'I loved him, not his money'

Inside Story

Looks like everything that Pooja Gandhi does off the screen is jinxed. The much-hyped, talked about engagement between Pooja and businessman Anand Gowda was called off on Tuesday, following deep differences between the couple.

Pooja Gandhi’s mother Jyoti Gandhi told Metrolife that she will not tolerate any sort of torture on her daughter. “I didn’t want Pooja to marry Anand looking at his wealth. I agreed to their marriage only because I wanted Pooja to be happy. But now, after I hear of all the torture that she has been through, rather silently, I am glad that she decided to call it off,” Jyoti says.

She says, “I know my daughter very well and I wouldn’t want her to marry someone who is always suspicious about her and her movements. As a family, we have always respected Anand and I had always cooked dishes that he liked but I think I made a mistake. I didn’t know his real colours. I thought he was a good-natured man but looks like I was wrong.”

Jyoti says that she reacted like any other mother whose daughter is unhappy and being treated badly. “I reacted just like any other mother. For me, my daughter is important and she matters more than anybody else,” he says.

The film industry has expressed shock over the engagement that lasted for only a few days. For the record, the industry has lent its support to Pooja, saying in one voice that she is not the sort of person to take any decision in a haste. It is good, they say, that the differences and incompatibility surfaced before the wedding otherwise Pooja would have had to go through much more sorrow later.

Senior actress Padmaja Rao, who was the only one from the film industry to be present during the engagement ceremony, says, “I am shocked that this has happened. The couple, I am told, have known each other for barely 10 months before Pooja decided to get engaged.

I saw Anand only on the day of the engagement and I don’t know him. But I think, she should have been more careful before she decided to get engaged. Men are dominating and sometimes, this domination reaches unreasonable levels.”

Veteran actor Doddanna, who has acted with Pooja Gandhi in a lot of films, feels that she took the decision in a haste. “Pooja is like my daughter and this should not have happened to her. At a time when we see so many relationships falling apart, Pooja should have been more cautious. But I am sure she will get over it,” he says.

Actress Saroja Devi, whose granddaughter was married to Anand Gowda when contacted, said that she didn’t want to be associated with Anand or had nothing to do with him.

A source close to Pooja, says that she had been put through tremendous mental pressure. “The couple began to have deep differences only after the engagement. He began taking control of her life after the engagement and cut her off from everybody who was once close to her. She had to live in fear. She is a woman of her own right and should not have been subjected to such torture,” reveals the source.

Reacting to all that has been going on, Pooja confesses, “I didn’t want to marry Anand for his money. I have even done a few movies for free. If I had to marry somebody for money, then I could have done that long ago. I loved him, not his money. I am proud of my work and who I am. I’ve decided to turn a new leaf and move on.”