Shatrughan Sinha opens up on dumping wife Poonam when he started drowning in female attention: ‘Maine talaaq de diya, in a way’

He said in Hindi, “It felt like a Godsend. We had no idea what was in store for us. I had no idea that I would study acting, struggle, then become a star, and remain in touch through all of this, until one day…” When Arbaaz noted that they weren’t in touch three years before they decided to tie the knot, Shatrughan said, “Yes, we had stopped talking. It was my decision. It was thought at the time that there was something else happening in my life, but I wouldn’t want to dwell on that. But it was my fault, I was looking for an exit strategy, and one day, I told her, ‘You’re too good for me, and I can’t be with you’.”

He continued, “It was my mistake. I got carried away, I became a victim of stardom. I used to think that no woman would ever be interested in me, and then, when they were, it’s human nature to lose control. Maine talaaq de diya, in a way… We completely cut off all contact, but I would come to know that she was enquiring about me, and my well-being. She would ask my staff to take better care of me, to feed me properly.”

In an old interview shared on the WildFilmsIndia YouTube channel, the actor had implied that he had been disloyal to his wife, and had also expressed regret about not being able to do anything about the female attention he was getting. “When women now express interest in me, I only think of this line — ‘water water everywhere, not a drop to drink’,” the actor said.

The Invicibles has previously featured yesteryear icons such as Helen, Salim Khan, and Javed Akhtar. Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam tied the knot in 1980. They have three children, sons Luv and Kush, and daughter Sonakshi Sinha.