Actors often shine on screen, but many endure hardships that remain hidden from the public eye. Some face challenges from childhood, fight societal judgment, and navigate complex personal lives, all while maintaining a career in the spotlight. One actress’ story is a remarkable tale of resilience, love, and courage, whose journey from being abandoned as a child to raising two daughters out of wedlock with a superstar became the talk of the town. That actress is
Sarika.
Sarika faced childhood without attending school
At the age when she should have started school, Sarika was abandoned by her father. She told
Simi Garewal, “I never went to school at all. I remember being taken to the school once by my parents, but I started working and it was not very convenient.”
She regrets losing her childhood and innocence. “There are certain things that come with childhood, which will never come again. It’s the freedom when you are not aware of anything in life.”
She started acting at the age five
Sarika began acting at just five years old, playing a boy in
Sunil Dutt’s 1967 film ‘Hamraaz’. As a child actor, she was often asked to perform very emotional scenes. She said, “They put glycerin and tell bad things to make child stars cry. For a normal child, losing a parent is such a traumatic experience and we at 6 acted such scenes, and were appreciated and rewarded with biscuits and chocolates. They keep keying your emotions for better shots.”
Left home with only sixty rupees
By 15, she had become a leading lady, but life took another turn at 21. Sarika left home with just Rs 60 in her pocket and a car, explaining that she felt it was the right decision not only for herself but also for her mother. She added that she had probably realised it before others and knew she had to act, emphasising that such decisions do not come overnight but only after a lot of thought.
Fought legal battle over mother’s flat
After her mother Kamal Thakur passed away in 2017, Sarika faced a legal battle over her mother’s Juhu flat. A city doctor claimed that Sarika had deserted her mother since 1982 and was now attempting to dispossess him by trying to trespass upon the flat after her mother’s demise, alleging that she aimed to grab it illegally.
Life was difficult for the young actress. She recalled visiting a friend’s house to take a shower and sleeping in her car at night. She added that sometimes, when a person truly needs to do something, they find the courage to act on their own.
She met Kamal Haasan and fell in love
It was during this time that she met Kamal Haasan. They met on the sets of ‘Raaj Tilak’ in 1984 and grew close despite social pressure. During the same chat, Sarika recalled, “Given the circumstances we were in, we had to resist our attraction and feelings.”
Kamal Haasan added, “It was one storm we were both trying to avoid but strangely we were thrown into the rain, again and again and again. We fell in love much later. She was very attractive. When I got to know her closely, I realised I wanted to fall in love and I didn’t want it to end there or not even sure if I wanted it to happen.”
Faced backlash for being the other woman
Kamal Haasan was married to Vani Ganapathy, and their relationship faced severe backlash. Sarika and Kamal revealed that they were condemned and had no support, noting that even people who cared for them criticised their relationship. The situation became more complicated when Sarika became pregnant with their first daughter,
Shruti Haasan.
She explained, “I was just informing him that I am carrying your child. I didn’t tell him to marry me or leave his wife or to move in with me. This was never the discussion. I thought he had all the right to know that I was carrying a child and decided to keep the child. This was my need. He was not committed to me. He was not responsible in anyway.”
Kamal Haasan recalled, “Then I said, enough is enough, you are not going anywhere and let’s have the baby. I then called the press, they were kind. I told them the child she is carrying is mine, I don’t know if that is legally right or what I am doing is right, but as a human being I think this is right.”
They struggled with housing and social taboo
The couple faced further hardships, as Sarika recalled that it was difficult to secure a rental house in Madras and that they had become a social taboo. Their first daughter, Shruti Haasan, was born in 1986, and they decided to remain unmarried until the birth of their second child.
Kamal Haasan mentioned that Sarika had asked him if they were stopping at one child, and he replied no. They decided not to give a new legal status to the second child, which could create conflict between siblings, and chose to have both children out of wedlock. Their second daughter, Akshara, was born in 1991, and the couple later got married.
The couple’s marriage could not withstand the challenges of their relationship, and in 2004, they divorced.