New Delhi: Model-actress Pooja Bedi recently opened up on her marriage with Farhan Furniturewala, quitting films and why the relationship ultimately didn’t work out. In conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Pooja Bedi talks about her marriage with Farhan and how gossip about the film industry in the 90s made things worse for families to accept filmy daughters-in-law.
She said, “I was married to Farhan, who was from a conservative Muslim family, and his family was in no way going to accept a daughter-in-law who visited film sets. In those days, there was a lot of gossip in the film industry, and whenever a film was released, they would try to associate you with the heroes, all this drama would go on. I don’t think there was any way they were going to accept a daughter-in-law in the house who was still working in films. Was staying.”
Also read: Pooja Bedi spoke on the death of mother Protima Bedi, said- ‘Her body was never found…she died the way she wanted’
Add Zee News as favorite source
How difficult was it to accept filmy bahu in the 90s?
“In those days, there was a lot of gossip about the film industry, and whenever a film released, they would pair you (the actress) with the heroes, and all this drama would go on. I don’t think there was any way they were going to accept a daughter-in-law working in films. At that time, once you got married, you stopped doing films. Unlike today, you were off the shelf. Also, a ‘sexy daughter-in-law’ or She was a ‘sex-symbol daughter-in-law’. It’s a lot for them to handle.”
Why did she step back…
He said that he took a conscious decision to walk away from the industry and embrace his new life. “I thought about it, and I thought, ‘If I’m going to do something, I want to do it well and with all respect. I don’t want to go to a family and make people there uncomfortable. So, either don’t get married because that would create chaos, or let yourself fit into that world and see what it’s all about.’ Then I returned the signing amount for all the films I had committed to; There were quite a few. My Kama Sutra ad campaign came up for renewal, and I had to reject that too, even though I was offered almost eight times the amount I had originally paid.”
Also read: Pooja Bedi calls her banned 90s condom ad ‘the beginning of sexual revolution in India’
Pooja Bedi’s personal life
On the divorce, Pooja said, “It was a conscious decision of both of us to always be respectful and kind. We have two beautiful children and we are best friends today. I love his current wife Laila.”
Pooja Bedi married Farhan Furniturewala in 1994. The couple welcomed their daughter, actor Alaya F, in 1997, followed by the birth of their son Omar. The couple got divorced in 2003 after almost a decade of marriage.