When we speak of heartbreaks between a couple, one of the easiest responses to cite for an unhappy ending would be to say that the two of them were never meant for each other. But what can be said in a case where the couple walk different ways even after having given each other a second chance at love? Something similar happened between Uttaran fame, Ayub Khan and his ex-wife, Niharika Khan. Well then, let us have a look at their unfinished love story.
Love blossomed between Ayub and Niharika while the duo was still in their college. Just like any other teenager in love, the duo had imagined their beautiful future together without knowing what the future held for them. Sadly, according to destiny’s own plans, Niharika’s decision to emigrate abroad for further studies hindered their love story. The young hearts in love found it difficult to maintain a long-distance relationship. Nevertheless, Ayub did manage to propose marriage to Niharika before she left for the U.S.A. But considering themselves to be too young for marriage, the latter had refused him. Therefore, they parted ways and went on ahead in their lives by getting married to different people. In an interview, Niharika had once opened up on Ayub’s proposal before she left, and recalled:
“Right before I left, Ayub got down on one knee and proposed to me in an aquarium in Mumbai. I refused him as I thought we were too young to get married."
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Moving on in their lives, they totally wiped-out memories of one another before long, destiny again planned for them to cross paths. At this point in time, both Niharika and Ayub were divorced from their respective exes and were looking forward to a new life. It so happened that the former lovers bumped into each other at a salon. What began thereafter was the revival of their lost friendship and a rekindling of love. Recalling that life changing moment in his life, Ayub Khan once mentioned:
“As luck would have it, we bumped into each other. After we were both divorced, there was no looking back and the rest is history."
Reminiscing their past after all these years, they realised that their hearts were always meant to be together. And so without wasting another moment, Ayub proposed to Niharika again for marriage, but this time in a very special way. He took her out on a dinner date to an Italian restaurant and gifted her a custom-made bouquet of red roses. Interestingly, out of all the real flowers, Ayub had placed a fake one with a ring in it. Sadly, Niharika plucked out the fake rose first, thinking that the florist had cheated Ayub. In an interview, she had recalled that hilarious incident and revealed:
“It was a very special moment. Ayub had taken me to an Italian restaurant in Bangalore. We had a good time but he did not give me any hint of what he had in mind. On our way back, I was surprised to find a big bouquet of red roses in the car. It had at least 5 dozen roses and I found one fake rose in the middle of the bouquet. I said eeks and carelessly threw it away! When Ayub said that it had the engagement ring and that he wanted to propose to me, I started frantically searching for it. Finally, it was fun and humour which took over everything else.”
After so many hindrances to achieving what could be their beautiful happily ever after, Ayub and Niharika finally tied the knot in 2000. Forgoing their differences, the couple prioritised love over everything else and maintained their happy marital bliss. A few years after their marriage, the couple was blessed with two daughters, Tahura and Zayra. In an interview after their marriage, Ayub candidly spoke about how much Niharika meant to him and mentioned:
“Niharika is everything I want to be. I wish I could be like her. She is patient and loving, and I know she will always be my side through thick and thin. She doesn't impose her decisions. She is quite easy with life, much unlike me. At times, I can be quite irritable as I keep dwelling on the past and find it hard to get over. In those times she helps me to look at the positive side of life. I have learnt a lot from her.”
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Much like equal partners in life, Ayub and Niharika maintained a healthy relationship for the longest time. Since their relationship was based out of heartfelt friendship, it did not give them a chance to bring misunderstandings between themselves. Once in an interview, Niharika heaped praises on Ayub and revealed that out of them, he had always been the more practical and rational one. In her words:
“Ayub is the practical side of our relationship while I am the emotional or crazy side. He is my conscience and my best friend. He is the Man whom all my friends would love to have in their lives. He is the perfect gentleman with a charming personality and a kind heart. However, he is very stubborn at times and I am trying hard to change this trait of his personality. Motherhood and marriage have changed me a lot. Previously, I was a tomboy with a bindaas attitude. I was very spontaneous and could be quite selfish and irresponsible at times. Ayub has taught me to be a woman.”
While everything seemed to go very smoothly between the couple, they gradually realised that they were drifting apart from one another to the core. They found out that they hardly had any time to be with each other, and so the mutual love and admiration for each other had worn off. Therefore, they took the painful decision of divorce and were granted the same in 2016, ending their 16-year-long marital bliss. In an interview, Ayub opened up on their divorce and highlighted:
“Sometimes you just grow apart. It doesn’t mean I was wrong or she was wrong. We were often not on the same page. Over a period of time, we realised that both of us are busy with our own lives and don’t have time for each other. It was just not happening despite our best efforts. When we decided to part ways, there was no yelling or howling. We simply called it quits. But the great part is, we are still great friends. I go over to her house to meet the kids. She is very gracious and kind.”
While it was a painful time for the once much-in-love couple, there were several eyebrows that were raised post the announcement of their separation. Much like any other gossip saga, it was shortly reported that Niharika had cheated on Ayub with Amit Sadh, which caused their marriage to break. While neither Amit nor Niharika ever commented on the same, Ayub once gave a slight hint about the same and mentioned:
“I am sure any partner would get attracted to another person if his/her significant other is not around. It’s just human nature. If she got attracted, she didn't commit a criminal offence. If you like somebody, you need that person to be by your side whenever possible. As I said, we were never there for each other. So, we were only growing apart. Also, there were differences in opinions no doubt.”
Well, while the couple parted ways, but their divorce was without any arguments or bitter experiences. The ex-couple honoured their friendship and continued with the same, especially for the sake of their daughters. In an interview with The Times Of India, Ayub Khan mentioned that he was in a happy space in his life. In his words:
“Life is great. I am all by myself. My elder daughter has finished her 12th and my younger daughter is in boarding. TV takes a huge chunk of your life. But whenever I can, I try to spend time with them. Though, that’s not enough.”
Being a full-time actor, Ayub has not found much time to devote to his heartbreak and has been busy with his work all the time. Nevertheless, he has taken divorce as more of a life lesson, and revealed how it became for him a time where he can live his life his own way. Speaking about the same, in an interview with the Times Of India, he mentioned:
“After divorce, I have understood certain things about me and my life. I am happy in my own space. I have my own way of living life. Though I would love to see somebody. But it can be only possible when I become a little flexible and ready to make some changes in my life.”
What do you think about Ayub Khan and Niharika Khan’s unfinished tale of love?
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