Rukhsar Rehman Recalls Being Forcibly Married Off, Fleeing With Baby At 19
Updated on: 19 May, 2025 03:31 PM IST |Shweta Shah
Rukhsar Rehman`s emotional life journey
Bollywood may be excellent at telling stories which are emotionally moving, but there are few real-life stories that rarely see the light of day. One such story is of actress Rukhsar Rehman, a popular face, who had a tumultuous life at a rather young age.
Long before she entertained us with her performances in URI: The Surgical Strike, PK, or Sarkar, Rukhsar was just a 17-year-old girl with cinematic dreams filled in her eyes. She made her debut with Yaad Rakhegi Duniya and went on to work with Rishi Kapoor in Inteha Pyar Ki.
However, her large dreams were short-lived, as under family pressure, she chose to bid adieu to her acting career and settled to be a housewife. She was forcefully married off by her parents, and by the age of 19, she was already a mother to Aisha Ahmed.
Rukhsar shared her tragic life story with Humans of Bombay and said, “With Aisha, I found my new purpose. Life looked perfect from the outside. I was trying to be a good wife. But over time, the cracks began to show. And the marriage fell apart."
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She recalled fleeing from her husband`s home at the age of 19 after her marriage failed. She ran away with an eight-month-old baby girl and went straight to her maternal home.
“One night, I packed what little I could and left. My daughter was just 8 months old, asleep, unaware our lives were about to change. I kept asking myself, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ But I knew I had tried everything. When my father opened the door, he didn’t ask questions — just said, ‘You’ll be okay,’" Rehman recalled.
With those same big dreams to do something with her life, Rukhsar Rehman restarted her life in her hometown, Rampur, by opening a small boutique to support herself and Aisha. But the actor in her wasn`t ready to give up just yet.
“Years passed. One day, I grew too restless. I left Aisha with my parents — the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I had to find myself again if I wanted to give her the life she deserved. In 2005, after over a decade away, I started from scratch — small roles, auditions, and rejections. But I kept going."
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The path back to acting wasn`t an easy one. With many auditions, rejections, and recognitions, Rukhsar Rehman started getting meaningful work eventually. She even found love for the second time in filmmaker Faruk Kabir. However, life had another heartbreak destined for her.
“It hurt, but Aisha was by my side. I believe she raised me too. There was a time I thought my story was over. But I loved acting too much to let it go. When you’re meant to do something, you find your way back — when you’re ready."
Rukhsar Rehman will next be seen in Uttar Da Puttar, a social drama co-starring Annu Kapoor.
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