(Courtesy: SoorajPancholi, BabaSiddique )

New Delhi:

Sooraj Pancholi, son of the actor couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, recently opened up on his equation with his father. Sooraj told Siddharth Kannan that he doesn’t “agree with the way Aditya Pancholi has handled things in life”. The actor said, “My father has a certain image as this bad boy person, who has done many things wrong. I don’t agree with it, of course, he has done things wrong. He is my father, I love him no matter what baap ek hi hota hai. I don’t agree with the way he has handled things in his life but in a way I have forgiven him because I know I am his only support in life. I want to make him proud.” 

Aditya Pancholi was accused of allegedly raping actress Pooja Bedi’s underage domestic help. In 2019, Kangana Ranaut filed a sexual assault complaint against Aditya Pancholi, whom she reportedly dated in the early 2000s. 

In the same interview, Sooraj Pancholi said, “At that time, mujhe pata bhi nahi tha ki kya ho raha hai. Maine yeh sab realise kiya industry mai aane ke baad jab main logo se mila, jab maine news padhna shuru kiya [I didn’t know what was happening. I only realised this after entering the industry. When I met people, when I started reading news pieces.] then I understood ki okay, these are the things that have happened. It, of course, hurt me a lot but like I said I love my father.”

About confronting his father, Sooraj Pancholi said that he [Aditya Pancholi] “understands his mistakes” and has seen the “consequences of his actions.” Sooraj continued, “Since the past 1 year, I would not say that I have confronted him but I think that one look at each other says a lot more than us saying something to each other. And, he understands his mistakes. He [Aditya Pancholi] has seen the consequences of his actions. So, it’s an understanding, it’s not that main baith ke unse kabhi baat kiya hu, ya unko kabhi bola hu ki aapne yeh kyun kiya voh kyun kiya [It has never been like I have spoken to him or questioned his actions] It’s never been that.”

Sooraj Pancholi also revealed that his father thought he went through a rigorous media trial during the 2013 Jiah Khan abetment to suicide case because of his [Aditya Pancholi] past mistakes. Earlier this year in April, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court acquitted Sooraj Pancholi of abetment charges in actress Jiah Khan’s death by suicide case. Jiah was found dead at her Juhu home in Mumbai on June 3, 2013.

Sooraj Pancholi said, “Sister and mom have been very strong from the beginning, day 1. Dad has been very emotional. I am the younger child so he was very hurt. Sometimes he felt that because of his past mistakes, I went through these things. Sometimes he would shed a tear or two. Rest, everyone has been supportive.”

Sooraj Pancholi made his Bollywood debut in 2015 with Hero, alongside Sunil Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty. 

Sooraj Pancholi was recently seen in the music video titled Jaane Jaa with Bigg Boss sensation Nimrit Ahluwalia.