Sooraj Pancholi talks about his time in jail, says "They put me where they put Kasab..."

Sooraj Pancholi recalls his time in jail

Actor Sooraj Pancholi has talked candidly about his traumatic experience while incarcerated at Arthur Road Jail in relation to actress Jiah Khan's suicide case. The actor described the difficult circumstances he faced, such as being forced to sleep on newspapers and being kept in solitary confinement.

Reflecting on his experience, Sooraj told Hindi Rush, “It’s all hazy. I was just a 21-year-old boy at the time. I was sent to Arthur Road Jail and put in the ‘anda cell’ (solitary confinement). I was in the same cell where they had put Kasab (26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab). They treated me like I’d done a bomb blast.”

He went on, “They put me where they put Kasab. I didn’t even have a pillow; I’d sleep on newspapers. They treated me terribly, like I had committed some horrible crime. I am not even exaggerating. It was four or five years later that I understood what exactly I had been through. When it was happening, it all felt like a dream.”

On June 3, 2013, Jiah Khan, who starred in Nishabd and Ghajini, was found dead in her Mumbai home by her mother. Her boyfriend at the time, Sooraj Pancholi, was later arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting suicide.

According to the central investigative agency, the case focused on a six-page note purportedly written by Jiah that described a tumultuous relationship and "intimate relationship, physical abuse, and mental and physical torture" at Sooraj's hands. Actors Zarina Wahab and Aditya Pancholi are the parents of Sooraj.

According to reports from 2013, Sooraj's mental and emotional well-being suffered greatly during his 21 days in jail. In 2023, Sooraj was cleared of the abetment charges following a ten-year court battle.

In 2015, Sooraj made his acting debut opposite Athiya Shetty. He later starred with Katrina Kaif's sister, Isabelle Kaif, in Time to Dance.

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His most recent role was in Prince Dhiman's historical action movie Kesari Veer, which also starred Suniel Shetty, Vivek Oberoi, Barkha Bisht, Aruna Irani, and Akanksha Sharma.

Sooraj continues to work in the film industry in spite of the difficulties he has encountered, sharing his story and fortitude with both the public and his fans.