Sooraj Pancholi opened up about his late ex-girlfriend, Jiah Khan, how he was used as a scapegoat in her suicide case and her mother's involvement in the case which turned it into a murder tale.
Because stars influence millions of people and have a massive impact on their fans, some unexpected tragic real events from their lives leave us in sheer shock. On June 3, 2013, Nishabd fame, Jiah Khan had decided to put end to all her miseries and chose to leave this world before time. And when the reason behind her death was revealed through a six-page suicide letter, the shock crept in deeper. Her fallout with actor, Sooraj Pancholi had apparently prompted her to end her life. (Also Read: Lata Mangeshkar's Sister, Usha Mangeshkar Shares The Latest Health Update Of The 90-Year-Old Singer)
Born in New York City and raised in London, Jiah Khan had decided to end her life at the age of 25 when her relationship with Sooraj Pancholi, son of Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, had gone for a toss. Her death left countless unanswered questions and the case got muddled when her suicide was turned into a mysterious murder tale after the drastic turn of events. Post the investigation and Jiah’s suicide note, Sooraj was charged with abetment to suicide.
In an interview with Etimes, Sooraj Pancholi opened up about his late ex-girlfriend, Jiah Khan and how he was being used as a scapegoat in her suicide case. Beginning his interview with how media made Jiah’s suicide story and his involvement into a controversial case, Sooraj said, “You know, I've been giving interviews since yesterday. And this question is what the media wants to talk about, because this is what will track and let's be honest, talking about satellite Shanker and talking about a soldier will not be as tracking about me talking about my case. It was not a controversial case. Media made it into a controversial case.”
Blaming media for writing false stories about him and saying that to accuse someone for suicide is unfair, Sooraj Pancholi continued, “No one understands that it was her decision to do that (commit suicide), you know, it was her choice. It was her mental state to do that. And I think to blame someone for it is really unfair. Because today what if I do that to myself? Who will get blamed? I would blame the media for it because they have put a lot of pressure on me writing false things about me but you can't really blame things on other people. I think an individual has to be strong and more than a boyfriend support, they need family support and I don't know why the family was not there for her."
On being the scapegoat for Jiah Khan suicide case, Sooraj Pancholi went on to say, "I don't know why people don't see the 27 years of her life, I was 21. She was much older than me she was 27. Why don't people see the 27 years of her life and do some research on that? If they do, they will find so much that will shock them, which I know about. I can't, I don't want to say it. It's not that I can't say I don't want to say it because it's demeaning towards a person who's gone and, and my sympathies go out for her and her family. But what they have done, you know, to me is really unfair. You can't just hold one person responsible for this, you know, relationships have ups and downs, you have arguments you have, you know, fights over the phone, it's a normal thing today. People change partners like they change clothes, in fact, you know, so, I think I was just a scapegoat for this case.” (Also Read: Mohsin Khan And Shivangi Joshi Part Ways But Continue To Fake Their Relationship For YRKKH TRPs?)
Jiah Khan’s mother had blamed Sooraj Pancholi and his family for her daughter’s suicide and questioning her for not turning up on court hearings and wasting 7 years of his life, he added, “All the allegations made against me are not true. If they were true, the CBI would say that it's true. I've been through CBI and it's not easy. They go through big cases my case may be for them is very small. But I've sat through CBI at the age of 21. Day and night, day and night. They would have not left me if I've done something wrong today. You see, the people who are behind bars, they are huge, big successful people is because they have done wrong. And I don't think the CBI spares anybody. And the investigation is pretty hardcore, you know, and they found nothing against me. And her mother keeps blaming me and my family. But why does she not come to court? Why is that question never asked? Why do people ask me what is happening with the case? Why don't people ask her why she can't come to court? If she thinks that they're running this case on the wrong charge, the court can decide to change the charge, even in the middle of the trial. The court has the authority to do it. So why are you scared to stand in the witness box?”
Sooraj Pancholi stated, “Because me being accused, I can't really say anything because the accused is not allowed to speak in court. It's not up to me to prove myself innocent. It's up to them to prove me guilty and they cannot do it because they had no that they have nothing against me. But if you put a charge on somebody, it's your duty to come to court and stand in the witness box and talk. Why has she been avoiding that for seven years? She's wasted seven years of my life. Why don't people question that? It's because she has a British passport and she flies away back to her country whenever it's convenient to her and authorities can't do anything about that is very unfair. You know, if she wants the truth, and if she wants this case to happen, for her benefit, whatever, at least come to court and stand and be have the courage to stand in front of the judge and say what you have said in the media because it is all false.”
Sooraj Pancholi concluded his interview by expressing his views on the #MeToo movement and was quoted as saying, “That that is the sad truth. You know, if fingers pointed towards somebody, and something as big as me, two people will, of course, support the woman, you know, and if the woman is right, you should hang that person. Yes, you should do it. But what if the girl is not right, who's going to give back the respect that this person has lost, and there have been cases that person has not been found guilty, but no one says that out that this person is not guilty and this person has not committed the rape or molestation. That person also has a family, has a sister, mother, you know, sometimes relationships don't work out and then someone says that, oh, this person actually had raped me. That is so unfair because, you know, if it's proven, you must hang that person I would say, but if it's not then what happens to the person who accused this person of it, nothing happens to it, they let go free and that is why it's happening so much.” (Also Read: Shweta Tiwari Finally Opens Up On Her Troubled Marriage With Abhinav Kohli, Takes A Strong Stand)
On the work front, Sooraj Pancholi had his latest release, Satellite Shankar on November 8, 2019, which is a film based on the life of Indian soldiers.