Bollywood is a world filled with glam, but behind this glam the personal lives of Bollywood will take you to some darker realities. These women may have had their names in the tabloids but, they were still nightmares for the sexes behind closed doors as domestic violence is not only dictating in one household or among celebrities. Take a look at the Bollywood actresses who boldly opened up about the physical abuse they suffered. Although these stories showcase the bravery and courage of these women, they also show that no one is safe from domestic violence, even those who are famous. There is a need to spread awareness and help out the ones who are in abusive relationships.
1Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai, who is considered one of the biggest actresses in Bollywood history had a stormy affair with Salman Khan. Khan and Aishwarya dated for nearly two years in the early 2000s, but eventually parted ways after Aishwarya publicly revealed that Khan had physically and emotionally abused her several times. He used to make a ruckus in the film sets and sometimes even at her family home, she said. Aishwarya undertook more projects post this, and eventually went on to marry actor Abhishek Bachchan — all the while managing her way through the trauma.
2Zeenat Aman
Behind the camera, however, the life of iconic beauty Zeenat Aman was not so picture-perfect. When she was in her early-20s, her then-boyfriend Sanjay Khan allegedly assaulted her in a hotel room, causing permanent damage to one of her eyes. Her own marriage to Mazhar Khan then turned into a nightmare that subjected her to immense mental and physical trauma. However after this trauma zeenat still stood strong and she gave many interviews to inspire other women.
3Karisma Kapoor
Actress Karisma Kapoor’s marriage to businessman Sanjay Kapur was a painful phase for her. Interim CTO, Uber Technologies Inc. After 4 years of being abused by my husband – physical and emotional abuse perpetrated against me, not only by him but his family members too. After a decade of marriage, the actress made a choice to end things and filed for divorce as well as custody of her kids. Karisma turning up and talking against abuse is an inspiration for all such women who face same issues.
4Kangana Ranaut
We all know Kangana Ranaut is the ‘Queen’ of Bollywood but at one point, she was abused by actor Aditya Pancholi who is years older than her. The tiff has become controversial as Kangna mentioned that she was assaulted by Pancholi in her early career période. The industry is a patriarchal pressure cooker, which made her decision to sue him bold. A lot have appreciated Kangana not giving up and refuse to keep gagged.
5Yukta Mookhey
Former beauty queen and Miss World Yukta Mookhey also suffered domestic violence in her marriage to Prince Tuli. She had filed an FIR against him for harassment, physical and mental torture in 2012. There are stories like Yukta that draws the attention towards the dark fact that educated women in power are also not free from domestic violence. She was from that moment on an outspoken advocate against abuse and for the rights of women.
6Shweta Tiwari
Shweta Tiwari, a well-known TV actress suffered from domestic abuse during both her marriages. Her initial speech was about the domestic violence that she suffered under her first husband, Raja Chaudhary. She had been in another marriage with Abhinav Kohli, but the relationship crumbled after he was accused of domestic violence. Some conservative setups were moved by Shweta’s courageous step in walking out of abusive relationships and changing their lives to save the beauty, grace, dignity and security.
7Dimpy Ganguly
Dimpy Ganguly had her worst experience after the TV show, where she married Rahul Mahajan. The girl alleged that Rahul beat her up, after which she was injured severely. The fact that Dimpy owned her street cred on the begin circle and stood up for herself as well (and even left the abusive relationship) is a lesson to those coming after, when it comes to owning your abuser — no matter how high on the food chain they might be!
8Rati Agnihotri
In 2015, veteran actress Rati Agnihotri lodged a police complaint against her husband Anil Virwani for physical and mental torture. The actress, who had remained quiet for an eternity, finally blossomed with the guts to speak up, motivating several women not to endure.
9Mandana Karimi
It was in 2020 when the model and actress Mandana Karimi filed an domestic violence and abuse case against her then-husband Gaurav Gupta. She explained her relationship and how it was severely abusive physically, but also took a major toll on her emotionally. Her announcements were a bombshell for her followers, proof that no one is exempt from abuse — regardless of their level of fame.
