Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha’s life has never been short of dramatic turns, but few chapters have drawn as much attention as the one involving his long-rumoured relationship with actress Reena Roy. The actor revisited this turbulent period in his biography, where he spoke openly about his marriage to Poonam Sinha, his affair with Reena, and the extreme pressure he once faced from within his own family.
Shatrughan Sinha was already married to Poonam when his relationship with Reena Roy began. In the book, he admits that the affair was real and emotionally complicated.
What unsettled him even more was the moment his elder brother, Ram, intervened in the situation with an ultimatum that would leave a lasting imprint on the actor’s memory.
According to Shatrughan Sinha, his brother Ram summoned him to Reena Roy’s house and confronted him without hesitation. The actor recalls the moment vividly in the biography, writing that Ram “asked me point-blank to marry her, right there, right then.”
The timing couldn’t have been more precarious. Poonam Sinha was pregnant with twins, Luv and Kush, during this period.
This dramatic confrontation did not happen in isolation. The biography notes that Ram was deeply influenced by what he had seen happening elsewhere in the film industry.
The most cited example was Dharmendra, who had married Hema Malini without divorcing his first wife Prakash Kaur. That marriage had become the subject of endless headlines, and it had clearly shaped Ram’s perspective on the matter.
Seeing that precedent, Ram felt Shatrughan Sinha should also marry Reena. The actor remembers Ram as being “adamant,” someone who believed that once he had given his word, he had to honour it.
Shatrughan wrote that Ram “had given his word to Reena,” and this sense of responsibility pushed him to pressure his younger brother.
Ram even went so far as to warn him that if he did not marry Reena, he would reveal the affair publicly.
The situation escalated further when Ram wrote a detailed letter outlining the entire relationship. The letter was addressed not just to members of the Sinha family, but also to Shatrughan Sinha’s close circle. He ended the letter with a stark declaration: “… and so, he must marry Reena.”
However, fate intervened. The letter reached Shatrughan Sinha’s secretary, Pawan Kumar, who acted quickly.
Shatrughan Sinha was shooting outside Mumbai at the time, but Pawan made sure he was informed immediately. According to the biography, this timely intervention ultimately safeguarded Shatrughan and Poonam’s marriage.
There was another layer to the drama. Reports earlier revealed that Reena Roy herself had once issued an ultimatum. Producer Pahlaj Nihalani had recalled an instance when Reena asked him to convey her message to Shatrughan.
Nihalani recounted her words: “Tell your friend to make up his mind. If he gives me an answer, I’ll do the next film with him. Otherwise, it’s a ‘No’. I’ve made up my mind that if he doesn’t marry me, I’m going to get married in eight days.” Reena was firm; she was not willing to remain in limbo.
Pahlaj Nihalani had tried to reunite Shatrughan, Reena, and Sanjeev Kumar for a new film after the success of Haathkadi, but Reena declined. She refused to be a part of the project, signalling the end of that chapter in her professional and personal life.
When noted journalist Bharathi S. Pradhan’s book Anything But Khamosh: The Shatrughan Sinha Biography released, the actor addressed its revelations by saying, “The book has the summary of my life, from how I left home to study films at Pune, my struggle in the film industry, and then the girls who came into my life – the gharwali (wife) came and then baharwali (the other woman).”
He stressed that the book was not written to sensationalise. “I have done that without hurting anybody’s dignity. There is no vulgarity or voyeurism in the book. I haven’t mentioned about many girls in my life. They are settled, they have children. It’s not the right thing to identify them.”
Reena Roy eventually moved on and later married Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan. The couple welcomed their daughter, Sanam Khan, before eventually separating.
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