Rahul Mahajan apparently has a history of abusing women. The latest update is that he's not only beaten his wives, but also ex-girlfriend Payal Rohtagi. Here's his bleak past in pics.
Dimpy Ganguly-Mahajan’s accusation that her husband and reality show star, Rahul Mahajan beat her up on Thursday night, has left the Swayamvar show, which got them together, in a dilemma. Imagine, the broadcaster, was planning to bring its third season, hopefully with a girl, towards the end of
this year.
Sameer Nair, CEO, Imagine, says, “I’m shocked! I never expected something like this. It seems like yesterday when Dimpy and Rahul got married on our show. It’s a pity. I can’t think of a third, fourth and fifth season right now. I’m very disappointed because every couple has fights, but it’s ugly when people wash their dirty linen in public.”
Don’t worry
Fazila Allana, whose production company SOL produced the show for two seasons, with Rakhi Sawant (Rakhi Ka Swayamvar that ended with a broken engagement) and Rahul Mahajan (Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega) remained unavailable for a comment.
And so did the Mahajans. According to telly-expert Anil Wanvari of Indiantelevision.com, the incident is not a reason for the channel to worry. “They might have to try harder, but they will find takers for the show, in terms of audience and contestants.
There are many celebrities and common people who will give an arm and a leg to be a part of a show that telecasts their wedding on national TV and pays them for it as well,” adds Wanvari, pointing out that such incidents are common in the West where formats like The Bachelorate and The Bachelor are popular.
“Not all weddings succeed. Fights are common. Now, since girls are more independent in thought and action, they choose to move out of their marriage if they’re not happy. And this is becoming commonplace,” says Wanvari.
Perceptions
Priyadarshini Singh and Harpreet Chhabra (also a finalist), Dimpy Ganguly’s co-contestants from Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega, are taken aback by the news. “All of us were with Rahul for three months during the show’s shooting in Rajasthan.
None of us felt that he could have ever lifted a finger on his first wife Shweta. He had a cute laugh and was well behaved. Who knows what triggered the incident. Unfortunately, I don’t have great thoughts for his wife Dimpy,” says Singh. Chhabra, who had eventually become friends with the couple didn’t expect such an incident.
“I knew before the wedding day that they were in love. Rahul was comfortable with Dimpy from Day One. She was friendly and fun loving. But only when you start living together do you realise how much of each other you can take. I know they were happy with each other. They had a great honeymoon too. This incident was unexpected,” she adds.
But pilot Shweta Singh, whose marriage to Mahajan ended in divorce in 2008, feels that this was expected. “I’m not surprised. Why are people shocked? The charges his second wife Dimpy Ganguly has made are similar to mine. Hasn’t everyone known about him all along? Everyone has seen what happened with me earlier,” Singh rues.
“Domestic violence is traumatic. People need to stand up against it. I can’t even think of marrying again as I still haven’t gotten over so much of baggage.” Ganguly, a Kolkata-based model, married Rahul at a much-publicised wedding on Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega on March 6.
In an interview to HT just a day before the incident, the couple had claimed to be happily married. “We are happy together and no one can change that,” Dimpy had said.
-with inputs by Navdeep Kaur Marwah and Neha Sharma.