Pooja Bedi recalls marrying into a conservative Muslim family, quitting films; reveals why it didn’t work out: ‘Sexy bahu would have…’

Although actor Pooja Bedi and her husband, Farhan Furniturewala, parted ways over two decades ago and have since found love elsewhere, they continue to share a close bond that goes beyond co-parenting their two children. Describing him as her “best friend,” Pooja recently revealed her excitement when he decided to tie the knot with his current wife, whom she has known since childhood.

Mentioning that couples always have a choice to either grow together or apart, Pooja said in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, “There were various aspects of our relationship that didn’t work and were never going to work. It was a conscious decision by both of us to always be respectful and kind. We have two beautiful children, and we are best friends today. I love his current wife, Laila. I’ve known her since junior KG. I was so thrilled that he was marrying her because I knew she’d be great with my kids, and they adore her. It wasn’t like I lost a husband. I gained Laila; I gained Zaan, their child. Our family grew bigger. You have to have an open heart and a different bent of mind.” She also mentioned that they often get together, whether to celebrate festivals or simply to have dinner.

Pooja revealed that she and Farhan called it quits soon after realising that their relationship was not working out and before it reached a stage of bitterness where they couldn’t even look at each other. Mentioning that she raised their two children as a single mom, she added that they got divorced when their daughter Alaya was five. “Farhan is a wonderful father, and he loves his children; that goes without saying. The kids used to go with him during weekends and spend time with him. All the daily care fell upon me as the mother,” she added.

Explaining why she stepped away from the limelight while slowly finding her space in the industry as an actor, Pooja said, “I got married to Farhan who came from a conservative Muslim family and there was no way on earth his family was going to accept a bahu (daughter-in-law) going to the set. In those days, there was a lot of gossip about the film industry, and every time a film was released, they would link you (the actress) up with the heroes, and all that drama would go on. I don’t think there was any way they were going to accept a bahu still working in films. Back then, once you got married, you stopped doing films. You were off the shelf, unlike today. Also, a ‘sexy bahu‘ or a ‘sex-symbol bahu‘ would have been a lot for them to handle.”

She continued, “I thought about it, and I was like, ‘If I’m going to do something, I want to do it well and with full respect. I don’t want to walk into a family and make people there uncomfortable. So, either don’t get married because it’s going to create chaos, or let yourself fit into that world and see what it’s all about.’ I then returned all the signing amounts for all the films that I’d committed to; there were quite a few. My Kamasutra ad campaign had come up for renewal, and I had to reject that as well, even though I was offered about eight times the amount that they paid me originally.”

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