Zarina Wahab Claims Sooraj Pancholi Broke Up with Jiah Khan a Month Before Her Death: “She Was Rejected and Very Depressed”

In a recent interview, veteran actress Zarina Wahab opened up about the tragic events leading up to the death of actress Jiah Khan in 2013. Wahab, the mother of actor Sooraj Pancholi, revealed that her son had broken up with Jiah nearly a month before the young actress was found dead in her Mumbai residence. This disclosure comes years after a prolonged legal and emotional battle that placed Sooraj Pancholi under public scrutiny.

According to Zarina Wahab, the decision to end the relationship was influenced not only by Sooraj but also by his family’s growing concern over the volatile nature of the relationship. She claimed that Jiah’s mother had also disapproved of their relationship. Zarina recalled advising her son to step back if things weren’t working out, a suggestion that Sooraj eventually followed. Despite the breakup, Jiah wanted to remain friends, and Sooraj agreed to maintain a cordial, platonic relationship.

Wahab also discussed Jiah’s emotional state before her death. She stated that Jiah had been struggling with rejection in her professional life, specifically referring to her being dropped from a Telugu film where she was supposed to star opposite actor Gopichand. The role eventually went to actress Rakul Preet Singh. According to Wahab, this professional disappointment had a serious impact on Jiah’s mental health, contributing to her depressive state.

The night Jiah Khan passed away, Wahab claimed that she had tried to contact Sooraj multiple times. Unfortunately, he was unable to answer her calls immediately. By the time he returned the call, it was already too late. This sequence of events has haunted the Pancholi family ever since.

Jiah Khan, who had acted in films like Nishabd, Ghajini, and Housefull, was found hanging in her Juhu apartment on June 3, 2013. Following her death, a six-page letter allegedly written by her surfaced. The letter detailed her turbulent relationship with Sooraj Pancholi and included allegations of physical and emotional abuse. Based on this letter, Sooraj was arrested and charged with abetment to suicide. The case remained in the public eye for over a decade.

In 2023, a special CBI court acquitted Sooraj due to lack of sufficient evidence. Zarina Wahab expressed deep relief over the court’s verdict, stating that the ordeal had taken a massive emotional toll on the entire family, especially on Sooraj, who was only in his early twenties at the time of the incident. She described the years of struggle as painfully exhausting, remarking that only God knows the full truth behind what happened.

Wahab concluded by emphasizing that while the court has cleared her son’s name, the emotional scars of the entire experience remain. She said the loss of Jiah was a tragedy, but the prolonged media trial and public judgment had also deeply affected Sooraj’s mental and emotional well-being.