to be cast opposite Tiger, but, eventually, the makers decided to cast a known face instead of her.” When Tiger found out about the makers’ decision, he decided to excuse himself from the project, says the source.

The film’s producer Gaurang Doshi remained unavailable for comment. Tiger says, “I was not offered the film. I have already signed a couple of other projects, so I am committed to them.”

Our source, however, maintains, “Tiger has now conveyed to the makers that he wasn’t enthused by the film’s script — although he had liked it — as his reason not to do the film.”

14 years after their first hit, an upcoming single by Meet Bros, gets them acting offers...
Bryan Durham (DNA; May 7, 2016)


The germ of the idea began last year at singer Tulsi Kumar’s wedding and what we will see in the video is a bevy of beauties thronging the boys, who shot at a virgin location in Thailand. We had a sneak peek at the teaser and we have to say the Mad Max: Fury Road-inspired sequences are actually looking quite good.

Planned by creative director Rajesh Pandey and shot by Bosco (of Bosco-Caesar), Manmeet tells us they went with a party song because that’s what people most relate with them. “It was an easy enough hook. besides it’s a very commonly used term. But mark our words, it will be a little different from our usual hit tracks and will be a slower party track with a different sound.”

In fact, the entire experience was quite easy for them, given their past as actors and in fact, says Harmeet, “We showed the video to our producer buddies Anthony D’souza (Azhar) and Gaurang Doshi (Aaankhen 2) and they said they wanted to make films, starring us. So yeah, we have two acting offers, even before this video has released.’

If one remembers, the Bros made their musical debut with two independent tracks — Jogi Singh Barnala Singh (in 2002) and the Mika-starrer Bhai Tune Pappi Kyu Li (in 2006). But, Manmeet reminds you, the independent (or non-film music) scene died with big singers’ careers failing and being resurrected later on, thanks to Bollywood. “It’s ironical. We started out making music for ourselves and ended up making music for actors and actresses. With the resurgence of the independent music scene, people will now see us in our own light.”

Adds Harmeet, “Since our childhood years, we always wanted to sing. In the long run, we eventually got offers to make music for others. We kept getting asked why we weren’t singing our own songs. The composers in us got greedier than the singers in us. We realised we were losing focus. It’s high time we got back to what we were here for.”

Kyra Dutt (Calendar Girls and Ekta Kapoor’s XXX) features in the video. Explains Manmeet, “The video needed a hot performer. And Kyra looks absolutely stunning in Party Animal as the queen of the hot glam kidnappers. She tells us to do what we do best. And what we do best is make people dance. And she gets cosy with us.’

Tell him that the scenes in the teaser look quite hot and he says, “We’ve not gone overboard. It’s sensually and aesthetically. We haven’t shot anything we can’t watch with our families.”

BOMBAY TIMES (November 8, 2015)

Subhash K Jha (DNA; June 16, 2014)

Twelve years after Vipul Shah's directorial debut Aankhen, about a bunch of blind men undertaking a daredevilish bank heist, the film's producer Gaurang Doshi is all set to roll the sequel. The producer and the director had a fall-out during the making of the film. They parted acrimoniously and the sequel remained uncertain for all these years. Until now.

Interestingly, Aankhen 2 will be directed by Anees Bazmee who had a fall-out with Vipul Shah during the making of Singh Is Kinng. Confirming this Anees says, "Yes, Gaurang and I have met over Aankhen 2. I am now in Ahmedabad for a function. As soon as I return to Mumbai we'll finalise the details."

Says Gaurang, "Twelve years seems like a long time to sit on a sequel. But what to do? So much has happened since then. Aankhen 2 will have a completely new cast."

The original film was top-lined by Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen, Arjun Kapoor, Paresh Rawal and Bipasha Basu.

"Aankhen 2 will have a completely new cast. But I can assure you, the actors would be as exciting this time as they were in Aankhen. God willing we'll make a stupendous success. Anees is the king of successful sequels," adds Gaurang.

Flora Saini, producer Gaurang Doshi's former live-in partner, has resurfaced to face her alleged assaulter in court again.
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 13, 2014)

You disappeared after accusing Gaurang Doshi of assault.
I did many Southern films. Recently, I also appeared in Nagesh Kukunoor's Lakshmi, I'm doing his next film Rainbow too. But I didn't give any interviews because I had lost my confidence.

So what prompted you speak up now?
I want justice and fortunately my case is back on track. The last hearing was on June 11 at Andheri's Railway Mobile Court. Indian women suffer silently but with my parents by my side me, I want to set an example for all battered women by fighting it out.

But didn't you lose the case against him?
That was a domestic violence case and it was dismissed since I wasn't married to him. This is a case of cheating, State Vs Gaurang.

How did you meet Gaurang?
I was approached for a song in Gaurang's Deewar. I wasn't interested in doing just a song. But after that we started meeting for coffee. I was fooled by his flattery. We started dating in early 2004. He told me he wanted to marry me and we went to South Africa for a holiday in March, 2004.

Didn't you know that he was already married to Madhuri?
I hardly mix with people, so no one enlightened me. I got to know only after I read that his wife had filed a case of IPC 498 A (husband or relative of husband subjecting woman to cruelty) against him. When I questioned him, he said that his wife has left him but suggested that we should not meet till his divorce comes through. In the middle of 2005, he told me he had moved to Versova from his Peddar Road apartment and the divorce had come through. It was then that we started meeting again. He would drink every day and made me drink too. I started living-in with Gaurang against the wishes of my parents. Little did I know what lay in store.

What happened?
That man was prone to violence. Once he damaged my jaw and gave me a black eye. Then suddenly, he would be normal again. I lived with him for 14 months and whenever I would tell him I wanted to leave he thrashed me.  He wouldn't allow me to use the phone. He wanted to change my name to Simran because he though Flora was cheap. During this period, we went to South Africa again where he gambled like there was no tomorrow. If I fell asleep, he poured cold water over me and demanded to know that how could I sleep while he was awake. On February 14, 2007, we had our worst fight. I complained to the cops but they wouldn't register a complaint. The complaint was filed only when ACP Bipin Bihari intervened.

Did you stay with him because you loved him?
Of course, why else why would I have endured the torture for so long? I dreamt of having a home and kids with him. I was so naive, I wanted to make it big in Bollywood with Love in Nepal but I gave up on my ambitions for love and promised marriage. I still get nightmares.

Have you met his wife?
No, but I have sent her an apology. Maybe I suffered so much because I had wronged her and not listened to my parents.