Khushbu Sundar is one of the most popular actresses in the South Indian film industry. No other actress has seen the fame enjoyed by Khushbu, as she was hailed as the dream girl of Tail, Telugu and Kannada films. Born as Nakhat Khan into a middle-class Muslim family, Khushbu spent her childhood days in Mumbai.
Nakhat Khan landed her first role in the film, The Burning Train as a child artist. Her name was changed to Khushbu on the sets of the film, and since then, the name has given her fame that she had never imagined. At the mere age of 14, Khushbu started playing adult roles in films like Jaanu, Tan Badan and Meri Jung.
At the age of 16, Khushbu was uprooted from Mumbai and was brought to Chennai, where she nagged her first Telugu film, Kaliyuga Pandavalu. In 1988, Khushbu acted in her first Tamil film, Dharmattin Thaliavan, on the recommendation of veteran actor, Shivaji Ganeshan’s son, Prabhu. It was the 1991 runaway hit, Chinna Thambi, which got Khushbhu immense fame, and it also started her tumultuous affair with actor, Prabhu.
It was during the making of Chinna Thambi that Khushbu and Prabhu’s affair began. He was already married when his affair with Khushbhu began to hit the headlines. Their alleged love was all over the headlines, and the films starring the two in the lead became blockbusters. Though their pairing was loved by their fans, their closeness didn’t go well with Prabhu’s family.
By 1993, Khushbhu and Prabhu were madly in love with one another, and it was reported that the duo also started living together. It was during this time that it was widely reported that Khushbu and Prabhu got married. Photographs of the couple dominated the headlines for many days, but the two didn’t react to the news.
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As the news of Prabhu and Khushbu’s affair hit the headlines, the former’s father, Shivaji Ganesan, interfered in their relationship. After Shivaji opposed their affair, Prabhu, too, backed out. It was widely reported that Shivaji became the villain in Khushbu and Prabhu’s love story. Years later, Khushbu spoke about her alleged affair with Prabhu with a leading publication and said:
“What happened 20 years ago is over, done. There is no point talking about it. We have grown up, and all our families have respect for each other now. We are cordial with each other, so I want to let bygones be bygones. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Khushbu’s life was never a bed of roses. The actress, who was everyone’s dream girl, was sexually abused by her own father. Khushbu was merely 8 when the abused started and it was at the age of 14 when she mustered the courage to speak up about it. In an interview with Vicky Lalwani, Khushbu spoke about her father’s abuse and said:
“He was sexually abusive towards me, he was physically abusive towards my brothers. He would beat them up with a belt, buckle, heels of a shoe. He would punch my mother. He would slam my mother to the wall. So we have seen the man be so abusive.”
In the same interview, the actress revealed that she was scared to take a stand for herself as she feared more abuse from him. At the age of 14, when she relocated to Chennai and started working in South Indian films, her hairdresser noticed the inappropriate behaviour of Khushbu’s father. Speaking about the same, she said:
“She probably noticed his touches and had doubts because she had four grown-up children. She was a single parent herself, so she probably suspected that this man was not right. She had seen how he would beat me up on set and in the hotel room. She probably realized his body language towards me was not right.”
In 2000, Khushbu married director and producer, Sundar C and the couple was blessed with two daughters, Avantika and Anandita. Though the actress married a Hindu, Khushbu did not convert and also stated that she was never asked to convert. In 2006, the actress stated that she was an atheist.
After her multiple roles as a producer, actor, presenter, screenwriter, social media personality, and champion of women’s rights, Khushbu joined politics in 2010. She joined DMK initially but later shifted to Congress and became the party’s spokesperson. In 2020, Khushbu joined the BJP and is currently serving as a member of the BJP's National executive committee. After entering politics, Khushbu used her power to advocate women’s rights.
Khushbu has faced a lot of ups and downs in her personal life since childhood. Despite all the hardships, the actress never gave up and fought all her battles, keeping a brave front.
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