By Akanksha Gupta Last Updated:
He is the one, who had begun his journey with National School of Drama, Delhi, proved over the years that acting is all that one needs to become an actor. The man of cinematic poise and extraordinary talent, who came from Budhana, UP, made his way into the world of acting, followed his passion and never gave up on his dreams. Did you know Nawazuddin Siddiqui had a blink and miss role in Aamir Khan starrer film, Sarfarosh? Before he had shot to fame, Nawazuddin had played such characters to survive in the industry. And today, there no such actor at par excellence with Nawazuddin! (Also Read: Shahid Kapoor's Mom, Neliima Azeem Opens Up On Her Divorce With Pankaj Kapur And Difficult Times)
In 2017, the autobiography of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, An Ordinary Life: A memoir, documented his struggling journey in the world of acting and had revealed many secrets of his personal life. Nawazuddin previously had a short-lived marriage with Sheeba, which didn’t work out and soon after their divorce, the actor had reconciled with his ex-girlfriend, Anjali and had tied the knot with her in 2009. Anjali and Nawazuddin had started dating in 2004 and 5 years later, they had tied the knot. Post-wedding, Anjali had changed her name to Aaliya. But their married life has hit the rocks as Aaliya has filed for divorce and wants to part ways with her husband, Nawazuddin.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Aaliya Siddiqui are parents to a nine-year-old daughter, Shaura Siddiqui, and five-year-old son, Yaani Siddiqui. Confirming the news of Aaliya filing for divorce to end her married life with Nawazuddin, her lawyers quoted to Zee News, "Yes, it is to confirm that we have sent a legal notice to Mr Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The notice was sent on behalf of Mrs Aaliya Siddiqui on May 7, 2020. Due to unprecedented COVID-19 times, the notice could not be sent through speed post. It has been sent through email as well as WhatsApp. Mrs Siddiqui, our client, has also said the notice through WhatsApp. However, Mr Siddiqui has not responded till date. I think he is just keeping quiet regarding the notice and ignoring it."
Revealing that the allegations made by Aaliya Siddiqui against her husband, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family are very serious, the lawyers added, "The notice has been sent claiming maintenance and divorce. I would not like to get into the details of the notice regarding what are the contents and what are the allegations, but let me tell you that the allegations are quite serious and those are very sensitive to Mr Siddiqui as well as his family members." (Also Read: Virat Kohli Admits He Never Proposed Wife, Anushka Sharma Formally, His Logic Defines Love Perfectly)
In an interview with the Bombay Times, Aaliya Siddiqui revealed the reason behind the decision of divorce with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and how she has been handling everything since so many years. Aaliya stated, “There are a lot of things that I don’t want to bring in the public domain as of now, but our problems started soon after we got married over a decade ago. Two months of lockdown gave me a lot of time to introspect. Self-respect is extremely important in a marriage. Woh meri khatam ho chuki thi, I didn’t have that. I was made to feel like a nobody, I always felt alone. His brother Shamas was also an issue. I have gone back to my original name, Anjali Kishor Pandey. I don’t want to be reminded that I am using someone’s identity for my benefit.”
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Aaliya Siddiqui a.k.a., Anjali Kishor Pandey further talked about seeking sole custody of their children, Shaura and Yaani, and continued, “I want to go with the flow. I haven’t thought much about the future, but I don’t want this marriage anymore. There are no chances of reconciliation. I have raised them and I want their custody.”
Due to the pandemic 2020 and lockdown imposed in the nation, Nawazuddin Siddiqui had travelled to his hometown, Budhana, as his mother wasn’t keeping well. Revealing the details, Nawazuddin had tweeted, “Due to the recent loss of my younger sister, my mother, who is 71 years old, got anxiety attack twice. We have followed all the guidelines given by the State Government. We are #HomeQuarantined at our hometown Budhana. Please #StaySafe #StayHome.” (Also Read: Ali Fazal Finally Reveals The Date Of His Wedding With Girlfriend, Richa Chadha, Details Inside)
On the professional front, Nawazuddin will next be seen in Ghoomketu, which is slated to release on May 22, 2020, on Zee5.