Ankita Lokhande has ended her silence on her relationship with Sushant Singh Rajput and how it ended. The two dated for six years, before parting ways in 2016. Ankita’s presence besides Sushant’s family after his death was lauded by fans. However, recently, the actor was trolled mercilessly, for ending their relationship back in the day. Ankita has now opened up about dealing the aftermath of Sushant’s death, how their breakup affected her and the big films that she let go as she wanted to marry and settle down with him.
Talking about the time Sushant broke up with her, Ankita said that she believed it was okay to be silent to respect her relationship. She said people had no inkling about the truth. “I am not blaming anyone. But he made his choice clear. He wanted to go with his career,” the actor shared in an interview with Bollywood Bubble.
The actor further opened up saying that she was completely lost back then, and is grateful to God that she came out of that phase. Sharing that for more than two years, she wasn’t in a state of mind to even work and would stay at home lying on her bed, without talking to anyone. For Ankita, there were moments when she didn’t know what to do, as for her ‘life was finished’ after Sushant left. The actor said she wouldn’t call herself depressed but it was immense grief and sadness that she went through. She was also lonely as most people would offer her sympathy on surface but no one cared to understand.
Probably for the first time, Ankita Lokhande acknowledged being in a relationship with Vicky Jain as she told that there was a point in her life, when she realised she had to let go of Sushant so that someone else could enter that space. “And I met Vicky and am very happy with him. He has brought that much needed balance in my life.”
The actor revealed that she let go of big films like Happy New Year, Ram Leela, Sultan and Bajirao Mastani as she wanted to get married and have a family. “When I met Shah Rukh Khan sir in Macau with Sushant, he promised to give me the best part. However, at the back of my mind I didn’t want it to work out. For me, I wanted the best for Sushant, I wanted to build my man and quietly supported him for long. Only after my breakup, I realised that I too have my individuality, and I need to work on myself and work for myself,” Ankita shared.
She then went on to narrate how Sanjay Leela Bhansali warned her that she would regret not taking up Bajirao Mastani. While he was keen to have her on board, Ankita shared that she said no to him saying, ‘mujhe shaadi karni hai (I want to get married).’ Even when Varun Dhawan called her for Badlapur, the actor refused the offer saying she was happy with Pavitra Rishta. As per her, if the show had run for 10 more years, she would have happily done that.
“I have no regrets. To be honest as my priority was something else back then. Also, I did not know how to balance career and personal life. Now I do and I keep telling every one that you should know how to maintain both well separately. Don’t let yourself get lost. I started giving up on everything that was important to me. Now I am working my best towards creating that balance,” she shared.
While Ankita Lokhande never had to face a discrimination given she was coming from television, she did have her own share of uncomfortable experiences when it came to casting couch. The first time it happened was when the actor had just started out and received an offer for a south film. When Ankita was told she would need to sleep with the producer to get the film, in her words ‘band bajaa di maine’. The actor said that she felt something in her break knowing that someone had the audacity to even ask her for such favours.
The second time, the Manikarnika actor said happened with a big star, and she could feel the weird vibe with just a handshake. “I left the meeting instantly as I knew this was not going to happen. I will never work this way.”She concluded by saying that although Sushant is gone, she is still close to his family as she wants to take care of them. The actor shared that she has always maintained her contact with them over all these years, as she likes to keep her people close. “I don’t let go of my relationships,” shared Ankita Lokhande.
