Actor Harsh Chhaya has once again spoken openly about his divorce from actress Shefali Shah. The two actors were married in 1994 after working together on the television show Hasratein and separated in 2000. Over the years, both Harsh and Shefali have described the breakup as a difficult phase in their lives.
In a recent interview with Lallantop, Harsh shared his thoughts on divorce, emotional healing and how he dealt with the separation. According to him, every divorce is different and cannot be judged in the same way.
“It is a very personal case to case kind of thing, our case was very clear, I could see that the relationship was hitting a dead end. When I was told, ‘I cannot stay with you anymore’; 8 to 9 months before that, I knew this was coming. I was prepared. For me, even though I know what is happening, at that moment I don’t let it affect me mentally, so I focus on work, on myself, because I left Delhi and came to Mumbai for this. Personally, how one deals with it depends on them. I fortunately come from a space where I don’t get shaken easily,” he said.
Harsh also explained that people should not pretend to be emotionally strong during painful situations. He said it is important to accept sadness and stress instead of hiding emotions.
“You need to try and stay sane when a situation like this comes; if you are uncomfortable, live with it, don’t try to show yourself as strong. I lived with it for 5 to 6 months, regretted, shouted, etc. One day, I saw that you are under stress, everyone around you is willing to listen to your story, and share their views. Once I spoke to someone, we discussed each other’s issues, and later we went on a date; it happened a few times and I made it a formula. I went on multiple dates over 2 to 3 months. It takes time, you don’t have to show your bravery, rather show what you are feeling,” he added.
The actor also said that divorce should not always be viewed negatively if a relationship has already stopped working.
“Two people can’t stay together 24/7; I cannot live with my clone for 365 days. For me, divorce is not a big deal; in fact, if it has to happen, it should happen sooner rather than later, so the relationship is not dragged. When we decided, we got our application back dated, declaring that we had been living separately for six months. We acted on it quickly,” he said.
In earlier interviews too, both actors had reflected on the separation. Shefali Shah had spoken about giving years to the relationship before realising it was healthier to move on. After the divorce, Shefali married filmmaker Vipul Shah in 2000, while Harsh Chhaya married Suneeta Sengupta in 2003.
On the work front, Harsh was recently seen in Undekhi Season 4.