When Sarika responded to being called ‘the other woman’ in Kamal Haasan’s life: ‘I don’t regret my choices’

Kamal Haasan met Sarika on the sets of Raaj Tilak in 1984 and tied the knot in 1988 after divorcing his first wife Vani Ganapathy. Kamal Haasan’s relationship with Sarika while being married to Vani Ganapathy was criticised by many. People labelled Sarika as the “other woman”. Despite all the backlash, and multiple attempts at breaking off their relationship, the two fell in love and eventually tied the knot. They even welcomed two daughters, Shruti and Akshara Haasan. In 2002, however, the couple divorced each other.

In an old interview, Sarika had spoken about her marriage to Kamal Haasan and said she doesn’t regret a thing about it. Speaking to India Today, Sarika said, “I have said this time and again… if given a chance, I would live my life exactly the way I have lived it because I think there have been very nice things. Whoever I am or wherever I am, all this is part of my life. Everything is nice at a point. Things go bad later otherwise, I would not have got up, left everything and gone.”

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When asked if the “other woman” tag bothered her at the time of her relationship with the actor, Sarika quickly said, “Not at all.” She explained, “That is their opinion. I have nothing to do with it. I never held it against anybody. It was my life, I had to be sure of what I was doing. I had two beautiful women, Shruti and Akshara, how can you regret it?”

Shruti, who accompanied her mother in the interview, shared her point of view and revealed if her parents’ separation had any impact on her. She said, “Of course, there is certain amount of change and emotional upheaval.” But, she clarified, “I always say this and I understood this while I was young, that both of them were separate individuals before becoming my parents, and even as a teenager when it all happened, I just wanted them to be happy. And I still maintain it.”