In a throwback interview, Kamal Haasan opened up about his divorce from Vani Ganapathy and revealed he stopped believing in the institution of marriage.
Born Parthasarathy Srinivasan, Kamal Haasan is the most bankable actor in the Indian film industry. Four-time National Award winner, Kamal started his acting career as a child artist in 1960 and won the President’s Gold Film for the same. Often regarded as the Robert De Niro of Indian cinema, Kamal is the only actor with the highest number of Oscar submissions.
With more than six decades in the film industry, Kamal has given some cult classic films like Moondram Pirai, Nayakan, Indian, Sadma, Chachi 420, Dasavathaaram, Vishwaroopam, Vikram and many more. Though Kamal led a successful professional life, his personal life was a mess. From marriage and linkups to his live-in relationships, Kamal’s personal life still rules the headlines.
Kamal was married twice, and his divorce from his first wife, Vani Ganapathy, garnered a lot of attention. Kamal fell in love with dancer, Vani Ganapathy and got married to her in 1978. They reportedly met through a common friend and soon started dating. Since Vani didn’t believe in live-in relationships, the duo soon tied the knot. However, cracks started appearing in their relationship soon.
However, things turned ugly when reports surfaced about Kamal’s relationship with Sarika. It was reported that Kamal started dating Sarika even before he was legally separated from Vani. In 1988, Kamal and Vani ended their relationship and got divorced.
In an interview with Simi Garewal for her show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, Kamal opened up about his divorce from Vani and what went wrong between them. Revealing how it became harsh, Kamal stated:
“It wasn’t working, at least for me. I won’t lie. It went beyond caring; it became harsh and I wanted to be happy. I was fast losing faith in the institution of marriage itself at that time. I always spoke of it loudly, to the shock of people. I said it on the first day I got married that I didn’t want to."
It is reported that while Kamal was married to Vani, he started dating Sarika, and they were reportedly living together. Soon, Sarika was pregnant with Shruti Haasan, and Kamal tied the knot with Sarika in the same year. He divorced Vani. Kamal and Sarika are parents to Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan. However, Kamal’s marriage with Sarika, too, didn’t last, and the couple divorced in 2004.
After Kamal Haasan’s divorce from Vani Ganapathy, the actress chose to remain silent. However, hell broke when, in 2015, Kamal, in an interview, said that his divorce from Vani left him on the verge of bankruptcy. Reacting to his claims, Vani, in an interaction with Deccan Chronicle, said:
“For 28 years, we have been divorced. I have always refrained from mudslinging because it’s a very private affair… but we have both moved on now. Why does he behave like a man obsessed?”
In the same conversation, Vani revealed that she decided to react to Kamal’s claims because she didn’t want her silence to be misinterpreted as acceptance. Opening up about his claims of bankruptcy, she stated:
“He even refused to give me used appliances from our shared flat. What could I expect from a man like that? In what court in the world has alimony been allowed to drive someone to bankruptcy? I was completely shocked when I read it. His ego must have been hurt when I walked out of the marriage, but so much has happened since. He could have said financial crisis and let the subject pass.”
After his divorce from Sarika, Kamal Haasan was in a live-in relationship with actress Gautami from 2005 to 2016.
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