Malaika Arora talked about her divorce from Arbaaz Khan. She recently shared how people judged her for her choice to end her marriage.
Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan got married in 1998, and in 2002, the couple welcomed their son, Arhaan. After years together, Malaika and Arbaaz decided to part ways, and in 2017, they divorced. In a recent interview, Malaika Arora talked about the judgments she faced for choosing to divorce Arbaaz.
For the unversed, after her divorce, Malaika was in a relationship with Arjun Kapoor, but the duo eventually broke up. On the other hand, Arbaaz got married to Sshura Khan, and the duo welcomed their baby girl, Sipaara Khan. Well, neither Arbaaz nor Malaika holds any bad blood against each other, and they have been very cordial about their co-parenting journey over the years.
In a recent interview with India Today, Malaika Arora shared that when she opted for divorcing Arbaaz Khan, she had to face a whole lot of judgment and backlash, and it was not only from the public but also from her family and friends. The actress said that now she is happy that she has stuck to her decision, even back when she had no idea what was about to happen or what kind of life was waiting for her.
Malaika also stated that back then, people questioned her, how she could choose her happiness over everything else, but she realised that it's better to be on her own and happy, and she could bear with the fact that she wouldn't work for a while or people would say things. Malaika could be quoted as saying:
"But I knew at that point, I needed to make that move in my life. I felt it was important for me to be happy. Nobody understands that; they are like, ‘How can you put your happiness first?’ But I was okay being on my own. At the most, what (would happen)? I won’t have work for a bit, and people will say certain things."
In the same interview, Malaika Arora talked about people's hypocrisy while adding that no matter what, a man would never be questioned about anything for the same things that a woman would do. She added that we are living in a patriarchal society, and this is how things are here, and when a woman would try to walk away from the typical, then she would be called names, and several fingers would be pointed at her, but if she could go down that road, then only, the actress feels, one would do something right. Malaika could be quoted as saying:
"Unfortunately, those questions are never asked. Those eyebrows are never raised. At some level, it’s just understood that we live in a patriarchal society, and this is how things are. There is never any judgment when it comes to certain aspects in the case of men. Unfortunately, women have to bear the brunt of it daily. And if there’s a woman who moves away from the typical, she is no longer the ideal woman. Immediately, things are said, and fingers are pointed. But if you move away from that and make a life, set an example, then you’re doing something right."
Malaika Arora was in a long-term relationship with Arjun Kapoor; however, it was in 2024 that the couple parted ways. While Arjun confirmed the same while being at a Diwali event, Malaika didn't comment on the same. In an interview with ETimes, Malaika shared that she doesn't like to discuss her personal life in public. However, it was in recent times that Malaika Arora's name was linked to the diamond merchant, Harsh Mehta. The duo was first spotted at a concert, and the buzz around their age difference intensified as Malaika is 50 years old and Harsh Mehta is 33.
What do you think about Malaika's revelations?
Also Read: Sunny Deol Gets Emotional As He Poses With Dharmendra's Poster At Screening Of 'Ikkis', Fans React