Ace filmmaker, Shekhar Kapur married 30 years younger Suchitra Krishnamoorthi and had an ugly divorce. Let us read on to find out what went wrong between them.
Shekhar Kapur is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in India. From Masoom to Mr India and Bandit Queen, every film directed by him has a unique narrative. The nephew of actor, Dev Anand, Shekhar, was discouraged from getting into films. At the behest of his parents, he studied accountancy and became a CA at the age of 22.
After some years, Shekhar quit his job and went on to pursue his artistic interests. It was by sheer chance that he ventured into direction. Shekhar started his career as an actor in the film, Jaan Hazir Hai and also appeared in many television dramas. After he failed to establish himself as an actor, Shekhar decided to take up direction and made his debut with the 1983 film, Masoom. The film became a hit, and Shekhar secured his place in Hindi cinema.
Masoom was followed by films like Mr India, Elizabeth, The Four Feathers and a few others. It was the much-acclaimed film, Bandit Queen in 1998, with which Shekhar received international recognition. Though Shekhar’s professional life was successful, his personal life could never be fruitful. Let us read on to know about Shekhar Kapoor’s turbulent married life.
He was in a serious relationship with actress, Shabana Azmi for seven years, but the duo broke up. He then went on to marry Medha Gujral, the niece of former Indian Prime Minister, Inder Kumar Gujral, in 1984. However, after being married for a few years, the couple divorced in 1994.
Shekhar Kapoor married Suchitra Krishnamoorthi in 1997, which was the most unconventional marriage. She was just 22 when she married the then-52-year-old Shekhar. Soon, the couple welcomed their daughter, Kaveri Kapur. Once, in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Suchitra talked about her obsession with Shekhar when she was just 10-12 years old.
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s parents were against her decision to marry Shekhar Kapur because of their 30-year age difference. In the same interview with Siddharth, Suchitra revealed how her mother begged her not to marry Shekhar. In her words:
“Shekhar was my mother's age at that time and he was divorced, and from the film industry. My mother sat at my feet and begged me not to go forward with this marriage. They asked me to have an affair and get it out of my head.”
After a few years of marriage, cracks started appearing in Suchitra and Shekhar’s life. She also claimed that the filmmaker cheated on her, and it became one of the major reasons for their divorce. She also accused Shekhar of disrespecting her while they were married. Going further in the same interview, Suchitra stated:
“Actually, when I got pregnant, main shadi chhod rahi thi. I was moving to the Berklee College of Music. Mujhe part scholarship mil gaya tha and I wanted to learn music because it was always my dream. But I discovered I was pregnant. So fate has its own way of unravelling itself and unravelling your life story. So I stayed for a few years phir I was like, forget it mere se nahi hota.”
Suchitra once blamed actress, Preity Zinta for her broken marriage with Shekhar Kapur. For the unversed, Preity Zinta had given the first audition of her life to Shekhar Kapur, and he was the one who recommended her name to Mani Ratnam for her debut film, Dil Se. However, as per Suchitra, Shekhar and Preity were more than just good friends, and their affair disturbed her married life with Shekhar. However, Preity denied the allegations and stated that Suchitra wasn’t mentally well.
After Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s shocking allegations of infidelity on Shekhar Kapur, the filmmaker reacted and stated that he could not live without romance. In his words:
“I have had many relationships. I Cannot Live Without Romance. However, I never had a relationship that didn’t have respect. So, the nature of the relationship changed. Though it didn’t have romance, sexual or the promise to live with each other, but that relationship remained."
Shekhar Kapur and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi had an ugly divorce in 2007, and the actress reportedly charged a heavy alimony from the filmmaker.
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