Sooraj Pancholi speaks out about Jiah Khan’s suicide

Actor’s debut film is produced by mentor Salman Khan who urged him to speak out

Condemned for something he says he is not guilty of, Sooraj Pancholi, son of Bollywood actors Aditya Pancholi and Zareena Wahab, finally talked about his girlfriend’s suicide case.

He has come under media scrutiny again after two years because of his debut act in the remake of Hero, alongside actor Sunil Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty. The film is produced by Salman Khan and directed by Nikhil Advani.

Before her death, Jiah was in a 10-month long relationship with Sooraj Pancholi. Jiah’s family blamed Pancholi for her death because of handwritten letters found in her room. The suicide letters were made public by his mother, and worked as evidence in putting Pancholi behind bars for three weeks after which he was bailed.

Pancholi says he is not guilty of the crimes he is being associated with and that fact is what got him through the period. “Had I been guilty, then deep inside I would have been broken. But I know what the scenario was and I know that I am not guilty. That is what pulled me through,” he told The Indian Express.

Further on, he adds, “People didn’t realise that I had lost someone. I lost my girlfriend (Jiah) who I was seeing for the past few months and I was really upset.”

In light of his upcoming movie, the actor was advised by his mentor, Salman Khan, and producer to talk to the media about the incident. According to Times of India, Salman asked him to answer questions about his girlfriend as not doing so might have a bad impact in the media.



About his relationship with Salman, Pancholi said, “The reason I love him so much is because if it hadn’t been for him or his support, I would still be struggling. I wouldn’t have been able to become an actor because this industry throws you away during such times. He hasn’t done that and has kept me close to his heart and I love him for that.”

Jiah, a 26 year-old Bollywood actor of British and American origin, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her home in India in 2013. She made her debut film, Nishabd, starring next to Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan in 2007, for which she was also nominated for the filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Since then she had starred in other successful movies next to a-list actors from the industry, such as Aamir Khan in Ghajini and Akshay Kumar in Housefull, which was also her last film before she committed suicide.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th,  2015.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.