It has been more than two years since Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja, was accused of raping his domestic help. Currently, the actor is out on bail after he challenged the sentence in the Bombay High Court.
We caught up with Shiney at an event recently, where he opened up to us. "We have appealed against the conviction in the high court and fortunately the high court has accepted our appeal. Now, we are waiting for the paper book to happen. We are looking forward to an early hearing," said Shiney.
Shiney, who looked relaxed and cheerful on his recent visit to the capital for the promotion of his upcoming movie "Ghost" produced by Bharat Shah, confessed, "I'm grateful to Bharatji and Puja Jatinder Bedi, the producer of the film, who stood by me in my difficult times and gave me the chance to make a comeback in movies again. It was good to see that the entire Bollywood fraternity has not forgotten me. I'm grateful to all who have been by my side. I remember last month I bumped into filmmaker Imtiaz Ali in my building. He came forward, hugged me, and asked, 'How are you Shiney?' It was just a single line but that line had lot of meaning and warmth. I could actually feel his concern and empathy for me."
So has life changed in these two years? "Yes, life has definitely changed a lot and also the way I look at it has changed. I have gone through a lot of ups and downs, but I strongly believe that everything that is happening around me is God's will. Initially it was tough, but my family, specially my wife Anu, supported me a lot. I also owe it to my four-year-old daughter. I feel she walked into my life as God's messenger. In these two years, I enjoyed being with her, dropping her to school everyday, playing games and being the perfect dad. Finally, the people whom I had met two years back as an actor still remain the same. They admire me and have prayed for my comeback. My friends, and even my wife, keep telling me that I'm too simple, innocent and straightforward a person. Now if somebody has to say anything then what can you do about that."
How does it feel to face the camera again? "I'm just loving doing what I enjoy doing. Facing the camera, for me, is like a learning process, where I try to understand not only myself but also my character and more about the world around me. So once you get used to that learning and then suddenly you miss it midway it's almost like taking childhood away from a child. As an actor, it was a liberating process for me and I could feel the pain during the gap of two years. I'm happy to be back on the big screen. Trust me, we all don't really plan our careers, it's like a script that we all write, but most of it never happens in our real lives.
How I am going to enjoy my present is up to me. Both success and failure, I consider it to be part of a success story," said Shiney.
"My daughter is too young to understand all that I have gone through these two years but she could feel the pain and sorrow on my face," he added.
"She didn't know anything but her soul could feel my pain. Just few days back my daughter told my wife after seeing my picture in a newspaper, 'Papa ki yeh wali photo, iss photo mein kitne achhe lag rahe hain woh smile kar rahe hain'. Since then I have made it a point that whenever I face a camera I should smile and make her feel happy."
About his link-up with Sayali Bhagat, he says, "I have learnt one thing in my acting career, that when you start getting famous you need to take care of success and fame. It's hard for you to make out who those people are who can ruin you. It is very obvious that in our profession as actors it doesn't take time to become someone from no one. So you need to be cautious and meet genuine people. I have gone through a lot of pain and when I hear more such stories I just feel like letting it all go. There is no point in talking more about it."
We hear that Shiney has been approached by Anurag Basu, to do a cameo role in his next movie "Barfee". Shiney says, "I'm truly grateful to Anurag for having faith in me and offering me the role in his next movie. Besides being a close friend, he has also been a wonderful human being. His words still echo in my ears, 'Shiney, whatever legal matter you are busy with, just don't worry about your career. Your brother is there to support you.' And I guess that gave me the strength to make a comeback in Bollywood."
That's not all, recently Shiney interacted with actor Sanjay Dutt at the launch of his movie "Ghost"'s music album and he shared with us, "There are very few people who keep their promises and Sanju baba is one of them. He understood what I went through because we both went through the same pain in our lives. We have a great bonding."
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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