Darshan Jariwala dismissed Apara Mehta’s claim that he called her the ugliest woman before walking out of their home.
The actor clarified that their divorce was never finalised because Mehta withdrew her consent before the judge at the last minute.
He refuted claims that Mehta raised their daughter alone, asserting he provides financial support.
Actor Darshan Jariwala rejected claims by his estranged wife. Last month, Apara Mehta alleged that he walked away from their residence during the early 2000s, having admitted he had "fallen out of love" and calling her "the ugliest woman" he had ever seen. Jariwala maintained that her memory shifted over time, insisting that "nothing like that happened".
Jariwala reacts to his wife claims
Jariwala and Mehta have been separated for 23 years but are still legally married. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Jariwala disputed her version in direct terms. “There’s a neurological phenomenon that with time, your memory of an event keeps changing. I can say very generously that it’s a case of false memory. The way it’s been narrated, nothing like that happened,” he said.
He added that he would not make a remark of that kind about anyone. “I’m not that kind of a guy who would even tell, let’s say a plain-looking woman, that she’s ugly. It would be a very irrelevant remark to make. If I know myself well, I’d talk about how the person is inside, and not really from outside,” he added.
Jariwala questions why the matter had surfaced now
He said Mehta was “absolutely welcome” to “play the victim card”, and added that he had moved on and was “very happy” in his life now. He has been living with interior designer and architect Anahita Italia since 2010. “I can’t even fathom why she’d want to talk about these things 23 years after being separated. And never before this! If this is the history, and she’s had the opportunity to take this to the media, why now?,” he said.
“We can’t sit in her mind and judge. I know my truth. My truth is my truth. There’s no limit to lies. I can’t even gauge her motivation,” Jariwala said. “The people who really know me know the entire story really well because my version doesn’t change. Truth has no versions,” he added.
Jariwala's marriage and separation
Jariwala met Mehta during practice sessions for a Gujarati production that featured her mother in the cast. “We developed a friendship. We were very young at the time. I was 20-21. She was a couple of years younger than me,” he said.
They eloped because Mehta feared her parents would reject the marriage over caste issues. He was pursuing a Chartered Accountancy course at the time and said he was less keen on the wedding than she was.
After three months, she was living with him and his family. Later, his parents contacted hers and the couple married again, this time with the blessings of both families.
Jariwala opened up about how their lives changed after marriage in 1982. “Two people grow to be different. If you plant two saplings together, they’ll grow differently. Her priorities are different, mine were different.”
He linked that change to work and money. “My circumstances changed because I was involved in an unsuccessful business venture. Even our thinking about how we want to deal with our careers was different. So, we tried to give the best childhood to our daughter. That’s where we were very clear. A relationship goes through changes sometimes,” he said.
Jariwala said he filed for divorce, but the petition did not go through because Mehta did not consent in court. “I did file divorce papers, but the judge rejected the application. She didn’t give her consent,” he said. “She’d agreed for divorce, but she changed her mind in front of the judge at the last minute.”
House, career, daughter
He said he walked out of their Santacruz West home and left the property to Mehta and their daughter. He described it as his “very good house” and said it was all he could give them at the time.
“That’s all I had to give to her. If someone had to ask for alimony, it should’ve been me because I was under those circumstances.” He said he did not have another home and did not have enough money to pay rent.
That left him relying on others. Jariwala said he stayed at friends’ homes for a period before he could afford a small rented house. “But the circumstances were like that I went through that pain despite that,” he said.
He also rejected Mehta’s claim that she raised their daughter alone. Jariwala said he remains in regular touch with her and that they continue to share a good relationship. “I’m quite good as a father. I keep in touch with her. I’m quite aware of all the developments in her life. She has a good channel of communication open with me. She also has a debit card from me,” he said.
