Actor Pooja Bedi is one of those rare personalities in the film industry who never shied away from speaking about her marriage, divorce, and the life she chose. During a recent chat, Pooja Bedi once again redefined the term “divorce” in a more inclusive way, challenging its traditional negative connotation. Pooja Bedi has no qualms about admitting that she “was happy to be divorced.”
Speaking to Suhasini Maniratnam on Jos Alukkas’ YouTube channel, Pooja said she is still best friends with her ex-husband, Farhan Furniturewala, with whom she shares two children. At the age of 24, Pooja married into a conventional Muslim family, only to realise later that she had to quit films to fit the role of daughter-in-law and wife.
‘I Was Happy To Be Divorced’
“Marriage is an experience; it’s a journey. I thank him for my two beautiful children. I don’t know how life would have been without them. I love them. My marriage gave me a best friend because my ex-husband, till today, is my best friend, and my children, they are my love, my life,” she said. She admitted that she made many “mistakes” in marriage, but getting married was not one of them.
Breaking convention, Pooja decided to separate when her daughter was five years old and her son was two.
“I am thankful and grateful for the 12 years we had together, the children that we had together. Thank you, but just because I had 12 good years doesn’t mean I should have 50 bad years. I was so happy to be married and I was so happy to be divorced,” she said.
Parents Were Cordial After Divorce
Recalling her childhood memories of her parents’ (Kabir and Protima Bedi) divorce, Pooja said her outlook was shaped by them.
“I grew up seeing my father and mother divorced. I was five when they got divorced, and I saw them having the most loving and respectful relationship. I saw them being best friends with each other. My dad, on his honeymoon with his second wife, came and stayed with us,” she said.
She shared that she has a great relationship with her ex-husband’s current wife, Layla. “His current wife, Layla, is so lovely. I have known her since I was in junior KG. Their son is like part of my family. My daughter, in an interview, said that I can’t imagine my life without Layla aunty and without Zaan (their son) because our family got bigger,” she said.
Pooja Bedi married Farhan Furniturewala in 1994. The couple welcomed their daughter, actor Alaya F, in 1997, followed by their son, Omar. The two divorced in 2003 after nearly a decade of marriage.
