Kamal Ghorui
Delnaaz Irani has opened up about her divorce, addressing assumptions around alimony and revealing that she walked away without claiming anything, choosing “peace over everything” instead.Speaking about the financial aspect of her separation from ex-husband Rajeev Paul, Delnaaz dismissed common perceptions around alimony.“I never got anything. In fact, what was mine, I let go of it. It’s not like I held on to anything,” she told Hauterrfly, adding that the divorce was “quite messy” as one partner wanted it and the other didn’t.“But I just let it be. I let it go because I chose my peace over everything,” she added.
Divorce was not even in her ‘dictionary’
The actor shared that coming from a middle-class Parsi family, divorce wasn’t something she had grown up seeing.“Divorce was not even in my dictionary. From where I come, relationships last for generations. We are open-minded, but this is not something casual—it comes after a long phase of emotional turmoil,” she said.Delnaaz also revealed that while the separation became public around 2010, for her, the relationship had ended much earlier.“When you are emotionally and mentally out of a relationship, you are just two strangers living in the same house,” she said.
‘Niceness is seen as weakness’
Reflecting on her time in Bigg Boss, where she was often perceived as “fake”, Delnaaz said that people tend to misread kindness.“People thought I was fake, but those who mattered knew who I am. Niceness is always taken as weakness, which is unfortunate. If people understood that kindness and compassion are strengths, the world would be a better place,” she said.She also dismissed claims that the reality show is scripted. “It’s a game, not a satsang. You can’t say someone made you do something. You have to be fantastic in the show,” she added.
On facing her ex on national television
Delnaaz admitted she was shocked when Rajeev Paul entered the Bigg Boss house.“I didn’t know he was coming. But the moment I saw him, I told myself to treat him like any other contestant. I had to maintain my dignity and my family’s dignity,” she said.She also suspected that the show may have been tapping into a “divorcee angle,” but maintained that how she conducted herself was entirely her choice.
‘I chose to rebuild myself’
Opening up about that phase, Delnaaz recalled how everything felt like it was falling apart, especially after losing her father in 2011.“Everything felt like it was collapsing. But I believe even if you break, you have to pick up the pieces and rebuild your life,” she said.Calling herself a “rebel” in her own way, she added, “I was the first in my family to marry outside the community and the first to get divorced.”
‘It was my journey, my choice’
Despite having family support, the actor emphasised that she chose to deal with everything on her own terms.“It was my journey, my choices. People may not understand the weight of it, but I chose peace and moved on,” she said.Delnaaz Irani ended her 14-year marriage with Rajeev Paul in 2012, though the two had already separated in 2010 as their relationship was marked by a lack of love, respect and emotional disconnect. The actor has since moved on and is now in a long-term relationship with Percy Karkaria.
