Actress Chahatt Khanna, known for her powerful screen presence and strong-headed nature, recently opened up about her journey in an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal. The actress spoke her heart out about the challenges she faced while walking out of a toxic marriage, raising two daughters through it all, and tackling public scrutiny in the age of clickbait headlines. The actress, who has dealt with two broken marriages, shares two daughters with her second husband, Farhan Mirza, and reveals how her strength came not just from her own desire for a better life but also from her vision for her children’s future.
“I just always did what I felt was right, and I stood by it. I’ve always had the courage to say that if something is wrong, I won’t do it, and I won’t let anyone else do it either. No matter what the world says, I will never support the wrong. You should have that kind of confidence, that kind of courage and self-respect, not just as a woman, but as a human being too. I have always felt that if something is not okay, I won’t be a part of it. I’ll figure out the rest, but I will walk away. I had that daredevil attitude. You shouldn't stay in a toxic marriage thinking you’re doing it for the kids. Kids are more affected than you realise. You don’t even know the damage it does. You’ll only find out when they grow up and you hear from their friends what your child really went through. So, I chose to walk away for my daughters, not despite them.”
In a rare and heartfelt admission, Chahatt also spoke about her daughters—how her elder one, who currently lives with her ex-husband, is emotionally sensitive and deeply connected to her, while her younger daughter, who stays with her, expresses pride in her mother’s strength more openly. “My elder daughter doesn’t stay with me, she stays with my ex-husband. But my younger on e keeps telling me, ‘Mom, I’m proud of you.’ I don’t even know why she says it, but she just keeps saying it. The elder one is very emotional and very close to me, but I won’t say she’s proud of me the way the younger one expresses it. The younger one is extremely practical. She doesn’t get affected easily. She just sees things for what they are and somehow, she’s really proud of me. That means a lot.”
When asked about how she handles misleading media coverage or false claims about her personal life, the actress confessed that while she has developed thick skin, the impact on her family, especially her children, can be difficult to navigate. “Every actor’s family is impacted, especially those with kids. People like us, who are strong, we somehow manage. But our families go through a lot. Many girls who aren’t as strong get affected, and we hear about suicides, not always for this reason, but emotional exhaustion is real. My elder daughter understands all this now. She’ll come to me and say, ‘Mom, what is this? My friends are talking about this.’ And then I have to explain to her and her father that I never said what the media has printed. They misquote things. Kids are too innocent for this place. Today’s world is filled with unnecessary ‘mirch-masala’, everything is sensationalised. It’s gone a bit overboard.”
