Does being a divorcee mean you can’t have a life?: Rashami Desai

An enraged and emotional Rashami Desai says she feels hurt that her image is being marred due to speculation and link-up rumours.

Rashami Desai is hurt and upset. The actor’s divorce with Nandish Sandhu came through two months ago, but insinuations in the media and link-ups with other actors have left her reeling.

TV actor Rashmi Desai.

“My marriage is over and the divorce is through. The media was supportive all this while, but of late I feel the conjecture about me has been hurtful. We (Nandish and Rashami) are both single and have moved on. The rumours and link-ups with my co-stars are upsetting. Is it a crime to be a divorcee and a single woman? Does being a divorcee mean you can’t have a life?” she asks.

The Uttaran actor is upset about being linked with her co-stars Sidharth Shukla and Laksh Lalwani in the past few months. An emotional Rashami says, “If I go out with my girlfriends, no one has an issue, but if I put up a post with a male friend or I’m seen chatting with a co-star, there is unnecessary speculation. What wrong am I doing that I’m being treated this way?”

The Uttaran actor says being a divorcee and single is very tough for her.

She adds, “Women have the right to live the way they want, and such reports affect the way people treat me on the set or think about me. I am scared of stepping out of the house, because of what people will think of me. In our society, men and women are looked at differently anyway, and that’s even truer if you are an actress. These reports are not letting me move on. Being a divorcee and single is very tough for me.”

The actor has shared her concern with her family, friends and Nandish as well. They have encouraged her to look past the current scenario and try to put it behind her, but Rashami’s distress isn’t letting her. The actor, who lost her father when she was very young, empathises with her mother.

“I can’t imagine what my mother must have gone through. She cried after reading about the rumours, and that hurt me the most. I have never bothered to talk about rumours, but it was high time I spoke,” she says. Rashami wonders that if people can be so mean about a celebrity, “what would a normal divorced woman be facing in society”.

Rasahmi says Sidharth is a co-star and a friend.

Rashami adds that she is judged on what she wears, her behaviour, her posts on social media, and even her quotes. “When I am on the set, we talk with co-stars about work, and after a scene, we may chat and laugh. That doesn’t imply we ‘like’ each other. This is not me and never has been. The media has known that for over nine years now, but this attitude is unfathomable. I don’t understand why I am under scrutiny. I am talking about this now, as I feel that these reports are unfair to me.”

The actor hopes to learn from this experience. “One has to move on. My mom always says ‘this too shall pass’, but this is painful and a tough time for me.” Rashami is currently shooting for a new TV show with Sidharth Shukla, and says, “For the record, Sidharth is a co-star and a friend. That’s it.”