Was Arjun Rampal’s separation a long time coming?

The estranged couple had reportedly been growing apart for a while

Power couple Arjun Rampal and Mehr Jessia took the media by storm on Monday morning, when they announced that they were going their separate ways after two decades of being married. According to India Today, the couple had been growing apart for a while and six months ago, they came to the conclusion that their differences were irreconcilable.

Arjun and Mehr were reportedly waiting for their daughters, Myra and Mahikaa, to come to terms with the separation before they announced it. Apparently, the cracks in their marriage appeared as early as 2011, when Arjun and Mehr fell out of favour with Shah Rukh Khan. If a source close to the couple is to be believed, Arjun sent feelers to Shah Rukh and expressed his desire to be a part of Ra.One.

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"But Mehr allegedly insisted on a higher remuneration for her husband from co-producer SRK himself, who swore to never work with Arjun in the future. The two subsequently had a public falling out during the film's release. After that, Shah Rukh stopped taking Mehr's calls. His wife, Gauri Khan, who had been close friends with Mehr, severed ties with her as well," revealed an insider.

Arjun also managed to rub Karan Johar on the wrong side, when he gave his nod to We Are Family, and then hiked his fee at the last minute. Karan was miffed and reportedly vowed never to work with Arjun again. Soon, Arjun and Mehr were dropped from the inner circle of Bollywood's most elite.

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Following his fallout with so many people from the industry, Arjun eventually found solace in Hrithik Roshan’s estranged wife Susanne Khan. Close friends of the actor told the publication that Arjun had been smitten with her for a long time.

"When his equations with many industry friends were worsening, his friendship with Sussanne only strengthened over time and Mehr grew extremely insecure. It led to several fights between the couple," a source added, recalling a nasty showdown between the two women at a party hosted by Fardeen Khan last year. "Mehr and Sussanne yelled at one another before Mehr stormed out of the party. The two have not spoken to each other since.”

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Fingers were also pointed at Arjun when Hrithik and Susanne announced their split. However, Arjun vociferously denied that he had anything to do with their marriage crumbling. "I read in the news as the same time as you all about my involvement in this marriage. It saddens me deeply that rumours become inevitable during celebrities going through such times. Mehr and I wish Hrithik and Susanne only peace and love through these times and support them as friends should and we wish them and their families well always," Arjun said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sussanne was also not amused by the "malicious" rumours of her affair with Arjun and clarified in a statement in November 2014, "Arjun and Mehr are friends and have been for years. To poison a relationship such as this is malicious behavior. I have, with Mehr, earlier stated in the same paper that there is no truth to the claim that Arjun and I are anything more than friends."

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However, the rumours refused to die down. In 2015, Mehr had been fighting tooth and nail to save her marriage but there came a point when she was heartbroken and moved in with her mother in Dadar's Parsi colony. The reconciliation came soon after and Mehr returned to her home with Arjun. The couple began making lots of public appearances together and it seemed like nothing had been amiss in the first place.

Arjun and Mehr decided to give their marriage another shot but things went awry last year. In late 2016, the couple had a nasty spat that resulted in Arjun walking out of their home for the first time.

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