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New Delhi: Filmmaker Suneel Darshan has shed new light on the much-discussed 1990s relationship between Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty, claiming that the couple’s potential marriage fell through because Shilpa’s parents had placed certain “conditions” before approving the match.
Speaking to Bollywood Thikana, Darshan said the two actors were serious about each other and had reached a point where marriage was being considered. However, the relationship “hit a roadblock” when Shilpa’s family reportedly laid down specific demands.
“They appeared well-matched, but circumstances unfolded differently,” Darshan said.
He also recalled an astrologer associated with late superstar Rajesh Khanna predicting years earlier that Akshay would eventually marry Twinkle Khanna. “At that time, they had nothing to do with each other,” he noted, suggesting that destiny shaped a different outcome.
Darshan did not specify the exact conditions allegedly put forward by Shilpa’s parents but hinted they were related to the security families typically seek for their daughters. When asked if these expectations were financial, he said, “Security of all kinds — all parents want that.”
At the same time, he added, “I thought it was wrong of the parents. It was not destined to happen.”
The split, Darshan said, occurred shortly before the filming of Ek Rishta, adding that Akshay Kumar did not appear emotionally shattered at the time.
