Popular television actor Shweta Tiwari and her ex-husband Raja Chaudhary’s daughter, Palak Tiwari, recently said she didn’t feel the “absence” of a father figure while growing up. Her mother brought her up single-handedly after their separation. Her mother, grandmother, and a strong family support system never made Palak feel lonely.
“It never really bothered me. A child is like a sponge—you reflect whatever your parents show you. It never felt like something was missing,” the actor told Yuvaa.
“I had my nani, my mom, my family… it was a full house. I have never felt deprived of anything in my life,” she added.
Palak also said that her mother is fiercely protective of her.
“My mom never let anyone be disrespectful to me. Someone once said I don’t have a dad at home. I told my mom, and she went to his house and said, ‘She does have a family… it’s her nani, it’s me… we are her family,'” she said.
Talking about being raised under her grandmother’s guidance, Palak added, “When I was young, my mom was shooting, and television hours are very gruelling. So it was often my nani who was at home, and she raised me completely. My nani taught me everything. I am a lot like her.”
Shweta filed for divorce in 2007 on the grounds of domestic violence and Raja’s drinking problem.
In an interview with Galatta India, Shweta Tiwari explained why she took nine years to leave her troubled marriage.
When asked what had initially stopped her from leaving the troubled relationship, Shweta said, “In my entire family, nobody had ever had a love marriage—I had. There were also caste issues in our family, yet I had an inter-caste marriage.
“People had already started taunting my mother and judging my marriage. On top of that, if I filed for divorce, it would have been a whole different story. At that point, I wasn’t financially independent, but it was more of an emotional issue.”
Shweta continued, “I was worried about my daughter not having a father while growing up. Later, I realised that you can have a happy family only when you are mentally happy.
“It’s not a good upbringing for your child to be in a dysfunctional family. If two people can’t co-exist, it is better to part ways.”
Raja Chaudhary and Shweta Tiwari got married in 1998.
