Article suggested affair between Rampal and Khan.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: It’s gossip news which has the power to detonate the lives of two families, and create rancor for a lifetime: an alleged scandalous affair between the former wife of a Bollywood superstar, with a handsome married Bollywood actor, who is the husband of one of her best friends.
But the families are not laying low and hiding in shame, as people would have expected – they in fact have come out swinging against the daily The Times of India, calling the report they published baseless, fabricated, and even ‘paid‘ news.
Matters came to a boil when the Times put out a story that quoted two undisclosed sources, who are allegedly close to Suzzanne Khan, the former wife of Hrithik Roshan, and Mehr Jessia, the former model married to Arjun Rampal, as no longer being friends.
According to those sources, Jessia, the mother of two daughters with Rampal, confronted her husband and Khan as she suspected the two of them having an affair, as she had come to know that the two had traveled to the same city overseas, and spent ‘quality time’ with each other.
The Times report said Rampal had even moved out of the house and was staying in a hotel, to allegedly prep for a role, while Jessia was heart-broken.
One can well imagine the pain and anguish Jessia must have felt on reading the report, as she has confessed to her deep love for Rampal in past interviews, with one quote saying she wakes up every morning to be amazed at the beautiful man who lay beside her on the bed, her husband. Reports have also come out that had Rampal saying he cherished his family, including his two daughters.
Roshan, Rampal and Khan, strongly criticized the Times report, blasting it for its gossip quotient, without doing any fact checking.
Roshan senr out two tweets that read together: “If u people knew hw much false news is printed, d papers wud actually stop selling. I am disgusted 2day..But powerful good people know how 2walk their truth no matter what…”
Rampal tweeted: “Bombay Times, who paid you? Who are these faceless accusers? If you have the guts reveal them first. Stay away from me and my family.”
Khan decided to make sure her side of the story received even wider coverage by issuing a press statement on the Times report:
“It is with great disappointment I have read Meena Iyer’s article today, titled, “Is Arjun to blame for the Mehr-Sussanne friendship taking a severe beating.
“This piece is an example of speculation and rumor mongering. Not the slightest effort was made to reach me to ask for my inputs into an article that deals with my life.
“Arjun and Mehr are friends and have been for years. To poison a relationship such as this is malicious behavior. I have, with Mehr, earlier stated in the same paper that there is no truth to the claim that Arjun and I are anything more than friends.
“I have begun a new phase in my life with hopes and expectations. As I work to establish and grow my work I am fully concentrated on my career. Today, my time and energy is completely consumed by my children and my work. My family, who have been beyond supportive, are now the foundation of my life.
“I never was and am not an idle Bollywood wife who has all the time in the world to spread canards and lies that damage relationships and lives.
“My heart goes out to Arjun and Mehr who are needlessly being drawn into this. I appeal to all responsible members of the press to look at this in a fair manner.
“I have emerged stronger and focused and I pray that better judgment prevails in all those who wish to create a scandal where there is none.”