Marriage on the rocks! - Article

MARRIAGE ON THE ROCKS!

AYUB & NIHARIKA KHAN COPE WITH IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES!



Opposites may attract, but that does not necessarily mean they will sustain. Nothing and no one can guarantee the longevity of any relationship. A perfect example of this is couple Ayub and Niharika Khan. If sources close to them are to be believed, Ayub and Niharika have parted ways and are even living separately at present.

Ayub Khan, as many would popularly remember is the thespian Dilip Kumar's nephew. After having been unsuccessful on the big screen, Ayub became a household name with serials like Piya Bina and the very recent Uttaran. His marriage to Niharika too was nothing short of a fairytale romance.

Their love story started way back, when the two were in college. Yet it was only after a series of many twists and turns that they finally got together. After college, Niharika went to the US and found it difficult to continue a long distance relationship with Ayub back in India. So, both of them broke up and got married to their respective significant others. But as luck would have it, both their marriages did not last long and they rekindled their love after 11 long years of separation, when they bumped into each other at a salon accidentally.

If this wasn't enough to warm the cockles of your heart, their consequent engagement and marriage too was quite filmi to say the least – what with him giving her five dozens of roses at the time he proposed to her.

That they were definitely brought together by destiny was evident to all. One would frequently see the two having a ball on the party circuit. While Ayub seemed the more reticent and quieter of the two, Niharika's flamboyant ways were always the life of a party. The couple even has two beautiful daughters together.

Alas! Their seemingly perfect camaraderie (a relationship that lasted almost two decades) was not meant to be. The reason for their separation is still not clear, but sources close to the two vouch for the fact that it is because of their different personalities that they parted ways. Our informer explains, "The two are like chalk and cheese. While Ayub is the conservative kinds, Niharika is more gregarious. Every couple does have arguments, but in the past couple of years their problems rose to another level altogether. For example, Ayub never took very lightly to Niharika's atheist ways."

Even their lengthy courtship and strong foundation of love and trust couldn't help in saving their marriage. "Things got pretty messy after a point. Fighting everyday had just become like a norm for the two. Niharika's modern views were getting too much for Ayub to handle," adds our source.

But their differences of opinions were not the only thing that rocked their sailing boat. It seems that it is Ayub's ongoing affair with another woman (who he is even living-in with currently) that became the breaking point in their marriage. An informant reveals, "Which woman would tolerate her husband with another woman? All this while, people thought that Niharika was the bold and outgoing one, but Ayub's decision to let go of their marriage has shocked all their close friends."

The most surprising part is that up till now, not many people (except close friends and family) know about their estranged relationship, as they haven't filed for divorce. One of the main reasons for this is that they are worried about the future of their two daughters, who are living with Niharika at the moment. In fact, Ayub ended up staying in this marriage for so long only because of his children. "Given a chance, he would have definitely parted ways earlier. But he stayed put and took this decision simply because things had gotten out of hand."

In spite of all this, however, a common friend of the two doesn't rule out the possibility of reconciliation. He says on the condition of anonymity, "Their differences may have escalated to great heights, but come on, they have been together for years. Ayub is with someone else, who is not even from the industry and things are difficult. Let's see. If they can change things from here on, hats off to them."

We tried to get in touch with Ayub Khan, but to no avail. Niharika also remained unavailable for comment. Well, it's pretty obvious that there is something amiss between the two. Only time will tell whether they'll be able to reconcile their differences or not.

*By Raedita Tandan