Seema Sajdeh, who first appeared on Netflix’s Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives while married to Sohail Khan, has carved out an identity for herself after her divorce. For three seasons, Seema has spoken about her separation from Sohail, allowing the audience to witness her emotional evolution. The first season captured her during the early stages of the breakup, when the reality of the breakup was still unfolding. The second season showed her dealing with the turmoil that followed, including her move away from Bandra. In the third season, viewers saw a calmer and more confident Seema, who had accepted her truth, returned to Bandra and came a step forward by announcing that she was dating her childhood love, Vikram Ahuja, to whom she was briefly engaged, before eloping with Sohail.
Now, years after the split, Seema has opened up about what led to the end of their more than two-decade-long marriage and the life lessons that followed. Speaking to Usha Kakade Productions, Seema reflected on how youth and timing influenced her divorce. “We were both very young when we got married. I was only 22 years old. As we grew up, we grew in different directions. Our thoughts changed. Over time, we realized that we were better friends than husband and wife. It was better to separate than to fight every day. We didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere at home. Khit-pit se acha hai we separate. We separated amicably, but only as husband and wife. To date, we are a family. “He is the father of my children and that can never change.”
He also addressed the emotional toll the decision took on him. “No woman fantasizes about divorce or expresses it. I did go into depression. And my children must have too. It took us several years to come to this conclusion. We were waiting for the right time, especially for our children.”
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Talking about life after divorce, Seema opened up about the fears and adjustments she had to make. “I was afraid of feeling alone. I didn’t know anything about mobile bills, banking or finances. Earlier, my father took care of these things and after I got married, Sohail did it. Suddenly, I had to learn about life insurance, health insurance, everything. As a single woman, now I have to focus more on my business, pay my own bills and take care of my children. Divorce taught me time management as we both have equal time for our children.”
Recalling a pivotal incident, she added: “I fell in London and had to have surgery. That’s when I realized that people claim health insurance in these situations. Every day is a learning experience for a single woman.”
When asked who decided to leave first, Seema firmly dismissed the notion of blame. “That’s very unfair. A relationship involves two people. They are both responsible for making it work, or not. We never made this decision lightly. We made it largely with our children in mind. We were children when we got married and it was no one’s fault.”
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Seema Sajdeh and Sohail Khan’s marriage in 1998 had shocked the industry. At that time, Seema had recently met Sohail and was engaged to Vikram Ahuja. On Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, she revealed that she eloped with Sohail just ten days after their engagement, an impulsive decision that shaped the course of her life for years to come. They are parents to their children Nirvan and Yohan.