Here's a deeper look into the life of iconic actress, Rati Agnihotri, who endured domestic violence from her husband, Anil Virwani, for 30 years just for her son, Tanuj Virwani.
Rati Agnihotri was born into a conservative Punjabi family on December 10, 1960, in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. From an early age, she had a strong interest in acting and modelling. At the age of 10, she started picking up modelling assignments, and at the mere age of 19, she made her acting debut in the Tamil film industry. The stunning actress was seen in the film, Puthiya Vaarpugal, which kick-started her journey as an actress.
In the same year, Rati Agnihotri appeared in another Tamil film, Niram Maaratha Pookkal, which made her quite famous in the South. In the following years, she worked predominantly in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. However, it was in 1980 that Rati Agnihotri introduced herself to the Kannada film industry with the film, Kaalinga.
After making her mark in the South Indian film industry, Rati started gaining a lot of attention from the Hindi film industry. Finally, it was in 1981 when Rati accepted the film, Jeene Ki Arzoo and made her acting debut in Hindi cinema. Rajasekhar directed the film, and Rati shared the screen space with the legendary actor, Mithun Chakraborty. In the following years, Rati worked opposite a lot of A-listed actors in a series of memorable films. Some of the iconic films in which she appeared include Ek Duuje Ke Leye, Tawaif, Rakta Bandhan, Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye, Main Awara Hoon, Coolie, Boxer, Kranti, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, Krishna Cottage, Hum Tum, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, and many more.
When Rati Agnihotri was at the peak of her acting career back in the mid-80s, she met a Mumbai-based business, Anil Virwani. The duo instantly fell in love with each other and decided to spend the rest of their lives together. When Rati informed her parents about her relationship with Anil, they were against their daughter's decision to tie the knot with him. However, as time passed, things changed a bit, and it was on February 9, 1985, when Rati and Anil got married.
Rati Agnihotri took a break after her marriage with Anil at a time when she was getting a lot of movie projects. As per multiple reports, many people tried to stop Rati from tying the knot with Anil, as she was at the peak of her career. However, she was so much in love with Anil that she prioritised her relationship with Anil over her promising acting career, which turned out to be her life's biggest disastrous decision.
It was in 1986 when Rati Agnihotri and Anil Virwani embraced parenthood for the first time after the former gave birth to a baby boy. The couple chose the name 'Tanuj' for their son. However, soon cracks started appearing in the Rati and Anil's happy paradise. The couple used to have a lot of arguments and fights, but as time passed, Anil started abusing his wife physically. It was a heartbreaking phase for Rati that continued for the next 30 years. Yes! You read it right. Rati endured all the beatings and domestic violence from her husband, Anil, for three decades.
It was finally on March 7, 2015, when Rati Agnihotridecided to move out of her husband, Anil Virwani's house. After facing domestic violence for 30 years, there came a point when the actress started fearing for her life. In an interview with The Times Of India, Rati revealed that she was scared that one day she would be beaten to death as she was growing old. Finally, it was on March 14, 2015, when Rati filed a complaint of domestic violence in a police station against her husband, Anil Virwani. In the same interview, the actress also revealed the reason why she didn't walk out of her marriage and suffered domestic violence for three decades.
Revealing the reason behind it, Rati Agnihotri clearly stated that her son, Tanuj Virwani was her biggest priority back then, which was why she didn't end her marriage and hoped that things would get better. She said:
"Well, I had certain priorities, the biggest being my son Tanuj. He was the reason I put up with all this pain for 30 years. For all these years I'd hoped... prayed... that things would change, that he would change."
Rati Agnihotri and Anil Virwani reconciled months after the former filed a complaint of domestic violence in a police station. As per a report in Deccan Chronicle, the couple reconciled for the sake of their son, Tanuj. In the following months, Anil Virwami confirmed that things are now getting better between him and Rati. The businessman confirmed that he and Rati aren't going to part ways and are instead working on their marriage. He said:
"Yes, things have become much better. Now, none of us wants to focus on the bitterness. It is behind us and we're back to our happy selves. I've known Rati for 33 years and that is a lot of time....you don't part ways just like that."
As of now, Rati Agnihotri and Anil Virwani are leading a steady married life. For the unversed, their son, Tanuj Virwani is a renowned television actor. The actor got married on December 25, 2023, to the love of his life, Tanya Jacob. We are glad that Rati is finally enjoying life and is going through the best phase of her life, as she is enjoying life with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law.
What are your thoughts on Rati Agnihotri's troubled marriage? Let us know.
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