Sooraj Pancholi’s life took a drastic turn on June 3, 2013, when Jiah Khan was found dead in her Mumbai residence. The tragedy triggered a media storm and a prolonged legal battle, as the young actor, then on the brink of his Bollywood debut, was accused of abetment to suicide. After ten emotionally gruelling years, a CBI Special Court acquitted Sooraj in 2023 due to lack of evidence.Now, in a rare and emotional interview with Nayandeep Rakshit, Sooraj’s mother, veteran actress Zarina Wahab, has opened up about the darkest chapter in her family’s life, offering previously unheard insights into her son’s state of mind, the nature of his relationship with Jiah, and the tragic sequence of events.‘They had broken up a month before her death’Zarina revealed that Sooraj and Jiah were not together at the time of her passing. She explained that the decision to part ways came after Sooraj informed Jiah that both their families were against the relationship.“I want to clear one thing that a lot of people think about Sooraj,” Zarina said. “When they were friends, Salman was launching him. Then I told him that Salman is going to launch you, so stop this! Then he went and told her, ‘my parents don’t want us to meet, and your mother also doesn’t want us to meet. So let’s break up.’ Then she said, ‘Can I come and meet you sometimes?’ So he told her, ‘You can come and meet me as a friend but not as a girlfriend.’ The incident happened a month before their breakup. No one knows about this.”Jiah was reportedly heartbroken over a lost film roleWahab also touched upon a critical detail about Jiah’s state of mind before her death. The actress was allegedly rejected from a Telugu film that later cast Rakul Preet Singh in the lead role, leaving her deeply disheartened.“She was going to South for a Telugu film around the same time in June. On the spot, she was rejected and she was very depressed,” Zarina said, adding that Sooraj had tried to encourage Jiah by sending her a bouquet when she mentioned trying her luck in the South.‘She tried to call Sooraj, but he was in class’Zarina revealed the heartbreaking detail that Jiah had tried to reach out to Sooraj on the day of her death.“She was so depressed that she was trying to call Sooraj. But his classes were going on because of some shooting. He couldn’t take her call, and when he later saw his phone, he texted her, ‘I’m free now, if you want to call me, call.’ But by then, she had already passed away.”
She added, “Now everyone says he did this, he did that… It’s so wrong. The poor girl was really sweet, but only God knows what truly happened with her.”Zarina Wahab concluded by acknowledging the immense emotional toll the case has had on her son. “Whatever happened, it wasn’t good, but people misunderstood. How many people can you go around explaining things to? But he (Sooraj) went through a lot,” she said.
